New Concept takes the Big Chip at awards

A LIVERPOOL company that has developed a gaming add on allowing users to control game character movement by jogging on the spot, won three awards, including the Grand Prix prize, at last night’s Big Chip awards.

New Concept Gaming won the big award of the night, along with the Big Chip International Award for Innovation and the Best Application of Technology Award, for its Jog add on for the Wii, which uses movement technology to let the user control the movement the on-screen character by their own body motion.

A viral Christmas video produced by Manchester-based 3D animation agency AHD Imaging, which proved a big hit on YouTube, won the Anthony Wilson Original Modern Awards.

The award was presented by presented by Sue Woodward, former ITV regional director and now managing director of the new Sharp project – dubbed as East Manchester’s answer to MediaCity.

The company also won the Best Use of Animation category for the film, which tells the story of computer generated character AHD168 whose part in a TV advert was written-out due to credit crunched budgetary constraints.

The Tasty Website Award – decided by an open text vote in advance and on the night – went to Code Computerlove for its client Original Source.

Local broadcaster Terry Christian hosted the evening for the second time in the award’s 11-year history – but this year proceedings were moved to a bigger venue at the Palace Hotel in Manchester.

Comedian Bill Bailey provided the entertainment, hot-footing it over from his performance at the Palace Theatre to give a 20 minute charity set.

Organised by Manchester Digital, the trade association for the region’s digital sector, the awards attracted a record number of entries with 226 in total from 134 companies – and a shortlist of 55 entries.The judging of the awards was once again led by Michael Nutley, editor of industry magazine New Media Age.

Other winners were:

Best E-Business Project: TBWAManchester for GHD

Best Public Sector Project: Lightbox Education for the Teacher Training resource Base

Best Not for Profit Project: Mando Group

Best Use of Visual Design: Love for its own website

Best use of Search: PushOn for Little Greene

Best On-line Brand Development: Code Computer for Crowne Paints

Best E-Learning Project: Lightbox Education for Licence to Cook

Best Digital Marketing Campaign: Love for Dr Martens

Best Newcomer: AdInsight

Best Freelancer/Micro Enterprise: Matt Booth and Flashtemple

Big Green Chip Award: Melbourne

Big Chip New Media Agency: Love

Game of the North: Evolution Studios for Motorstorm: Pacific Rift