Three Watershed-supported projects were announced as winners of the 2013 Media Innovation Awards last week at a glittering event held in Plymouth. Hosted by one of Channel 4’s Three Hungry Boys, Thom Hunt, the event is a joint initiative by the media and design networks in the South West. Now in their seventh year, the awards celebrate the most innovative work produced by creative companies.

The climax of the evening saw the presentation of the Outstanding Contribution to Innovation award to danceroom Spectroscopy, a project produced by the University of Bristol, Interactive Scientific Ltd and Watershed. danceroom Spectroscopy, or dS, is a fusion of science, design, technology and choreography which utilises 3D motion capture technologies to create an interactive experience. It gives people insight into the dynamism and mechanics of the invisible atomic world.

The judges were impressed with this ground-breaking project that had overcome the perennial challenge of making a heavy and complex subject matter not only accessible but engaging, interactive and beautiful. The potential applications this flagship project has are numerous with the added benefit of educating children in a unique, fun and entertaining way. danceroom Spectroscopy was a real hit, it also won the Installation/Live Event award.

danceroom Spectroscopy has been developed at the Pervasive Media Studio. Led by Dr David Glowacki, a Royal Society Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, it has resulted from the collaborative effort of a talented multi-disciplinary team, comprising Dr. Thomas Mitchell (University of the West of England), digital artist Phill Tew, Professor Jospeh Hyde (Bath Spa University) and choreographer Laura Kriefman.

Another winner was Total Permission - a film produced by Burrell Durrant Hifle for Watershed – which bagged the Video/Film award. Commissioned by The Space, the BBC, Arts Council England and Creative Scotland, it brought together 12 ambitious projects from 12 extraordinary artists. Artists who pushed the boundaries beyond what many may have thought possible to perform at the Unlimited Festival, part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. It premiered at Watershed last year. The judges thought that this was a well-made film with an enthusiastic narrator taking us on a journey with a light touch.

Mobile Pie, founding residents of Watershed’s Pervasive Media Studio, won the Best Games category with Pen Pilot, which the judges felt was fun, elegant and cleverly targeted at a specific device with a delightfully tactile interface.

Dick Penny, Watershed’s Managing Director said:

“Huge congratulations to all of this year's winners. I'm thrilled that Watershed-related projects have scooped four awards and that Bristol has done so well - with six trophies being picked up by five companies. I'd also like to say a big thanks to all the funders and partners that helped support these Watershed projects - particularly Arts Council England, University of Bristol, University of the West of England, BBC, Bristol City Council, EPSRC and the Royal Society of Chemistry - we couldn't win any awards without their invaluable support.”

Steve Gray, from London-based digital agency Stickee, who chaired the judging panel said:

“The standard of work being produced in the South West is exceptional and the judges were treated to some cutting edge projects. The work we have seen this year demonstrates a great mix of creative flair and beautifully finished production. The Media Innovation Awards once again prove that the region is a creative centre of excellence and demonstrate what a breadth of talent it has.”

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