Popular online fashion business Missguided is among the finalists announced today for this year’s Digital Entrepreneur Awards.
Missguided, which has attracted more than half a million downloads of its iOS app in just four months, is shortlisted for the eCommerce Business of the Year award.
It will go up against Shop Direct, the UK’s second largest pureplay online retailer.
Shop Direct, which has opened state-of-the-art office space including a juice bar and exercise area for its staff, is also nominated in the Online Retailer of the Year and Digital Business of the Year categories.
Space 48, which won the Small Digital Business of the Year DEA in 2015, is nominated for Web Development Project of the Year and Digital Agency of the Year.
Mando, which claimed the Most Creative Use of Technology prize last year, is also shortlisted for Web Development Project of the Year.
The awards honour achievements in digital entrepreneurialism as well as recognising innovation in an ever evolving sector.
Finalists of the awards, pegged as the only awards in the UK dedicated to celebrating digital entrepreneurialism, span 17 categories.
These cover all areas of digital business from Social Media Campaign of the Year and Web Development Project of the Year to Most Innovative Use of Digital Technology and beyond.
Among the shortlisted finalists for the prestigious Digital Entrepreneur of the Year award are Andrew Daniels of Degree 53 and Steven Bartlett of the Social Chain.
e3creative, the digital agency half-owned by Manchester United legend Gary Neville which this week beat off stiff competition to redesign the website of London’s South Bank, is up for the eCommerce Developer of the Year gong.
RealityMine has been nominated in three categories and Push Doctor in two.
Eamon Jubbawy, co-founder of identity specialist start-up Onfido – which reportedly raised a seven-figure sum in funding from venture capital firms and angel investors – is nominated for Young Digital Entrepreneur of the Year.
North Yorkshire Police and Skipton Building Society are among the finalists for Digital Team of the Year.
There is a stellar judging panel for the awards led by Lawrence Jones MBE, founder and CEO of the DEAs’ long-standing main sponsor, cloud computing firm UKFast.
Among several new judges in 2016 are Richard Law, chief executive of identity specialists GB Group, and Claire Braithwaite, tech advisor at Manchester Growth Company and former head of Tech North.
Other confirmed judges include Jonathan Wall, controller, Radio 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra; Tom Bloxham, chairman and co-founder, Urban Splash; Jess Jeetly, founder and MD of JEETLY; Paul Bason, director of digital innovation at Manchester Metropolitan University; Steve Purdham, chairman and founder of 3Rings Care; Colin Stevens, founder and CEO of Better Bathrooms; and Lou Cordwell, CEO and founder of magneticNorth.
This year’s finalists can now look forward to the awards dinner, which is to be held at Manchester’s Palace Hotel on November 9th.