An innovation to help save lives at sea won one of the top prizes at this year's BCS awards. Other winning projects at the BCS IT Professional Awards and IM Awards 2006 included a GPS-tracked courier service and the modernization of the 125 year old postal order.

Fifteen hundred guests attended the glittering event at which Kate Silverton, BBC news presenter, made the presentations, alongside keynote speaker David Taylor, author of the Naked Leader. 

The life-saving system developed for the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI), collected a total of three awards, including the BT Flagship Award for Innovation, awarded to the best entry in the technology category. The system, developed by Active Web Solutions specifically for RNLI, alerts search and rescue services when a man goes overboard on a small vessel, reports on a vessel's course and speed, and allows two-way communication between the RNLI and distressed vessels.

Michael Vlasto, RNLI operations director, said: 'It will actively assist in preventing needless loss of life at sea and help to take the search out of search and rescue.' The judging panel commented that the solution had 'shown true leadership in inventing, developing and manufacturing a leading-edge, dynamic solution. It is entries like this that showcase the various situations in which advanced technologies can really make a difference.'

eCourier scooped up the Flagship Award for the business category. It has revolutionized the courier service by making each courier GPS-tracked so that both customers and recipients can monitor the trip online. Also in the business category, the GCS Women in IT Award went to the Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Wendy Hall, head of the judges and chair of the BCS Women's Forum, said: 'We were impressed by the Borough's commitment in generating true opportunities for women to progress their careers through supportive training programmes.'

This year's President's Award focused on investment in information security. The first prize went to Liverpool Direct, a joint venture between Liverpool County Council and BT for the implementation of their security management programme.

In the individual categories, Ray Jackson, programme manager of IT for the post office won the PMR Project Manager of the Year Award. He has recently implemented changes to automate the 125 year-old postal order and provide improved communications resilience for the network serving 14,500 branches.

Full details of all the winners in the above categories, plus the professional development categories, and the e-GIF Awards can be found on the BCS website at www.bcs.org/awards/winners