The first boats.com organised Marine Industry Web Awards was presented at the London Boat Show on Tuesday evening.

The overall winner, Neilson Holidays’ website www.neilson.com , commanded universal acclaim from a judging panel that included BBC Radio’s Web Site of the Day presenter, Miles Mendoza, Ian Atkins, boats.com’s managing director for Europe, the British Marine Federation’s marketing director James Gower, Ian Burton, the managing director of web developer of Aptek and Kim Hollamby, group editor for sailpower.com’s parent portal ybw.com.

Neilson’s Pip Tyler commented: “We have devoted a lot of effort into making our site user friendly and effective and to see this recognised is fantastic. The awards offer a great opportunity for all marine companies to reap what they sow in terms of web communications and we look forward to the awards becoming an important annual event on the marine industry’s calendar.”

The awards attracted a total entry approaching 80 companies with 22 of them shortlisted for the judges’ consideration across four categories. The top three in each category are listed below.

Best OEM/Manufacturer Site
1Laser www.lasersailing.com 
2Sunseeker www.sunseeker.com 
3Princess Yachts www.princess-yachts.com 
Shortlisted:Fairline Boats, Nimbus Yachts, Oyster Marine, Sealine.

Best Broker/Dealer Site
1Bachli International www.boat-trade.com 
2Peters plc www.petersplc.com 
3Camper & Nicholsons www.cnyachts.com 
Shortlisted:J-UK, Opal Marine

Best Marine Equipment Site
1KVH Industries www.kvh.com 
2International Coatings www.yachtpaint.com 
3Thrane and Thrane www.tt.dk 
Shortlisted:Henri Lloyd, Simrad

Outstanding Contribution to Online Marine Industry
1Neilson Holidays www.neilson.com 
2Offshore Challenges for Kingfisherchallenges.com www.kingfisherchallenges.com 
3Yachts and Yachting www.yachtsandyachting.com 
Shortlisted:GBR Challenge, Nicholas Hilsden