Steve Wozniak judge for 2013 NZ Hi-Tech Awards

Steve Wozniak joins panel of international judges for 2013 NZ Hi-Tech Awards. Entries now open.

Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, has been named as one of the international judges of the 2013 NZ Hi-Tech Awards, which open for entry today. Already confirmed to join Wozniak as part of the stellar international judging panel for 2013 are:

• Rob Adams – Director of Texas Venture Labs
• Claudia Batten - Co-founder of Victors & Spoils
• Howard Charney - Senior Vice-President, Cisco and co-founder of 3Com
• Katherine Corich – Global CEO, Sysdoc
• Patrick Kenealy - Managing Director, IDG Ventures San Francisco
• Andy Lark - Chief Marketing Officer, Commonwealth Bank of Australia
• Richard Mander – Vice-President Product Management and Technology, Visualant
• Craig Nevill-Manning - Director of Engineering, Google
• Steve Wozniak – Co-founder of Apple
Additional members of the local and international judging panels will be confirmed early in 2013.

Entrants will again be able to lodge their entries to the awards online, at www.hitech.org.nz

NZ Hi-Tech Trust Chair, Wayne Norrie, says the Hi-Tech Awards continue to gain significance and support both locally and internationally. “As a $20-billion-plus industry we are a major part of New Zealand’s mainstream economy and the continued growth of our high-tech businesses will only see its influence increase,” he says. “The strength of the industry is a reflected in the record number of entries we received this year. And the great thing is our industry gets noticed on the global stage, having Steve Wozniak coming on board as a judge is testimony to this”.

The 2013 Awards have a new category that will recognise innovative excellence in the pre-commercialisation area. The award is aimed at new ventures with revenue of $50,000 or less.
All categories have all been redefined and revamped, with entrants now given the choice between reporting revenues based on either their financial year or calendar year.

The 11 categories for the 2013 NZ Hi-Tech Awards are
• PwC Hi-Tech Company of the Year 2013
• Cisco Hi-Tech Emerging Company 2013
• MBIE Science, Skills and Innovation Group Hi-Tech Start-up Company Award 2013
• Duncan Cotterill Most Innovative Hi-Tech Software Product Award 2013
• New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Best Contribution to the NZ Hi-Tech Sector by a Multinational Company 2013
• Telecom Most Innovative Mobile Technology Award 2013
• State Government of Victoria Most Innovative Hi-Tech Services Product Award 2013
• HSBC and NZMEA Hi-Tech Exporter of the Year 2013 (with sub categories for under $5m revenue and over $5m)
• Hi-Tech Pre-Commercialisation Company 2013
• Most Innovative Hi-Tech Hardware Product Award 2013
• Fronde Hi-Tech Young Achiever Award 2013
A full list of categories and entry criteria can be found at www.hitech.org.nz

Key dates
• Entries for the 2013 Awards will close at 5pm on 4 March 2013
• Finalists will be announced at simultaneous events in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch on 27th March 2013
• Winners will be announced at the Gala Dinner in Auckland on 17 May 2013
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About the NZ Hi-Tech Trust
Established in 2009, The New Zealand Hi-Tech Trust is a not-for-profit, voluntary organisation. It is responsible for running the NZ Hi-Tech Awards programme, including the Tait Communications Flying Kiwi Awards, and conducting other programmes of work for the benefit of the industry. www.hi-tech.org.nz

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