The International Awards will be presented to the winners at the forthcoming International Symposium 'Empowering Citizens through Technology and Participation' being held at the end of February 2008, and will recognise politicians and organisations who have 'made a tangible difference' by engaging online.
The awards will be given in three categories:
>> Organisational eParticipation - touching communities
This eminent award will be given to the organisation who can show how, through engaging online, they have made a real difference to the communities they serve, from a change in services, to a change in policy, to the delivery of a new service.
>> ePolitician - making a difference on the ground
This award will be given to the politician who can demonstrate how, by engaging online, they have made a difference to their electorate, and how online engagement has improved local people's lives.
>> Ministerial Award - improving lives locally
In addition to the above two awards, Parmjit Dhanda, Minister for Local eDemocracy at Communites and Local Government, will look at the final short listed group and select the project which is the most outstanding piece of work in England and which he feels deserves to be highly commended. That person or project will receive a special Ministerial Award.
Councillor Matthew Ellis, Chairman of ICELE, commented: "Everyday the ICELE team adds a vast array of case studies to www.icele.org that show how powerful online engagement can be, and how, if used well, it can really touch and improve local people's lives. The ICELE Making a Difference Online Awards will celebrate the 'best of the best' out there, and we hope, as well as celebrating everyone's efforts, they will help to inspire and encourage others to give online participation a go!"
Local eDemocracy Minister, Parmjit Dhanda, said "it is a pleasure to support the work of ICELE and the International Awards and in particular to give backing to the 'Ministerial Award' in this field"
The awards will be open to organisations and politicians worldwide and will be short-listed and judged by a panel of experts from ICELE's International Advisory Group which features organisations including Communities and Local Government, the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the National Association of Secretaries of State.