Press Release 11 February 2008
Manchester Digital celebrates its 10th anniversary and 60 years of the Baby computer with a special honour to Mr Manchester and a global award
The late legendary Tony Wilson will be honoured when the Big Chip Awards for North West companies excelling in the use of IT and digital technology celebrates ten years with two new categories in gaming and global innovation.
The 10th anniversary awards will recognise the success of Manchester’s Tony Wilson, the Salford-born founder of Factory Records and the Hacienda and the award’s much loved regular compère.
His long-term partner, Yvette Livesey, is the special guest judge of a dedicated ‘Anthony Wilson Original Modern Award.’ The Anthony Wilson prize will be awarded to the entrant whose project from any category that Yvette considers original, modern and in tune with Manchester today.
Two brand new categories have also been added to the long list of awards making the Big Chip 10 bigger and better, with categories reflecting the changing digital landscape. The new awards are Game of the North and the Big Chip International Award for Innovation which will see, for the first time, the Big Chip judge digital projects outside the North West.
This 10th anniversary awards hold particular significance, recognising the growth of the IT industry in the North West ever since Manchester produced the world’s first stored programme computer or ‘Baby’ as it was known, 60 years ago this year.
Entries are open to digital sector companies and all businesses, creative agencies and organisations which have undertaken digital initiatives in the past year – everything from a company website to digital marketing.
In recognition of some of the country’s finest gaming developers established in the North, the Game of the North award is open to stand-alone electronic games working on any platform that demonstrate innovation, outstanding design or “playability.” This category is open to entrants from anywhere in the three regions of the North.
The Big Chip International Award for Innovation is open to any project from anywhere in the world, with digital industry people in the North West invited to nominate a project executed by a third party that demonstrates exceptional innovation in digital media or digital technology. The project should show how it has used the opportunities offered by digital media and technology to create something new or original or to achieve objectives, which would not otherwise have been realised.
The Big Green Chip Award is another first-year award to recognise outstanding use of digital technology that has directly or indirectly helped improve or preserve the environment, or that has achieved its goals in a sustainable way.
Entries are submitted online at www.bigchipawards.com. The first two entries are free. Subsequent entries cost £75. The closing date for entries is 3rd March 2008. The Big Chip Awards will be announced at a glittering awards dinner on Thursday 22nd May 2008 at New Century Hall in Manchester.
This year’s judges will be made up of a panel of figures from the sector chaired by Michael Nutley, editor of weekly industry ‘bible,’ New Media Age.
Organised by Manchester Digital, the trade association for the region’s digital sector, and supported by the Manchester Digital Development Agency, the awards are open to any organisation based in the North West that has designed or commissioned any digital projects in the past year. This can include website, DVD, animation, wireless or SMS projects.
Last year’s winners spanned a wide variety of sectors and included Pavilion Communications, Stardotstar, designer fashion boutique Gorgeous Couture, and animation speci
