Meffys Open for Business

The Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) has announced that it is now accepting entries for the fifth annual Meffy awards. The Meffys will honour the most influential players from around the world. This years winners will be celebrated at an exclusive awards ceremony and dinner on 8 May at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes, alongside MEFs official event, Mobile Entertainment Market (MeM) on 8 and 9 May.
Three new award categories have been introduced for 2008. These are a Quality of Experience Award; an Off Deck Service Award; and an Emerging Markets Award. There are 16 categories in total, including a Games Award; a Music Service Award; a Communities & UGC Award; and a Search & Discovery Award.
In addition, the MEF board will once again present the Outstanding Contribution Award to a talented individual whose work has had a seminal impact on the growth of the mobile entertainment industry. Previous winners of this Award include Vesa-Matti Paananen who won the inaugural prize in 2004 for his pioneering work commercialising the ringtone; Taneli Armanto who received the accolade in 2005 for bringing the game Snake to the mobile phone; Jim Brailean in 2006 for his ground-breaking work to make Mobile TV a reality; and last years trio of recipients Alain Rossman, Chuck Parrish and Bruce Martin, creators of the mobile Internet.
The Meffys have developed into a truly international showcase for the industrys best mobile entertainment offerings, says MEF Executive Director, Rimma Perelmuter. The new categories highlight the importance of putting the consumer first and will shine the spotlight on innovation in emerging markets.   
Companies interested in entering the awards should click here  www.m-e-f.org for full details.
Entry costs have been frozen for MEF members and are as follows: 100 per entry for MEF members, 175 for members of supporting organisations, and 250 for non-members. The deadline for applications is 17 March 2008.