We have announced the shortlist for our annual Best Practice Challenge, a competition that recognises British organisations, groups or individuals who have embraced the challenge of making the Internet a secure, open, accessible or diverse experience for all. Symantec, Barclays, E-Victims organisation and the British Computer Association of the Blind are four of thirty organisations to make the shortlist in 2008.

The winners will be announced at an award ceremony in London on 9th July 2008. These outstanding entries will be promoted as examples of best practice to industry, government, academia and in the media in the UK and internationally. They will also be invited to take a leading role in the UK preparatory meeting for the next Internet Governance Forum (IGF) meeting in Hyderabad and be showcased at the IGF on 3rd to 6th December as examples of the best of British in the Internet world.

A twelve-strong panel of independent judges, from organisations including the Confederation of British Industry, the British Computer Society, the Royal National Institute for the Blind and the Press Association is being chaired by Rt Hon Alun Michael MP. The judging panel met on 10th June to discuss the high calibre entries and decide on the winners for each of the six award categories:

Best Development Project
Best Security Initiative
Raising Industry Standards
Personal Safety Online
Internet For All
Open Internet

The full shortlist is as follows:

Best Development Project

§ ActNow Cornwall
§ Age Concern Edinburgh Information Technology (ACE IT)
§ Cambridgeshire Council’s Community Access Points initiative
§ Childnet International
§ Citizens Online - EverybodyOnline
§ Solihull community housing and CI-Net

Best Security Initiative

§ Business Crime Reduction Centre
§ Barclays PINsentry
§ BeCrypt
§ Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP)

Raising Industry Standards

§ Internet Watch Foundation
§ NSDesign Ltd
§ Safebuy

Personal Safety Online

§ E-Victims Organisation
§ Get Safe Online
§ Information Security Awareness Forum
§ Symantec

Internet For All

§ AbilityNet
§ British Computer Association of the Blind (BCAB)
§ British Library
§ Common Knowledge (CKUK)
§ Describe Online
§ myguide

Open Internet

§ Blitz IT Hub
§ Bristol City Council
§ Connecting Bristol
§ mySociety e-petitions
§ Open University - OpenLearn
§ University of Kent – Greenfoot
§ Youth Net