Bermuda's top student talent was on show at a prize giving ceremony for the annual College Student Networking Event held by Business Bermuda at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess yesterday.

Business Bermuda CEO Cheryl Packwood, who was joined by chairman Vicki Coelho, announced the award recipients and certificates and prizes were handed out by representatives from sponsor companies including Butterfield Bank, Bermuda Commercial Bank, KPMG, Appleby, North Rock Communications, Emergence, Ernst & Young, Endurance, Capital G, Allied World Assurance Company, The Office of the Accountant General, Bermuda Gas, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Aardvark.

Also present were United Bermuda Party leader Kim Swan and Progressive Labour Party leadership candidate Terry Lister.

"The event is aimed at teaching people about the importance of who you meet and the impressions you make," said Ms Packwood.

"The people we meet who provide us with advice shape our lives, both professional and personal. You really never know who may ultimately put you in contact with the individual or individuals who will give you entry into the workforce or that next great job. Indeed, most likely, that person will not be in your actual chosen field and this is what our event is all about.

"We do know that one student who cannot be here today - Sarah DeSilva - made the right impression and spoke to the right people at the event, as she is training for her new job at the Fairmont Southampton today.

"I have to say that the feedback about the students from all the professionals who were in attendance I spoke to this year was incredibly positive. They all remarked on the high calibre of the students with whom they interacted."

The awards, recipients and prizes included:

Top Speed Networkers:

1st - Jennifer Looby - Laptop from Butterfield

2nd - Anna Horsfield - $500 deposit account at Bermuda Commercial Bank

3rd - Chelsea Mattis-Robinson - Nintendo Wii from KPMG

4th - Adrian Levine - iPod from Appleby

5th - Honor Brady - $100 calling card from North Rock Communications

Most Participative & Enthusiastic Attendee at Career Seminars:

1st - Nadiyah Brown - iPad from North Rock Communications

2nd - Jason Lowe - Xbox 360 from Emergence

3rd - Teniko Hassell - $200 Amazon voucher from Ernst & Young

Most Impressive Professional Look (Male and Female):

1st (Male) - Bryden Pedro - Amazon Kindle from PricewaterhouseCoopers

2nd (Male) - Timothy Taylor - Blackberry from Digicel

1st (Female) - Stephanie Gibson - Amazon Kindle from PricewaterhouseCoopers

2nd (Female) - Chakeya Ottley - Blackberry from Digicel

Most Impressive Student:

Aaron Jackson - Internship at the Office of the Accountant General

Tiearia Tucker - Internship at Bermuda Gas

Best First Impression of Resume:

1st - Kenisha Pough - $500 travel voucher from Endurance

2nd - Sarah DeSilva - $250 deposit account from Capital G

3rd - Jason Lowe - iPod nano from Allied World Assurance Company

Best Networker

Shanley Todd - $250 travel voucher from Appleby

Approximately 250 students and more than 225 professionals representing all sectors of Bermuda's business community attended the event on July 22. Throughout the event, students were evaluated by members of Business Bermuda's Local Awareness Committee, as well as networking professionals and seminar leaders.

Ms Packwood continued: "Without the support of our member companies and other industry partners, there is no way that this event would continue to grow and be as successful as it is."