E-learning Age Awards - dressed to skill!

First, a big congratulations to Mark Harrison. I worked with Mark for years at Epic and can confirm the judges' views that he's positive, personable and gets things done.

Congratulations also to the E-learning Age guys for a full house and a fun night out. The Marriot on Grovenor Square was packed to the guddles with well scrubbed e-learning types. Necklines wer lower and heels higher. Our hostess for the evening was dressed in a 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand' affair (I mean this as a compliment) in a low cut, lime green, silky piece that matched perfectly the E-learning Age brand pantone. What planning! The guys were tuxed up; although it was more Moss Bros than Saville row. The women had pushed the fashion boat out; some in racy speedboats, others in sleek, expensive yachts and just a few tugboats. Prize for best dressed man goes to Donald Taylor, the James Bond of e-learning (checkout his twitterpic). Good to see the man who runs Learning Technologies 'Dressed to Skill'. You've also got to love Clive Shepherd, this man can do no wrong and was his usual urbane self, urging us all to enjoy our night out and put aside any scepticism around awards. Clive has reached that enlightened state of Buddhist baldness. He will, forever, look the same age.

Brighton Rocks

Brighton was easily the top source of award winners, with Epic, Kineo, Brightwave and Edvantage all winning awards. Epic hit the jackpot with a programme for BA, Kineo for Marks & Spencer (well done Stephen Walsh) and of course Mark Harrison, Brightwave for PWC (well done Virginia Bader) and Edvantage got a well deserved Silver for Production Company of the Year (well done to the irrepressible Andrea).

MP for a day

Amused to hear that Lightbox had won the game/simulation award for Parliament's Education Department, called 'MP for a day'. The game, apparently, is packed full of cheats, where you vote for personal advancement, collect lobbyists, rack up your expenses score, while keeping the rioting populace at bay.

Open U & Open Learn

The Open University won the Social media Award for Open Learn. I'm not wholly convinced that this is Social Media, as it's a bunch of largely text documents online; actually a bit of a disappointment given the millions spent on it. However, not to quibble, I love the OU.

Death Award

Not good to see BAT win the Corporate Distance Learning Award. Since when did learning how to kill people through cancinogenic products become a worthy, award-winning pursuit. I wonder if the shameless mob who went up to collect the award sneaked out for a sly ciggie afterwards?

Food was superb but one disappointment was the distinct lack of irreverence and rowdiness. Gone are the days when champagne was drunk from client's shoes, buns thrown when drunken comperes told tasteless jokes and comedians who gave awards, clueless about the very idea of e-learning (all true). It was all very polite, too polite.

FULL LIST OF AWARDS

Meeting the needs of compliance for an external regulator or an internal workforce

Gold Winner: PricewaterhouseCoopers and Brightwave

Silver Winner: Atlas Interactive

Bronze Winner: SAI Global/AstraZeneca

Best use of mobile learning

Winner: Learnosity

Best use of rapid e-learning content

Gold winner: Bupa Health and Wellbeing UK and Brightwave

Silver Winner: Everything Everywhere

Bronze Winner: ispeakuspeak

Best use of synchronous e-learning

Winner: Hibernia College

Best use of social media for learning

Gold Winner: OpenLearn, The Open University

Silver Winner: GradeGuru, by McGraw-Hill Higher Education

Best learning game, simulation or virtual environment

Gold Winner: Lightbox Education and Parliament’s Education Service

Silver Winner: St George's University of London

Bronze Winner: Market Class

Most innovative new product or tool in e-learning

Gold Winner: MyWorkSearch

Silver Winner: AiSolve in partnership with Train4trade Skills

Bronze Winner:TAG Developments

Best e-learning project securing widespread adoption

Gold Winner: SEI – The Romanian IT-based Education System

Silver Winner: GlobalEnglish Corporation and ArcelorMittal

Bronze Winner: e-Learning for Healthcare: e-Learning Anaesthesia

Best online or distance learning programme – Not for profit

Winner: IMC (UK) Learning and the Fire Service College

Best online or distance learning programme – Corporate learning

Winner: Infinity Learning and British American Tobacco

Best online or distance learning programme – Education

Gold Winner: University of Edinburgh and Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

Silver Winner: EF Englishtown

Bronze Winner: Hibernia College

Excellence in the production of learning content – Not for profit sector

Winner: One Plus One and Nelson Croom

Excellence in the production of learning content – Public sector

Gold Winner: Gloucester Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and e2train

Silver Winner: e-Learning for Healthcare: e-GP

Bronze Winner: Screenmedia: The Big Plus – Work Skills Academy

Excellence in the production of learning content – Private sector

Gold winner: Epic and British Airways

Gold Winner: Marks and Spencer and Kineo

Silver Winner: Autonomy e-learning and Volkswagen Group

E-learning internal project team of the year – Public sector

Winner: Capita National Strategies

E-learning internal project team of the year – Private sector

Winner: Home Retail Group

E-learning industry award for outstanding achievement – Corporate

Winner: Fusion Universal

E-learning industry award for outstanding achievement – Individual

Winner: Mark Harrison – Kineo

E-learning development company of the year

Gold Winner: Nelson Croom

Silver Winner: Edvantage Group