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Big Chip Awards shortlist revealed | Print |  Email to a friend
Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Manchester Digital is claiming that the 10th anniversary of the Big Chip Awards has seen the scheme’s highest number of entrants to date, battling it out for the prestigious gongs with some of the finest quality digital work to have ever come out of the North West.
Manchester Digital is claiming that the 10th anniversary of the Big Chip Awards has seen the scheme’s highest ever number of entrants, battling it out for the prestigious gongs with some of the finest quality digital work to have come out of the North West to date.

The awards - supported by How-Do and sponsored by organisations as diverse as the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and Microsoft – have this year attracted 215 entries from 120 companies.

More than 35 of these have been short-listed, see below, with the winners due to be announced at The Big Chip Awards Dinner, on 22 May 2008 at New Century Hall in Manchester.

Terry Christian has been revealed as the compere for the awards, stepping in to the role filled for the last four years by Tony Wilson.

As previously noted on How-Do, there will be tributes to Wilson held on the evening, with a special ‘Anthony Wilson Original Modern Award’ to be handed out by his partner Yvette Livesey.

Image
Fensom
Chair of Manchester Digital, Shaun Fensom, said of the standard of this year’s competition: “The quality of entries is very high and it shows the strength of the digital industry in Liverpool and the North West, which continues its rapid growth.

“We have all enjoyed investigating the work that our entrants have produced and look forward to rewarding their efforts.”

The companies short listed for this year’s Big Chip Awards are:

Best Application of Technology
Skylab - Clipper Round The World Race - Race Viewer
Trader Media Digital - Used Vehicle Search Implementation
Transitive Ltd - QuickTransit

Best Digital Marketing and Brand Development
Code Computerlove – Digital Marketing Boosts Online Sales for HMV.com
Code Computerlove - Digital Marketing increases First Transpennine Express Online Sales by 84 percent
Code Computerlove – Huggies Moviestar Viral Doubles Number of Visitors to Brand’s Website
Creative Cultures - We Love...Space Campaign
Fast Web Media - Carling Pub Football
LOVE. - Design A Boot
w00t!media - Goovies

Best E-business Project
EduNation Ltd - First Tutors
Flame Digital - Parkdean Holidays
Mccan-I - Vision Express Consumer Website
Thomas Cook Sports  - Thomas Cook Sports Web Site

Best E-Learning Project
3T Productions Limited - MagicPage
Stardotstar - Quantum Sheep and the Wonderful Wolds!

Image
Best Freelancer/Micro Enterprise 1-5 employees only
Evolve Kisky Netmedia
Flashtemple
Monster Music Videos

Best Not for Profit Project
Hydrant - The Cumbria Network Website
Ichameleon Ltd - Zion Arts Centre Website
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Best Public Sector Project
Aerelink Limited - Wide Area Network Connectivity Project
Photolink Creative Group - Manchester Conferences
Reading Room - Glasgow 2014 bid website

Best Use of Animation
Firestep - Dr Who
Image Foundry Studios Ltd - The Street - Opening titles
Jon Turner – Kilogramme - Edith- Christmas Card
Smoothe – Cooling Towers
The Neighbourhood - Stories from the Neighbourhood

Best Use of Visual Design
Amaze - Lexus European website
Fudge - www.fudgestudios.com
Fudge - www.kitty-cooper.co.uk
Ichameleon Ltd - Zion Arts Centre Website
LOVE. – Website

Best Use of Search
eBusiness – RU Comfy
PushOn – Contract Store Search Marketing - www.pushon.co.uk - www.contractstore.com

Big Green Chip Award
Higgins and Bowers Freelance - Development of Slipstream Energy Web Site
UKFast.Net - UKFast's Ecoserver Project

The ‘Game of the North’ and the ‘Big Chip International Award for Innovation’ are being judged by special guest panels and shortlists will be announced later this month.

www.bigchipawards.com

 



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  Comments (18)
RSS comments
 1 By ab, on 15-04-2008 16:23
liverpool well represented again i see 
 
oh wait........... 
 
ita ANOTHER manchester love in 
 
*tears up next years application form*
 2 By er..., on 15-04-2008 16:37
... maybe just try a bit harder next year ab.
 3 By ab, on 15-04-2008 17:27
or move to manchester??
 4 By Richard Cheese, on 16-04-2008 00:27
Or get over it and get an event in Liverpool? I guess what you put in indicates what you get out.
 5 By ab, on 16-04-2008 09:05
"...get over it..." 
 
brilliant 
 
although your post somewhat validates the point i was trying to make. 
 
and Richard, Liverpool does have award events. They are varied and good fun and the same judges faourites dont win every single time. 
 
i even think that sometimes non local agencies win as well
 6 By Big Chip on the Shoulder, on 17-04-2008 12:59
Ok – let’s break it down and publicise the maths. This isn't scientific. 
 
1 Skylab – oh yes they’re from Manchester 
2 Trade Media – well all over the world, but let’s say Newton-Le-Willows for convenience 
3 Transitive – well US really, but yes they do have a “Development Center” in Manchester (how very remiss of them) 
4 Code – well yes they’re in Manchester 
5 Creative Cultures - Ooh looks like they’re from Liverpool 
6 Fast Web Media – Yep – they’re definitely from Manchester 
7 LOVE. – Yes they really are from Manchester 
8 w00t!media – Oh yes they are in Manchester too 
9 EduNation Ltd – Well they’re from Lancaster 
10 Flame Digital – It’s only fair to say they’re from Manchester 
11 Mccan-I – Now they live in Prestbury in deepest Cheshire 
12 Thomas Cook Sports - Looks like Bradford to me 
13 3T Productions Limited – Well they’re in Cheadle. Does that count as Manchester; given it has an SK postcode? 
14 Stardotstar – You got me there – they’re from Manchester 
15 Evolve Kisky Netmedia – Now that’s Liverpool and Amsterdam 
16 Flashtemple – I admit it, it’s Manchester 
17 Monster Music Videos – Looks like Manchester to me 
18 Hydrant – Looks like Carlisle I reckon 
19 Ichameleon Ltd – Hands up it’s Manchester 
20 Royal Liverpool Philharmonic – The name says it all really and done by Mando - In Liverpool of all places! 
21 Aerelink Limited – Hey they’re from Knowlsey 
22 Photolink Creative Group – Got to admit it, Manchester 
23 Reading Room – Manchester again eh? Oh and London. And some other places round the world. 
24 Firestep – Whoops, they’re from Manchester 
25 Image Foundry Studios Ltd – Didsbury: yes it’s Manchester really, but also New Delhi (which is in India you know). Obviously Didsbury isn’t in New Delhi but you know etc.... 
26 Jon Turner – Kilogramme - Edith- Christmas Card – can’t work that one out actually 
27 Smoothe – London, Manchester (oh there it is) and Bulgaria too. 
28 The Neighbourhood – Well Radium look like they’re from London 
29 Amaze – Hmm Runcorn methinks 
30 Fudge – Bolton – that’s Peter Kay country 
31 eBusiness – Hey it’s those nice chaps from Blackburn 
32 PushOn – Got to be Manchester 
33 Slipsteam are in Leeds as is their solar powered server 
34 UKFast.Net – Got to admit they’re in Manchester 
 
The last ‘Game of the North’ and the ‘Big Chip International Award for Innovation’ we’ll just have to wait for won’t we? 
 
18 of the 34 companies mentioned (and of course some are mentioned more than once for the same award but they wouldn’t be able to win it twice would they?) have an M postcode – a staggering 52% of firms. Not that much of a love-in.
 7 By ab, on 17-04-2008 14:14
*sighs* 
 
i cannot take anyone seriously who uses the following words 
 
'methinks' 
'hmm' 
'hey' 
 
bless you for trying to be funny though
 8 By must try harder, on 17-04-2008 14:31
It matters not one iota whether you take him seriously or not. He's got a point. End of story. 
 
Now get back to trying harder to win some awards if it bothers you that much.
 9 By ab, on 17-04-2008 14:41
it matters to me 
 
end of 
 
*does clicky thing with fingers*
 10 By ab, on 17-04-2008 14:45
i think what i was trying to get across is demonstrated in the fact that there are 3 nominations from liverpool and 18 from manchester 
 
now, i dont think manchester is 9 times better than liverpool in this sector. hence why it is a manchester love in 
 
and i am not even a scouser so your 'chip on shoulder' and 'self pity' comments are inaccurate in this case
 11 By fs, on 17-04-2008 18:45
You'd probably find the number of Manchester nominations is proportional to the number of Manchester submissions.
 12 By AP, on 18-04-2008 08:14
I'll have to agree with ab on this one. The quality of Liverpool's creative community is outstanding and I find it hard to believe that award submissions from the city were lacking or weak.  
 
The short list is, as it has been for the last few years, heavily Manchester biased and for fs to state that the number of Manchester nominations is proportional to the number of Manc submissions is extremely shortsighted. If this is the case, I'd be right in thinking it's a case of quantity and not quality!?
 13 By Simon Wharton website, on 18-04-2008 10:25
Sounds like a lot of self pity going on there. Liverpool has got some great companies but I'll wager they simply dont put as many entries in. How often are Manchester companies honoured over in Liverpool I wonder. And for the record, I have no particular bias to either City. Spent many years in Liverpool and enjoyed it. Now live in Manchester and enjoy it .
 14 By ab, on 18-04-2008 10:40
yes, thats it simon 
 
its all about the self pity 
 
shall we run along and go stela some hubcabs too?
 15 By Simon Wharton website, on 18-04-2008 16:55
ab, seriously, I think it's about attitude. I've got to declare an interest in that I'm on the Council for Manchester Digital and I know how scrupulous people like Shaun Fensom are in ensuring that everything is above board and fair. Obviously you only have my word for it. 
But what are you doing about it other than moaning? Did you enter?  
Seriously, do some good work and then enter it and let that do the talking.
 16 By ab, on 18-04-2008 18:50
simon 
 
we did good work, trust me 
we did enter 
and for the third year running we didnt get anything 
although two years ago we got our application forms sent back to us.....unopened 
 
to be fair i think we will just concentrate on winning business and other awards
 17 By AP, on 19-04-2008 10:40
The Big Chip is supposedly a North West awards, but as every comment here points out, they attract a high volume of Manchester based entries.  
 
The awards, like it or not, are heavily skewed towards Manchester and perhaps the organisers need to consider how they can increase their appeal outside of the city.  
 
The North West (not just Manc and Liverpool) is home to great creative, marketing and comms agencies big and small and yet the awards do not reflect this. 
 
Whether Simon, fs, must try harder et al like it or not, the truth is that there is a perception they are Manchester-focused. This will deter future non-Manchester entries and perpetuate the Manchester-heavy short list for years to come.
 18 By Clear it up once and for all, on 21-04-2008 17:43
The easy way to do it would be to publish a list of everyone who entered each category - and then one would be able to see just how many entries were from Manchester and how many were from the broader region. 
 
But that would be quite a time-consuming thing to do. I imagine judging all the entries is a huge operation in itself without any further bureaucracy. 
 
So if the perception is that it's Manchester-focused but the reality is that it's simply that there are more entrants from Manchester than elsewhere, what are they supposed to do? 
 
As for AB, I'm sure your entries were good, but it seems, on the face of it, that they were just not good enough this time. If it's any consolation, my (Manchester-based) entry was also deemed not good enough this time (and somebody from out of town was better)!

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