Entry Deadlines for IBC Awards Drawing Near

Citizen journalism, digital cinema delivery and innovative sports graphics: they may not seem to have much in common, but they were the winners of the first IBC Innovation Awards in 2006.
IBC organizers say that now is the time to prepare your entries for the 2007 Awards.
"What makes the IBC Innovation Awards unique is that they honour both the technology and the application, the supplier and the customer," said Michael Lumley, chair of the panel of judges. "We are celebrating the fact that the best broadcasters and content producers seize on the latest developments and use them to fuel their creativity.
"It is a very public celebration, too," he continued. "The awards ceremony last year was packed with IBC visitors and delegates, It received instant coverage in IBC Daily News, IBC TV News and the other media outlets on site, and that was backed up with a tremendous level of interest in the trade magazines and websites around the world. The IBC Innovation Awards are seen as something special, because they reward creativity through technology."
There are three IBC Innovation Awards. In 2006 the prize for content creation went to BBC R & D and Red Bee Media for the Piero 3D sports modelling system; the best content delivery solution award went to T-Systems for its digital cinema delivery chain; and Createcna was honoured for the 3G Mobile Studio which allows live video and audio from a 3G mobile handset to be broadcast live.
A fourth prize is in the gift of the judging panel, and in 2006 it went to Infront Sports and Media and Host Broadcast Services for the coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™, and in particular the way they delivered to new media platforms.
"All four were extremely worthy winners, and really captured the essence of the awards," explained Lumley. "There were more than 70 entries for the three categories last year: this year we expect many more nominations and an even more distinguished shortlist."
Entry forms may be found at www.ibc.org/awards. Along with the form we invite you to submit a DVD illustrating the project. Closing date for entries is Friday 9 March, and the shortlist in each category will be announced in May, allowing you time to publicise it as well as the marketing efforts we put behind it, including IBC Update, IBC Daily News, IBC TV News and of course the website.
"We are again inviting some of the world’s leading journalists and commentators to form the judging panel," said chair of judges Michael Lumley. "Last year we had a lively debate to choose finalists and winners from such a huge range of really worthy projects. This year it is going to be even tougher to choose."
Also presented at the Sunday evening ceremony is the IBC Conference Award for the best paper. To be in line for this you need to get your paper proposal in soon: the call for contributions to the IBC2007 conference is now open. You can find details at www.ibc.org/contributions. The deadline for paper proposals is coming up fast: Friday 16 February.
(SP)