OK, so this post is going to be fairly brief and to the point. The finalist for the 2011 Contactless Monkey Awards have been announced and can be found below.

Over the coming weeks we will be looking at each category and finalist in a little more depth to discover why they became finalists. The names have now been passed to our judging panel who are:

• Wendy Atkins – C-IQ Editor (Head Judge)
• Nav Bains – GSMA
• Paul Chamberlain – Association of Convenience Stores
• Michel Barjansky – Transport consultant
• Kevin Faquharson – Smart Card Networking Forum
• Lewis Nolan – Visa Europe
• Samee Zafar – Edgar Dunn

These are people with the unenviable task of picking a winner from each category. They are also the people that you need to have a chat to if your company loses. Seriously, I remember last year! (Just joking…). Anyhow, on with the finalist announcements.

1. In Restaurant Dining

Awarded to the dining establishment that has done the most to incorporate contactless into their service and payment structure and had the most success from doing so.

• McDonalds (UK)
• Baxter Storey (UK)
• EAT (UK)

2. High Throughput Beverage

Awarded to the convenience drinks establishment that has done the most to incorporate contactless into their service and payment structure and had the most success from doing so.

• Pret a Manger (UK)
• Insomnia Coffee (Ireland)
• AMT Coffee (UK)

3. High Throughput Food

Awarded to the convenience food establishment that has done the most to incorporate contactless into their service and payment structure and had the most success from doing so.

• EAT (UK)
• Burger King (UK)
• Pret a Manger (UK)

4. Competitive advantage through technology

Awarded to any company or organisation who has gained an advantage in business by implementing contactless technology.

• NFC application for tradeshows, conferences and events – ITN International (US)
• First UK retailer to implement contactless nationally with the latest Visa NFC specifications – McDonalds (UK)
• Contactless vending machines – Vianet (UK)
• In2Pay microsSD: transforming smartphones into NFC devices – Device Fidelity (US)

5. On the High Street

Awarded to the company/retailer that has done the most to incorporate contactless into their service and payment structure and had the most success from doing so.

• Clinton Cards (UK)
• First EMV chip compliant NFC mobile payment trial in the Middle East – ViVOtech (Kuwait)
• NFC trial in Sitges – La Caixa/Telefonica O2 (Spain)
• NFC loyalty solution for Allied Irish Bank – Zapa Technology (Ireland)

6. Health / Lifestyle / Entertainment

Awarded to those events, venues or companies that have incorporated contactless technology into their offering and structure and in doing so have contributed towards customer support and service.

• Contactless payment solution in taxis – VeriFone (UK)
• Contactless cards at Hove Festival – Festival Republic (Norway)
• Interactive NFC installation for teenagers at the Pompidou Centre, Paris – Connecthings (France)
• NFC applications in the city of Nice (France)

7. Public Concern

Awarded to any public concern that has incorporated contactless technology into their local or public infrastructure for the betterment of local citizens.

• NFC devices for registration – Newham College (UK)
• Providing student services with NFC technology – Universite de Nice (France)
• National ID card – NXP (Germany)
• Open loop campus card – University of Canberra (Australia)

8. Transportation

Awarded to those companies or organizations that have incorporated contactless technology into their offering and structure and in doing so have contributed towards customer support and service.

• ITSO scheme in Oxford – Go Ahead (UK)
• NFC Ticketing in Nice – Veolia Transport (France)
• Open loop ticketing in South Africa – Aconite/Traderoot Africa (South Africa)
• Transportation ticketing in Sochi – NXP (Russia)

9. Trailblazing & Innovation

Awarded to those companies or organisations who have done to most to further the boundaries of contactless technology either through technology introduction or pilot programs.

• NFC mobile wallet – Proxama
• NFC system enabling contactless payments with the iPhone – Device Fidelity
• EMV compliant mass transit initiative – Clear2Pay
• NFC for the iPhone – Wireless Dynamics

10. The VISA PayWave awards – Best Customer experience and Business Leader

• To be selected by Visa Europe.

So there you have it – the 2011 finalist. Now if want to see who wins you better get yourself along the Hilton London Bridge Hotel on the night of the 14th April. You can find out more about how to obtain tickets (75 Pounds – corporate table of 10 for 750 Pounds) please contact Susan Hicks at susan.hicks(at)contactless-intelligence.com

We’ll be back later this week with more on the 2011 Contactless  Monkey Awards.