It’s that time of year again, the official launch of the 11th annual Meffys – MEF’s global awards for mobile content and commerce.  Last year saw entries from over 25 countries from across the mobile ecosystem. The final will again take place on the world technology and investment stage in San Francisco as part of MEF’s Global Forum (17th – 19th November). We take a look at the new categories for 2014 and what the judges are looking for

As the mobile opportunity has shifted in to an era of mobile 3.0 and has grown to meet the demand for more mobile services from new vertical sectors, so the Meffys has grown to capture and showcase an expanded slice of mobile innovation, from established businesses to startups and disruptors.

Alongside the favourite staple categories such as Mobile Money, Consumer Trust, Growth Markets Life Tools and Social &Entertainment Apps, new categories for 2014 include Big Data, FinTech, Mobile Health and Mobile Education each of which has made considerable strides forward in the past 12 months.

Fin Tech for example, according to a recent report from Accenture, has seen investment grow globally from $930 million in 2008 to more than $2.97 billion in 2013.  As mobile increasingly becomes the primary digital touch-point for consumers, so it is commanding an increasing slice of this investment pie and as a result, producing some of the most significant mobile innovation.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYsk-QYOMvo&w=500&align=right&rel=0] Mobile Health and Mobile Education too have seen considerable growth over the past year.  MEF’s recent report on Mobile Education shows how growth markets with a mobile first internet infrastructure are driving the creation and uptake of mobile educational services.  In the fifteen countries that the report looked at, four of the top five countries for educational app users were growth markets.

Front and centre for MEF is how it can support these growing areas of the mobile ecosystem to build a sustainable mobile industry and becoming a finalist or winning a Meffy is a global acknowledgment of the companies that are making this happen.

For the first time, this year there are no submission fees* to enter Meffys ensuring the awards are accessible to all companies within the mobile content and commerce ecosystem.

Of course each award entry must pass muster with an international panel of expert judges from journalists, academics, analysts and VCs and so we asked a few of them what they look for in a winning entry. So if you are thinking of entering this year pay attention!

“Innovative products that have multiple applications and can scale, ideas that have considered real world problems and can be ported to various parts of the world, interesting ideas, that have been well thought out. Also something fun.”

Michelle Atagana editor from South African tech blog, memeburn. 

 “Every year, you get exposed to fascinating and innovative services from all over the world. That’s a real pleasure. What’s less pleasurable is finding a winner. But simply, we look for original ideas with demonstrable success in the market.”

Tim Green, editor at Mobile Money Revolution.

“In such fast moving, innovation-driven environment as mobile, judging awards is always difficult, but I think the acid test for short listing entries lies in obvious — and Ideally demonstrable — commercial success. We are looking for technology that brings something new to the world and showing that it has a market is key. I think as well we need, in 2014, to look at the benefits technology can bring to society more widely than just making money. So I shall be looking out for things that help, create and prosper.

 Paul Skeldon, freelance mobile journalist & consultant

Save the date

Deadline for Entries: 25th July 2014

Awards Ceremony: 19th November 2014

For more details, a full list of categories and information on how to enter visit www.meffys.com

*$50 administration fee applies