To mark its twenty-fifth annual awards, ISPA is looking for public nominations for a special anniversary contribution award to showcase an individual or organisation that has driven innovation and the development of the industry over this time.
Connectivity and the internet has transformed the UK over the past 25 years.. From the early days of a New Labour government, in a year where tech giant Google was founded, the iMac by Apple was launched, the first building blocks of the ISS were assembled in orbit and ADSL was first trialled in the UK. Through to the modern day, where connectivity helped people during a global pandemic and reliable internet is now an everyday essential.
In the past quarter-century period, we have seen technologies emerge to serve consumers 200,000 times faster than in 1998, digital communication grow to 1.3 million online calls made per minute globally and 27.3 million fixed broadband lines installed throughout the UK… none of which could have been done without the perseverance, investment and innovation of ISPA members.
Throughout this entire journey, the ISPA Awards have been here to celebrate some of the great achievements of those contributors as the UK and its citizens became more digitally enabled. Some of the notable moments along the way included Tim Berners Lee winning our ‘Internet Colossus’ award in 2000, BR4N winning the first of many awards in 2011 for their work in delivering community driven rural fibre broadband, the infamous Mozilla Firefox nomination that saw a flurry of activity from across the globe and even a marriage between a couple that met at our awards in 2014.
Commenting on the sector and the ISPA Awards, Nick Lansman, Secretary General since ISPA’s inception stated: “In 1998, ISPA launched our coveted industry awards - the first of its kind in the UK. When we launched our independent, data-driven awards, we had a clear goal in mind of showcasing the ISPs and individuals behind the development of the UK internet industry at a prestigious black-tie gala ceremony. I am delighted to have seen how far industry has come over the past 25 years and proud to say that we have been there to celebrate the success of the sector along the way”
As a way to commemorate the landmark anniversary and the success of industry, ISPA has begun the search for an individual or organisation that could be classed as an industry titan, dedicating themselves/ itself to propelling the sector forward through an exceptional contribution to the development of connectivity and internet services. It could be a technological innovation, product or service or notable policy or legal win over the past quarter of a century.
To find a worthy winner of ISPA’s 25th Anniversary Award, we want your help!
ISPA is asking individuals from across industry to provide their nomination via email to awards@ispa.org.uk, with a paragraph or two describing why you think your nominee is deserving of the award. This does not need to stretch all the way back to the 1990s, but entries that helped shape the vibrant and successful sector over this period are very welcome. Entries will then be evaluated by the ISPA Council and judging panel, with an overall winner announced on the night.
This year’s ISPAs is also set to be celebrated in style, being hosted at the historic Old War Offices on Whitehall, which has just undergone a significant renovation to become London’s most eminent awards venue on November 9th. If you are interested in attending the event, you can purchase tickets here. The shortlist for the core industry categories will be published shortly.