€10,000 Investment Fund up for grabs with inaugural County Carlow Web Awards

County Carlow’s first ever Web Awards will acknowledge and recognise the achievements of Carlow businesses in creating their website and bringing their business online. The Awards will provide Carlow businesses with a great opportunity to showcase their website.

 

The Awards are being organised by Local Enterprise Office Carlow in Carlow County Council together in association with I.T. Carlow, The Business Post and Content Plan.

 

In total there will be six category winners who together with the overall winner will share in a prize fund of €10,000. The Awards will acknowledge and promote businesses based in County Carlow who have developed their digital and web marketing platforms as part of their product offering. The Awards are open to recipients of Trading Online Vouchers and businesses with less than 10 full time employees based in County Carlow.

 

Judging for the County Carlow Web Awards will take place at the end of November with an Awards ceremony scheduled for the 6^th December 2021.

 

Shortlisted entrant will benefit from an independent evaluation of their website by independent expert judges. Valuable feedback to help benchmark their website against other industry websites will be provided.

 

Websites will be judged on the criteria of Design, Ease of use, Copywriting, Interactivity, Use of technology, Impact & Benefit, Innovation and Content

Fintan Phelan, Cathaoirleach of Carlow County Council said: “Carlow County Council’s commitment to supporting our local businesses are vital ingredients in creating a vibrant local economy. “It is fantastic to see that so many Carlow businesses have utilised a Trading Online Voucher to embrace online trading.”

“We are delighted to acknowledge the Carlow businesses who have created and maintained their websites in furtherance of their business objectives,” said Jim Woods, Business Advisor with the Local Enterprise Office. “We pay tribute to the businesses who through availing of our Local Enterprise Office Trading Online Voucher Scheme have not only managed to help their business survive the Covid pandemic but have reached new audiences and elevated their business to new heights.”

 

Jim Woods , Business Advisor with the Local Enterprise Office said “We are delighted to acknowledge the Carlow businesses who have created and maintained their websites in furtherance of their business objectives. In particular, we pay tribute to the businesses who through availing of our Local Enterprise Office Trading Online Voucher Scheme have not only managed to help their business survive the Covid pandemic but have reached new audiences and elevated their business to new heights”.

 

Gemma Purcell , ‘Enterprise Development Manager with I.T. Carlow noted that “as one of the leading Institutes of Higher Education in the South East, we are acutely aware of the importance of businesses utilising all possible routes to market and the huge part that having an online presence plays in any business’ marketing strategy.”  

 

Eileen McCabe, Co-founder at Content Plan said “as a business that provides marketing and digital services expertise to other businesses, Content Plan is delighted to see the efforts and achievements of small businesses being recognised by these Awards. Today there are more than 5.27 billion people with a mobile device, or 66.85% of the world’s population. If a business is not effectively using mobile to reach its audience, it is missing a huge opportunity”

 

Award Details:

 

The Awards aim to acknowledge and promote SMEs based in County Carlow who have developed their digital and web marketing platforms as part of their product offering. The Awards are open to recipients of Trading Online Vouchers and SMEs with less than 10 full time employees based in County Carlow.

 

The winner of each of six categories will receive:

• €1,500 business development funding for technical advice, photography, and marketing.
• A trophy
• The overall winner will receive €1,500 cash
• All winning businesses will benefit from being featured in the Business Post.

 

Each category will have up to 4 shortlisted entrants who will receipt an independent evaluation of their website by independent expert judges. This will provide valuable feedback to help benchmark your efforts against other design industry websites will be provided.

 

Websites will be judged on:

• Design
• Ease of use
• Copywriting
• Interactivity
• Use of technology
• Impact & Benefit
• Innovation
• Content

 

The award categories are:

 

• Best Export Website

 

This Award recognises and rewards the website which best promotes its business to export markets.

 

• Best Professional Services Website

 

This Award recognises and rewards the website that best promotes its business in providing customized, knowledge-based services to clients

 

• Best Consumer Services Website

 

This Award recognises and rewards the website which best promotes its offering to address the wants and needs of individual customers.

 

• Best Manufacturing Website

 

This Award recognises and rewards the website which demonstrates best practice in web design techniques within the manufacturing sector.

 

• Best Tourism Website

 

This Award recognises and rewards the website which promotes the best consumer experience within the tourism sector.

 

• The People’s Choice Award

 

The People’s Champion! All shortlisted entries will participate in a public vote held on the Carlow LEO Facebook Account.

 

• Overall Winner

 

This Award goes to the website which is judged to be the overall best website.

 

Entries open from 21^st October 2021 to 16^th November 2021. Finalists will receive 2 free tickets to the County Carlow Web Awards which will held in Ballykealey House Hotel on 6^th December 2021 @ 6.00pm

 

County Carlow Web Awards 2021

 

For further information contact LEO Carlow at 059 91 29783 enterprise@carlowcoco.ie or Jim Woods at 087 381 5930 jwoods@carlowcoco.ie

 

Entries on https://submit.link/vJ.