PROVING it is a hotbed of creative talent, Armidale scooped the pool at the 2012 Northern Inland Innovation Awards last night.
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Although the catchment area for nominations is large, stretching from west of Moree up to the Queensland border and down south past Tamworth, Armidale businesses made up a good third of the finalists and took out three of the five award categories.
Armidale business EdAlive was named overall innovator of the year after winning the research and education category for its educational software product, ZooWhiz, which is now being used in more than 80 countries.
The two runner-ups in the research and education category were also from Armidale - the University of New England's School of Rural Medicine, for its broadband-enabled simulation scenarios with the University of California's Irvine School of Medicine, and Armidale-based ISU Solutions, a company that is developing remote sensing equipment.
Experience the Highs, a marketing campaign showcasing the attractions of New England, featuring a graphic mobile app, won the tourism and leisure category, with the award being accepted by Tony Broomfield from the Armidale Visitors' Information Centre.
The professional services and retail category winner was Armidale-based IT consultancy, Hutchinson Software, for its multi-platform, multi-country mobile app, Gardenate, which is designed to keep home vegie gardens around the globe producing food for the kitchen table.
The SaferGate designed by Inverell farmer and inventor Edward Evans won the agriculture award, while StarLogixs Electronics from Deepwater took out the manufacturing and engineering category.
Around 100 people attended the innovation awards dinner, which was held in the historic Tenterfield School of Arts building and hosted by Regional Development Australia.