It's in my nature to be competitive. I always have been. Whether it was school prizes, team sports or individual endeavours, I always want to succeed; not coming first simply doesn't sit well with me.

A rare exception to this rule was the recent Prepaid Awards 2011 where Fifth Dimension was a finalist for the Best Prepaid Service Provider award. As you'll have gathered by now, we didn't win, and with four finalists, I can't even know if we were second. But while I wouldn't normally entertain such a viewpoint, I can honestly say that on this occasion, I was pleased just to be taking part.

Prepaid is still a fledgling industry, but anyone attending the gala dinner on 6^th October would have been hard pressed to realise that. Four years since its inauguration, the 2011 awards were held at the magnificent Royal Courts of Justice for an evening of elegance, entertainment and general celebration of how far Prepaid has come.

Dramatic up-lighting accentuated the tall ceilings and Gothic architecture of the Royal Courts of Justice - home to both the Court of Appeal and High Court of Justice a mere 90 minutes before guests were greeted on the steps by fire eaters and jugglers.

After a champagne reception amidst the corridors of the courts, we were led down into the great hall, now transformed from its traditional day duties to seat the 550 black-tie adorned guests in a room that despite being vast in scale, offered a warm and inviting atmosphere.

The format followed the convention for such an event, with speeches before the dinner and awards ceremony after. But the closeness of the industry shone through with kind tributes to Chris Reddish, Chair of Prepaid International Forum and Mark Towler, Head of Business Incentives at House of Fraser, who both sadly passed away this year. Unquestionably it was a thoughtful inclusion from the awards organisers to recognise those who have helped develop the industry that we were all there to celebrate.

After the presentation of 16 awards, the band struck up to aptly fill the great hall - though sadly I didn't stay till the end of their set. As I left the event, I reflected not on the fact that we hadn't won an award, but on how far the industry and the Prepaid Awards have come in such a relative short period - surely a reflection of the importance of prepaid, combined with the hard work of the people involved. The Prepaid Awards 2011 was undoubtedly a great spotlight for the industry and recognition must go to Emma Armstrong for producing such an outstanding event.

Will Fifth Dimension be back next year? Very definitely so. Will I be as content if we don't win an award in 2012? That may be pushing my good nature a little too far, but if the quality continues to increase at the same rate, it will only make winning even more of a cherished goal.

Phil Campbell
@fd_phil

The Prepaid Awards 2011 Winners

Best Prepaid Gift Programme CashStar - Dell's eGift Card Program	Best Prepaid Non-Gift Programme Itz Cash - noQ 24x7 card program
Best Prepaid Travel Programme Kiwibank - Loaded for Travel	Best Corporate Prepaid Programme DrawCard - Santam Prepaid Insurance Claims Card
Best Government Prepaid Programme Itz Cash - Automation of Octroi	Best Prepaid Innovation The Gift Voucher Shop - Post Office Budget Card
Best Prepaid Marketing Campaign Access Prepaid Worldwide & Travelex - Cash Passport	Best Prepaid Manufacturer Oberthur Technologies
Best Prepaid Product Distributor InComm	Best Prepaid Service Provider ElectraCard
Best Prepaid Programme Manager APS	Leading Prepaid Organisation Americas InComm
Leading Prepaid Organisation Asia Woolworths	Leading Prepaid Organisation CEMEA Tutuka Software
Leading Prepaid Organisation UK/Europe FIS	Industry Contributor Robert Courtneidge