When the finalists for the Creative City Awards 2008 came out the other week I was left scratching my head a little. A few people raised issues or left questions in the comments too, so I rounded them up and sent them off for answering.
Thanks to Mohammed Zahir at Birmingham City Council (Q1-5) and Kenny at Big Cat PR (Q6 & 7) for finding time to answer these:
- How many applications were received for each of the categories?
We had a total of 45 nominations from which we shortlisted 17 businesses across the various categories. - Will further information on the reasons behind the nominations be released?
The shortlisting was based upon a rigorous assessment of each nomination in accordance with strict eligibility criteria, an application form and related financial information. Â Each shortlisted company then had to make a 10 minute presentation to a panel. The quality of the applications from the shortlisted companies was good and the process was very competitive. - Has the Newcomer Award been dropped from the Awards? If so, how come?
The newcomer award has been dropped due to the limited number of nominations and the fact that the nominated businesses had not been trading long enough to provide evidence of performance. - With so many self-employed and freelance workers in this sector, what scope is there for the Creative City Awards to recognise the efforts of individuals rather than companies?
The awards are designed to recognise and reward business success. Individuals registered as self employed  are eligible and have not been excluded. - Of this year’s 14 finalists, 4 won awards last year – what does this say about ‘the city’s diverse and vibrant creative sector‘?
The 14 finalists are of a high calibre, successful businesses and indeed benchmarks for success within the sector. - Who is on the judging panel?
Simon Jelley (MCL), Julia Higginbottom (Aquila), Mohammed Zahir (BCC), Lara Ratnaraja (Business Link WM), Joe McConnell (Biztv), Ian Danby, Arts Council, Carol Alderson (BCC), Shasta Rashid (BCC) - Who was responsible for designing the logo?
Jason Liggitt at Big Cat’s design studio created the logo.
Created in Birmingham » Thoughts on the Creative City Awards 2008
[…] 40? Across 7 categories? Is that all the city’s good for? As I discovered last week, the withdrawl of the Newcomer Award was: due to the limited number of nominations and the fact […]