National Award Opportunities for UK Leaders in Innovation

The UK’s most innovative local authorities, businesses and voluntary sector organisations are being invited to enter the 2005 eWell-Being Awards.

The awards, developed by SustainIT – an initiative of the UK Centre for Economic and Environmental Development (UK CEED) - and supported by BT, are the first in the UK to identify and promote the environmental, economic and social benefits of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

For this the fourth year of the awards, SustainIT is offering five award categories to entrants:
* Digital Inclusion - sponsored by BT, this category seeks voluntary sector projects that use ICT to enhance access to services and opportunities for individuals and groups.
* Age and Disability – sponsored by BT, this category introduced in 2004 seeks entries focusing specifically on enhancing ICT access and services for elderly or disabled people.
* Improving Public Services- sponsored by the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA), is open to national, regional and local government and seeks projects that utilise ICT to deliver improvements in customer services and public services delivery.
* Climate Change and Environmental Efficiency – sponsored by UK CEED, is for projects which make use of ICT to reduce the environmental impacts of energy, water and resource use. It is open to projects which increase our understanding of the impacts or science of climate change.
* Better Ways of Working – sponsored by Brother, this category seeks ICT projects or applications which encourage more efficient and flexible ways of working.

Last year’s eWell-Being Award winners included
* The UK Phenology Network, a joint project launched by the Woodland Trust and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. It links up over 13,000 volunteers who record when the natural signs of spring and autumn take place each year.
* South Witham Broadband (SWB), a community internet service provider that has networked local villages together, providing high speed internet access, security for public buildings, free internet telephone calls, and even the local scouts get their IT badges.

Professor Peter James, director of SustainIT said: 'The eWell-Being Awards are all about rewarding organisations which use technology in an innovative way to benefit the environment. Winning an award can really help put an organisation on the map and can encourage others to follow examples of best practice.'

To enter the eWell-Being Awards 2005, entrants must complete the Awards entry form available at www.sustainit.org. Projects must have been running for at least six months and applicants may enter a single project in up to two categories. The closing date for entries is Friday 2nd December 2005. Winning projects will be announced at an awards ceremony in London in March 2006.

Associated Link: UK eWell-Being Awards

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