Three Sussex businesses have been shortlisted for a national e-commerce award.

History.uk.com, Identilam and RSPCA Freedom Food are on the South-East shortlist in the fifth annual UK online for business awards.

The regional winners in the categories e-business start-ups, e-trading, e-business and achievements in the voluntary and community sector will receive £2,000.

History.uk.com has been shortlisted in the e-business start-up category. The business, based in the Sussex Innovation Centre (Sinc) at the University of Sussex, claims to provide the largest directory of UK history on the internet.

Ray Hatley, editor and former technology editor of The Argus, said: "It's doing far better than I expected but we've put in a lot of hard work.

"We've been shortlisted because of the quality of the material on the site and the scope of what we've achieved. I would also like to think the site's not just attractive but also functional.

"It's been designed not just as another web site but also as a proper business."

The site features a timeline of UK history from 10,000BC to the present day, a DIY history section and the latest history news.

It is visited by more than 50,000 people every month and has had more than 500,000 visitors since it was launched in September last year.

Horsham-based Identilam, which makes ID card systems and accessories, is shortlisted in the e-business category.

Another Horsham-based organisation, RSPCA Freedom Food, which runs the RSPCA's food assurance and food labelling scheme, has been shortlisted in the e-trading category.

Stuart Box, from UK online for business, said: "It is fantastic to see so many local organisations using technologies to transform the way they work.

"Almost 3,000 companies entered the awards this year so even to make the regional shortlist is a real achievement."

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony held by regional sponsor, the South-East England Development Agency (Seeda) on September 19.

Seeda broadband manager Steve Coppins said: "The overall standard this year, particularly in the new innovation categories, shows smaller organisations in the South-East are e-commerce champions."

Regional winners will go on to compete for £8,000 category prizes at the national final on October 8, followed by a showdown between the final winners for the top prize of £30,000.

Wednesday September 10, 2003