Entries open for the UK IT Industry Awards 2012

Today marks the launch of the 2012 UK IT Industry Awards, the Oscars of IT. Enter yourself, your team, your projects or products now!

Computing, in association with BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, is proud to announce the launch of the 2012 UK IT Industry Awards.

The UK IT industry is fast-moving, and the UK IT Industry Awards reflects that. This year sees the addition of new categories to award innovation in apps, cloud services and big data, among others.

The annual awards are renowned as the Oscars for the IT profession, providing a platform to showcase and celebrate best practice, innovation and excellence. Entrants can be organisations or individuals involved in IT across the public, not-for-profit and commercial sectors.

In total there are 23 categories that focus on the contribution of individuals, projects, organisations and technologies that have excelled in the use, development and deployment of IT in the past 12 months.

Chris Middleton, Editor of Computing, said: "In today's tough economic climate, innovation, good management, teamwork and excellence are more important than ever, and can make all the difference to a project or an organisation. And so I am delighted that Computing is involved in these prestigious, rigorously judged awards with the BCS, because the 2012 IT Industry Awards celebrate and acknowledge these very qualities.

"And it's not just about one night: winning an award can be a valuable aid to gaining new contracts and customers, attracting media attention and helping to attract and retain staff."

David Clarke, MBE, chief executive officer of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, said: "This is an exciting time for the IT profession; we are seeing some great IT innovation taking place in the UK at the moment. Through our Awards, we want to demonstrate how the IT profession is transforming business and society in so many different ways and why it is the most exciting profession to belong to today."

Last year, the awards attracted over 200 entries and saw large and small organisations picking up awards in recognition of their contribution to the profession. Winners included The Royal Shakespeare Company, Jaguar, Royal Bank of Scotland and Network Rail, among others.

Entry is via an online application process and initial judging will take place in August. In September, finalists will be invited to give presentations or an interview with an expert panel of judges drawn from across the industry. The winners will be announced at a gala evening event at the Battersea Park Events Arena, London on 14 November.

Full details of how to enter are available at: www.ukitindustryawards.co.uk

The award categories are:

INDIVIDUAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Presented to IT professionals for demonstrating excellence in their field
• CIO of the Year
• Young IT Professional of the Year
• IT Manager of the Year - Public Services
• IT Manager of the Year - Private Sector
• IT Service & Support Professional of the Year

ORGANISATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Presented for the delivery of IT excellence and customer satisfaction.
• IT Department of the Year
• Best use of Cloud Services
• Major VAR of the Year
• VAR of the Year
• IT Employer of the Year
• IT Project Team of the Year

TECHNOLOGY EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Presented for innovative new hardware or software products, or generally-available IT services, which make the biggest contribution to business technology or to IT in general
• Security Innovation of the Year
• Business IT Innovation of the Year
• Innovative Mobile App of the Year
• Infrastructure Innovation of the Year
• UK Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award
• Cloud Provider of the Year

PROJECT EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Presented to organisations and to project teams who have achieved exceptional results through their outstanding project implementation and their high levels of professionalism in IT
• Big Data Project of the Year
• Network / Infrastructure Project of the Year
• Data Centre Project of the Year
• Best business project dependent on mobile technology
• Best not for profit IT project
• IT project demonstrating most effective use of collaborative technology