The BCS MP Web Awards 2011 were hosted by the Rt Hon Alun Michael MP and presented by Jim Norton, President of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, along with Kate Russell, presenter and journalist, during a reception at the House of Commons on 23 November.

The annual Awards recognise MPs who embrace web technologies, and are using them to engage effectively with their constituents. All MPs’ sites are automatically entered and judges look for MPs who are using their websites and web technology to communicate with their constituents effectively.

The Awards were judged by an independent panel of guest judges including: Mark Say, Editor of Guardian Government Computing; Oussama Kardi, Deputy Member of Youth Parliament for Hillingdon; and Ian Dunt, Editor of politics.co.uk.

Categories included:

Usability Award:

• Winner: Andrew Mitchell MP
• Finalists: George Freeman MP and Emily Thornberry MP

Engagement Award:

• Winner: Jim Murphy MP
• Finalists: Robert Halfon MP, Luciana Berger MP and George Freeman MP

Accessibility Award, presented in conjunction with AbilityNet:

• Winner: Chris Grayling MP
• Finalists: Jim Fitzpatrick MP, Tony Cunningham MP and John Bercow MP

Social Media Award:

• Winner: David Miliband MP
• Finalists: Ed Miliband MP and James Morris MP

Overall Award:

• Winner: George Freeman MP
• Finalists: Dan Byles MP and Luciana Berger MP

George Freeman MP was a strong overall winner with Dan Byles MP and Luciana Berger MP also highly commended for their websites having scored well for engagement, social media and usability.

Rt Hon Jim Murphy, MP for East Renfrewshire, is a back-to-back winner for the Engagement category having collected the same award last year.

David Clarke, MBE, Chief Executive Officer, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT says: “I would like congratulate all winners and finalists. Our MP Web Awards demonstrate the way MPs communicate online with their constituents today. I would also like to thank all the judges who took part in the Awards, their efforts ensure that we encourage MPs to improve their websites and celebrate those who are doing well.”

This is the fourth time the Institute has held the awards and the most successful year for Conservative MPs to date. This year, for the first time in the history of the awards, there were no finalists from the Liberal Democrat party.