Scotland’s cyber community awards finalists have been announced a week ahead of a virtual event celebrating those who have made an impact in protecting their local areas from online harm.

A shortlist of individuals and organisations has been unveiled by the Scottish Business Resilience Centre as it prepares for the inaugural Cyber Community Awards hosted during Cyber Scotland Week.

They will take place on Thursday, 25 February with comedian Fred MacAulay acting as the master of ceremonies for the virtual event.

The full list of individuals shortlisted for the SBRC Cyber Community Awards 2021 – selected by the public alongside a judging panel – are:

SBRC Student Community Champion

  • Allan Goodwill, Abertay University
  • Lewis Binnie, St. Kentigern’s Academy
  • Kyle Williamson, Glasgow Caledonian University
  • Rory Edwards, Peebles High School
  • Tia Cotton, Abertay University

SBRC Outstanding Cyber Community Event

  • Cyber in School Week – PwC
  • GCU Cyber Clinic @ Glasgow Central Station – Department of Cyber Security and Networking at Glasgow Caledonian University
  • Getting it Right…Keeping Your Child Safe – Perth and Kinross Council, Education and Children’s Services
  • What on earth is cyber security? – Converged Communication Solutions in partnership with Highlands and Islands Enterprise

SBRC Cyber Community Hero

  • Annabel Turner, CyberSafe Scotland
  • Colin McLean, Abertay University
  • Gordon Gray, Defcon Edinburgh Meetup
  • Robbie Ross, Converged Communication Solutions
  • Robert Smith, Serco NorthLink Ferries

Jude McCorry, CEO of the SBRC, said: “Protecting the cyber resilience of businesses has been a high priority for many this year. The last 12 months have been tough, but we were encouraged to see a high number of entries for these awards – the first time they have been held. As the Awards take place during Cyber Scotland Week, they serves as a positive reminder of the brilliant work being done by individuals and organisations across the whole country.

“The Awards also highlight some of the future cyber champions that will contribute to keeping Scotland safe online. It is always encouraging to see entrants from High School to University putting themselves forward against large organisations – another reminder of the great skill that will help to shape process and policy in the future. I look forward to celebrating with all our finalists next week.”

Tickets to attend the Cyber Community Awards on Thursday 25th February are free and available to book here.