We are really pleased to see the recent launch of the www.iawards.org.uk by the Government to encourage UK innovation.

Having recently judged the Brighton & Hove Business Awards, we were able to speak to some of the previous winners and the benefits to their companies in terms of credibility and investment opportunities was impressive. Many companies are far too humble, in our opinion, and more than capable of winning awards like these but they wait until they are 'good enough'. This tendency to play down ones strengths, which in my opinion is particularly unique to Britain, is antiquated and really the time is ripe for shouting from the rooftops about the great things going on with our British innovators. There are many companies I can think of this year alone who would have been strong contenders for the 'Most Awesome use of Digital Media' for example and where were their applications? Of course, people are too busy running their businesses to stop and fill in an application, they might argue. I am thinking the myriad of copywriters out there ought to market a new service called 'award application writing' to ease the pain of that process for applicants and judges alike. As a judge, it is shocking to me how few people actually answered the criteria directly. Here's hoping the iawards avoid that dilemma.

The power of awards is obvious. Our director, Mike Herd, won Sussex Businessman of the Year in 2000 and people still remember him from that time which is years ago! Somehow, the fact that a panel of experts have decided you have merit can carry more weight than any other credential you might possess, such as academic qualifications. This is particularly true of business awards, in my experience, as business and academia have the potential to be mutually exclusive. That is, a Masters in Business does not guarantee that you have the makings of a successful businessman. We watch in anticipation for the first round of winners from the iawards.