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Student Wins British Interactive Media Association Award Andrew Devlin beats off stiff competition |
Bournemouth BA (Hons) Interactive Media Production student, Andrew Devlin, beat off stiff competition from commercial giants, Orange, to scoop a top award at this year's British Interactive Media Association (BIMA) awards.
Andrew's winning project, iCoach, initially submitted in a student category, was promoted to compete in the commercial category for handheld/mobile applications when judges realised its high development potential.
iCoach allows you to play video footage of football matches and training sessions, helping coaches to position players and outline manoeuvres, all within a handheld device. Andrew said he was astonished by his achievement. "I wasn't expecting to win at all, especially as the company, Poke (the company commissioned to make the rival device for Orange) have been announced as Agency of the Year by Revolution magazine. I just went along to try and meet some new contacts and talk a bit about my project." He added, " Needless to say, the hours following the ceremony were spent celebrating!"
Andrew's work was highly praised by the course team for its concept and development, and its innovative use of mobile technology. Mik Parsons, senior lecturer for the Interactive Media Production course, said, "We are very proud of his achievement. Although our students have had successes in the student category in previous years, this is the first occasion when a student has been promoted to a commercial category, let alone won it."
Established in 1985, the BIMA is the trade association representing the diverse interests of the UK interactive industry. The BIMA's annual awards, renowned as the most prestigious new media competition in Europe, set the standard for the industry. Andrew will be jetting off to Vienna in March 2006, for the Europrix Top Talent Finals, together with fellow student, Ben Webb with his game, "The Farm". There, their work will be showcased to a large European audience of peers and professionals. It will also be published and toured around Europe as part of the Europrix programme.
Story by Stephanie Brooks
BA (Hons) Multi-Media Journalism - 2nd Year Student
