Entries from businesses across the UK were assessed and the final 20 were selected by a panel of experts, including John Dunsmure from the British Chambers of Commerce, Matt Thomas, Editor of Startups.co.uk, William Berry, founder of accommodationforstudents.co.uk and James Lohan from boutique hotel guides Mr and Mrs Smith.

Bill Murphy, managing director, BT Business, said: “Technology has developed so rapidly in the business world and it is great to see small business enterprises embracing it to help grow their companies. By utilising technology such as broadband, VoIP and advanced web sites these small businesses have managed to reach a wider customer audience and expand their product. BT Business is delighted to honour and applaud these small businesses.”

The winners in alphabetical order are:

Academia.edu

Academia.edu is a social networking site for the research community, allowing academics and scientists to share research interests and papers. Academia was developed by Richard Price whilst studying for a PhD at Oxford> It allows academics and scientists the opportunity to create their own web page, upload their papers, join discussion boards and list contact information. In addition, users can track research papers online.

Across the Divide Exhibitions

A travel company specialising in charity challenges, Across the Divide started with just three trips in 1997 and has since grown to 60 trips for various charities and companies including The Princes Trust and CapGemini.

Acumen Community Enterprise Development Trust Limited

Acumen is a social enterprise, which aims to achieve social and economic regeneration through learning, enterprise and employment. A skilled team of community engagement staff, learning tutors, employment advisers and business coaches work in the community to encourage people who have low skills and have not worked for some time to realise their potential. The company now runs programmes across the North East.

A Woman's Touch Limited (Winner: Female Entrepreneur)

Developed by Kerrie Keeling, an ex-investment banker, A Woman's Touch is a building and property maintenance company with a twist - the majority of the workforce are women. Staff include female bricklayers, plumbers, tilers, carpenters, electricians, decorators, architects, estimators, plasterers and office staff (and a few very well trained men as well). A Woman's Touch cover large projects such as basement and loft conversions, all the way through kitchen and bathroom fitting and refurbishments, down to small decorating and maintenance jobs. They currently cover London, Brighton and Southern Spain.

Crisp Thinking (Winner: Young Entrepreneur)

Crisp Thinking was founded in 2005 by Adam Hildreth, 22, to provide a new solution for internet child protection countering the growing threat of online grooming of young people. Crisp’s Anti-Grooming Engine (AGE) provides children, teenagers and their parents with a safer internet experience by silently and invisibly tracking the things people are saying to them. Crisp’s vision is to be the global leader in developing the next generation technologies that protect our children from the threat of online grooming and cyber bullying. With the AGE technology now proven, it is being rolled out across the UK during 2007 with a US and European rollout during the first quarter of 2008.

Cybercandy Limited

Specialists in worldwide sweets - Cybercandy started as a web site selling imported confectionery. The business has now developed to include a web site, a shop in the heart of Covent Garden, a shop in Brighton, with a new London store in progress. Although they have remained small, independent and innovative they are quickly becoming a major name in UK confectionery retail.

Does My Tum Look Big In This Limited

Does My Tum Look Big In This is a maternity wear business set up following the frustrating experience of Natalie Gladman (unsuccessfully) trying to find a formal dress for a Christmas function when eight months pregnant. Focused on providing special occasion maternity wear to hire to UK women - the concept is why spend a fortune on a maternity evening dress that you are only likely to wear once. The business started as a work from home business complemented with online hires via its web site www.doesmytumlookbiginthis.com. Natalie now has branches in Hampshire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Cheshire, Wiltshire, and Northamptonshire as well as a thriving online business.

DPM Water Technologies Limited

DPM design, manufacture sell and support portable water treatment plant for use in emergency relief, disaster recovery, camp support and other situations where there has been a catastrophic loss of water or a need for temporary or short term water treatment. DPM products are used by aid agencies, charities, non-governmental organisations and industrial users to provide a system for treating almost any type of contaminated water to give clean drinking water.

www.ilikemusic.com

I Like Music was launched in 2001 as an independent voice in an industry saturated by big corporations. The site was launched by a small team of young people who like music, for others who like music. Now, in its sixth successful year online, I Like Music includes a range of artist interviews, from 50 Cent, Razorlight and Nelly Furtado to James Blunt, Lady Sovereign and Paul Oakenfold, plus a broad collection of cross-genre music content covering Pop, Hip Hop, Rock, Dance, Indie and Urban. I Like Music also provides up-to-the minute breaking world news for Google (news.google.co.uk) and NewsNow (newsnow.co.uk). The site was organically grown from the back pockets of the co-founders (who still own 100 per cent of the business). The team has laid strong foundations to be well positioned within the high growth digital media industry.

Miniclip Limited (Winner: Male Entrepreneur)

Miniclip.com is the world’s largest web site dedicated to playing online games with 36 million unique users per month. The site boasts the most played online games and are syndicated across more web sites than any other. Miniclip.com is one of the world’s top broadband web sites with 98 per cent of its users on high bandwidth connections in Europe. The Miniclip.com web site, launched in 2001, has experienced explosive growth and is the largest entertainment portal privately held.

Music Concierge

Music Concierge is a ground-breaking service that has been set up using genuine music expertise to offer bespoke music programming to luxury brands, boutique hotels, restaurants, shops and other design-led spaces that want to sound truly unique. Creative Director and founder Rob Wood is passionate about bringing the best music from around the world and incorporating it into the creative vision of exceptional brands and spaces.

Saaf International Limited

Dr Mah Hussain-Gambles was disillusioned by cosmetics claiming to be 100 per cent alcohol free, GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) free and irradiation free and so decided to develop an organic skincare range, which was Halal certified (guaranteed free from alcohol, GMO and irradiated raw materials). Saaf is a Persian word meaning “pure and clean”, and it is probably the world’s first Halal and Organic certified skincare range, with such a comprehensive range of independent accreditation, manufactured in the UK.

Stick and Go Limited

Stick and Go is a wall tile that does not need cementing, or grouting and can be applied over existing tiles or directly on to any smooth wall or surface. The web site has grown to be eight times its original sales turnover and the brand name of Stick and Go Tiles is growing internationally with over 70 per cent of sales coming from the USA. The web site has also recently attracted the attention of the world’s largest retailer in the USA and an invitation has been extended to Stick and Go Limited to present the product range to them, allowing the opportunity to take the product to the retail stores both in the UK and USA.

Truancy Call

Truancy Call Limited provides three telecoms-based services for schools. Truancy Call, Text Someone and Call Parents. Truancy Call (www.truancycall.com) is an automatic parent notification system that allows school staff to implement first day contact with parents of absentees via text message, phone call and e-mail. Text Someone (www.textsomeone.com) encourages victims of bullying to report incidents to schools using text messages, phone calls or online. Call Parents (www.callparents.com) is designed to enable school to keep parents or guardians constantly informed of all school activities via text message, phone call or e-mail.

TheBestOf

TheBestOf is an online business directory and community web site franchise. The sites help to promote more than 65,000 SME businesses, providing them with an optimised online presence that many would otherwise struggle to create and manage on their own. TheBestOf are one of the UK’s top 100 most popular sites as ranked by independent web traffic monitor Alexa.com and have been since April 2006, with more than a million users visiting the sites each month.

Tots to France

An innovative online travel business that sources, inspects and lets genuinely family friendly holiday properties in France. After a near-tragedy on a family holiday, Tots to France’s founders recognised that parents going on holiday with babies and children need to go to a safe, child friendly destination with all the necessities they rely on at home.

TRAC Services Limited

TRAC Services is a progressive, forward thinking regulatory consultancy, providing comprehensive, high quality, independent regulatory services to pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. TRAC acts as an interface between pharmaceutical and medical device companies and the government regulatory agencies across the world responsible for medicinal products.

Truly Madly Baby Limited

Truly Madly Baby provides quality, unique and practical products from pregnancy to toddler, brought to customers in their own home via home parties, an online shop and a beautiful mail order catalogue. Their customers enjoy the “shop from home” experience and at the same time can meet with other mums and socialise with babies in the day, or without them in the evenings.

Walkit.com Limited (Winner: Original Business Concept)

Walkit.com is an online walking route planner for urban areas that encourages people to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. Congested roads, expensive public transport, and concerns about climate change and inactive lifestyles are all driving both individuals and public authorities towards walking as the solution. In addition, Walkit.com is also uploading thousands of extra pieces of walking-specific data derived both from aerial photography and users’ feedback. This “user-generated data” is critical to building an ever-richer walking knowledge, one that can be shared amongst all the site’s visitors.

WEBMART Limited

Webmart is a low cost print management company, which has managed over 12,000 print jobs with clients including Tesco, Blockbuster and The Sunday Times. With the world’s first free print management software and the fastest print pricing system, Webmart’s supplier interface offers a true partnership to deliver a new free sales channel to the market.