NII Awards
Encyclopedia
The NII Awards was an international awards program designed to recognize excellence and innovation in use of the Internet
. The National Information Infrastructure
Awards program, later known as the Global Information Infrastructure (GII) Awards, was a non-partisan, private-sector initiative made possible through a collaborative relationship with private and public-sector leaders.
The mission of the program was to help the global community realize the potential of a networked society by identifying examples of excellence and helping others learn from those examples.
The NII Awards were created in 1995 by Access Media Inc. (based in Santa Monica, California), with James Hake as Chairman. By 1999 Melanie McMullen was General Manager of the GII Awards.
The Awards were supported by more than 70 Corporate, Media, Government and Public sponsors. Businesses, community organizations, government agencies and individuals were all eligible to submit entries to the competition. Winners of the GII Awards include Yahoo!, The Schwab WebSite/Charles Schwab & Co., ThinkQuest and The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition. Even being nominated as a Semi-Finalist or Finalist is still considered an accomplishment.
All category judges were recognized experts in their respective fields. The Awards Dinner was a prestigious "black-tie" evening with high-profile MCs, speakers and presenters. Winners were highlighted in a national media and education campaign. Their input was sought by the White House
. An oft-repeated quotation from USA Today
described the Awards as "a cross between the Oscars and the Baldrige Awards of the Internet
".
"The winners of the NII Awards represent real-life benefits delivered through the NII and give us an encouraging look at what is possible in the future," said Vice President Al Gore
. "These examples help all Americans understand the promise and potential of the information superhighway
."
The 1995 NII Awards attracted more than 550 entries and 180 judges.
Entries were submitted from February to May, and the winners were announced on July 12, 1995. The Awards were presented in Washington, D.C.
at a dinner emceed by talk show personality Dick Cavett
.
The 1996 NII Awards attracted more than 850 entries and 200 judges. From 60 finalists, the winners' Awards were presented on December 3 1996 in Washington, D.C.
The deadline for entries was originally July 7 - August 27, 1997, but was extended to November 24, 1997. From over 800 entries from 41 states, an average of 31 semi-finalists advanced in each of the eleven categories, with 68 entries announced as Finalists on March 6, 1998. Recipients of the 1997 GII Awards were expected be announced at the annual GII Awards Ceremony scheduled for December 2, or in the spring of 1998, in New York City
.
In fact, Winners presentations were held during the Comdex show in Chicago
, on April 20, 1998 in the Grand Ballroom at the Chicago Hilton and Towers, emceeed by Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.
Note: Mark Stephen Meadows
aka "Pighed" lists the 1997 NII Award for Arts & Entertainment on his website.
More than 500 total entries were received, from which 60 finalists were selected by a panel of 350 judges.
Semi-finalists were announced on October 27, 1999.
The 1999 Awards were presented at the Westin, St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco on the evening of December 14, 1999, emceed by comedienne Paula Poundstone. They were held in conjunction with the ZD Studios Nextravaganza conference.
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. The National Information Infrastructure
National Information Infrastructure
The National Information Infrastructure was the product of the High Performance Computing and Communication Act of 1991. It was a telecommunications policy buzzword, which was popularized during the Clinton Administration under the leadership of Vice-President Al Gore...
Awards program, later known as the Global Information Infrastructure (GII) Awards, was a non-partisan, private-sector initiative made possible through a collaborative relationship with private and public-sector leaders.
The mission of the program was to help the global community realize the potential of a networked society by identifying examples of excellence and helping others learn from those examples.
The NII Awards were created in 1995 by Access Media Inc. (based in Santa Monica, California), with James Hake as Chairman. By 1999 Melanie McMullen was General Manager of the GII Awards.
The Awards were supported by more than 70 Corporate, Media, Government and Public sponsors. Businesses, community organizations, government agencies and individuals were all eligible to submit entries to the competition. Winners of the GII Awards include Yahoo!, The Schwab WebSite/Charles Schwab & Co., ThinkQuest and The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition. Even being nominated as a Semi-Finalist or Finalist is still considered an accomplishment.
All category judges were recognized experts in their respective fields. The Awards Dinner was a prestigious "black-tie" evening with high-profile MCs, speakers and presenters. Winners were highlighted in a national media and education campaign. Their input was sought by the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. An oft-repeated quotation from USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
described the Awards as "a cross between the Oscars and the Baldrige Awards of the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
".
"The winners of the NII Awards represent real-life benefits delivered through the NII and give us an encouraging look at what is possible in the future," said Vice President Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
. "These examples help all Americans understand the promise and potential of the information superhighway
Information superhighway
The information superhighway or infobahnwas a popular term used through the 1990s to refer to digital communication systems and the Internet telecommunications network. It is associated with United States Senator and later Vice-President Al Gore....
."
First annual awards (1995)
- Arts & Entertainment: HotWiredHotWiredHotwired was the first commercial web magazine, launched on October 27, 1994. Although it was part of Wired Ventures, Hotwired was a separate entity from Wired, the print magazine, and had original content....
online magazine, a vibrant, interactive magazine in cyberspace with over 200,000 readers. - Business: National Materials Exchange Network, which facilitates more than 5,000 businesses recycling waste materials.
- Community: Alzheimer's' Disease Support Center (on Cleveland Free-Net), for its bulletin board system that provides a 24-hour electronic support community for the families of Alzheimer's' victims.
- Education: DO-IT Program (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, Technology), for its use of the Internet to provide distance learning and mentoring to high school students with disabilities. Global SchoolNet was recognized for pioneering content-driven collaboration in schools worldwide.
- Government: Utah Library Network Initiative, for its work to give rural library users access into national data bases such as the Library of CongressLibrary of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
. - Health: Information Network for Public Health Officials, for a project to allow public health officials to track outbreaks of infectious diseases.
The 1995 NII Awards attracted more than 550 entries and 180 judges.
Entries were submitted from February to May, and the winners were announced on July 12, 1995. The Awards were presented in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
at a dinner emceed by talk show personality Dick Cavett
Dick Cavett
Richard Alva "Dick" Cavett is a former American television talk show host known for his conversational style and in-depth discussion of issues...
.
Second annual awards (1996)
- Arts & Entertainment: CityspaceCityspaceCitySpace was an internet-based virtual world launched at SIGGRAPH 1993 by educator and project director Zane Vella. CitySpace was one of the earliest online virtual 3D environments and first came to attention via mainstream news media in late 1993...
: Network Social Space of the Future - Business: The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
Interactive Edition. Its easy, newspaper-like structure provides markets coverage as well as news in business, technology, marketing, the law, sports and weather. - Children:
- Community:
- Education: MicroMUSEMicroMuseMicroMUSE is a MUD started in 1990. It is based on the TinyMUSE system, which allows members to interact in a virtual environment called Cyberion City, as well as to create objects and modify their environment. MicroMUSE was conceived as an environment to allow people in far-flung locations to...
/ MuseNet, for pioneering innovations in Children's Education via the Internet. - Government:
- Health: Visiting Nurse Service of New YorkVisiting Nurse Service of New YorkVisiting Nurse Service of New York is the largest and oldest not-for-profit home health care provider in the United States.Lillian Wald, the founder of VNSNY, began making home nursing visits in 1893....
(VNSNY), for a clinical information system based on FPSI's pen tablet computer that is designed to improve information flow between doctors, clinics and field nurses who visit patients in the home. - Next Generation (Special Award): Starbright World (Starlight Children's Foundation), a broadband network that links hospitals and allows seriously ill children to learn, play, and make friends on a virtual playground.
- Public Access (Special Award):
- Telecollaboration (Special Award): Electronic Cafe International, for their global network of public venues, or computerized cafes, dedicated to telecollaboration between people in cyberspace.
The 1996 NII Awards attracted more than 850 entries and 200 judges. From 60 finalists, the winners' Awards were presented on December 3 1996 in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Third annual awards (1997/98)
- Arts & Entertainment: Dia Center for the Arts, for its unique program of large-scale web-based artists' projects.
- Children: Getting Real/Kidsites3000
- Commerce: Charles SchwabCharles SchwabCharles Schwab may refer to:*Charles M. Schwab , American steel magnate*Charles R. Schwab , founder of the eponymous brokerage*Charles Schwab Corp., an American based brokerage firm...
& Co., for its use of online brokerage services to empower 1.2 million online customers who engage in $1 billion in transactions through the Schwab Web site every day. - Community:
- Education: ThinkQuest, for pioneering a new model of collaborative teaching and learning by awarding scholarships to teams of secondary school students who build educational Web sites and tools.
- Entertainment:
- Government: Indianapolis
- Health:
- Netpreneur:
- GII Next Generation:
- Promise:
- Public Access:
The deadline for entries was originally July 7 - August 27, 1997, but was extended to November 24, 1997. From over 800 entries from 41 states, an average of 31 semi-finalists advanced in each of the eleven categories, with 68 entries announced as Finalists on March 6, 1998. Recipients of the 1997 GII Awards were expected be announced at the annual GII Awards Ceremony scheduled for December 2, or in the spring of 1998, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
In fact, Winners presentations were held during the Comdex show in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, on April 20, 1998 in the Grand Ballroom at the Chicago Hilton and Towers, emceeed by Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.
Note: Mark Stephen Meadows
Mark Stephen Meadows
Mark Stephen Meadows is an American author and artist. In addition to his illustration, books, and travelogues he also develops software. He is the co-inventor of several US patents relating to artificial intelligence and avatars, and he lectures internationally on this work.Meadows is known for...
aka "Pighed" lists the 1997 NII Award for Arts & Entertainment on his website.
Fourth annual awards (1999)
- Arts & Culture: College of Computing (Georgia Institute of TechnologyGeorgia Institute of TechnologyThe Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
), for The Turing Game (created by Amy Bruckman & Josh Berman), which examined the differences in male and female online communication and interaction. - Children: MaMaMedia, Inc., for helping kids become life-long learners.
- Commerce: E*Trade Group, for helping to create a revolution in the financial services industry.
- Community: Join Together Online (Boston University School of Public HealthBoston University School of Public HealthBoston University School of Public Health is Boston University's graduate School of Public Health. It is located in the heart of Boston University's Medical Campus in the South End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The Dean is Robert Meenan...
), for reducing substance abuse and gun violence. - Education: The Library of CongressLibrary of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, for the National Digital Library Program, providing unique, high quality educational content for Internet users throughout the nation and the world. - Entertainment: As If Productions, For Comedy CentralComedy CentralComedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
's World of South ParkSouth ParkSouth Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
, creating a popular online counterpart of the animated television show. - Government: Office of Information Resources Management, Enterprise Information Management Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, for empowering citizens through its Environfacts Warehouse and other applications.
- Health: BabyCenterBabyCenterBabyCenter is a parenting website providing information on conception, pregnancy, birth, and early childhood for parents and parents-to-be. The site has been online since August 11, 1998....
, for helping new and expectant parents. - Netpreneur: Garden.com, for creating the definitive Web resource for gardeners.
- News & Media: Firehouse.com (Cygnus Publishing, Inc. & Cool/Writer Internet), for creating a Web Community for the Emergency Services.
More than 500 total entries were received, from which 60 finalists were selected by a panel of 350 judges.
Semi-finalists were announced on October 27, 1999.
The 1999 Awards were presented at the Westin, St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco on the evening of December 14, 1999, emceed by comedienne Paula Poundstone. They were held in conjunction with the ZD Studios Nextravaganza conference.
See also
- InternetInternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
- World Wide WebWorld Wide WebThe World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
- National Information InfrastructureNational Information InfrastructureThe National Information Infrastructure was the product of the High Performance Computing and Communication Act of 1991. It was a telecommunications policy buzzword, which was popularized during the Clinton Administration under the leadership of Vice-President Al Gore...
- Global Information Infrastructure
External links
- NII Awards Showcase Information Superhighway Potential Six Winners Named as Champions of Cyberspace
- NII Awards Program Announces Finalists in Second Annual Competition to Recognize Outstanding Uses OF Communications Technologies
- 1997 Global Information Infrastructure (GII) Award Entry & Judging Criteria
- Global Information Infrastructure Awards Nominations
- Global Information Infrastructure Award Posters