GeoVation Awards Showcase January 26, 2010

Over 380 people have now signed up to the GeoVation Challenge and many have submitted ideas or started ventures. Ideas and venture plans have now been submitted to the GeoVation Ideas Challenge and the GeoVation Awards Programme, respectively, both of which closed at midday on 4 January. The judging panel are reviewing the venture plans and the short-listed candidates will be invited to present their plans at the GeoVation Awards Showcase, to be held at the Royal Geographical Society on 26 January. Doors open at 11:30 with a sandwich box lunch before the main event which kicks-off at 13:00. £10,000 is up for grabs for the outright winner, and £5,000 each for two runners-up. A Community Award of £1,000 will also be made, as voted for by you and fellow members of the audience on the day.
The GeoVation judging panel includes Steve Coast the founder of crowd-source mapping project, OpenStreetMap; James Alexander, CEO of Green Thing, the online service that encourages people to lead greener lives; James Cutler, CEO of eMapSite and Gary Gale, Director of Geo-Engineering at Yahoo.
As well as the chance to see and support the shortlisted GeoVation entrants pitch their ventures to our judges and you, the participating audience; to win a slice of the £21,000 awards pot, it’s also an opportunity for you to:
· Meet other GeoVators with great ideas like you face to face
· Share and discuss your ideas
· Seek and/or offer help and advice to others’ ideas and ventures
· Suggest how the GeoVation initiative can grow and develop further
· Suggest new GeoVation challenges
· Identify business opportunities for yourself

In addition to the prize winning venture plans we are keen to see as many ventures progress as possible.

Registration for the GeoVation Awards Showcase is free (but don't leave it too late as the numbers are limited) and you can also help the good folk at MapAction. GeoVation will be donating £10 to Map Action for each registered delegate who attends the showcase.

Official Website: http://www.geovation.org.uk/