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Released: 13 March 2003:
UK ONLINE FOR BUSINESS/INTERFORUM E-COMMERCE AWARDS CELEBRATE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY
In its fifth year of rewarding UK business transformation, the
www.ecommerce-awards.co.uk
have an increased prize fund of £182,000 and have introduced four new innovation categories.
13 March 2003: E-Commerce Minister Stephen Timms has today launched the fifth annual UK online for business/InterForum E-Commerce Awards. Since their inception in 1999 the Awards have been recognising and rewarding innovation in the application of internet and information and communication technologies to transform small and medium sized businesses in the UK.
The E-Commerce Awards are a joint initiative between UK online for business and InterForum and are being sponsored nationally for the third year by Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) and Cisco Systems. They are open to any UK business with up to 250 employees that would like the opportunity to win a slice of the total £182,000 cash prize fund available. The overall national E-Commerce Awards winner will receive a total prize of £40,000.
Speaking at the launch of the E-Commerce Awards 2003, E-Commerce Minister Stephen Timms, commented, "The E-Commerce Awards are an opportunity to recognise those leading the way in the use of e-business technologies. Over the past five years the awards have gone from strength to strength. Not only have we seen remarkable growth in the number of entrants, but also in the quality of the competition.
"It is essential for companies to move beyond using e-commerce as simply an add-on. The E-Commerce Awards are looking for businesses that have transformed themselves by bringing these technologies to the heart of their business.
"I look forward to seeing the range and quality of this year's applicants."
Over the last four years, £1.9 million has been raised by InterForum to recognise the achievements of over 3,500 small and medium businesses across the UK.
The Awards are run on a regional and national level and recognise four areas in which organisations can demonstrate business transformation: e-business start-ups, e-trading, e-business and achievements in the voluntary & community sector.
The overall National winner will receive a top prize of £30,000 and will be selected from National category winners, who will be awarded £8,000, with each regional winner receiving £2,000. Confirmation of all dates, times, judging guidelines and entry criteria can be found on
www.ecommerce-awards.co.uk
.
Celebrating the fifth anniversary of the only Government backed technology awards programme in the UK, InterForum and UK online for business have also announced the addition of four new innovation categories, judged at a national level. These four categories form the new National Innovation Awards and will be presented to those organisations who, in the judges' opinion, can demonstrate business excellence in: Use of Mobile & Wireless Technology, Use of Broadband Technology and Advanced Supply Chain Integration. In addition, the Innovation Awards will also feature a prize for the best application of Technology Means Business (TMB) accredited advice. Each Innovation Category winner will be presented with an £8,000 cash prize.
Phil Flaxton, Chief Executive of InterForum, commented, "The UK online for business / InterForum E-Commerce Awards are a great example of how industry and Government can work together to help foster the uptake of e-technologies in the UK. The way in which UK companies have adopted these new technologies and used them to transform their businesses over the last four years is something Industry and Government have been rightly applauding through the E-Commerce Awards. This year's increased prize fund and the addition of the new innovation categories further underlines, InterForum's commitment to recognising and rewarding these extraordinary achievements."
Richard Bradley, Director for Commercial and Small/Medium Business commented, "Cisco Systems' leadership in the wired and wireless Internet has set the standard for e-business transformation, making our endorsement of the E-Commerce Awards a natural one. Our continued sponsorship of these awards demonstrates our commitment for encouraging small and medium sized businesses to use technology. For example, we have seen that technologies, such as mobility solutions, have succeeded in dramatically improving productivity levels. We are therefore pleased to support and reward innovation that will lead to the success and growth of today's SME business."
Andy Ross, Director of E-Commerce & Internet at RBS, said, "We are delighted to be again sponsoring the E-Commerce Awards which recognise innovation, imagination and success - qualities RBS values and encourages. The sheer variety and quality of businesses involved each year in the Awards is not only an inspiration, but a clear demonstration of how e-commerce can inject a new edge into an existing business model."
Regional winners of the awards will be selected during 11 heats across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Scottish companies have their first heat via the 'Winners at the Web' Awards (External)
www.scottish-enterprise.com/wow
, which is also being launched on 13 March.
The E-Commerce Awards 2003 culminate in seven months' time at the national Gala Dinner to be held at Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
Applications for entry will be through an online form at the web site
www.ecommerce-awards.co.uk
. In addition companies can be nominated online.
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Stephen Timms MP
Minister for E-Commerce
launching the 2003 Awards
(read the full text
of the Minister's speech
MS Word, 30kb)
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