They're the Oscars of the industry, CRN's editor Paul Briggs said ever so modestly last night in his introduction to the newspaper's seventh annual Channel Awards.

A bit hyperbolic, perhaps, but understandable, considering how more than a thousand channel die-hards gathered under one tent in Battersea Park to listen to compere Rory Bremner dish out no fewer than 18 prizes, nearly all of them to Computer 2000 (five, actually, including the biggie, the awkwardly named CRN Business Distributor of The Year.

The good thing about these awards is that people care about winning, except for Morse (VAR of the Year), which couldn't be bothered to turn up. And the CRN team always puts on a good show, aided the last couple of years by one of the few companies in London able to produce edible mass catering.

We remember when it used to be the PC Dealer Awards and just one prize - Distributor of the Year - was dished out, from the stand of the PCW Show, in front of 20 or 30 people, with the award rotating to C2000, or Frontline as it was called at the time, Ingram Micro and Merisel (Merrywho?).

Was it a fix? Of course, it was. Then. These days, The Audit Bureau of Circulation checks out all the ballots. No-one was demanding a recount last night. But we can't imagine the Channel Awards staying too successful, if the same company wins everything year after year.

Sometimes award ceremonies can be too ethical. ®