PR 2333
WHERE ARE THE BEST PLACES TO SURF IN HAMPSHIRE ?
Tonnes of golden sand shipped into the Southampton Boat Show created an ideal beach location for the launch Hampshire County Council's Hantsweb 2005 Awards, and its new award category Recreation and Tourism.
Hampshire County Council's Councillor Rod Baulk, e-Government champion and supporter of the Silver Surfers campaign, launched the awards on `the beach' with a specially designed surfboard.
With £10,000 of prizes up for grabs for winners, residents are being invited to surf the net to find the best websites and internet access points in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and nominate them for an award.
New for this year is an award for the best recreation and tourism website, for Hampshire and Isle of Wight-based enterprises which promote recreational and visitor benefits of local hotels and amenities, in the countryside or along the coastline.
There are 12 award categories and anyone can nominate their favourite website, information point or internet café by logging onto www.hants.gov.uk/hantswebawards until Friday 16 December 2005. If you manage a website, you can nominate it yourself.
Councillor Baulk said: "The internet has become part of our daily lives at work, home, school, and for all age groups. The Hantsweb Awards give us the opportunity to recognise and reward the best websites and help to improve online services to the community
"This is the fourth year of the awards, which regularly attract over 400 nominations; we hope that the new recreation and tourism category, so important to the economy of the Isle of Wight and Hampshire, will open up the awards to a wider audience."
The Hantsweb Awards are organised by Hampshire County Council with the support of sponsorship from, Microsoft, Symantec, Anite, Norsk Data, EMC, Wyse Technology (UK) Ltd, Cisco Systems, Synetrix, SAP, SEEDA, Unisys, Macmillan Education Publishing, Start, MRSK, Progenit, 2nd Chance Ltd, South Hampshire Enterprise Agency and thisishampshire.net. Sponsorship places are still available for this high profile and prestigious event and companies with an interest in sponsoring the awards or specific prize categories are encouraged to contact Kathryn Hollingsworth of Aawaz Communications on 0207 404 6064.
ENDS
Notes for Editors
· Nominate online at www.hants.gov.uk/hantswebawards until Friday 16 December 2005
· Organisations can nominate their own websites
· Individuals can nominate more than one website
· The same website can be entered into more than one category
· The website must be based in Hampshire or the Isle of Wight
· Hampshire County Council funded websites are not eligible
· If you want to nominate a website but can't decide on the category, just tell us what is good about it on the nomination form and let the judges decide
The 12 award categories are
Best Recreation and Tourism Website - for Hampshire and Isle of Wight-based enterprises which promote recreational and visitor benefits of local hotels, amenities.
Best Small Business Website - open to businesses employing 250 people or less, who use the internet to promote their goods/services online and provide a service to customers.
Best Rural Enterprise Website - websites which contribute towards the economic well-being of a rural area in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
Best Public Internet Access Point - for people of all ages without their own computer, in public locations like libraries, internet cafés and rural village halls
Best Public Service Website - useful, clear information about the service with advice on how to get the best from it via the website. Open to district and borough councils, emergency services, health authorities and other public services.
Best School Website - for children, their parents and teachers; children should be involved in preparing the web content. Open to all schools in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Most Accessible Website - which best meets the needs of users, irrespective of technical or physical limitation. One of the criteria will be ease of use via access software such as screen readers for the blind or text based browsers.
Best Young People's Website - websites run by young people for young people. The age of people running the site and the age of the target audience must be under 25 years.
Best Interactive Website - for a business or information site which provides the best online service, and ease of use whether buying online, referencing/downloading information or interacting with the site
Best Special Interest Website - charities, clubs, societies, or even personal websites, containing useful or interesting information to those with a shared interest and available to the general public
Best Town or Parish Council Website - regularly updated information about the town or parish for the local community, demonstrating involvement of residents. Open to town and parish councils in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Best Community or Voluntary Organisation Website - comprehensive information for users, practical advice, as well as guidance on how to get involved in voluntary activity.
For further information please contact: Vanessa Burton on 01962 847367
vanessa.burton@hants.gov.uk
20/09/2005