Canadian New Media Awards see greater industry participation

An expanded Canadian New Media Awards (CNMA) program sees the involvement this year of Ontario’s New Media Business Alliance (NMBA) and the Society of Wired Women to judge nominations. The event, to be held at the Carlu Theatre in Toronto May 30, sees the NMBA and its fellow Canadian coalition of new media associations and Wired Women providing the judges to over-see the selection of 19 award winners. One award, for outstanding contribution to the industry, is being chosen by CNMA founder Adam Froman. This year’s awards are the fifth such event, and follow a one-year hiatus. There were no awards in 2004 as public sector sponsorship was delayed due to the federal election. Though there was initial planning again to hold the awards last fall, discussions with the NMBA and its partners began at the same time. The coalition of associations was also looking to provide input into a Canadian nomination for the World Summit Award. Those discussions led Froman and the coalition to decide to work together on an expanded program. There will be 20 awards in this year’s edition, with 60 finalists in each of the categories. The number represents a reduction by two finalists in each, but the overall number of categories is up from the 12 used in past CNMAs. Froman tells Canadian NEW MEDIA the bulk of the new categories are for products and companies – a departure from the CNMAs’ previous emphasis on individuals. Froman says this is the first year in which he was able to find sponsors for an expanded slate of awards. The new judging structure using outside parties, and the industry-led creation of new categories, will help Froman respond to criticisms voiced in the past about the judging process, which was deemed not transparent enough, and about the corporate structure of the awards, which resided entirely within Froman’s Delvinia Inc. company. "There’s a real sense of industry ownership," says Froman’s of this year’s awards. The award day will also once again feature networking events including a schedule of keynote speakers. Froman is pleased that the awards will come together this year in partnership with other organizations, and argues the industry doesn’t have the capacity to hold more than a single awards event each year. Though the fourth annual awards, held in 2003, were less-well-attended than had been hoped, a series of events including the SARS scare in Toronto contributed to the CNMAs’ problems that year. "This is just going to put the stake in the ground to say, ‘we’re back,’" Froman says. The announcement that the program will proceed according to much the same structure as in previous years – albeit with expanded participation from industry – also puts to rest a discussion started by Froman in the fall of 2003 when he floated a trial balloon about putting the awards in the hands of a new academy. In mid-September, Froman outlined his plan to see new media organizations join the proposed academy with fees ranging anywhere from $25-$2,500. That idea has been dropped, Froman tells CNM, as the new media association coalition gels around this year’s awards. It’s likely a best-case scenario. When Froman put his proposal forward in 2003, industry observers warned that there wasn’t likely room for another organization advocating and organizing on behalf of the new media sector. At the time, the NMBA, Alliance numériQC, Canadian Film and Television Production Association and New Media BC were taking baby steps toward greater collaboration. Now, with all four – and their regional counterparts – formalizing a broader coalition, their support for the CNMAs working in partnership with the event will likely result in strong industry support. Froman says he recognizes the strength in working together. "The industry can only stand so much change," he says.

Canadian New Media Awards see greater industry participation

News | 02/04/2005 5:00 am EST

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