READING, England, February 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Four top finalists are short listed for the DediPower Digital Awards 2010, after entries from across the UK flooded in, all aiming to claim the first prize worth over GBP50,000.

The four finalist entries are: - Claire Watt-Smith, Aged 27, for BoBelle - Anita Moss and Paul Norman, both aged 29, for First Tutors - Stuart Varrall, Aged 28, for Fluid Pixel - Andrew Fidler and Gordon Bennell, both aged 28, for Student Aid

The DediPower Digital Award 2010 will be awarded at a special ceremony in London, on Monday 1st March, as part of EU e-skills Week. There is also a judges' special Digital Innovation Award for an excellent entry, displaying outstanding inventiveness and creativity.

The finalists have been invited to the Telegraph Media Group headquarters, in London, on Wednesday, 24th February, to present their idea and business plan to a panel of judges which includes:

- Kamal Ahmed, Business Editor, The Sunday Telegraph - Catherine Doran, Director of Corporate Development, Network Rail - John Redwood, MP for Wokingham and former cabinet minister - Karen Price, CEO, e-skills UK - Craig Martin, CEO, DediPower Managed Hosting

The DediPower Digital Awards' first prize is up to GBP25,000 cash investment, plus GBP2,000 in development funds and a further GBP25,000 worth of business mentoring free Internet hosting. There is also the special Judges' Digital Innovation Award to stimulate the development of other great digital ideas.

Craig Martin, CEO, DediPower Managed Hosting and Chairman of the judging panel comments: Choosing just four finalists from the high number of entries was a tough task. The calibre of entry was pleasingly high as well. This is the first year of the Awards and it really seems to have captured the imagination of young people aged 17 to 30 years.

The campaign has had tremendous backing from e-skills UK and has been promoted by the Sunday Telegraph. It is all helping to recognise the young talent in the UK and to encourage innovative and determined young people with getting a start in their careers. It is often nearly impossible to get a good idea off the ground, so these awards are trying to change that dynamic and stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit in this country.

BoBelle Ltd, entered by Claire Watt-Smith (age 27), is a retailer and wholesaler of ethically handmade Eel skin leather fashion accessories. It incorporates style, fashion and luxury with ethics and affordability.

First Tutors, entered by Anita Moss (29) and Paul Norman (29), helps families and adult learners to find private tutors. The web site uniquely features previous client feedback on the 10,000 tutors listed from across the UK.

Fluid Pixel Ltd, entered by Stuart Varrall (28), is a media development studio specialising in mobile devices, dedicated to Flash Lite and iphone platforms. It offers innovative applications, games and interfaces for mobile phones, the web and desktop computers on a customised basis.

Student Aid, entered by Andrew Fidler (28) and Gordon Bennell (28), is an engaging media information service for university students, parents and staff and aims to be the voice of the student market. Student-aid.co.uk provides a localised portal for student life and provides digital and offline media channels to universities for interaction with students and staff.

Further details about the DediPower Digital Awards 2010 can be found at: http://www.DediPowerDigitalAwards.com.

About DediPower Managed Hosting:

DediPower is a leading UK provider of managed hosting and data centre solutions, making the internet and eBusiness innovation a reality for businesses of all sizes. Focused on delivering service excellence through our Support with Passion(R) philosophy, DediPower's enterprise class data centres support business critical applications. Providing innovative solutions and expertise in dedicated managed hosting, virtualisation, multi-server clusters, security, business continuity and co-location services. DediPower is a winner of numerous hosting awards and is a Microsoft Gold certified partner and RedHat Ready hosting partner. DediPower's headquarters is located in Reading Berkshire, UK. For additional information, call +44(0)870-252-3600 or visit http://www.dedipower.com and keep up to date with DediPower via Twitter, twitter.com/dedipower.

SOURCE: DediPower Managed Hosting

CONTACT: DediPower Contact: Jodie Hoare, DediPower Managed Hosting, T:+44(0)870-252-3600, E: info@dedipower.com; Press Contact: Ian McCann /Claire Hutchison, CCgroup, T: +44(0)118-920-7650, E:dedipower@ccgrouppr.com