The South West’s most prestigious awards for the creative media industry are about to get underway for the fourth year. The Media Innovation Awards open for entries on 16 November; the number and calibre of the entries has increased year-on-year and there is now hot competition to win one of the coveted awards.

A new award category for ‘Live events’ has been added to reflect the ever-increasing range of creative media skills and there are now 18 categories for the most innovative:

· Television project
· DVD or CD
· Community web use
· Corporate web use
· Mobile communications project
· Multi-platform project
· Independent film or video
· Screen graphics
· Print graphics
· Photographic project
· Installation or exhibition project
· Audio or music project for screen
· Virtual world or gaming project
· Branding
· Live events
· Collaboration between business and young people
· New talent or new business
· Outstanding contribution to innovation

The Media Innovation Awards is a joint initiative by the media, music and design clusters in the South West of England and comprises some 8000 people working in the creative industries. Entries for the competition are invited from Bristol Media, Cornwall Media Focus, The Gloucestershire Media Group, Plymouth Media-Partnership, Wessex Media Group, Cornwall Design Forum, Creative Bath, Designed in Devon, Dorset Design Forum, Gloucestershire Design Network, Somerset Design Enterprise Network, South West Design Forum, South West Music Forum, Swindon Media Group and West of England Design Forum.

2009 Media Innovation Award overall winner, Twofour, urged south west creative companies to enter this year’s competition. Mark Hawkins, Twofour Group Managing Director, said: “The MIAs are the only awards in the UK that look at how creativity and technology work together. Being able to highlight our MIA awards on our website and in our pitches has been extremely useful.”

The event has already attracted a number of sponsors including Pyramid Presentations, Plymouth College of Art, City College, Silverstream, the Formation Zone at the University of Plymouth, Tamar Science Park, Plymouth City Council, ICCI (University of Plymouth), Tell Systems, Business Link, Out of Hand and PR Dogs.

The 2010 Media Innovation Awards will be open for entries from 16 November 2009 and the winners will be announced in March 2010.

For further information on the Media Innovation Awards visit the website www.mediainnovationawards.com or for sponsorship opportunities contact Karen@pm-p.com or call 01752 346530.