It is with a hint of incredulity that I write about the launch of the 2008 Channel Awards.

Surely it was only five minutes ago that we were hailing the winners of the 2007 awards and nursing terrible hangovers from the night before.

But time passes swiftly and we are back at the beginning of the long cycle in the lead up to the ceremony itself.

We are now asking resellers, distributors and vendors to submit their entries in plenty of time for the 18 July deadline to stand a chance of making the shortlists and kicking off the process of encouraging your customers to vote for you.

Now in their 15th year, the CRN Channel Awards are going from strength to strength with all indications being that more firms than ever want to enter and be in with a chance of winning.

Competition is going to be tough, particularly as companies line up to knock the incumbents from their awards perch and claim the title.

The awards will be held at the same venue as before ­ Battersea Park Events Arena ­ on 13 November and a new category in the form of Security Reseller of the Year has been added to reflect the growing importance of security resellers in the business community.

As ever there will be a host of extras for the guests on the night as well as the surprise A-list speaker.

And this year for the first time, those firms that miss out on an award by a fraction, will also be recognised for their efforts with the new Judges’ Commended Award in every voted-for category, that is to say the vendor, distributor and reseller categories.

So come on, dust off the Channel Awards brain cells and send us your entry. What do you have
to lose?