Awards aim to recognise women in technology

The 2005 Women and Technology Awards are now open for entries.

The awards, hosted by BlackBerry and women's networking group Aurora, aim to recognise achievement by UK women in the technology industry.

Awards for individual achievement will be granted in seven categories, including a best woman in technology for the private sector, public sector, small business and academia. Awards will also be given for the best woman mentor in the tech sector, the best female technology writer and one woman from all the entries with most significant achievement in her area.

In addition, one tech company will be singled out for doing the most to advance female talent.

The deadline to enter the awards contest is 29 July, and the awards will be presented on 27 October at a ceremony in London. Anyone wishing to enter can do so on the awards website.

The judging panel will be made up of representatives from Aurora, BlackBerry and the awards sponsors and media partners, including silicon.com.

The number of women working in the technology industry has fallen in recent years. e-skills UK says women currently make up only 20 per cent of the IT workforce, down from 23 per cent in 2001.

In the US, when excluding purely administrative jobs, women's share of the IT workforce has declined, from 32.4 percent in 1996 to 24.9 in 2004, according to a report from the Information Technology Association of America trade group.