The 4th annual Canadian New Media Awards were presented during a gala ceremony at Toronto’s Winter Garden Theatre on June 2. The swanky, well-attended event saw 12 Pixel awards handed out, but one big winner emerged from the evening.

Toronto’s Ana Serrano (director of Habitat and cofounder of the Bell Globemedia Content Innovation Network) took home the new media visionary, educator of the year and industry advocate of the year awards – a quarter of all the awards presented.

Fellow Torontonian and Vivid Group cofounder Vincent John Vincent received the lifetime achievement award. Vancouver-based Blast Radius, specializing in automated sales, marketing and customer service solutions, was named company of the year, while Vancouver Web-gaming outfit Ludicorp won the most promising new company of the year prize.

Toronto’s Raja Khanna of Snap Media won the producer of the year prize, ninedots’ Stephen Bennett took home designer of the year and Immersion Studios founder Rodney Hoinkes was named programmer of the year. Volunteer of the year went to Vancouver’s Lynda Brown and Andrea Martinek was named graduate of the year. Employer of the year went to Saskatoon’s zu.com communications.

‘All of these awards play an important part in promoting this industry,’ says Andra Sheffer, Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund executive director. ‘A lot of people are doing a lot of interesting things. We have a lot to be proud of.’

-www.cnma.ca