Supported by The Department of Trade and Industry; New Media Knowledge and leading digital companies.

About the awards
How to enter
Award Categories
Terms, Conditions and Fees

What are the Biz-Nets?

The IVCA Biz-Net Awards were established three years ago in partnership with the Design Council, the media and the industry itself, to promote excellence in the effective use of digital business content over the latest delivery platforms.

The Biz-Nets invite entries from Interactive/Enhanced Television, the Internet and related technologies. Each entry will be judged on the quality of its content, how well it is delivered to its audience, and how its effectiveness is assessed.

The IVCA (International Visual Communication Association) is the professional body representing creatives and commissioners who are leaders in all forms of business, brand building, public service communication and 'infotainment'. It is the largest body of its kind, with sister organisations throughout the world. The IVCA works to help its membership develop new business leads, maximise the industry's competitiveness, raise it's profile and ensure the provision of appropriate training and support services.

The Presentation

The IVCA Biz-Net Awards will be presented at BAFTA, in London, on the morning of 4th December 2002. This will be followed by a networking luncheon at Fortnum and Mason. The event will be attended by clients, chief executives and senior government figures.

The Business Case

IVCA Awards are internationally accepted benchmarks for excellence. Winning an IVCA Award will ensure:

• A showcase presentation before leading business and government figures
• A published case study of each winning entry circulated to key markets
• The opportunity to deposit each winning entry in the Best Practice Library within the IVCA Business Communication Centre which is regularly accessed by senior clients
• Full promotional media support
• An award plaque suitable for display at company headquarters

Judging Criteria

The Awards will celebrate the fusion of content, design, strategy and technology in the creation of effective sites and programmes. The Award for Innovation will celebrate appropriate technical advances, and the new Interactive/Enhanced Television Pitch category, will assess creative programme ideas.

All sites/programmes/pitches will be judged by leading figures from industry and the media on their business strategy and the degree to which they meet their communication objectives.

Entry Period

For all awards, except the Award for Innovation, there is no set period for the origination of entries. Sites and programmes can be entered in several categories but they cannot be re-entered in subsequent years unless there has been considerable re-development. Projects for the Innovation Award must have been developed or launched between 1st June 2001 and 30th September 2002. Entries for the Interactive/Enhanced Television Pitch category should be copyrighted prior to submission.

All entries were submitted by 4th October 2002

For information about tickets to the awards, please e-mail the IVCA at publicity@ivca.org or telephone 020 7512 0571.

For further information about membership details, contact Nick Gardiner at nick@ivca.org.

The IVCA Biz-Nets: Award Categories

Television Category

Interactive/Enhanced Tv Pitch Award
This category provides a unique opportunity to submit ideas for Interactive/Enhanced Television programmes for brand-building, infotainment and public information issues or corporate communications. Entries will be assessed by a jury of leading interactive programme commissioners invited from the BBC, BSkyB, Channel 4, The Discovery Channel, Nickelodeon, Open TV, Telewest and Two Way TV. As programmes submitted may have the opportunity of being taken forward for production, entrants should only submit works in respect of which they are the copyright owners.

Innovation Category

Innovation Award
This Award is for technical developments that have extended the boundaries of what can be achieved by the Internet or Interactive Television, e.g. webcam, flash, new technology plug-ins etc. Projects must have been developed or launched between 1st June 2001 and 30th September 2002.

Internet Categories

Business To Consumer Award
This category is for any site intended to maximise sales and promotions that sets out to communicate with its customers and give them an added-value experience during the visit via links to related sites, community support services, educational materials etc. This category also includes any site that makes products or services available to the consumer and allows the ordering of those services to take place on the Internet e.g. sites intended to sell products such as appliances, food, cars or services, including pensions, insurance and legal advice. Business To Business Award
This category includes any site that allows transactions and/or general communication to take place between businesses - e.g. extranets designed to handle transactions between manufacturers and suppliers, dealers, distributors and general business-to-business promotional sites. Business Programmes/Magazines Award
This category will be for the most outstanding, rigorous and appropriate business news, business information, or business discussion site e.g. online news and magazine sites and support sites for paper and video-based business news media. Knowledge Award
This category is for any site designed specifically for use as a teaching aid or study support, for schools, colleges, home study etc or for any website designed specifically to communicate and raise the understanding of staff within an organisation. Both Internets and intranets will be considered. Intranets submitted will be judged with appropriate confidentiality. Public Information Award
This category is for any site that carries public service information - e.g. government and local authority, charity and public welfare services, tourism, or sites accompanying broadcast programmes which provide background information. Outstanding Use Of Broadband Award
This category, which was developed with support from the Department for Trade and Industry, aims to stimulate excellence in the use of broadband. Websites that make full use of broadband technology to communicate content can be submitted. It is, however, possible to enter the same site into both this and another category. Grand Prix Award
A Grand Prix Award will be presented to the most outstanding new development, concept or programme selected from amongst the other category winners by a jury of industry leaders.
Please contact the IVCA office for further details.
www.ivca.org