What do you do if you really want to pursue Stevie® Awards recognition for your organization and your colleagues, but you haven't a dollar or a euro or a pound or a won or any other form of currency in your budget for entry fees?
This category spotlight is about the categories in two Stevie Awards competitions, The 2015 (13th Annual) American Business Awards and The 2015 (12th Annual) International Business Awards, that you can enter without having to pay entry fees. These are the largest and most diverse business awards competitions in the world, together attracting more than 6,800 entries in 2014.
The ABAs are open to all organizations operating in the U.S.A. The IBAs are open to all organizations worldwide. The 2015 editions of both competitions will recognize achievements since January 1, 2014. Both offer a wide variety of categories to choose from. Most categories require payment of an entry fee (the Stevie Awards are funded primarily through entry fees), but there are a handful of categories in both competitions that anyone may enter, free of charge. See below for the entry deadlines for the ABAs and IBAs .
Startup of the Year
Both competitions feature several new Startup of the Year categories that may be entered free of charge. Companies that began operations since the beginning of 2013 may be nominated, as long as the nomination describes the company's achievements since the beginning of 2014. There are four variations of this category in both competitions: for startups in business products industries, business services industries, consumer products industries, and consumer services industries. Submissions to these categories require an essay of up to 650 words, describing the company's achievements since the beginning of 2014, and a bullet-list summary of up to 10 of the company's primary achievements in that time. You have the option to attach any number of supporting materials (work samples, videos, images, press clippings, etc.) to the entry.
The ABAs also feature a separate category for Tech Startup of the Year that may be entered free of charge. The entry requirements for this category are the same.
Energy Industry Innovation of the Year
This is another new free category for 2015, common to both the ABAs and the IBAs. This category recognizes singular innovations in energy-related technology, production, conservation, storage or delivery, by an organization or an individual, since January 1, 2014. See our recent blogpost about this category.
The Startup of the Year and Energy Industry Innovation of the Year categories are part of the Company/Organization categories in the ABAs and IBAs.
- The Company/Organization categories in the ABAs are listed here.
- Those Company/Organization categories in the IBAs are listed here.
Categories for Non-Executive Individuals
The ABAs have more free categories than the IBAs do. The American Business Awards also feature several free categories in which non-executive professionals in the U.S.A. may be nominated. (By non-executive we mean anyone under a Vice President level.) These categories include Marketer of the Year, Communications Professional of the Year, Product Developer of the Year, Technical Professionals of the Year, and Support Staffer of the Year. Submissions to these categories require an essay of up to 650 words, describing the nominee's achievements since the beginning of 2014, and a bullet-list summary of up to 10 of the nominee's primary achievements. You have the option to attach any number of supporting materials (work samples, videos, images, press clippings, etc.) to the entry.
The entry deadline for The American Business Awards is March 25. Late entries will be accepted through April 22 with payment of a late fee. Complete information about the ABAs is available at www.StevieAward.com/ABA.
The early-bird entry deadline for The International Business Awards is April 15. The final deadline is May 13, but late entries will be accepted through June 10 with payment of a late fee. Learn more at www.StevieAwards.com/IBA.
So who are you going to nominate in The American Business Awards and/or The International Business Awards?
