When we held the inaugural New Media Awards in 1998 the internet was a strange concept which most people could barely grasp.
Now, 10 years on, virtually all of us have come to rely on new media for everything from news to music, social networking to buying holidays and banking.
The word revolution is something of an understatement when you think of the scale of this transformation and few could have predicted it.
Here at the New Statesman we looked into our collective crystal ball, saw the future and sought to identify new ways in which digital technologies were intersecting with civic life.
Our first New Media Awards were set up with the aim of promoting creative and innovative use of new technology.
And thanks to reducing costs, new media solutions are available to those with limited finances and support. This is becoming a truly egalitarian phenomenon.
This year new categories for the awards are being introduced to encourage the smaller projects that have an impact on our lives.
We will also be recognising larger, national projects that also have contributed to society.
These are the categories
- Democracy in action
- Inform and educate
- Community activism
- Campaign for change
- Innovation
Ben Davies
Editor, newstatesman.com