Shortlist revealed for BETT Awards 2009

The shortlist for the 11th annual BETT Awards, which recognises and celebrates excellence in ICT education, has been revealed.

The Awards, managed by Emap, Becta and the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), are open to ICT educational suppliers of all shapes and sizes, and have come to be considered the most prestigious ICT awards in the UK education sector.

Richard Joslin, exhibition director at Emap comments: “Each year, the Awards goes a small way to providing our industry with the recognition it so richly deserves in developing innovative and practical ICT resources for the advancement of learning.

“The BETT Awards, produced in association with Becta and BESA, continues to evolve with new categories including E-Safety, ICT Company of the Year, ICT Exporter of the Year, ICT Education Partnership and Outstanding Achievement in Education all designed to recognise excellence in products, organisations and individuals.”

Stephen Lucey, executive director of Strategic Technologies at Becta, adds: “This year we have been genuinely overwhelmed by the exceptionally high standards. And whilst this has made it tougher for the judges, it does mean that we have experienced the very best resources for teachers and tutors.

“The shortlisted products all offer outstanding, quality resources that will undoubtedly inspire and motivate learners. We believe that, when used effectively, these resources will enhance their overall learning experience and offer practical support to teachers.”

Ray Barker, director of BESA concludes: “The BETT Awards represents a partnership between Becta, BESA, the trade association representing educational supply companies and Emap, the organisers of BETT. The Awards plays a key role in rewarding excellence in the design of products and services which are proving to be effective in the educational sector.

“The continued funding of technology in education has resulted in a unique growth in innovation and the number of competing products in the market. The BETT Awards provides educators all over the world with a means of identifying the most innovative and effective ICT products and services, judged rigorously by experts, against a robust set of criteria.”