UK.COM Awards WINNER - More Than Words

I have some very exciting news to share with everyone this afternoon…

More Than Words, has been selected as the OVERALL WINNER of the UK.COM awards, judged by a very impressive panel of entrepreneurs including Sarah Beeny (click here to see who)!!!

This morning I was officially awarded my £5000 prize!! (professional pics and press release coming soon). I’m so proud and can’t wait to invest my winnings in the business.

How did it all happen?
A few months ago I received an email from the Director of the UK.COM awards. More Than Words had been selected, from a list of thousands of nominated websites (ending with a uk.com domain name), as a finalist in the national UK.COM awards.

Then, a month or so ago I received a call to inform me that I had been selected as the WINNER!!! It’s been difficult keeping it to myself until today.

Here are some details from the original Press Release (a new one will be launched next week):

3 February 2011. London, UK. Global leaders in their fields including Microsoft, Avon, and Radiohead are among the finalists in the 2011 awards for websites using domain names with the ending .UK.COM, together with such well-known British companies as Pineapple Dance Studios, the Michelin starred restaurant Sketch and live music venue, Koko.

The twenty-four finalists in four categories represent the cream of British inventiveness in business and creative endeavour. The overall winner will be revealed at the end of the month, receiving a £5000 prize for either the business or the business’s charity of choice.

Ben Crawford, CEO of UK.COM parent company, London-based global domain name registry CentralNic, said: “We are delighted that such esteemed organizations have selected UK.COM domain names as the web addresses for their smartest ideas and most creative executions. Judging from the quality of the applicants, it does seem more likely than ever that the facebook and twitters of the future may be germinating right here in the UK.”

The finalists were:

Best business idea using a UK.COM domain

Avon for www.avon.uk.com
Barking Mad for www.barkingmad.uk.com
DS Smith Plc for www.dssmith.uk.com
Made for www.made.uk.com
Sandbag for www.sandbag.uk.com
Tea Party for www.teaparty.uk.com

Best creative idea using a UK.COM domain

Art 2 Art UK for www.art2art.uk.com
Chris Weston Wildlife Photography for www.chrisweston.uk.com
Live and Unsigned for www.liveandunsigned.uk.com
Microsoft for www.lifeacademy.uk.com
More Than Words for www.morethanwords.uk.com
Pineapple Dance Studios for www.pineapple.uk.com

Best design, content, functionality of a business website using a UK.COM domain

&Co The Cultural Marketing House for www.andco.uk.com
Kick Fitness and Lifestyle for www.kick.uk.com
Resource Media for www.resource.uk.com
Sketch for www.sketch.uk.com
Suck UK for www.suck.uk.com
Uniform for www.uniform.uk.com

Best design, content, functionality of a creative website using a UK.COM Domain

Koko for www.koko.uk.com
Orchestral Manoeuvre In The Dark for www.omd.uk.com
Radiohead for its official merchandise site www.waste.uk.com
Spooky for www.spooky.uk.com
Troika Art Studio for www.troika.uk.com
We Love Design for www.welovedesign.uk.com

The list of judges was pretty impressive:

SARAH BEENY – Property Guru, TV Presenter (Property Ladder, Britain’s Best Home, Pay off Your Mortgage) and Author, whose latest website Tepilo.com was shortlisted for website of the year and is now a finalist in this year’s BIMA awards.
NICK BRITTON – Managing Editor of Vitesse Media plc, Publisher of SmallBusiness.co.uk, Growth Company Investor, Information Age, GrowthBusiness.co.uk,What Investment, Business XL, M&ADeals.co.uk. and Tax Guide UK.
BEN CRAWFORD – CEO of CentralNic, the company that owns and manages the domain extension .UK.COM. Twenty years management experience in the global media, entertainment and technology sectors and founder of leading websites artinfo.com, MutualArt.com and iGamingBusiness.com.
ILANA FOX – Social Media Guru, Published Author, and creator of the UK’s first venture-backed community-lifestyle website, Liv4now.com.
JONATHAN GABAY – Leading independent brand consultant of guru status. Has worked the gamut of top ad agencies and high-profile brands, and features regularly on the BBC, CNN and Sky.
REBECCA HOLMAN – Editor of leading fashion and lifestyle website, Handbag.com, and former Editor of the ASOS and Cath Kidston magazines.
MARK PEARSON – Founder of leading discount voucher site, MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, and Growing Business Awards’ 2010 Young Entrepreneur of the Year
KATE RUSSELL – BBC Click’s Website and Technology Expert, regularly featured on Daybreak, This Morning, BBC News, Radio 4 and CNBC.