Designed to recognise and reward UK companies for their work within local communities, the awards are divided into three categories: The CCI Online Reporting Award, designed to promote creativity and best practice in the reporting of corporate community programmes on the internet; Innovation – CCI With a Difference, which targets those companies that have implemented a particularly original or resourceful project or campaign; and the Outstanding CCI Programme Award, aimed at companies which can demonstrate a comprehensive CCI programme that covers a broad spectrum of activities and opportunities from volunteering to grant-making.

The winner of the Outstanding CCI Programme can nominate a charity or charities of their choice to benefit from a prize fund of £25,000, which will be distributed on their behalf by CAF.

Andrea Van Sittart, head of Corporate Services at CAF, said: “The competition isn’t just aimed at big business; we want to encourage small and medium-sized companies to enter too. The Awards are not about how much money a charity gives to charity but what they do for the community with the resources they have.”

Winners will be announced at the second Corporates & Communities Conference from 29-30 September 2004 at Birmingham Hilton Metropole – visit www.ccinet.org for more information.