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BETT Awards 2009 shortlist announced

Emap, Becta and the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) are pleased to announce the finalists for the 11^th annual BETT Awards.

Each year, ICT educational suppliers of all types and sizes enter the BETT Awards for the chance to be on the shortlist or a winner of what has come to be considered the most prestigious ICT awards in the UK education sector.

Organised and managed by Emap, Becta and BESA, the BETT Awards recognises and celebrates excellence in ICT in education.

This year’s BETT Awards is committed to five key principles, namely to:

1. represent the needs of the education system
2. reward vibrant products that support innovation and personalising learning
3. stimulate the design, production and delivery of products that are increasingly fit for purpose within the marketplace
4. provide options for people who want to buy innovative educational resources
5. reward inclusive and accessible designs.

Over 50 education professionals work over two days in judging the hundreds of award entries to ensure a fair and meticulous process. Technical testing is a key part of the judging of BETT Awards, and independent moderators work to a stringent testing approach.  Accessibility is also an important element of the judging criteria to ensure products which are identified as exemplar can be used by a wide range of learners and teachers.

Richard Joslin, exhibition director at Emap comments: "Each year, the Awards go 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."

Winners of the 11^th annual BETT Awards will be announced from the shortlist at the Awards Dinner at the London Hilton Park Lane Ballroom on Thursday 15 January 2009, the second evening of BETT, the world’s largest technology in education show.

For further information about the BETT Awards, please visit www.bettawards.com

~ENDS~

Notes for Editors

About BETT 2009:

Celebrating its 25^th anniversary in 2009, BETT has evolved into the world’s largest technology in education event.  With over 29,000 visitors and 700 educational exhibitors in 2008, BETT continues to support creative teaching and learning by enabling practitioners to touch and test resources, debate ideas and continue their professional development. BETT 2009 will run over four days from 14 - 17 January at Olympia, London.  For more information on BETT 2009, please visit: www.bettshow.com.

About Emap

Emap Ltd is a leading business to business media group and the largest UK exhibition organiser with brands in education that include BETT, the BETT Awards, The Education Show and the Scottish Learning Festival.

About BESA

BESA, the British Educational Suppliers Association, is the trade association representing over 300 educational suppliers in the UK. Celebrating its 75^th anniversary in 2008, BESA is at the forefront of discussion on the changing face of education, and will be celebrating this milestone by leading the way on solutions and ideas to overcome challenges in the future of education in the UK.

About Becta

Becta is the government agency leading the national drive to ensure the effective and innovative use of technology throughout learning. It aims to utilise the benefits of technology to create a more exciting, rewarding and successful experience for learners of all ages and abilities, enabling them to achieve their potential.

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