HOT: 160 Characters Mobile Messaging Awards!

Link: 160Characters Association.

This is the third annual 160 Characters Mobile Messaging Awards run in association with Informa Telecoms and Media. In 2005 there were more than 110 entries from 23 countries on 5 continents – see here for the 2005 winners and the 2005 short list.

If you’ve provide any sort of mobile technology or service, I strongly recommend entering these awards.  That’s not just because my company won an award there a few years back! 😉  Unlike many, these awards are judged by a proper expert panel of people who do know what they’re talking about.  I look forward to seeing the shortlist and the winners as it’s always an interesting result.  Far better than the oscars and none of the tears too. 

Here’s the panel this year: –

• Mike Short, Chairman MDA and VP Technology for 02
• Angel Gambino VP commercial strategy and digital media, MTV Networks UK
• Marek Pawlowski, editorial director at PMN and MEX conferences
• Mark Smith,  Communications Director, GSMA
• Guido Gybels Director of New Technologies, RNID
• Paul Walsh CEO, Segala M Test
• Philippe Herbert Partner of BANEXI VENTURES PARTNERS
• Mike Grenville, founder and chairman of 160 Characters

The entry deadline is 28th April (details here) — don’t wait until the last moment like we did (which caused a heck of a lot of stress on our part). 

Here are the categories:

1. Best Customer Device, Accessory, Application or Software for text, email or image messaging
   
   Judges will look for the device that stands out as having messaging
   friendly features such as making text input easier for users, and or
   the capture, storage and sharing of images.

    

2. Most effective network Infrastructure or platform for SMS and/or MMS
   Awarded to the product that has enhanced the existing messaging
   network. This service will provide greater volume capacity, security or
   reliability.

    

3. Best messaging application: Consumer
   Awarded to the company with the product or service that has stimulated the use of messaging by consumers.

    

4. Best messaging application: Business
   Judges will
   be looking for innovative and practical ways that enterprises large or
   small have been able to make the best use of mobile messaging in their
   business using this application.

    

5. Best messaging application: Public Sector or "not for profit"
   Awarded
   to an organisation that has used mobile messaging with best effect to
   provide an effective information or feedback service, alerts or
   awareness campaign.

    

6. Best new mobile email and/or IM application(NEW)
   New
   messaging types go mobile and the judges will be looking out for the
   application that makes it easy to use on a mobile device.

    

7. Most useful new M2M messaging application  (NEW)
   As well as being used by humans, there are many ways that SMS can be
   used such as for remote metering, field data, health and transport
   telematics. Judges will want to see the most useful machine to machine
   real world application of SMS.

    

8. Award for the biggest impact of mobile messaging 
   In this category the judges will be looking for either a messaging
   service or the application of mobile messaging at an event or other
   project. As well as SMS it may also include MMS and mobile email.

I don’t think we’ve got anything that would qualify as an entry ourselves.  I reckon Moblog, BuddyPing or Mobileglu should be contenders.