Last night, Jeremy and I put on our party clothes and attended the .net magazine web awards in London.

Jeremy doesn’t put much stock in awards or awards ceremonies, but he had been nominated for a personal award (Web Standards Champion), and Clearleft was up for Design Agency of the Year, and there was the promise of free dinner and drinks with a bunch of geeks, so we braved the cold weather and the hassle of evening trains and made our way to the Big Smoke.

The awards were held at the top of a high-rise in Westminster, not far from the Tate Britain. Actually, there were two gatherings being held there last night, and Jeremy and I weren’t the only geeks to initially stray into the wrong party and wonder why on earth everyone was wearing pin-stripe suits. However, we were quickly pointed in the right direction, towards the room dominated by “web designer chic” (smart shirts and jeans), where we enjoyed mulled wine and chatter before being seated for dinner.

Dinner was rather nice, and I was famished by the time it was served so I wiped my antipasto plate clean and scarfed down every bit of my chicken and vegetables and even made it through most of my large wodge of panna cotta before abandoning it in favor of a mince pie. I could have done with a slightly larger than espresso-sized cup of a coffee, but hey, for a free dinner in swanky surroundings, I’m not complaining.

The awards ceremony itself kicked off as dinner was wrapping up, by which time everything was running late and Jeremy and I started to wonder if we’d have to leave before the final award was presented (the one Clearleft was up for) to catch the last train home. Luckily, things moved along at a fairly brisk pace so we didn’t miss anything. Jeremy didn’t snag the personal award (that honor went to his friend and colleague Jeffrey Zeldman ), but a bit later a big cheer went up from our table when it was announced that Clearleft had been voted Design Agency of the Year. Yay! And after some very hasty congratulations, Jeremy and I abandoned the party, grabbed our coats, and ran for the 11:30 train home.

Though I agree that awards ceremonies are a bit silly, it is nice to be recognized for your achievements and I’m really happy that Clearleft won last night. I’m biased, of course, but I also know just how hard they work and how much care and passion they put into what they do. So congratulations, Clearlefties!