Awards that encourage competition

Jonathan Bowers, January 3rd 2007, 4:07PM

At UKFast we've been running awards for the businesses on our network for a number of years now and the last group really has set a standard.

Not only did we have 100% more entries in 2006 but the judges found it much harder to choose the final winners due to the quality of the applicants.

What is great about the awards is that companies of all sizes are pitted up against each other and they all have an equal chance of winning.

The winners are a pretty good representation of the network really. We have big business with Sainsbury's Contact Lenses and small business with VRM Swansea's great number plate site. We've also got regional development agency North West Jazz Works winning the Community Award and global gaming giant Square Enix taking a web design award.

Our other big winner is the 2006 Internet Innovator, awarded to a business or entrepreneur that has brought a new concept to the web in the last year. This award goes to www.envirofone.com, which is part of the Eazyfone Group. In just 9 months they have made recycling of mobile phones a national phenomenon and over the course of 2007 they'll be taking the scheme right across Europe and beyond!

I'm in a privileged position to be able to work with all these great online businesses and more. Our winners and many of those that entered this year are representative of the best of the UK online and long may it continue.

Tags: awards