Annertech’s shortlisted for two National Digital Awards!

It’s almost time for the PTSB National Digital Awards 2023, and Annertech websites are finalists in two categories – Qualifax is a finalist in the Education category and the National Library of Ireland is up for the Best in Digital Accessibility award. 

This is the largest iteration of the National Digital Awards to date – with more than 550 submissions. Digital Business Ireland, the country’s largest representative body for digital and online businesses, will reveal the winners and runners-up at an awards luncheon at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel on 23 February. 

This year’s awards comprise 22 categories across “websites”, “people” and “innovation”. The coveted “national website of the year” will also be crowned. 

“The awards have seen tremendous growth in the number and calibre of entries, and showcase the talent and innovation of businesses across the country,” secretary general of Digital Business Ireland, Lorraine Higgins, said. 

“Our expert panel of judges had a tough time picking these finalists, and I’m sure their task won’t get any easier in choosing winners.”

Qualifax – Education Website of the Year finalist 

Qualifax.ie is a “one stop shop” for course information, and gives students a reliable, non-biased view of further and higher education options within Ireland. 

Considerable research and work went into ensuring it would offer a great user experience for all, regardless of device, physical impairments, reading ability or network connection. 

The mass of information on offer is presented in a simple and effective way, which makes a rather daunting process really easy. 

A range of tools and resources is available – from searching for and comparing courses to using handy features such as the CAO points calculator and subject requirements tool. 

Qualifax.ie has about 500,000 visitors each year, and forms part of the strategic priority of Quality and Qualifications Ireland, who manage the Qualifax website, to have better information for learners. 

“The Qualifax website is one of the most respected and important tools for researching further and higher education options in Ireland. Working with the team at Qualifax to reimagine how users will plan for their future was an honour we won't soon be forgetting, said Sean O’Connell, the project manager who oversaw the project. 

“One of the great challenges of working with a tool used so widely is improving the overall product, while keeping the experience intuitive, making sure we keep providing the value that a long-term user base has come to expect – this made sure that the project was exciting from start to finish.” 

NLI – Best in Digital Accessibility finalist 

The National Library of Ireland is the library of record for Ireland. It collects, protects and provides access to more than 12 million items. It doesn’t only provide access to the collections, and reference and research reading rooms, but also curates exhibitions and events. 

NLI is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with European Union regulations, and accessibility was built into the site right from the beginning. 

The website is fully bilingual, so its Irish users have exactly the same experience as its English users. Every piece of content that goes on to the website is translated into Irish by qualified translators. 

Nli.ie was a collaboration between Annertech and digital agency bigO. 

“We are incredibly proud of the work we did on nli.ie,” said Managing Director Stella Power. 

“We led the project, taking care of the development and integration, while bigO took care of the beautiful design for the website. The two agencies worked closely together and the collaboration was a huge success, resulting in a website that reflects the majesty of Ireland’s national library. 

“Accessibility is such an important part of how we build websites now, and we’re thrilled that this important function is being acknowledged by Digital Business Ireland in the form of this category.” 

There are some brilliant websites that feature in 2023’s National Digital Awards. 

The Education category finalists include Kay’s Flower School, St Patrick’s National School Stamullen, Kinderama and TUS Athlone Campus. 

The Digital Accessibility category includes Dublin Bus, Lace & Tassels, Léargas and The Teaching Council.

“The standard is incredibly high, but we have our fingers crossed,” said Stella. “We are thrilled to have these two projects shortlisted, and we are looking forward to the ceremony on Friday.”