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Ł50k for SME e-commerce champion

Mar 21 2005

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The 2005 E-Commerce Awards have been launched with the claim that they are bigger than ever before, with a cash prize of Ł50,000 for the overall winner.

Now in their seventh year the awards retain their aim of recognising and rewarding small businesses for innovative and sophisticated use of information and communications technology (ICT). The winners will be those who can demonstrate “business transformation” through ICT use.

Any UK business with up to 250 employees can enter the awards, which are run on a regional level initially with 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 & marketing online, best customer care online, and the 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, a set of categories open to individuals or groups of people within any UK organisation who can demonstrate innovative use of ICT in the safe online transactions, environment, health, transport, education & 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,” commented 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 and open on 29 March with the deadline for entries 29 July. Go to www.ecommerce-awards.co.uk for full details.

(21/3/05)

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