The deadline for this year’s Big Chip Awards passed on Monday with the largest number of entries to date. The awards, now in their 12th year, attracted 257 entries from 138 businesses excelling in the use of digital technology, representing a 12 per cent increase on the number of entries received last year. Entries for the new Little Chip Award for exceptional student achievement are still open with the deadline set for 26 March. The awards are organised by Manchester Digital, the independent trade association, and Insider is acting as media partner alongside trade publication New Media Age. The winners will be announced on 10 June at the Palace Hotel in Manchester.

The Wai Yin Chinese Women Society, based in Manchester, was last night named Business of the Year at the annual 2010 Ethnic Minority Business Awards, held at Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral. The awards, organised by the Ethnic Minority Business Forum (EMBF) and supported by the Northwest Regional Development Agency, celebrate the contribution that black and minority ethnic (BME) individuals and businesses make to the regional economy. Other winners included Bilal Poultry Products in Bolton, which scooped the International Business Award, and Vahida Naeem from Direct Today Couriers, who was named Entrepreneur of the Year.