NII Awards

National Information Infrastructure Awards
Country United States of America
Presented by Access Media Inc. / Ziff-Davis
First awarded 1995

The NII Awards was an awards program designed to recognize excellence and innovation in use of the Internet. The National Information Infrastructure Awards, later known as the Global Information Infrastructure (GII) Awards were given from 1995 though 1999.[1]

History

The NII Awards were created in 1995 by Access Media Inc. (based in Santa Monica, California), with James Hake as Chairman.[2] By 1999 Melanie McMullen was General Manager of the GII Awards.[3] The Awards were supported by more than 70 corporate, media, government and public sponsors.[4] Businesses, community organizations, government agencies and individuals were all eligible to submit entries to the competition. Winners of the GII Awards include Yahoo!, The Schwab WebSite/Charles Schwab & Co., ThinkQuest and The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition.[5]

In 1996 Vice President Al Gore was quoted in a press release: "The winners of the NII Awards represent real-life benefits delivered through the NII and give us an encouraging look at what is possible in the future. These examples help all Americans understand the promise and potential of the information superhighway."[1]

First annual awards (1995)

The 1995 NII Awards attracted more than 550 entries and 180 judges.[1] Entries were submitted from February to May,[6] and the winners were announced on July 12, 1995.[7] The Awards were presented in Washington, D.C. at a dinner emceed by talk show personality Dick Cavett.

Second annual awards (1996)

The 1996 NII Awards attracted more than 850 entries and 200 judges. From 60 finalists, the winners' Awards were presented on December 3, 1996 in Washington, D.C.[4]

Third annual awards (1997/98)

By 1997 the name was changed to Global Information Infrastructure (GII) Award, although entries were required to be in English, and based principally in the United States.[13]

The deadline for entries was originally July 7 - August 27, 1997,[16] but was extended to November 24, 1997. From over 800 entries from 41 states, an average of 31 semi-finalists advanced in each of the eleven categories, with 68 entries announced as Finalists on March 6, 1998.[17] Recipients of the 1997 GII Awards were expected be announced at the annual GII Awards Ceremony scheduled for December 2, or in the spring of 1998, in New York City.[18] In fact, winners presentations were held during the Comdex show in Chicago, on April 20, 1998 in the Grand Ballroom at the Chicago Hilton and Towers, emceeed by Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.[19][20]

Fourth annual awards (1999)

More than 500 total entries were received, from which 60 finalists were selected by a panel of 350 judges.[22]

The 1999 Awards were presented at the St. Francis Hotel on December 14, 1999, emceed by comedian Paula Poundstone, in conjunction with Ziff Davis Internet Studios Nextravaganza conference.[23][22]

Demise

Although there was an announcement of a fifth set of awards for the year 2000,[24] they were postponed after being spun out from ZD Events to Key3Media.[25] By 2002 the domain name formerly used by the awards was purchased by Global Insight.[26]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "NII Awards Showcase Information Superhighway Potential Six Winners Named as Champions of Cyberspace: Two NII Award Winners Serve as Examples of Outstanding Use of the Information Highway". Press release. University of Washington. February 8, 1996. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  2. ↑ Jim Hake: Lest We Forget
  3. 1 2 Library of Congress Wins GII Award for Best Education Web Site
  4. 1 2 NII Awards Program Announces Finalists in Second Annual Competition to Recognize Outstanding Uses OF Communications Technologies
  5. ↑ Floss.com Named Semifinalist for Prestigious GII Award
  6. ↑ CCNet Named NII Awards Finalist
  7. ↑ "NII Awards Showcase Information Superhighway Potential Six Winners Named as Champions of Cyberspace". Press release. University of Washington. July 12, 1995. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  8. ↑ Benchmarks On The Internet
  9. ↑ Transcript of The MicroMUSE Award letter and Certificate
  10. ↑ Visiting Nurse Service of New York recognized with National Information Infrastructure Award
  11. ↑ Lucent Technologies to Sponsor GII Next-Generation Award
  12. ↑ ECI'c NII Award 1996
  13. ↑ "1997 Global Information Infrastructure (GII) Award Entry & Judging Criteria". The Innovation Journal. May 27, 2002. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  14. 1 2 Awards Received ISOC Org Members Win GII Awards
  15. ↑ Smart City Links
  16. ↑ GII Awards Call for Entries & Judges
  17. ↑ Global Information Infrastructure (GII) Awards Program - Ask the Dietitian
  18. ↑ Lucent Technologies to Sponsor GII Next-Generation Award
  19. ↑ The Kent School District GII Awards Finalists
  20. ↑ Dia Center For The Arts Honored as Global Information Infrastructure (GII) Award Winner
  21. ↑ The Turing Game (Amy Bruckman)
  22. 1 2 "The Best of The Web Honored as Finalists for the 4th Annual GII Awards". PR Newswire Association LLC. 7 December 7, 1999. Retrieved June 16, 2013. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ↑ "Global Information Infrastructure Awards Recognize Outstanding Achievement". Press release. Ziff-Davis. December 14, 1999. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  24. ↑ "The 5th Annual Awards are ready for your entry...submit it now!". Archived from the original on May 19, 2000. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  25. ↑ "GII Awards Postponed!". Archived from the original on June 20, 2000. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  26. ↑ "Global Insight: Economic Forecasts, Industry Analysis, Financial Data and Consulting". Archived from the original on January 30, 2003. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
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