Bigger than ever before, the 2005 E-Commerce Awards have
been launched with a cash prize of £50,000 for the overall
winner.
Now in their seventh year the awards continue to recognise and
reward small businesses for innovative and sophisticated use of
information and communications technology. The winners will be able
to demonstrate business transformation through ICT.
Any UK business with up to 250 employees can enter the awards,
which are run on a regional level initially, with the winners
moving onto the national stage.
To reflect the changes to ICT in recent times new categories
include:
- best use of broadband
- best use of teleworking
- best use of mobile and wireless technology
- best sales and marketing online
- best customer care online
- most integrated business.
It is all a far cry from the inaugural awards in 1999 when
“innovative use of a fax” was a category, indicating the speed at
which technology is advancing and changing ways of doing
business.
Also new are the National ICT Innovator Awards, which are open
to individuals or groups of people within any UK organisation who
can demonstrate innovative use of ICT in safe online transactions,
environment, health, transport, education and learning, and
export.
"The E-Commerce Awards are a tremendous opportunity for
organisations to share and show innovative approaches for
integrating sophisticated use of ICT into their business,” said
Mike O'Brien, minister of state for energy and e-commerce. “Winners
can also show how their use of ICT has improved their overall
efficiency, productivity and competitiveness.”
The awards are free to enter. The deadline for entries is 29
July. Full details at:
www.ecommerce-awards.co.uk