Dell extends small business award deadline

Dell Australia is offering an extra fortnight for tech savvy Australian small businesses to submit an application to win between US$25,000 and US$50,000 in Dell products and services.

Entries for the Dell Small Business Award were due to close April 3, 2009, but have been extended to April 17.

The award recognises excellence in the use of technology among businesses with less than 100 staff.

It is available to Australian small businesses that can demonstrate how they have used information technology to improve the customer experience.

The national winner (announced September 2009) will be chosen from ten national finalists (announced June 2009) and will receive US$25,000 in their choice of technology products and services from Dell, plus AU$9,000 of Microsoft-based training courses from Excom Education.

The top ten national finalists also receive a business-class Dell notebook and AU$2370 of training from Excom.

The national finalist then competes with winners from 12 other nations for a global award worth US$50,000 of Dell products and services, and attendance at an entrepreneurs summit with Dell CEO Michael Dell.

Ten Australian finalists will each get a Dell business-class notebook worth up to US$1500 and training vouchers from EXCOM Education valued at AU$2370. 

Dell Australia says submissions need to answer five simple questions:

1) describe the innovative ways they use IT in their business to better serve customers.

2) show how it has led to significant improvements in the experience of their customers.

3) show how they use IT to better manage business operations.

4) show how the innovative use of IT has affected the success of the business (i.e. growth, profitability, cost reductions).

5) tell how the company's use of IT creates a competitive advantage.

For more details, try Dell's award site.