The shortlist for the Big Chip Awards 2018 has been announced, with 85 businesses from the North of England in line to take home an award.
The annual awards celebrate digital and technological excellence in areas including eCommerce, UX design, search, gaming and digital transformation.
Businesses, individuals and students from anywhere between the Scottish Borders and Derbyshire are eligible to enter the awards, the largest of their kind outside London.
This year’s judging panel is made up of a host of industry figureheads, including design expert Malcolm Garrett – chair of the panel – BBC’s Bill Thompson, Nikki Barton of British Airways, Thinking Digital’s Herb Kim, Jeni Tennison of Open Data Institute and special guest judge Martha Lane-Fox.
“This year’s shortlist contains an incredible array of talent,” said Lawrence Jones MBE, CEO of headline sponsor UKFast.
“The North is home to an amazing tech community, working together collaboratively, and it’s a huge honour to be involved in celebrating the very best of that community.”
Shaun Fensom , chair of the Big Chip steering group, added: “This is our 20th year – a special anniversary. We can stand back and marvel at how far the technology has come, but also at how the standard of digital, creative and tech work in the North has just kept on getting better – as good as you’ll find anywhere.
“The judges have applied strict and rigorous standards and anyone on this shortlist can be truly proud of what they have achieved.”
To commemorate the 20th anniversary, a special ‘Big Chip Pioneer’ award will be given to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the development of the North’s digital and tech industries. The winner will be announced on the night.
The ceremony will be held at Manchester’s Hilton Hotel on Wednesday 4th July. Click here to see the full shortlist.