Olaf Furniss receives award from Creative Edinburgh chairman, Mark Gorman. Photo by Eoin Carey

Born To Be Wide founder, Olaf Furniss, scooped Creative Edinburgh’s Anchor Award at a ceremony hosted in the capital last night. Given for an “outstanding contribution or activity from a professional individual,” the accolade was in recognition of Furniss' work organising music business events, as well as his coverage of emerging Scottish talent in The Scotsman.

The judges included the British Council’s Creative Economy Programme Manager, Lynsey Smith, Summerhall director Rupert Thomson and Leith Late organiser Morvern Cunningham. Over 100 nominations were received across the eight categories. Other winners included Edinburgh UNESCO City Of Literature Trust, which picked up the City gong for promoting the capital, while White Light Media won the Commercial Award for its Hot Rum Cow magazine.

“Through Born To Be Wide, Wide Days and Off The Record, Olaf has helped countless musicians, promoters, record labels, managers and other music industry practitioners,” says Creative Edinburgh director, Janine Matheson, who relaunched the membership organisation in 2011, as a platform for the creative and technology sectors. “These events, as well as his writing, have shone a spotlight on the Scottish music scene and created links both internationally and throughout the rest of the UK.”

The Creative Edinburgh Awards were launched in 2012 to highlight outstanding work across the sector in capital. Past winners have included the Edinburgh International Fashion Festival, Song By Toad Records and Location Scotland.

In May, the Wide Days music business conference co-founded by Furniss, won theYearly Music Conference Award for Best Networking Event/Service.

Olaf Furniss launched Born To Be Wide in 2004, as a social evening for those involved in the music scene. In 2012 it was registered as a community interest company and is now Scotland’s leading music business event company. Furniss co-writes the Under The Radar column in The Scotsman, which focuses on emerging Scottish talent, is a member of the Scottish Tourist Guides Association and has done extensive research into music tourism.