Benchmark Awards deadline extended

The submission deadline for the iTnews Benchmark Awards has been extended from December 1, 2012 to December 10, 2012.

It means that your organisation has a few more days to prepare a submission that highlights the work of your IT team on a 2012 project and ultimately the stewardship of your technology leader.

We have some stellar submissions so far, but several large organisations require a few more days to get their entries in. I felt it would only be fair for all our readers to be informed that the deadline has moved.

I'd also like to remind those CIOs that don't wish to nominate their own project that they can still be involved with the awards.

Join our CIO-only LinkedIn Group to be part of the judging panel - I can tell you from going through the submissions so far that reading them provides a great insight into the kinds of projects top-of-mind among your peers.

I'd like also to take this opportunity to answer some of the Frequently Asked Questions from those submitting so far:

FAQs

Who can nominate?
CIOs can self-nominate, IT staff can nominate on behalf of their technology leader, as can business partners with their customer's permission.

What if our technology leader isn't a 'CIO', strictly speaking...
Agreed. Plenty of technology leaders carry titles such as "Group Technology Executive", "Head of IT", etc. Take it as a given that they can apply.

But I want to give credit to the wider team, not just me...
Sure, that's why we ask for the name of the project and the team behind it. You'll have ample opportunity to give them the credit they deserve.

The project isn't quite finished...
Indeed, some technology projects never do. But did you kick a major goal in 2012? That's sufficient.

Which category for me?
The five categories are:

• BEST PROJECT - CONSUMER SECTOR
  Includes FMCG, retail, tourism & hospitality.
   
• BEST PROJECT - FINANCE AND LEGAL SECTOR
  Includes banking, financial services, property and insurance.
   
• BEST PROJECT - INDUSTRIALS SECTOR
  Includes IT projects in mining and resources, manufacturing, construction & transport.
   
• BEST PROJECT - PUBLIC SECTOR
  Includes IT projects in healthcare, education & defence
   
• BEST PROJECT - UTILITIES SECTOR
  Includes IT projects in telecommunications, internet, gas & water

If you're in an industry not covered here and wish to nominate, please get in touch.

When will the finalists be announced?
The finalists will be announced before the end of the year.

When will the winners be announced?
Finalists will be honoured and winners announced on February 26, 2013 at the Gala Dinner of the CIO Strategy Conference at Melbourne's Grand Hyatt Hotel.

Special thanks to our sponsors, The Australian Computer Society and Dimension Data Learning Solutions, who have got right behind these awards in their continuing effort to reward excellence in the IT field.

Looking forward to reading about your projects!

Brett Winterford
editor
iTnews.com.au