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Award categories

Submissions are now closed for the 2009 Awards.

Submissions for Gold Awards are split into four categories as listed below. Organisations can submit for one or more of these categories, which each focus on a specific aspect of intranets:

  • Core intranet functionality
  • Communication and collaboration
  • Frontline delivery
  • Business solutions

1. Core intranet functionality

There are many improvements that can be made to the core aspects of intranets, including the design, content, navigation and functionality of the site. For example, improvements to the core functionality of the intranet could include:

  • innovative staff directory (phone directory) capabilities
  • effective personalisation of the site to target key user needs
  • unique uses for the intranet home page
  • innovative search engine
  • new ways of helping staff finding intranet content and tools
  • use of Ajax-based tools to provide new methods of user interaction

Note that while entries submitted in this category address core intranet issues, innovative approaches are required. ‘Best practice’ projects such as user-centred redesigns of the intranet will not be judged.

2008 Core intranet functionality winners:

  • Syngenta (Switzerland): Location Finder

2007 Core intranet functionality winners:

  • City of Casey (Australia): Staff Locator

2. Communication and collaboration

Intranets can do much to support communication and collaboration, something that is now seen as integral to the success of modern organisations. These improvements may include:

  • innovative use of team-based collaboration tools
  • integration of social networking tools into the intranet
  • implementing knowledge sharing facilities across multiple business areas
  • innovative approaches that enhance corporate culture
  • integration of instant messaging or SMS into the intranet
  • effective use of wikis, blogs or other user-generated content mechanisms

Entries in this category will show new ways of connecting staff within the organisation, enabling one-to-one and one-to-many communication (and collaboration).

2008 Communication and collaboration winners:

  • Swiss Post (Switzerland): Speaking intranet news
  • Transfield Services (Australia): Team Sites in a box (case study)
  • British Airways (UK): Crew Community forums (video)

2007 Communication and collaboration winners:

  • Environment agency (UK): Persona Pack (video)
  • Perkins Eastman (USA): Practice Area Communities (video)

3. Frontline delivery

More than just providing corporate policies and procedures, intranets should directly support the day-to-day work of frontline and field staff. For example:

  • creation of an innovative call centre knowledgebase
  • delivery of powerful functionality to target a key staff role
  • delivery of content and tools to mobile devices
  • use of the intranet to support field staff or other out-of-office workers

These innovations target specific groups or roles within the organisation, and provide capabilities and content that significantly improve staff productivity or effectiveness. Note that these improvements should assist frontline (operational) staff, not back-office (support) staff.

2008 Frontline delivery winners:

  • Scottrade (USA): Competitor Wiki (video)
  • Urbis (Australia): Project finder (video)

2007 Frontline delivery winners:

  • Nycomed (Switzerland/Denmark: Product Collaboration (video)
  • SunGard AvantGard (USA/New Zealand): Away Today

4. Business solutions

Beyond being just a publishing platform, intranets should strive to become an effective ‘business tool’. This involves making the intranet into a ‘place for doing things’ (rather than just a ‘place for reading things’), such as integrating applications and interactive functionality directly into the site. For example:

  • innovative online forms capabilities
  • effective online travel booking system
  • powerful self-service HR capabilities
  • implementing highly-usable portal capabilities
  • seamless integration of key applications into the intranet

2008 Business solutions winners:

  • Janssen-Cilag (Australia): Juice (video)
  • YHA (UK): Meter reading application

2007 Business solutions winners:

  • QBE (Australia): Investigator Wizard

All of these innovations will demonstrate that applications are not delivered separately to the intranet, but are included as a key aspect of the site as a whole.

Platinum awards

Once winners have been selected for the Gold Awards, in the categories listed above, one or more submissions will be selected for the overall Platinum Award. This will be selected by the judging panel, to recognise the most extraordinary entry of the year.

2008 Platinum Award winner:

  • Fuller Landau (Canada): Partner Dashboard and more

2007 Platinum Award winner:

  • Fiat Group Automobiles (Italy): Avanti e Veloci web portal (video)