A new virtual awards ceremony honouring Scotland’s community cyber leaders will be hosted as part of a national cyber week in February next year.
The first Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) Cyber Community Awards is officially open to entries, and members of the public are being encouraged to nominate their online champions.
The awards will celebrate the work being done by businesses, academics, and individuals to keep Scotland’s online community safe, spotlighting those making an impact in their local area.
Taking place on Thursday 25th February 2021 during CyberScotland Week, the online awards ceremony will be hosted by Scottish comedian Fred MacAulay. Entries are welcomed in the following categories: Cyber Community Hero, Student Community Champion, and Outstanding Cyber Community Event.
In keeping with the theme of celebrating community, the public will help choose the winners, alongside a judging panel, of each category from a shortlist to be announced on 15th February 2021. The shortlist for each category will be determined by a panel of judges in advance, and the winners will be announced during the awards ceremony.
Jude McCorry, CEO of SBRC, said: “We have all adapted in 2020 to follow a digital first approach, with people working remotely and choosing to do business online. Unfortunately, this led to a corresponding uptick in cyber-attacks, but thankfully Scotland is home to a remarkable cyber defence community.
“Now is the time to celebrate the dedication and commitment of these unsung heroes of cyber. The SBRC Cyber Community Awards will champion those that are going to extraordinary lengths to keep Scottish citizens and organisations safe online. While we look forward to hearing from people throughout Scotland, we particularly encourage entries from communities outwith the Central Belt including the Highlands & Islands, the North East, the South East and the South West.”
More information on the awards and details on how to enter can be found here: https://www.sbrcentre.co.uk/home/cyber-community-awards
The launch of the Cyber Community Awards follows the recent decision by SBRC to postpone the national Scottish Cyber Awards ceremony, originally planned for 25th February 2021, in light of the evolving coronavirus situation. The Scottish Cyber Awards will now take place on 17th June 2021 in Edinburgh. Further details on the rescheduled Scottish Cyber Awards are available here: https://scottishcyberawards.co.uk/