With just 10 days to go until nominations close, the SPARKies have revealed their line-up of expert judges and the name of the comedian who will host the award ceremony.
The fifth annual SPARKies awards, headlined by Gradwell Communications, will shine a light on the best in tech across the Bristol, Bath, Somerset, Wiltshire and South Gloucester cluster.
The winners will be announced and celebrated at a ceremony on Thursday June 29 2017 at Komedia in Bath. Comedian Laura Lexx has been revealed as this year’s host.
Laura, who performed her solo show, Tyrannosaurus Lexx, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2016 is also known for co-hosting The Jason Manford Show on Absolute Radio.
The SPARKies have also revealed the 20 judges, all prominent figures in the South West tech scene, who will have the arduous task of selecting the people, products and companies who stand out the most across 15 award categories.
Abby Frear, director of the SPARKies, said: “I’m delighted with the judging panel we have lined up. Our 20 judges are experts in their fields, innovative investors, serial entrepreneurs and creative geniuses. They know their stuff.
“If previous years are anything to go by, we can expect a minimum of 200 nominations. The judges’ task will be a challenging one and they will want to be impressed.”
Among the judges is Constance Fleuriot, co-founder of the Women’s Tech Hub Bristol. She said: “I’m hoping to see something new and interesting, or well tried, tested and useful. I am quite open to being impressed by all sorts of tech activities.”
Andrew Mulvenna, co-founder of Brightpearl, is also one of the judges. He said: “I want to support engineers with ambition to build big global businesses. I’m looking for the entrepreneurs who can solve the hardest problems and serve fundamental human needs by harnessing the South West’s deep engineering heritage.”
A full list of judges and a few helpful hints for applicants are available on the SPARKies website.
Nominations for the SPARKies close at midnight on Friday May 19. To nominate someone or for more information, please go to: www.thesparkies.com
Pictured above: Abby Frear, director of the SPARKies
