Scraperwiki, Beamups and BBC Democracy Live among MEGAs winners

New data tool Scraperwiki took away the technology prize at the MediaGuardian's 3rd Innovation Awards (MEGAs) on Thursday night.

Scraperwiki, a new site currently in beta, is aiming to help journalists and researchers more easily use and share data through its collaborative service.

"Scraperwiki had the feel of something with its origins in a really good hackday," the MEGA judges commented. "A rough and ready idea which, while small, showed forward thinking and innovation in execution and application."

"Industry analysts suggest that 'data is the new plastic' and ScraperWiki is a platform that allows the deluge of public data that is being published across the world by governments to be put into a structured and reusable format," its director, Aine McGuire, told Journalism.co.uk.

"Data can then be easily downloaded for local use in applications by journalists, researchers, analysts and many other types of organisations. We have just opened up the beta version of the site and already there has been a huge interest in the project. The UK is a knowledge leader in this area and we are very lucky to have some of the best hackers in this space working on the project."

In the web platforms category, BBC Democracy Live took away the prize for its parliamentary coverage, tools and video streams. "While the platform used existing technology is did so in a highly innovative way and in doing so filled a huge gap in the accessibility of political information. A hugely useful and important use of web based technologies," said the judges.

Austin Heap, from the Censorship Research Center, who spoke at last week's Guardian Changing Media Summit, won the MediaGuardian Innovator of the Year award. "Judges chose Austin for the key technological role he played in last summer’s campaign against censorship in Iran; his Haystack software was used by Iranians to share information outside the country in the protests that followed the disputed election result," they said.

Beamups, the online video and photo market place, which has just signed a deal with Xinhua and Ihlas news agencies, was named the winner in the business model & startup category.

The company is delighted, its CEO Dean Stewart told Journalism.co.uk. "This is a great endorsement of our achievements in establishing a marketplace for buying and selling professional news footage."
 
Other winners included:

Campaigning: Mystery Packages (RNLI & Proximity London)

Independent Media: #sixweeks (Paul McCrudden. Participants included Pret A Manger, Pizza Express, Little Chef, EAT, Squat + Gobble, Cranberry)

Community engagement: Fiat 500C Feelgood Playlist (Fiat UK & AKQA)

Applications and gadgets: MirrorMe (Ideonic & 4iP)

Creative: Onedotzero adventures in motion festival identity 2009/2010 (onedotzero & Wieden + Kennedy)

Advertising: Kasabian Football Hero (Columbia Records / Umbro & Sony Music Creative)

PR: Blackpool: J’aime la Tour (visitBlackpool & SKV Communications)

Launch: Load & Go (O2 & ZenithOptimedia / Channel 4 / The Outfit)

• More information on the MEGAs at this link.

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