Michael Gallagher

Recent Posts

The International Business Awards Honors Creative Professionals

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Thu, May 26, 2016 @ 04:29 PM

The 13th Annual International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition, which attracts nominations from organizations in more than 60 nations and territories each year, is currently accepting entries through Wednesday, June 15. This is the final entry deadline this year.

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT HERE.

All individuals and organizations worldwide -- public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small -- may submit nominations to The International Business Awards. An international judging panel of more than 200 executives will determine the Stevie Award winners. Results will be announced in mid-August. Stevie Award winners will be presented their awards at a gala banquet in Rome, Italy on October 21.

IBA_logo.jpgToday we will highlight the Creative Awards Categories, which includes all creative management, copywriting, art direction, editorial, audio-visual production, animation, illustration, photography, etc., functions.

The information requirements for entries in these categories in the 2016 competition include:

a, An essay of up to 650 words describing the nominee's achievements since January 1 2015

b. In bullet-list form (up to 150 words), a brief summary of up to ten (10) of the nominee's chief achievements since January 1 2015

c. Optional (but highly recommended), a collection of supporting files and web addresses that you may upload to our server to support your entry and provide more background information to the judges

 D01. Advertising or Design Agency of the Year

Enter this category if you wish to recognize everyone who works at your advertising, marketing or design agency, regardless of of their function, location, seniority or position.

D02. Creative Department of the Year

Enter this category if you wish to recognize everyone who works in creative functions in your organization, regardless of function, location, seniority or position.

D03. Creative Team of the Year

Enter this category if you wish to recognize some subset of your entire creative organization, such as a specific animation, video, event-production, or client-creative team, for example.  The team may be multidisciplinary, may stretch across multiple organizations (your own organization, client organizations, and agency or vendor organizations, for example), and may be a permanent team or a temporary team that was assembled only for a specific task or assignment.

D04. Creative Executive of the Year
Enter this category to recognize the achievements of individual creative executives at the VP level or above.

Past winners of the Creative Awards include:

  • ClearPeople Ltd, London, United Kingdom- Advertising/Design Agency of the Year
  • Plasenta Conversation Agency, Istanbul, Turkey: Plasenta Conversation Agency Creative Department- Creative Department of the Year
  • Hanaroadcom, Seoul, South Korea: Jung Hieh Shon, President, Hanaroadcom-
    Creative Executive of the Year

and more!

Topics: creative executive, International business awards, creative awards

The Stevie Awards for Great Employers to Recognize Best New Products & Services

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Wed, May 11, 2016 @ 12:34 PM

The Stevie® Awards is accepting entries for the first annual Stevie Awards for Great Employers, which will honor the world’s best companies to work for and the HR teams and professionals, HR achievements, new products and services, and suppliers that help to create and drive great workplaces.

The final entry deadline is June 8, but late entries will be accepted through July 20 with payment of a late fee. Entry details are available at www.StevieAwards.com/HR

SAGE_Logo_C_SmallRK-3.gifOther Stevie Awards programs such as The American Business Awards and The International Business Awards offer human resources categories, but The Stevie Awards recognized the need for more specific HR awards categories. Today we will highlight the New Product & Services categories in the Stevie Awards for Great Employers.This is the first time these categories are availble for HR-related products and services.

REQUEST THE ENTRY KIT HERE.

The New Product & Services categories in the Stevie Awards for Great Employers will recognize software, training programs or media, and curated training platforms. See entry requirements and all of the categories offered below.

The information requirements for entries in these categories in the 2016 competition include:

a.  An essay of up to 625 words describing the nominated product or service: its benefits, features, functions, and sales results to date.

b.  Summarize in up to 10 bullet points (up to 150 words) the chief benefits, features, and functions of the nominated product or service.

c.  Add to your entry up to 10 webpage links and up to 10 document uploads to support your case to the judges.  These might be press articles, press releases, videos, or images, for example. 

SOFTWARE

F01      360 Degree Feedback Solution - New
F02      360 Degree Feedback Solution - New Version
F03      Applicant Assessment or Tracking Solution - New
F04      Applicant Assessment or Tracking Solution – New Version
F05      Attendance Tracking Solution - New
F06      Attendance Tracking Solution - New Version
F07      Benefits Management Solution - New
F08      Benefits Management Solution - New Version
F09      Compensation Management Solution - New
F10      Compensation Management Solution - New Version
F11      Course Authoring Solution - New
F12      Course Authoring Solution - New Version
F13      Employee Engagement Solution - New
F14      Employee Engagement Solution - New Version
F15      Employee Recognition Solution - New
F16      Employee Recognition Solution - New Version
F17      Employee Scheduling Solution - New
F18      Employee Scheduling Solution - New Version
F19      HR Reporting Solution - New
F20      HR Reporting Solution - New Version
F21      Human Capital Management Solution - New
F22      Human Capital Management Solution - New Version
F23      Human Resource Information System - New
F24      Human Resource Information System - New Version
F25      Human Resource Management System - New
F26      Human Resource Management System - New Version
F27      Job Board Solution - New
F28      Job Board Solution - New Version
F29      Learning Management Solution - New
F30      Learning Management Solution - New Version
F31      Onboarding Solution - New
F32      Onboarding Solution - New Version
F33      Payroll Management Solution - New
F34      Payroll Management Solution - New Version
F35      Performance Appraisal Solution - New
F36      Performance Appraisal Solution - New Version
F37      Performance Management Solution - New
F38      Performance Management Solution - New Version
F39      Self-Service HR Solution - New
F40      Self-Service HR Solution - New Version
F41      Talent Management Solution - New
F42      Talent Management Solution - New Version
F43      Time and Expense Solution - New
F44      Time and Expense Solution - New Version
F45      Workforce Management Solution - New
F46      Workforce Management Solution - New Version

TRAINING PROGRAMS OR MEDIA

May be blended, instructor-led, microlearning, video or web-based. 

F50      Brand Training
F51      Compliance Training
F52      Consumer Education Training
F53      Diversity or Sensitivity Training
F54      Interpersonal Skills Training
F55      Leadership Training
F56      Literacy Training
F57      Managerial Training
F58      New Hire Training
F59      Problem-Solving Training
F60      Product Training
F61      Professional or Legal Training
F62      Quality Training
F63      Safety Training
F64      Sales Training
F65      Skills Training
F66      Systems Training
F67      Technical Training
F68      Other


CURATED TRAINING PLATFORM OF THE YEAR

F70      Consumer
F71      Industrial/Technical
F72      Managerial/Professional
F73      Technology
F74      Other

Topics: hr awards, human resources awards, new product awards, best new products, best new services, great employers, new services

11-Year-Old Product Innovator Max Ash Becomes Youngest-Ever Stevie Award Winner

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Thu, May 05, 2016 @ 03:15 PM

Max Ash is the 11-year-old "chief creator" of MAX'IS Creations, the Boston-based company whose motto is "The world would be better if we could play with our food!TM"  Max just became the youngest-ever winner of a Stevie® Award when he won the Gold Stevie for Product Developer of the Year in The 14th Annual American Business Awards.  (Winners were announced on Monday, May 2.) 

MaxAsh.jpgHere is Max's story, just as he presented it to the ABA judges, some of the most accomplished people in the world of business.

"I have lots of ideas. But, The Mug With A Hoop!TM is my best so far. In 2nd grade art class my teacher told us to make a mug.  I like sports and hot chocolate so I put a hoop on my mug for tossing marshmallows into hot cocoa.  I pitched my idea at Babson College and was named a top ten finalist in an innovation contest at Fenway Park. I ran a successful crowdfunding campaign, found a sourcing partner to allow large scale manufacturing overseas, and launched on the market in 2014.  Now, with LOTS of help from my mom, dad and brother Sam, MAX’IS Creations has become a profitable family business!

"In the last year, my team and I launched a multi-sport product line that now includes The Mug With A Glove! TM, The Mug With A Goalpost! TM, The Soccer Mug With A Goal! TM, and The Hockey Mug With A Net!TM   We sold over 27,500 mugs in 2015 (that’s over $665,000 in retail sales across channels) bringing the total retail sales to over $1 Million since first launching on the market in June of 2014.  Based on industry norms, that’s a LOT of mugs!  

"My mugs created a whole new market. Adults like my mugs because they make them feel like kids again.  And kids like my mugs because they’re fun. My mugs are sold at places like Nordstrom, The Grommet, Uncommongoods, Hammacher Schlemmer, and the Basketball Hall of Fame! The Mug With A Hoop! TM is currently a top selling mug on Amazon.

"Lots of other great things happened in 2015. I got my first patent (at age 10) with additional design and utility patents pending.  I signed my first licensing deal with Typo/Cotton On who quickly sold through the Basketball Mug!  And I entered into a partnership with Boelter Brands, a major licensed drinkware company to bring MAX’IS Creations licensed mugs to market.  An NCAA March Madness program is currently underway with NBA, MLB, MLS, NFL, NHL mugs coming next!

"In the past year, me and my mugs have been featured in places like The Boston Globe, CNN Money and Gift Shop Magazine, with product placements on Real Simple, Woman’s Day and Buzzfeed.  A Vat-19 video of my mug went viral with over 4 million views! Queen Latifah featured me on her show and my basketball and hockey mugs made separate appearances on The Today Show!  

"I happen to have dyslexia, a language-based learning disability often linked to creativity. Kids like me see the world differently and the world is lucky that we do! 1 in 5 kids in the U.S. struggles with learning and attention issues related to reading, writing, math, organization and attention. People with learning and attention issues can thrive when they get the support they need. That’s why I donate five percent of the profits from the sale of my mugs to dyslexia-related charities and nonprofits like Understood.org, which are dedicated to empowering parents of kids like me.

"In the last year I shared the stage with people like Daymond John, John Legend and others to showcase the creative advantage of people with dyslexia.  We recently updated my packaging to feature Understood.org as a public service announcement for this great resource.  Since January 2015 I have donated thousands of dollars to dyslexia-related causes and over 1000 mugs to charity.  Being honored by the Stevie Awards will help people see that kids like me are smart and can achieve success with the right supports. Imagine what other good ideas our world will have when ALL kids who think and learn differently are understood!

Congratulations Max, we look forward to presenting your Gold Stevie Award to you on June 20 at The American Business Awards gala in New York.

Topics: American business awards, product of the year, new product awards, Max'is Creations, Max Ash

Who's Coming to the German Stevie Awards on Friday?

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Tue, Apr 05, 2016 @ 12:43 PM

The second edition of the German Stevie® Awards will culminate with a gala awards dinner this Friday, April 8 at the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski in Munich.  More than 140 executives from across Germany will gather for the presentations, which will be streamed live via Livestream starting at 7:15 pm / 19:15 local time (1:15 pm ET).  The presentations will be preceded by a red-carpet show on the Stevie Awards' Periscope at 6:00 pm / 18:00 local time (12:00 pm ET).

16766251279_14b99e416d_m.jpgThe German Stevie Awards are open to all organizations operating in Germany.  The 2016 edition recognized achievements since the beginning of July 2014.  The Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners were announced on February 24.  Nominations were accepted in categories honoring achievement in every aspect of work life, from management and marketing to new products, customer service, websites, and public relations.

Nominations for the 2017 edition of the GSAs will open in August 2016.  Join the mailing list to receive the entry kit as soon as it's available.

Here is the list of organizations that are currently scheduled to attend the event on Friday:

5Analytics  Köngen Baden-Württemberg
Adello Technologies Karlsruhe BW
ARI Fleet Germany GmbH Stuttgart Baden-Württemberg
artegic AG Bonn Nordrhein Westfalen
Arxan Technologies Bethesda MD USA
Bankhaus August Lenz München Bayern
Bettenhaus Uwe Heintzen Oldenburg Niedersachsen
BWI Leistungsverbund Meckenheim Nordrhein-Westfalen
CCC Berlin
COMBITEL GmbH München Bayern
consus clinic management GmbH Freiburg im Breisgau Baden Württemberg
Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung e. V. Berlin
Deutsche Post DHL Group Bonn
Ernst & Young
Familotel Ebbinghof Schmallenberg Nordrheinwestfalen
Faurecia Automotive GmbH Stadthagen Niedersachsen
Fauth & Gundlach GmbH Wiesbaden Hessen
Fincite GmbH Frankfurt
fischerAppelt relations GmbH Köln
Flughafen München GmbH München Bayern
Frau im Business  Kempten Bayern
Havana Orange GmbH München Bayern
imgZine  Amsterdam The Netherlands
intelliAd Media GmbH München Bayern
Inventorum GmbH Berlin
Inxmail GmbH Freiburg Baden-Württemberg
Ketchum Pleon GmbH Düsseldorf NRW
King & Mayr GmbH & Co.KG Geilenkirchen NRW
Kübler Group - Fritz Kübler GmbH   Villingen-Schwenningen  Baden-Württemberg
mobilcom-debitel GmbH Erfurt Thüringen
MSC Software München
Neoskop GmbH Hannover Niedersachsen
New JazzRadio GmbH  Berlin
Nexthink Frankfurt
Novartis Consumer Health GmbH / Edelman.ergo Frankfurt
NUMBER26 Berlin
promio.net GmbH  Bonn
regio iT GmbH Sitz: Aachen NRW/D
RheinBrücke IT Consulting GmbH Köln NRW
Sixt SE Pullach Bayern
Sky Deutschland Unterföhring Bayern
Spreadshirt Leipzig Sachsen
TA Triumph-Adler GmbH  Hamburg
thyssenkrupp Elevator AG Essen Nordrhein-Westfalen
Versicherungskammer Bayern und CreaLog München Bayern
Vodafone GmbH  Düsseldorf Nordrhein-Westfalen
Weber Shandwick  München Bayern
Westend. Public Relations GmbH Leipzig Sachsen
ZEICHENSAELE Mönchengladbach NRW
ZF Friedrichshafen AG Friedrichshafen Baden-Württemberg
ZIEHL-ABEGG SE Künzelsau Baden-Württemberg
Ziehm Imaging GmbH Nürnberg Bayern

Teilnahmeunterlagen  anfordern

 

Topics: German Stevie Awards

Who's Coming to the Sales & Customer Service Awards This Friday?

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Mon, Feb 29, 2016 @ 02:20 PM

More than 500 executives from around the world will converge on the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada later this week for the presentation of the 10th annual Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service, the world's top honors for business development, customer service, contact center, and sales professionals.   Tickets for the gala event are still on sale.  This year's Grand, Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be announced and celebrated.

ParisLV_Combo1.gifMore than 2,100 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were evaluated in this year’s competition, an increase of 11% over 2015. Finalists were determined by the average scores of 115 professionals worldwide, acting as preliminary judges. Entries were considered in 59 categories for customer service and contact center achievements, including Contact Center of the Year, Award for Innovation in Customer Service, and Consulting Practice of the Year; more than 50 categories for sales and business development achievements, ranging from Senior Sales Executive of the Year to Business Development Achievement of the Year; and categories to recognize new products and services and solution providers.

More than 60 members of seven specialized judging committees determined the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award placements from among the Finalists during final judging earlier this month.  

DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM BOOK FOR FRIDAY'S GALA EVENT

Here is the list of organizations that are currently scheduled to attend Friday's gala.

Access One Inc Chicago IL
Acquia Boston MA
Adobe Systems Incorporated San Jose CA
Albridge an affiliate of Pershing Lawrenceville NJ
AllClear ID  Austin  TX
Alliance Laundry Systems Ripon WI
Ally Bank Detroit MI
American Express Global Business Travel  New York  NY
Amica Mutual Insurance Company Lincoln RI
AWeber - Email Marketing Chalfont PA
Beepi  Los Altos  CA
BenefitMall  Dallas  TX
BetterCloud  New York  NY
Beyond Codes Inc. Simi Valley CA
Black Knight Financial Services Data & Analytics Jacksonville FL
Blackbaud Charleston SC
Bloom Health Minneapolis MN
Box Inc. Los Altos CA
Buildium, Boston, MA
Bupa Global Miami FL
Carbonite Inc. Lewiston ME
CareerArc Burbank CA
Carew International Inc. Cincinnati OH
Cisco Systems Inc. San Jose CA
ClearSlide San Francisco CA
ClearVision Optical Company  Hauppauge  NY
Clio - Practice Management Software Vancouver BC Canada
Code42 Minneapolis MN
Concentrix  Fremont  CA
Conectys Bucharest Romania
Consolidated Edison  New York NY
Convergys Cincinnati OH
Coveo  San Mateo  CA
Cricket Wireless  Atlanta  GA
CubeSmart Malvern PA
DataCore Software Fort Lauderdale FL
Daxko  Birmingham  AL
Dell  Hyderabad  India
Delta Air Lines  Inc.  Atlanta  GA
Delta Defense  West Bend  WI
DHL Express (Canada) Ltd Brampton ON Canada
DHL Express U.S. Planation FL
DHL Global Forwarding Miami FL
Digital Risk  Maitland FL
DONAN  Louisville  KY
Donlen Fleet Leasing & Management  Northbrook  IL
Druva Inc. Sunnyvale CA
EFG Companies Irving TX
Elephant Insurance Richmond VA
EMKAY Inc Itasca IL
eMoney Advisor LLC Conshohocken PA
EXTRA Loyalty Solutions Co.  Istanbul  Turkey
ezCater Boston MA
FedEx TechConnect Memphis TN
Fidelity Investments Boston MA
FIS Jacksonville FL U.S.A
Forrest Performance Group Ft. Worth TX
FreeConferenceCall.com Long Beach CA
Frontline Technologies  Malvern  PA
G2A Rzeszow Poland
GoDaddy Scottsdale AZ
GoodData San Francisco CA
GPS Insight Scottsdale AZ
Gratis Istanbul Turkey
Grovo New York NY
GuideWell Connect  Jacksonville FL
Halyard Health Irvine CA
HCA IT&S Nashville TN
HealthEquity Draper UT
HGS  Lisle  IL
HomeServe USA Norwalk CT USA
Human Resources Development Fund  Riyadh  Saudi Arabia
IBM Armonk NY
iHeartMedia Inc. New York NY
Imparta Inc. Austin TX
Informatica Corporation Redwood City CA
Interactive Intelligence Indianapolis IN
Intronis Chelmsford MA
ISN Dallas TX
iSpeak Inc. Round Rock TX
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Logistic Support Center  Istanbul  Turkey
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Youth Assembly  Istanbul  Turkey
j2 Global Inc. Ottawa ON Canada
Janek Performance Group  Las Vegas  NV
Legacy.com Evanston IL
Lennox Industries Inc. Richardson TX
Lionbridge onDemand  Waltham  MA
Listen Up Español  Portland  ME
LiveWatch Security LLC  Evanston  IL
MarketBridge  Bethesda  MD
Marriott International Inc. Bethesda MD
Marriott Vacation Club International Orlando FL
Moody's Analytics New York NY
MTM Inc. Lake St. Louis MO
Nationwide Columbus OH
Navicure Duluth GA
Netchex Mandeville LA
Network Alliance Reston VA
NextAce  Orange  CA
Novus Global Solutions LLC
Nuance Communications  Inc.  Burlington  MA
Ofisim.com Istanbul Turkey
OmniUpdate Camarillo CA
OneSource Virtual Irving TX
OptumRx Irvine CA
Paycor  Inc.  Cincinnati  OH
Photodex Austin TX
Provident Financial Bulgaria  Sofia  Bulgaria
Pushpay Holdings Limited Redmond WA
Qorus Software Seattle WA
Revana  Tempe  AZ
Rimini Street Inc. Pleasanton CA
SalesBox Houston TX
SAVO Chicago IL
ServiceMax  Pleasanton CA
Sharegate Montreal QC Canada
SiriusDecisions  Wilton CT
Sitel Nashville TN
SmartLinx Solutions Edison NJ
Social Sentinel Inc. Burlington VT
Sofica Group  Bulgaria
SoftPro  Raleigh  NC
SomethingNew LLC Madison CT
SquareTrade San Francisco CA
Steton Salt Lake City UT
SurePayroll, Inc. Glenview IL
Synchrony Financial  Stamford  CT
Telerx King of Prussia PA
Telogis Aliso Viejo CA
The Brooks Group Greensboro NC
Thought Bubble Brisbane Australia
TouchBistro New York NY
TTNLearning  Minneapolis MN
United States Equestrian Federation  Lexington  KY
UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh PA
USHEALTH Advisors LLC Grapevine TX
ValueSelling Associates  Rancho Santa Fe CA
Varonis  New York NY
Victaulic Easton PA
Visualize  Birmingham MI
Vivint Provo UT
Vodafone Americas New York NY
Vonage Holdings Corp. Holmdel NJ
WACUL Inc. Tokyo Japan
Wayfair  Boston  MA
Wells Fargo San Francisco CA
WePay Inc  Redwood City  CA
Wheels Inc. Des Plaines IL
White Cloud Electronic Cigarettes Tarpon Springs FL
Wyndham Vacation Ownership  Orlando  FL

Join the mailing list for the 2017 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, which will open for entries in July 2016.

Join the Mailing List

 

 

 

Topics: customer service awards, stevie awards, sales awards, stevie awards for sales and customer service, business development awards

Last Chance to Enter the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Wed, Jan 06, 2016 @ 01:41 PM
 
Final Entry Deadline Is January 12

The countdown is on. The final entry deadline of the 10th annual Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service is less than a week away. Organizations and individuals worldwide have only a few days left in which to compete for the Stevie, the highest honor in the business world. The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service attract more than 1,100 nominations from organizations in more than 30 nations and territories each year.

sascsentrykit.gifAll companies, organizations and individuals worldwide may participate: public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. Participants may choose from a wide variety of categories for excellence in sales, business development, contact centers, and customer service.  “The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service offer more than 100 awards categories,” explains Stevie Awards president Michael Gallagher. There are several new categories this year. “For example, we have an entirely new set of categories to recognize organizations that provide great customer service yet don't have a formal customer service department.  We've named these Customer Service Success categories.  We also have a new set of Sales Distinction categories.”

Gallagher emphasizes that it’s possible to create high-quality nominations in the time remaining to entrants. Interested organizations may get the entry kit and other details at www.StevieAwards.com/Sales and select the categories suitable to their achievements. “The heart of each entry is an essay of up to 650 words, describing the nominee’s achievements since the beginning of July 2014. The more precise and compelling the story of those achievements, the better.” advises Gallagher. 

Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be selected during the judging process by more than 200 professionals worldwide. Finalists will be notified the week of January 18, and the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners will be announced on March 4, during a gala awards ceremony at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas. The Stevie Award trophy, designed by the same company that manufactures the Oscar, is one of the world’s most coveted prizes.

Learn more about Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service and the benefits of entering in a short video interview with Michael Gallagher.

Categories are available in the awards to recognize

  • Individual Sales Performers
  • Sales Teams and Departments
  • Sales Achievements
  • Individual Customer Service and Contact Center Performers
  • Customer Service/Contact Center Achievements
  • Customer Service Departments
  • Individual Business Development Performers
  • Business Development Achievements
  • Solution Providers to Sales and Customer Service Professionals
  • New Products and Services used by sales and customer service professionals
  • and More

About The Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in six programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 10,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 60 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com.

 

Topics: customer service awards, sales awards, stevie awards for sales and customer service, business development awards

Important Changes Made to The 2016 American Business Awards

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Mon, Nov 23, 2015 @ 02:49 PM

We make changes to every Stevie Award program every year: categories are added or dropped, fees are raised (and occasionally lowered), entry requirements are tweaked, the schedule is adjusted, and so on.

2015 American Business AwardsIt's rare, though, that monumental changes are made.  But we've made some really important changes to The American Business Awards for their 2016 (14th annual) edition, and if your organization is in the U.S.A. and you're considering submitting nominations to the ABAs, you need to be aware of these changes.

The American Business Awards are the premier business awards program in the U.S.A., with categories to recognize achievement in every facet of work life, from management to marketing, human resources to new products and websites.  There are two early-bird entry deadlines for the 2016 edition - November 19 and December 16, 2015.  The final deadline for submissions is February 18, but late entries will be accepted through March 16 with payment of a late fee.  Get your entry kit here.

That schedule itself is one of the big changes for the 2016 ABAs, because it's significantly different from entry deadline schedules of the past.

Here's a summary of all of the changes, large and small, we've instituted for The 2016 American Business Awards.  Contact us if you have any questions about any of these topics.

Eligibility Timeframe

  • Eligibility for the 2016 ABAs extends from January 1 2015 through March 16 2016, the last day that late entries will be accepted.  Nominations should cite achievements during this eligibility window. Videos, publications, live events, and other media premiered since that date are eligible to be entered.  There is no eligibility timeframe for app and web site entries - it doesn't matter when apps and web sites were first published.

New Categories

Late Fee Increased

  • Entry fees have not been raised from 2015, but the late fee charged for entries submitted after the final deadline has been raised from $45 to $55 per entry.

Shipping Fees Lowered

  • The shipping fees which are payable if awards won are not accepted at the awards banquet (see the explanation in the terms and conditions of entry here) have been lowered: to $30 per Gold Stevie Award trophy, and $7.50 per shipment of Silver or Bronze medals, regardless of the number of medals won.

Schedule Changed

  • The ABAs again feature four entry deadlines, including early-bird deadlines in November and December 2015.  But the two deadlines in 2016 have been moved up to earlier in the year.  While those deadlines used to be in late March and late April, the final deadline for 2016 will be February 18, and the last day that entries will be accepted with payment of a $55 late fee is March 16.

Pre-Announcement of Awards

  • The most significant change for the ABAs in 2016 is that we will announce all of the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award placements before the awards banquet.  In the past we pre-announced Finalists, and Finalists did not know whether they had won Gold, Silver or Bronze until the evening of the awards banquet.  In 2016, we will announce all of the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners on May 2, and then present the awards during a gala banquet in New York on June 20.

Format of Awards Banquet

  • Because we will now pre-announce all Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners in the ABAs, all Stevie-winning organizations that attend the June 20 awards banquet in New York will be called to the stage to accept their awards and make an acceptance speech.  In the past, only Gold Stevie Award winners were called to the stage.  As in the past, attendance of the banquet is not required to win.

Number of Awards Banquets

  • There will be only one ABA awards banquet in 2016, on June 20 in New York.  In 2012-2015 there had been two banquets each cycle.

New Websites

  • We have a new mobile website for the ABAs, and we invite you to check it out at mobile.stevieawards.com/ABA.  A new desktop website will debut in January 2016.  Among the features of the new site will be the ability to schedule text-alert reminders about the entry deadlines, and the ability to add multiple points of contact to your entry-submission account.

Again, contact us if you have any questions about these changes to The American Business Awards for 2016.

Get the ABA Entry Kit

Who's Coming to The International Business Awards This Friday?

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Mon, Oct 19, 2015 @ 10:26 AM

More than 280 executives from over 30 nations will gather at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto, Canada this coming Friday evening, October 23 for the presentation of The 12th Annual International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards program.

stevieawardGold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award® winners, selected from more than 3,700 nominations received from organizations and individuals in more than 60 nations, were announced on August 13. All organizations worldwide are eligible to compete in The International Business Awards, and can submit entries in a wide range of categories, including management awards, new product awards, marketing awards, PR awards, customer service awards, website awards, and more.

More than 200 executives worldwide participated in the judging process this year to determine the Stevie winners.

Winners of People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Companies, as voted by the general public, and Grand Stevie Award trophies, as determined by the total number of Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevies won in the IBAs, were also announced earlier and will be presented in Toronto this Friday.

Here is the list of 2015 Stevie-winning organizations that will be represented in Toronto this Friday.

Accenture
ACE enterprise Slovakia
AECOM
Airglow Aviation Services FZC
Akmerkez
Amec Foster Wheeler
Amira Nature Foods
Anadolu Efes
AssisTT
Atmel Corporation
Bahrain National Gas Company
BeneXchange Financial Group
Bharti Airtel
BI Group Company
boogy the event company
Çalik Enerji
CallidusCloud
Carbonite  Inc.
CareerArc
Carestream NDT
Cathy Turney
CCC
Ceyhinz Link International Inc.
Cisco Systems Inc.  San Jose
Cisco Systems Raleigh
Cision
Dani Communications Co., Ltd
De Beers Group of Companies
DHL Express Canada
Dogus Group
Dubai First Pvt. JSC
Dubai Statistics Center
Edelman Indonesia
Entrepreneurial Business School
Enzaim Health Co.  Ltd.
Fareportal
FCV Interactive
Firmex
Forest Seawall Association
Frank & Oak
Freelancer.com
Garanti Bank
Garanti Pension and Life
Garden Centre
GeiserMaclang Marketing Communications
GENESIS Public Relations sp.z o.o. sp.k. & LEWIATHAN
Globe Telecom  Inc.
HANAROADCOM
HansaWorld
Hay Group
Hindustan Petroleum Co.
IBM
IETT General Directorate
Innography
iPai
J2 Global
KB Kookmin Bank
KEPCO Nuclear Fuel Company
Kim Hung Ki Mentor Team
Kinova, Inc.
Korea Occupational Safety & Health Agency (KOSHA)
Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service (COMWEL)
Limak Kosovo International Airport
LLORENTE & CUENCA
M3 Communications Group, Inc.
MANILA ELECTRIC COMPANY (MERALCO)
MapAction
Market Edge Limited
Micro Kickboard
Natcom S.A
Nerium International
NU SKIN Greater China
OptumCare
PagerDuty
Passion Film
Plum.io.
PMFTC, Inc.
Progress
PT Perusahaan Gas Negara (Persero) Tbk
PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia, Tbk
QLess, Inc.
Resolute Forest Products
RheinBrücke IT Consulting
RiseSmart
Road and Transport Authority - Rail Agency
Roshan
RSA Insurance
SABIC
ScaleFocus AD
Seegene Medical Foundation
Sharjah Police
SOOHYUN
Strategic Public Relations Group
Studio 5 Designs
Su Hee Jo, Photographer
Tahincioglu Group
TELUS Communications
Textual Serviços de Comunicação
The Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future
The Guarantee Company of North America
The National Archives
THEPARTNERS
Time Warner Inc.
TRACCS
TrademarkNow
Türk Telekom
U.S. Green Building Council
UnitedHealth Group
Vakif Emeklilik
Verne Global
Victaulic
Viettel Timor Leste Unipessoal  Lda
Weber Shandwick
WNS Global Services Pvt. Ltd.
Xcel Energy
Zeno Stratcom Indonesia
Ziehm Imaging GmbH
Zorlu Shopping Mall

Photos and videos of the awards presentations will be available next week.

Entries for The 2016 International Business Awards will open in January.  Join the mailing list and you'll be emailed the 2016 entry kit as soon as it's available.

Get the Entry Kit

 

Topics: International business awards, IBAs, people's choice awards, Best of the IBAs, International Awards

Stevie Awards New Mobile Websites Are Here

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Thu, Sep 24, 2015 @ 05:31 PM

Homepage
We're pleased to announce that the new Stevie Awards mobile websites are live.  Check them out on your mobile device today, at mobile.StevieAwards.com

That's the link to the main mobile site, from which you can navigate to any of our individual awards program sites. 

Here's a rundown of the main features of the mobile sites.

CalendarCalendar

On the main mobile website you'll find a consolidated calendar of all important dates for all of the Stevie Awards programs. 

On each of the individual awards program sites, you'll find a calendar with important dates for only that particular awards program, such as the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.

In many cases you'll be able to link directly from a menu item to a page of interest.

Participate Menu

Participate-MenuEvery page on every one of our mobile sites now features a Participate Menu in the lower lefthand corner of the screen.  Open the Participate Menu to find links to pages about how to participate in Stevie Awards programs, including how to be a judge, how to get the entry kit, how to schedule text-message reminders about the entry deadlines, and more.

The Participate Menu on the main Stevies mobile site enables you to perform these functions for more than one Stevie Awards program at a time.  On the individual program sites, you can perform these functions just for that individual awards programs.

Awards Programs Menu

Award-MenuEvery page on every one of our mobile sites now features an Awards Program Menu in the lower righthand corner of the screen.  Open the Awards Program Menu to find links to the mobile websites of each of our individual awards programs.

You'll find links for all six of the Stevie Awards programs that we operate.  You'll also find a link to the entry-kit request form for the Golden World Awards for Public Relations Excellence, which we promote on behalf of the International Public Relations Association.

Get an Entry Kit

Entry-Kit-Form

We've made it easy now to get an entry kit for all Stevie Awards programs, or just one in particular.

The homepage of each of the new mobile sites features a simple form to fill out if you'd like to be emailed an entry kit. 

Fill out the form on the main mobile site, and you can request the entry kits for any or all of the Stevie Awards programs.

If you complete the form on one of our individual awards program sites, you'll get the entry kit for just that particular awards program.

Schedule Text-Message Reminders

Reminders

This is a brand-new feature that we've introduced with the new mobile sites that we're very excited about.

Now you can subscribe to receive text-message reminders six days in advance of all of the entry deadlines for a particular Stevie Awards programs.

If you subcribe to this feature on the main mobile site, you'll have the option to opt-in to text message reminders about the entry deadlines for any or all of the Stevie Awards programs.

If you subscribe on any of the individual awards program sites, you'll opt-in only for the reminders about the deadlines for that particular program. 

Give this new feature a try.  If you decide that you'd like to opt-out of receiving text-message reminders, that will be easy to do.  Each time you receive a text message from us you'll also receive an opt-out link.

What Else Can I Do? Menu

What-Else-MenuFinally, the mobile homepage for each of our individual awards programs features a What Else Can I Do? Menu.

Many of these links you'll also find in the Participate Menu on each of our program sites.  But this menu is another easy way to access many of the functions and features our entrants and judges want to see on our sites.

So what can't you do on our new mobile websites?

You can't submit entries through the new Stevie Awards mobile websites, you can't (yet) apply to be a judge, and you can't (yet) perform judging.  Those functions will continue to be exclusive to our desktop websites, at www.StevieAwards.com.  Most tablet devices will continue to direct to our desktop sites rather than the new mobile sites, so you can always submit your entries and perform judging from a tablet, if you're on the go.

Speaking of our desktop sites, they're up next on the renovation agenda.  Look for our new-and-improved desktop sites to go live in January 2016.

Questions about the new mobile sites?  Contact us at help@stevieawards.com

 

 

Topics: stevie awards, best websites, Mobile Marketing

How to Enter The American Business Awards in 10 Minutes

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Mon, Apr 27, 2015 @ 11:39 AM

HourglassYou've been busy. You've been travelling. You were at a tradeshow. You were out sick. Your boss wasn't available for approvals. Whatever the reason, you didn't get around to submitting entries to this year's American Business Awards. But you've gotten a reprieve. For the first time in its 13 year history, the final entry deadline of The American Business Awards, the preeminent business awards program in the U.S.A., has been extended - through this coming Friday, May 1.

We know, you're still busy. Your calendar this week is still chockablock. But surely you can find 10 free minutes. Because in 10 minutes you can prepare and submit an entry to the ABAs and potentially win a Stevie®, one of the most coveted trophies on the planet.

Here are a number of ways you can do that.

Repurpose Nominations From Other Awards Programs
The submission requirements for the ABAs are fairly open-ended, and there's a wide variety of categories to choose from. If you've entered any other awards programs this year, simply repurpose the nominations you wrote for those competitions for the ABAs. Most categories require only the submission of an essay of up to 650 words and a bullet-list summary of the achievements portrayed in the essay. It should be fairly easy to reconfigure your other awards nominations for the ABAs.

Repurpose Your Press Releases and White Papers
It's likely you've already done the heavy-lifting of describing your organization's achievements, your innovations, your new products and services, your marketing and PR campaigns, etc. Throughout the year you've been trumpeting your successes through press releases and white papers. Simply comb through your output over the past year and cobble together the text you've already written into a short essay. Note that the 2015 ABAs will recognize your achievements since the beginning of 2014.

Repurpose Your Press Clippings
With every ABA nomination you have the option to attach any number of press clippings, work samples, video clips, photographs, etc. to your essay, to help paint the picture for the judges. Does one or more of your press clippings feature a compelling story that can be the basis of the essay for your ABA nomination? There's no need to reinvent the wheel if it already exists and you can reuse it.

Hire a Consultant
Did you know that there are a number of consultancies that specialize in preparing and submitting awards nominations on behalf of their clients? There are quite a few in the U.S.A., and they've been remarkably successful over the years in winning Stevie Awards for their clients. Contact us if you'd like a referral to one of them who can take the process of getting entries into the ABAs off your hands this week.

Submit Media Work
Sometimes you hope to win a Stevie for a specific reason - for a major achievement, or a member of your team - but sometimes you just want to win a Stevie, for any reason. If that's the case, take a look at the categories in the ABAs for videos, apps, websites, publications, and live events. It's really easy to enter these categories. These categories generally require only a short essay of up to 125 words, describing the nominated work's purpose and results to date, and the nominated video or app, etc., itself.

Resubmit a Nomination From Another Stevie Awards Program
Did you have success with a nomination in the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, or the Stevie Awards for Women in Business? One Stevie Awards competition has nothing to do with another, and resubmitting a nomination from one program to this year's ABAs is a valid strategy followed by many organizations.

Contact Us for Help
You'll save a lot of time by letting us do some of the important work for you. We'll save you the trouble of plowing through our category lists to find the category that's right for you, for example. Contact us, by email at help@stevieawards or telephone at +1 703-547-8389. Tell us what your organization wants to be recognized for, and we'll suggest the best category for your nomination.

Whichever strategy you choose to get your ABA nominations written and submitted this week, do get them submitted this week, because the deadline will not be extended further!

Ready to enter The 2015 American Business Awards?  Begin here

ENTER THE ABAS NOW

 

Topics: The American Business Awards