eco will present their coveted Internet Awards this year for the fourteenth time. The largest Internet industry association in Europe awards this distinction to especially innovative companies with exceptional ideas for the Internet industry.

Applications close on the 31 March. Membership in the association is not a requirement for participation. The Award ceremony will take place on 5 June as part of the eco Gala in KölnSKY, Cologne.

This year, applications for the eco Internet Award are possible in nine different categories. These include classics like “Carrier/ISP” or “e-Commerce/Trade”, and also the newly added categories “Machine-to-Machine Communication” (M2M) and “Entertainment”. As long as the product, service or process is innovative and market-ready, producers, providers or developers can apply in the appropriate category. For case studies, customers can also submit their suggestions. In addition, eco will be awarding a Special Prize for Politics.

eco CEO Harald A. Summa calls on companies to take up the challenge: “If you’re convinced that you’ve developed a milestone which will make the Internet even better, or that you offer solutions that enrich the Internet, and your idea has got what it takes to shape the future of the Internet, then take the chance and apply for an eco Internet Award!”

The categories for 2014 are:

• Carrier/ISP
• Domains & DNS
• e-Commerce/Trade
• Entertainment
• Housing/Hosting/Data Center
• M2M
• Mobile
• Online Marketing/Email Marketing
• Security
• Special Prize for Politics (Nominations through eco)

Detailed information on the categories and the application criteria can be found here.

Quelle: eco - Association of the German Internet Industry