LONDON and CHICAGO, May 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- - With Photos

- Global Distributor Premier Farnell Offers Unique Package of Legal, Marketing and Design Support for 'Live Edge' Winner

Premier Farnell plc , one of the world's leading distributors of electronic components, has launched a major international design competition called 'Live Edge' - Electronic Design for the Global Environment. Newark, a Premier Farnell business, will support the competition throughout the US, Canada and Mexico.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070515/257112-a ) (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070515/257112-b )

Electronics engineers, students and academics around the world are invited to submit designs for an innovative product that utilises electronic components and has a positive impact on the environment, for example by increasing energy efficiency or reducing carbon emissions. Full details are available at: http://www.live-edge.com/

The winning entrant will receive a cash prize of US $50,000 as well as the support to move the design towards production. The support package, estimated to be worth an additional US $50,000, will include the services of an electronic design consultancy that will develop the design to prototype stage, assistance with legal matters and IP registration, marketing and publicity, as well as Premier Farnell's help in securing investment funding. The group will actively market the end product to millions of customers globally through their leading edge web page, catalogue and direct marketing.

In addition, up to five entrants will be eligible for 'honourable mentions', each receiving a cash prize of US $5,000.

A prestigious and influential panel of judges from around the world will be announced shortly. It will feature a mix of innovators, engineers, entrepreneurs, academics, industry leaders and environmental campaigners; it will be chaired by a leading figure from the electronics industry.

Reflecting the environmentally friendly theme of the competition, Live Edge will be largely web-based to avoid unnecessary international travel and transportation. For example, the judges will confer online and it will be possible to view the award ceremony on the competition website.

Harriet Green, Chief Executive Officer of Premier Farnell plc, commented: "Our planet is facing environmental threats on an unprecedented scale. By unleashing the creativity that exists within the electronics industry, we can make a difference to these global challenges. Live Edge will give electronics design engineers the opportunity to have a positive impact on the future and see their vision become a reality. Live Edge is a unique design challenge for the world". A virtual press briefing from Harriet Green is available now on the website.

The closing date for registration is October 31st 2007 and entries must be submitted by November 30th 2007. The competition is open to anyone aged 18 or over and the winner will be announced in January 2008.

About Premier Farnell

Premier Farnell plc is a leading high service, multi-channel distributor of electronic, maintenance, repair and operation products and specialist services throughout Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific. It goes to market with a differentiated value proposition, world-class marketing, a stocked range of 400,000+ products, and access to 4,000,000 more items from 3,000 top manufacturers. The company has group sales of GBP823.1m and 4470 employees globally.

While global in scope, Premier Farnell recognizes the individual needs of each market and has continued to internationalize its model accordingly, trading locally under different brand names. Its primary electronics businesses trade as Farnell in the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, Newark in the US, Canada and Mexico, and Premier Electronics in China. In Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Brazil the operation is known as Farnell Newark. For more information visit the website at http://www.premierfarnell.com/

Notes to Editors

High-resolution photographs accompanying this release are also available through the PA Photowire. They can be viewed at http://www.mediapoint.press.net/ or http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/

CONTACT: Contact details for publication and editorial enquiries: Jenny
Peters, Head of Corporate Communications, Premier Farnell plc, Tel:
+44-(0)207-851-4102, Mobile:+44-(0)-7921740548, Email:
JPeters@Premierfarnell.com; Issued by: Lewis Tonkinson, director, Pinnacle
Marketing Communications Ltd, Prosperity House, Dawlish Drive, Pinner,
Middlesex, HA5 5LN, UK Email: lewis@pinnaclemarcom.com Tel:
+44-(0)-1564-770900 Web: http://www.pinnacle-marketing.com/