ScotlandVotes has been shortlisted for Digital Campaign of the Year at the 2011 European Public Affairs Awards.

We need your support to help us win the award.  Please follow this link bit.ly/rqsT15 and in the Digital Campaign section vote for ScotlandVotes.  Feel free to vote for entries in the other categories, but you don’t have to.

This nomination is a great accolade for ScotlandVotes and Weber Shandwick and follows hot on the heels of our win at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations Scottish PRide Awards, where we picked up Gold for the Best Website.

Here is what the judges said about our nomination for the PRide Awards:

“Weber Shandwick Scotland started with a bold objective- to become the authority on the Scottish elections. With this highly usable website and supportive media campaign which saw their team grab hold of the issue, they’ve succeeded admirably. The interactivity of the website gave it the feel of an online version of Peter Snow’s infamous ‘swingometer’. The involvement of politicians and respected bloggers gave the site much-needed gravitas.”

Thanks to you the users of ScotlandVotes, whether on the website, Facebook, Twitter or those who attended our hustings online or in person.  We had a great time covering the 2011 Scottish Parliament election and we are already working on setting up the new boundaries for the next Westminster election!

Weber Shandwick, in partnership with Scotland on Sunday, is pleased to announce a series of election hustings.

Taking place throughout March, leading up to the election campaign, each of the parties has put forward its main spokespeople for debates on education, justice, health and the economy.

As an election first the hustings will also be broadcast live on the internet allowing anyone across Scotland to view and ask questions.

The third event will focus on health which we are holding in association with Abbott.

The four key spokespeople will go head-to-head to explain their party policies on health and why they should be trusted with the Scottish NHS.

The current Cabinet Secretary for Health, Nicola Sturgeon MSP, will be joined by the three main opposition spokespeople who are all vying to replace her at the Cabinet table after the election.

• Nicola Sturgeon MSP, SNP
• Jackie Baillie MSP, Scottish Labour
• Ross Finnie MSP, Scottish Liberal Democrats
• Murdo Fraser MSP, Scottish Conservatives

The lively debate will be chaired by Kenny Farquharson, Deputy Editor Scotland on Sunday. Each candidate will be given a few minutes to present an opening statement. The candidates will be given an opportunity to cross-examine each other and then the audience is invited to grill them.

Date: Monday 21 March 2011, 12.30pm
Venue: The Scotsman, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh

If you aren’t able to join us in person you can log on to scotlandvotes.com from 12.30pm on Monday 21 March to view the debate.  www.scotlandvotes.com

Attendance is by ticket only and you can book your ticket for free by clicking the link below:

ScotlandVotes: The Scotland on Sunday Debates

The Education Debate
Date: Monday 7 March 2011, 3pm
Venue: The Scotsman, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh
And live online at www.scotlandvotes.com

In association with:

Scotland’s leading election website, ScotlandVotes.com, in partnership with The Scotland on Sunday will host a series of hustings in the run up to the 2011 Scottish Parliament election.

The first event will focus on education and the four main party spokespeople have all agreed to take part.

The hustings will be chaired by Kenny Farquharson, Deputy Editor Scotland on Sunday. Each spokesperson will provide a short statement and this will be followed by questions from the other spokespeople and the audience.

Please join us at the event if you would like to take part and grill the politicians in advance of the Scottish Parliament elections. Please use the registration form below to apply for a ticket or click here

Monday 7 March – Education

• Michael Russell MSP, SNP
• Des McNulty MSP, Scottish Labour
• Margaret Smith, Scottish Lib Dems
• Elizabeth Smith MSP, Scottish Conservatives

As an election first in Scotland the hustings will also be broadcast live on the internet with anyone from across the country not only able to view the proceedings but also ask questions live online. If you aren’t able to join us in person then please on Monday 7th March at 3pm log on to www.scotlandvotes.com to view the event.

The University of the Highlands and Islands is a partnership of colleges, learning and research centres located throughout the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, and beyond. Visit their website http://www.uhi.ac.uk

ScotlandVotes is an election website created and run by Weber Shandwick. Since the 2007 election it has been the leading Scottish website for news and information about elections.

ScotlandVotes includes an election predictor, opinion poll database, candidate lists, photos and biographies, twitter feed from all candidates, a blog and video highlights. The website has just been updated to include the new constituency boundaries for 2011 making it the only portal where people can see the potential shape of the new Parliament.