DatacenterDynamics has announced the finalists for its 2013 EMEA Awards, which recognize leadership and innovation in the data center industry.

Winners will be announced at a gala ceremony in London on December 12, at the Lancaster London Hotel.

This year’s awards include 15 categories, covering data center builds in all sizes, blueprints, technological innovations as well as individual achievements – including young mission critical engineer of the year and Outstanding contribution to the Industry and business Leader of the year (winners for outstanding contribution and business leader of the year are selected by the panel of judges on the evening – no finalists are announced for these categories).

The finalists for the other 13 categories are:

1. Future thinking and design concepts – Sponsored by Schneider Electric

Recognizing the solutions developed in response to the need to raise the bar continually in terms of innovation, ease of deployment and ‘real world’ application

• Asetek Breakthrough Data Center Energy Efficiency Through Low-Cost Liquid Cooling with Waste Heat Recovery
• ISG Data aRay
• Data City Exchange Evo-POD
• PRIOR1 GmbH Algaenative Data Center with Architect Schenk – Consumer to Prosumer

2012 Winner: Munters

2. Data center blueprints – Sponsored by Citadel100

Behind every cutting-edge data center great ‘blueprint’ design and management ideas

• Data City Exchange Evo-POD
• GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GSI GreenCube Mega Data Center
• Digital Realty Project Merlin, High Efficiency Digital
• Infinity SDC Scalable and flexible blueprint for the enterprise DC

2012 winner: Cable & Wireless (now Vodafone)

3. Innovation in the Micro data center – Sponsored by Future-Tech

The design of data centers of up to 250kW brings with it its own particular challenges of space utilization, power distribution and back-up, cooling, access and security

• Sudlows North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust Data Centre
• Iceotope Helping the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre reduce its environmental footprint
• ENAGAS ENAGAS Green Data Center
• French Customs and Excise Office Cool Customs

2012 winner: Colt

4. Innovation in the Medium data center 

Recognizing the efficient design and operation of ‘medium’ data centers – between 250kW and 2.5MW in total facility power requirement

• Sudlows Bytemark Data Centre
• Data City Exchange Central Exchange Birmingham
• Colt Technology Services Colt’s new energy efficient data center: Netherlands 3
• Datum Datum partners with Keysource to deliver an innovative, high performance data center

2012 winner: Colt

5. Innovation in the Mega data center – Sponsor Digital Realty

The mega-data center is the landmark that sustains today’s technology-driven world

• Data City Exchange Central Exchange Birmingham
• Green Mountain Data Centre Green Mountain Data Centre ‘Greenest data center in the world’
• ITB- Kwadraat BV ITB2 Datacenter Apeldoorn Netherlands
• Facebook Luleå Datacenter

2012 winner: Sberbank

6. Leadership in the Public Sector

This Award recognizes the achievement of Government and public sector IT-focused initiatives, projects and strategies

• Servicio Madrileno De Salud (Comunidad de Madrid) Athene@ Data Cemter Project: Cloud IT Services Health Center for Madrid Regional
• GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GSI GreenCube mega data center
• MITA MITA Data Centre Services  – Optimisation Alignment Action Team
• University of East Anglia  UEA Comp One

2012 winner: MITA

7. Innovations in outsourcing – Sponsore Norland

This Award recognises the importance of outsourcing services

• Canara Inc Canara Cloud Critical Power
• Datum Datacentres Datum Datacentres raises the bar for colocation service management
• UKFast  eCloud
• Linxdatacenter Virtual Data Center - a new dimension in IT Outsourcing

2012 winner: Interoute

8. The ‘Green’ data center

Recognizing the success in providing a resilient facility with the consideration of sustainability and environmental responsibility

• Green Mountain Data Centre Green Mountain Data Centre. The Greenest Data Centre in the World
• Next Generation Data NGD Europe
• Portugal Telecom Portugal Telecom data center in Covilha
• Telecity Group Powergate Data Centre, London

2012 winner: Equinix

9. Improved data center energy efficiency – Sponsored by The Green Grid

For improved efficiency through  measurement, benchmarking, analysis, recommendation and implementation

• Colt technology Services Colt Energy efficiency program cuts Colt’s annual energy usage by a fifth across its European data center estate
• ITB2 Datacenters ITB2 Data Centers Achieves PUE of 1,08 through the use of Adiabatic Cooling and Minkels Next Generation Cold Corridors
• Telecity Group TelecityGroup’s Energy Management Programme
• DNSCE ToothPick Energy management

2012 winner: Lamda Hellix

10. Innovations in IT optimization

Recognizes true innovation in IT optimization that has enabled organisations to successfully re-define the role of the data center

• Corning Cable Systems Advanced Optics for Painless Upgrade to 40G and 100G
• GSI Helmhotzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GSI GreenCube
• iTAnalyzer iTAnalyzer
• French Customs and Excise Office LE LARI (Low Entropy Linux Redundant Architecture Integration)

2012 winner: University of St Andrews

11. The most extreme data center deployment – Sponsored by GIS

For the containerized or ‘pod’ deployment which best symbolizes the flexibility and mobility of this type of data center

• Cannon Technologies Cannon Globe Trotter
• Colt Technology Services Deploying Colt’s ftec data center from England to Iceland
• Flexenclosure Flexenclosure and Vodacom Mozambique Disaster Recovery Facility
• Automation nv Project OTAN

2012 winner: Cannon Technologies

12. The young mission critical engineer of the year – Sponsored by Excool

• Alexander Nock RED Engineering Design
• Chris Tolmie Arup
• Dave King Future Facilities
• Jacob Bond Future Facilities

2012 winner: Ehsaan Farsimadan Romonet

13. The data center special assignment team of the year – Sponsored by CBRE

This Award recognizes team achievement where the team has been convened for a special purpose or task above and beyond everyday duties

• Alcalá Data Center Team Telefónica Global Technology
• Bank of New York Mellon Data Centre Migration Programme Team Bank of New York Mellon
• M25 Data Centres Project Team BskyB
• The Horizon Centre Team Lloyds Banking Group

2012 winner: UKFAST

Judges for this year’s awards are Martin Bradley of Morgan Stanley, Lex Coors of Interxion, Susanne Obermeier of BMW, Mike Hall of Visa, Ricardo Abad of Quark TS, Robert Thorogood of HurleyPalmerFlatt, Jan Wiersma of DatacenterPulse, Chris McIntosh of Barclays, Tony day of Schneider Electric, Steve Watt of the University of St Andrews, Gerard Thibault of Digital Realty, Garceran Rojas of PQC, Nick Vaney of Red Engineering, Philip Collerton of the Uptime Institute, Sophia Flucker of Operational intelligence, Derek Allen of Global Switch, Ehsaan Farsimadan of Romonet, Andrew Jay of CBRE, David Snelling of Fujitsu, Vic Smith of Colt, Mark Howell of Ford, Nick Calver of Lloyds Banking Group, Brian O’Hora of Trinity College Dublin, Zac Potts of Sudlows, Wim Boone of Ingenium, Mike Morill of Tesco and Michael Burke of the Co-op.

The Awards are now in their seventh year. You can book to attend the Gala Ceremony - on Thursday December 12 at The Lancaster, London, here