Microsoft, Avon and Radiohead Among the Finalists for 2011 .UK.COM Awards

London, UK. (February 8, 2011) Global leaders Microsoft, Avon, and Radiohead are among the finalists chosen for the 2011 UK.COM Awards (www.uk.com). The Awards, which recognize websites using domain names with the ending .UK.COM, also acknowledged well-known British-based companies including Pineapple Dance Studios, the Michelin starred restaurant Sketch, and live music venue Koko.


The 24 finalists in four categories represent some of the most inventive business and creative endeavours that 2011 had to offer. The overall winner will be revealed at the end of the month, receiving a £5000 prize for either the business or the business’s charity of choice.


An elite panel of technology, media and entertainment experts will judge the finalists, including TV Presenter and Internet Entrepreneur, Sarah Beeny, MyVoucherCodes Founder, Mark Pearson, BBC Click’s website guru, Kate Russell, and Managing Editor of Vitesse Media, Nick Britton.


Ben Crawford, CEO of CentralNic, a London-based domain name registry and parent company of UK.COM, said: “We are delighted that such esteemed organizations have selected UK.COM domain names as the web addresses for their smartest ideas and most creative executions. Judging from the quality of the applicants, it seems more likely than ever that the facebooks and twitters of the future may be germinating right here in the UK.”

The finalists are:

Best business idea using a UK.COM domain

  • Avon for www.avon.uk.com
  • Barking Mad for www.barkingmad.uk.com
  • DS Smith Plc for www.dssmith.uk.com
  • Made for www.made.uk.com
  • Sandbag for www.sandbag.uk.com
  • Tea Party for www.teaparty.uk.com

Best creative idea using a UK.COM domain

  • Art 2 Art UK for www.art2art.uk.com
  • Chris Weston Wildlife Photography for www.chrisweston.uk.com
  • Live and Unsigned for www.liveandunsigned.uk.com
  • Microsoft for www.lifeacademy.uk.com
  • More Than Words for www.morethanwords.uk.com
  • Pineapple Dance Studios for www.pineapple.uk.com

Best design, content, functionality of a business website using a UK.COM domain

  • &Co The Cultural Marketing House for www.andco.uk.com
  • Kick Fitness and Lifestyle for www.kick.uk.com
  • Resource Media for www.resource.uk.com
  • Sketch for www.sketch.uk.com
  • Suck UK for www.suck.uk.com
  • Uniform for www.uniform.uk.com

Best design, content, functionality of a creative website using a UK.COM Domain

  • Koko for www.koko.uk.com
  • Orchestral Manouevres In The Dark for www.omd.uk.com
  • Radiohead for its official merchandise site www.waste.uk.com
  • Spooky for www.spooky.uk.com
  • Troika Art Studio for www.troika.uk.com
  • We Love Design for www.welovedesign.uk.com

About UK.COM

Launched fifteen years ago, .UK.COM domains (www.uk.com) are continually gaining in popularity as they offer the desirable .COM ending combined with the national identifier, UK. Currently sold through over 1500 registrars, .UK.COM is the preferred British domain extension and can be purchased from leading registrars such as Blacknight Solutions, Daily Internet, Domainmonster.com, GetDotted.com, GlobalGold, Hostroute, InterNetX, Namesco and Networking4All.


About CentralNic

The only registry to launch two new domain extensions in 2010, CentralNic (www.centralnic.com) manages a growing number of domain extensions, including .UK.COM in the United Kingdom, .US.COM and .LA in the United States, .EU.COM in Europe, and .CN.COM in China. The longest-running global domain registry in the world, CentralNic is the Registry Service Provider of choice for new TLDs requiring proven secure and stable technology, global distribution, expertise in domain sales and marketing, and even financing - with special programs for .brand domains, IDN domains, and not-for profits, as well as a joint venture with Network Solutions to enable new TLDs.


For more information on the UK.COM Awards or the UK.COM, contact:

LEXI LAVRANOS - Marketing Director - lexi@centralnic.com - 020 33 88 0600