Irish Web Awards

The Web Awards are different to many awards because we ask more of our sponsors than other awards. We like them to interact, to come along, to talk up the nominees and if needs be, to scream and holler during the event. As mostly voluntary run, we need all the help we can get and sponsors help with the pushing.

So a big thank you to Realex Payments the headline sponsor and then to the category sponsors too:

Best Online Publication – sponsored by Maximise
Best Radio Website – sponsored by IGOPeople
Best Podcaster – sponsored by 3 Ireland
Best Videocaster – Sponsored by Irish Mortgage Brokers

Best Sports Site – sponsored by ArgusCarHire.com
Best Music Site – sponsored by Poll Daddy
Best Entertainment Website – sponsored by Radical
Best Arts Website – sponsored by Brennan Sabatini

Best Technology Site – Sponsored by BH Consulting
Best New Web Application/Service – Sponsored by Red Cardinal
Most Innovative Website – Sponsored by iQ content
Best Social Media Campaign – OnlineAdvertising.ie

Best Discussion forum – sponsored by KRO IT Solutions
Best Education and Third Level Website – sponsored by National Digital Research Centre
An Suíomh Gaeilge is Fear – sponsored by Edgecast Media
Best eCommerce / Services Website – sponsored by Cybercom

Best Practice – Sponsored by Spinnakerpro.com
Most Beautiful Website in Ireland – Sponsored by Beaut.ie
Most Useful Website in Ireland – Sponsored by DoneDeal.ie
Most Accessible Website – Sponsored by Insure.ie

Also thank you to:
Presence PR and Lindt for the chocs, WHPR and Captain Morgan for the rum and coke. Thanks to Glowsticks Ireland for giving us a discount on the glasses, Swizzels Matlow for a nice deal on all those sweets, CSS Audio for the great help with the audio, Largo Foods for the deal on the crisps.

This is an extended version of the incomplete thank your list from Saturday night.

Firstly, as ever, thank you to Rick who is amazingly easy to work with. He just runs a show and makes it seem so easy. He rocks and I’m blessed he’s a friend and a co-worker in a way:

Also thanks to Realex Payments who were so easy to work with. They came to me earlier in the year and we chatted and the deal was done to be headliners and they didn’t ask for anything, they just wanted to be part of a fun event. Thanks to Tracy in Realex Payments who was amazingly helpful. Thanks too to the gaffer of Realex and the man that pointed out my love of words that start with C. When you work with a headline sponsor that is in the centre of the fun you can have an awards show that’s total stress free:

Thanks to Stephen Boyce for his project managing of this and all the lugging of the sweets. I fired off emails, he did the donkey work. You can also thank him for all the sweets and crisps and the choosing of them. Thanks to John Williams for putting together the most awful Powerpoint presentation ever. (That was my task for him and he did very well. He’s willing to consult with any company wanting the same.) Thanks to Alexia for operating the most awful and largest Powerpoint presentation ever. Brian Greene wasn’t there and was sorely missed. So he gets thanks for being him. Thanks to Klara. Thanks to Steven Day for being the trophy totty for the evening. Dressed in his Irish soccer kit. (That’s going to make an interesting Google result for his name) Thanks to Ryan and his genius photos. Thanks to Darragh Doyle for updating the world. Thanks to the helpers who came along on the night. Adam, Aidan, Ian and Eleanor. Thanks too to those I forgot to thank on the night and here again! And of course thanks to Charles for being very patient.

Fran Hollywood deserves special mention for not only making all the foam props that most people took home but for also going off and commissioning the best trophies ever.

And special note too to John Blackbourn. WebNinjaGod who built the site, the judging system, the online payments system and someone who gave great advice.

A big long thank you to all the sponsors and PR agencies who were of immense help. Another post just for that.

Last but not least at all is everyone who nominated, judged, came along and built websites that make life better. You all rock.

Congrats to all. Not everyone won (obviously) but we all saw the massive effort put in by so many people into their websites.

Headline Sponsor – Realex Payments

The winners are:

Best Online Publication – sponsored by Maximise

• The Irish TImes

Best Radio Website – sponsored by IGOPeople

• Phantom

Best Podcaster – sponsored by 3 Ireland

• The Persuaders

Best Videocaster – Sponsored by Irish Mortgage Brokers

• Look and Taste

Best Sports Site – sponsored by ArgusCarHire.com

• RTE Sport

Best Music Site – sponsored by Poll Daddy

• Nialler9

Best Entertainment Website – sponsored by Radical

• Entertainment.ie

Best Arts Website – Sponsored by Brennan Sabatini

• Dance Ireland

Best Technology Site – Sponsored by BH Consulting

• Silicon Republic

Best New Web Application/Service – Sponsored by Red Cardinal

• Kildare Street

Most Innovative Website – Sponsored by iQ content

• Decisions for Heroes

Best Discussion forum – sponsored by KRO IT Solutions

• Boards

Best Government and Council Website

• IDA Ireland

Best Education and Third Level Website – sponsored by National Digital Research Centre

• Talk Irish

Best eCommerce / Services Website – sponsored by Cybercom

• Curious Wines

Most Beautiful Website in Ireland – Sponsored by Beaut.ie

• Organic Supermarket

Most Useful Website in Ireland – Sponsored by DoneDeal.ie

• RTE

Best Social Media Campaign – Sponsored by OnlineAdvertising.ie

Count Me Out

Best Practice – Sponsored by Spinnakerpro.com

• Cars Ireland

An Suíomh Gaeilge is Fear – sponsored by Edgecast Media

• NOSMag

Most Accessible Website – Sponsored by Insure.ie

• Rose Project

Best Website in Ireland – Sponsored by Realex Payments

• RTE.ie

We’ve now opened up tickets sales for everyone. Up to now, those who pre-registered could avail but from here on in it’s first come first served for ticket sales. Get your ticket now. Tickets are €35 each and you can pay online.

Full details of the night and what you get. People have also been asking about the Ireland soccer match. We’ll try and have a TV to let you watch some coverage.

We’re hoping to get the payments gateway up tomorrow so people can purchase tickets for the event, in the meantime, a little explanation about what happens on the night:

Some house rules first:
There are none. We have a no tux non-rule. Wear whatever you wish and come to enjoy yourself. Try and meet as many people as you can. Please clap for the nominees and the winners. Winners are encouraged to give a speech, they worked hard enough building and running their sites. Bring balloons, signs, wigs and all the rest.

Evening timeline:
7pm Doors open
8.15pm Ceremony starts
We’ll go through the categories in the order they are on the site.
We’ll have a quick break before the final few categories.
Colm Lyon from Realex Payments will announce the Grand Prix Winner.

Post-ceremony
There will be buffet food and tea and coffee for all and the now famous cupcakes will be there too. We have a bar extension and there’ll be a DJ and dancing until you get too tired to dance to Kajagoogoo.