IIA ‘overwhelmed’ by record number of entries to the 2011 Net Visionary Awards

The Irish Internet Association (@iia) was ‘overwhealmed’ by the record number of entries to this year’s Net Visionary Awards, the organisation said today.  The shortlist contains 62 websites spread over 14 categories, each of which is up for the public vote.

Demonstrating the strength of Ireland’s technology sectors the shortlist is as diverse as ever; with nominees ranging from rookies to industry leaders such as O2, Arekibo, The Arts Council, Strata3, X Communications, and Enterprise Ireland.  Showing that the country’s entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well the Best Rookie Category is most contested with eight nominees.

Joan Mulvihill, the IIA CEO said, “The sheer number of entrants was overwhelming.  It’s a great sign of the positivity, determination and creativity of the sector. Our panel of judges had the tough job of shortlisting and a few admitted to getting lost in some great websites in the process!”

Voting for each category is open to the public and takes place between August 17 and September 2.  The winners will be announced during the gala award ceremony in Ireland’s National Gallery on September 30.

After 13 years the IIA awards are set for a renewal this year, along with the new venue the awards have a new headline sponsor, the .IE domain registry – which has been running a number of campaigns to promote Irish web development

The IIA awards are some of the most prestigious in Ireland’s technology sector; this year alone the awards’ sponsors include Blacknight, Nokia, PayPal, RealEx, and The Digital Hub.