by Lee Rickwood

There’s interactive projections on the floor; cellphones, smartphones and digital pads galore; there’s even some stars that come out in the daytime!

The Design Exchange in downtown Toronto is a veritable digital feast today; it’s the host site for some of the country’s top digital awards and digital award winners.

Folks who create content and technology for the country’s digital ecosystem, including TV, mobile, gaming, online, music and more are here for two separate events that are part of nextMEDIA Toronto – there’s the 2010 Digital Hot List the 2010 Canadian New Media Awards.

Nominees and finalists in the competitions are listed below; the winners will be announced later this week. Many are here, walking around the DX.

Keynote speeches, seminars, panel presentations and more are part of the two day event, which started a bit late in the day today, as a main speaker was delayed by traffic – you’d think data, but no – automotive!

Hot trends in digital media, mobile development, multi-player online gaming and yes, making money, will be discussed, tweeted and foursquared over the next couple of days!

It’s all about the future of media, and how tech will affect that future.

Now in its fourth year, nextMEDIA Toronto celebrates the current and future leading players in traditional, digital and interactive spaces.

The CNMAs are seen as the country’s only nationwide competition to celebrate Canada’s most successful digital media companies they are now celebrating their 10^th year.

The CNMA gala ceremony will be held December 1 at the Design Exchange. Ben Mulroney will be hosting the awards ceremony.

A veteran of the entertainment news business and the co-anchor of CTV’s etalk entertainment news program, Mulroney will be the first host to announce winners from the five new categories at the CNMAs this year, including: Digital Media Technology of the Year; Best Online Program, Series or Film; Community Campaign of the Year; Interactive Designer of the Year; and Digital Media Woman of the Year.

Meanwhile, the Digital Hot List zeroes in on companies involved in video content, online properties or new technologies. It’s been the launching pad for outstanding cross-platform and online communities, including Bitchin’ Kitchen, ChickAdvisor and X-Weighted.com.

2010 winners will be revealed during the nextMEDIA conference.

The finalists for nextMEDIA’s Digital Hot List are: Hot Video Content:

• Stitch Media, Moderation Town
• heavyGFILMS, Le Gourmet TV

Hot Online Property:

• TrendHunter.com
• Giant Step, Gogo’s Crazy Bones

Hot Technology:

• Ayogo, Healthseeker
• Filemobile

2010 CNMA Nominees, Categories and Company Location: Company of the Year sponsored by Deloitte: This award goes to the most ground-breaking Canadian new media company. Start-up or established, it’s all the same category – the winning company will have taken digital media to the next level. Must make a minimum of $2 million in revenue.

• Frima Studio
• I Love Rewards
• Metroleap
• Syncapse Corp.
• Vision Critical

Promising New Company of the Year sponsored by RBC Royal Bank: They have a vision, a two-year game-plan, a team of enthusiastic stars and a regulation-sized pool table. Now all they have to do is rise above the fray and make their mark. Award for the “up and coming” company of 2010.

• Bitstrips Inc.
• Entrinsic
• Polar Mobile
• Trend Hunter

Digital Media Technology of the Year: Awarded to the piece of technology that will most radically change the media landscape. Technology can be software or hardware based. The technology must have been created by Canadian developers working in Canada at the time of its development and launch.

• dimeRocker, OverInteractive Media
• HootSuite, HootSuite Media, Inc
• Shiny Ads, Shiny Ads
• Voices.com, Voices.com

Best in Canadian Culture – Interactive: Awarded to an interactive property which helps diverse canadian communities share their stories and cultural collections-from national and provincial to municipal and local- with new and growing international audiences. Must add visibility to Canada’s cultural experiences through an online exploration of our heritage and culture.

• Days of Remembrance, Canwest
• Le Tapis rose de Catherine, Les Productions Rose Nanan
• Redress Remix, Stitch Media
• Tourism Montreal, Sid Lee

Best Cross-Platform Project: Recognizes excellence in interactive enhancement of a television property on digital platforms. Eligible projects could include games, websites and/or mobile applications associated with a television program.

• Inside Disaster, PTV Productions Inc.
• The Baxter Online Experience, Smokebomb Entertainment Inc.
• The NFB Test Tube with David Suzuki, National Film Board of Canada
• The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games from Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium, CTV

Best Online Portal: An online video portal that distributes video content via the Internet or mobile technology. Videos can be any length or genre, and may include music videos, movies, news clips, videos, and full-length TV shows. Portals will be judged according to value of content for the audience, brand distinction, functionality and enhanced features such as social networking tools.

• CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca: Canada’s Digital Olympic Destination, CTV
• Doritos Viralocity, Proximity Canada
• Hot Docs Library, Hot Docs
• Urbania.ca, TOXA

Best Kids Interactive: Honouring excellence in the development of interactive platforms for both entertaining and informing children aged 13 and under. Entries include online video, websites, cross-platform media, and products with a digital environment.

• MY LIFE ME / 3etMoi, CarpeDiem Film & TV inc
• Overruled! You Rule, Smokebomb Entertainment Inc.
• RoboMath / RoboMatique, Project Whitecard Inc.
• The M.I. High Game: The Grand Mistress Mystery, Xenophile Media

Best Online Program, Series or Film: Recognizing excellence in the development of a production that is viewed exclusively by Internet audiences. Entries may include a factual or fictional production of any genre with no transmission on television or theatrical release prior to launch.

• Canadians in Haiti: Stories of Loss and Remembrance, CBCNews.ca
• En audition avec Simon, Radio-Canada
• GDP – Measuring the human side of the Canadian economic crisis, National Film Board of Canada
• RemYx, Vivavision

Best Mobile Application sponsored by Adenyo: Open to any application that delivers services to a mobile phone. This application demonstrates excellent functionality, innovation, audience reach and frequency, as well as excellence in the use of the capabilities of the mobile medium.

• 2010 Guide – Official Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Mobile Spectator Guide, Xomo Digital Inc.
• MyFoodFacts, Visdatec Inc.
• NFB Films Application, National Film Board of Canada
• Thumpies, Big Blue Bubble

Best Web-Based Game: Innovative games playable in a web browser created by Canadian developers for any market or audience. Entries may include games with either single or multiplayer experiences.

• Experience the Haiti Earthquake, PTV Productions Inc.
• Home Sweet Home Online, Big Blue Bubble
• One Ocean Interactive, Tactica Interactive
• Woozworld, Woozworld Inc.

Best Use of Social Media: Demonstrates excellent use of social media for business, arts, or community organizations. Must exhibit innovation in creating and connecting communities.

• Doritos Viralocity, Proximity Canada
• NOS Energy Drink Challenge    , Frantic Branded Content
• Republic of Doyle, Republic Season 2, Inc.
• Thoora.com, Thoora.com

Best Online Advertising: Excellence in the creation, delivery and execution of online advertising campaigns. Including but not limited to video, gaming, mobile, websites, banners, pop-ups, microsites, email, digital out of home, and rich media. Entries will be judged according to level of user engagement, awareness, and use of medium.

• Gillette ProGlide, Proximity Canada
• K-Y Intimacy Experiment, Noise Digital
• Tic Tac Small Fun, Noise Digital
• Tourism Montreal – Montreal buzz, Sid Lee

Best Branded Entertainment: Demonstration of content that uniquely positions a brand, product or service within the context of a

• Cliff Your Ride, The Vacuum Design Inc.
• Pedigree Adoption Drive, Proximity Canada
• The Weak Shop, DDB Canada
• Urbania.ca, TOXA

Community Campaign of the Year: Excellence in the use of the digital medium for communicating with, advocating for and marketing to communities about social causes affecting the world. Methods of outreach can include all forms of digital media, including websites, mobile, and social technologies.

• It’s Time To Shout, Gravity Ltd
• Love Letters to the Future, Xenophile Media
• Pocheville.ca – Motel Biqoudi, Inpix
• The NFB Test Tube with David Suzuki, National Film Board of Canada

Special Achievement Categories: Executive of the Year:

• Alon Marcovici, CTV
• Michael McGuigan, Breakthrough New Media
• Ryan Holmes, HootSuite Media, Inc
• Yann Paquet, Reader’s Digest

Online Artist of the Year:

• Arcade Fire
• Deadmau5
• Down With Webster
• Hail the Villain

Producer of the Year:

• Pablo Vio, Jam3
• Philippe Lamarre, TOXA
• Thomas Wallner, Xenophile Media
• Victoria Ha, Stitch Media

Digital Media Woman of the Year:

• Guinevere Orvis, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
• Jessica Leigh Clark-Bojin, Vancouver Film School
• Nadia G (aka Nadia Giosia), www.BitchinLifestyle.TV
• Ramona Pringle, PeakMedia Collective

Developer of the Year:

• Benoit Beausejour, Turbulent Media
• Boris Chan, Xtreme Labs
• Kris McLaughlin, The Vacuum Design Inc.
• Matt Fisher, marblemedia

Interactive Designer of the Year:

• Jason Kerr, Taxi
• Myron Campbell, Switch United
• Tyler Kealey, The Vacuum Design Inc.

 

submitted by Lee Rickwood