Nominations are open during March for the Brighton & Hove Virtual Festival Web Awards 2003. The Awards are open to any site relating to Brighton and Hove in categories that include Best personal Site, Best Business Site and Best Community Site. A panel of judges will select a shortlist in each category and the general public will be invited to vote for their favourites during the Brighton Festival in May.

Mark Walker of Sussex Community Internet Project [SCIP] has organised the awards for the past three years:

"This is a great way of recognising the talent of the people who are building our city in cyberspace. We reckon there are over 400 sites out there with a local connection - from portals like Virtual Brighton and thisisbrightonandhove.co.uk to very personal efforts like the site that catalogues the Weird Cycle Lanes of Brighton.

"The awards are a fun way of seeing what's out there, at the same time as raising the profile of talented local people. The categories include Best Business Site, Best Personal Site and a new award for sites built by young people."

Nominations are open during March - visit www.virtualfestival.org.uk for more details.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. Brighton & Hove Virtual Festival Web Awards is supported by thisisbrightonandhove.co.uk, Brighton & Hove City Council, Midnight Communications, O'Reilly Books and Sussex Community Internet Project.

2. Last year's winners were:

Best Community Site		My Brighton & Hove
Communigate Award		Lewes & St. Michael's Cricket Club
Best Personal Site		Alex Hallatt's cartoons
HumanITy Accessibility Award		Learning Navigators
Best Business Site		Latest Homes

Previous winners include The Insight Magazine, Brighton Racecourse, mybrightonandhove.org.uk and Brighton and Hove Curry Guide.

3. For more details please contact:

• Mark Walker on 07956 627116
• Email: Mark Walker

4. Full details of this year's awards including the nomination form will be available on the web site from 24 February 2003.

FEATURES
We can provide various leads for feature material, including: contacts with previous winners business benefits of being on the web women in web design accessibility and web design.

Contact Mark Walker for these or any other stories.

PROPOSED SCHEDULE
February:
Monthlies/fortnightlies - Nominations open for Web Awards

March:
Dailies/radio/web - Nominations open for Web Awards Monthlies/fortnightlies - Voting opens 1 May

April:
Dailies/radio/web/tv - Voting opens 1 May

May:
Dailies/radio/web/tv - Vote now - celebs choose their favourite

June:
All - winners announced