For First Time, Nation’s Top Business Awards to  Be Presented at Ceremonies in Both New York and San Francisco

The Stevie® Awards today issued the call for entries for The 10th Annual American Business Awards, the USA’s only all-encompassing business awards program, and invited all organizations nationwide to publicly recognize the achievements of their executives and employees by nominating them for a Stevie.

The entry deadline is March 28. Late entries will be accepted through April 25 with a late fee.  All individuals and organizations in the U.S. are eligible to submit nominations – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small.   The 2012 awards will honor work since the beginning of 2011.   Entry details are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA. 

Nominations are now being accepted in various category groups for  management awards, public relations awards, marketing awards, new product awards, human resources awards, information technology awards,  web site awards, and more. There are many new categories for 2012, including 18 new categories for smartphone and tablet apps, as well as the Best of the ABA Awards, five best-of-competition prizes that will awarded to the organizations that submit the best overall body of work to the competition.

For the first time, The American Business Awards will feature two awards banquets.  The first will take place on June 18 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City and will honor Stevie Award winners in traditional categories.  The second, a new event, will be held on September 17 at the Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco, California and will honor Stevie Award winners in all tech-related categories.

Also new in 2012, Stevie Awards will be conferred in three levels of distinction: Gold, Silver and Bronze.  To date, only overall category winners have been recognized as Stevie winners.

“We are excited to celebrate the 10th anniversary of The American Business Awards and the Stevie Awards movement at a time when the American economy is rebounding,” said Michael Gallagher, president of the Stevie Awards. “Whether they’re multinational corporations and top executives or local businesses and hourly employees, we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to be publicly honored for their hard work and achievements.”

The 2012 American Business Awards will include the Fourth Annual People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products, in which the general public will vote for their favorite new products and services of the year. Each new product or service nominated in The American Business Awards’ new product awards categories will automatically be included in people’s choice voting.  Voting will open in early July and winners will be announced at the San Francisco ceremony on September 17.

The American Business Awards’ June event will be the culmination of the inaugural America Means Business, a celebration of entrepreneurship that will take place June 13-15 in New York City.  Created by the Stevie Awards to educate people about how to start and grow a business, America Means Business will feature inspirational keynotes, “How I Did It” case studies, one-to-one mentoring, an exhibition, and more.  America Means Business is now accepting proposals from speakers and attendee registrations at www.AmericaMeansBusiness-NYC.com.

2011 Stevie Awards were presented last June in The Ninth Annual American Business Awards to a diverse group of organizations including American Express OPEN,  Blackboard, EmpowHER Media, ESPN, Hewlett-Packard, Kwittken & Company, Millennial Media,  Overstock.com, Red Frog Events, and Tesla Motors, among others. 

To enter The 2012 American Business Awards, visit www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.

About the Stevie® Awards

Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.  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 www.StevieAwards.com/, and follow the Stevie Awards on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. 

Sponsors and partners of The 2012 American Business Awards include American Support, Business TalkRadio Network, Citrix Online, Dynamics Research Corporation, iolo technologies, John Hancock Funds, LifeLock, PetRays, Primus Telecommunications Group, SoftPro, SDL and VerticalResponse.

We've published an 11-minute video about how to enter the 10th edition of the U.S.A.'s top business awards program, The American Business Awards.

Now in their 10th year, The American Business Awards are the premier business awards program in the U.S.A, with award categories including management awards, marketing awards, PR awards, HR awards, IT awards, web site awards, video awards, app awards, new product awards, and more. The entry deadline is March 28.

The short video covers:

• What the ABAs are, and their history
• The schedule for the 2012 ABAs
• How to review and select categories
• How to prepare and submit entries
• What’s new & different in 2012
• How the judging process works
• Best practices

If you plan to enter The 2012 American Business Awards, we highly recommend that you get and review the online entry kit in addition to watching this video which offers many helpful insights about the process of the awards program.

We have made two changes to our 2012 American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A., to help make your Stevie Awards® submission process easier. (The 2012 American Business Awards are now accepting entries. Download your entry kit here and submit entries by the March 28th deadline.)

Our business awards updates include:

• A new link/file uploader
  We've added a Link/File Uploader to the online entry form. Click the link that says "Add Attachments, Videos or Links to This Entry" to add or upload any number of URLs or offline supporting attachments to an entry. Your attachments and links will then be presented to the judges.
  
  
• Online only submission acceptance
  Entries may no longer be submitted offline. All entries must be submitted online, even if you enter a category for which you'll provide materials for judging offline (e.g. Best Annual Report).

Our business award updates will help you to:

• Easily enhance your submission
  With our new link/file uploader, you have the option to upload a collection of supporting files and web addresses to our server to support your entry and provide more background information to the judges.
  
  
• Keep track of the progress of your submission
  Our online submission center allows for you see all of your submissions in one easy-to-view location.
  
  
• Save your entries while perfecting your submissions
  Since all submissions will be entered online, you can save your submissions while you continue to work on other entries. You have the option to submit entries individually or all at once.

Let us know what you think about our new updates - leave us a comment!

SCRA Technology Ventures’ SC Launch program was the Stevie® Award winner for Non-Profit or Government Organization of the Year in The 2011 American Business Awards. (The 2012 American Business Awards are accepting entries. Download your entry kit now.) Here we look at how the successful SC Launch program created jobs.

About SC Launch
Located in South Carolina, SC Launch began in 2006 as a way to assist entrepreneurial start-up companies with up-front counseling, seed funding and access to a powerful resource network. Created by the collaboration between SCRA and the research foundations of Clemson University, the University of South Carolina, and the Medical University of South Carolina, SC Launch is an entrepreneurial inspired program. Created by entrepreneurs and run with best entrepreneur practices, SC Launch provides necessary tools to help build successful technology startups, jobs, and future opportunities for entrepreneurs in South Carolina.  

SC Launch's mission is to: 

1. help generate knowledge economy jobs in South Carolina,
2. enhance the state’s quality of life and;
3. provide opportunity for all South Carolinians in the new economy.

Through its entrepreneurial inspired business model, SC Launch has helped South Carolina's job market by:

• supporting and funding nearly 200 start-ups in South Carolina,
• drawing several business relocation landing parties to the state,
• providing business services to some 250 early stage technology companies in South Carolina through a powerful Resource Network and;
• positioning emerging South Carolina Knowledge Economy companies to secure more than $165 million in follow-on funding from angel, venture, and other private capital sources.

In 2011, SC Launch made significant gains:

• Three Award Winning Innovation Centers were opened to house companies working to commercialize their research discoveries. These Centers are state-of-the-art laboratories, manufacturing, and business facilities whose occupants work on new technologies in such fields as bioscience, advanced manufacturing, energy and environmental sustainability, and pharmaceuticals. A number of SC Launch companies are housed in these facilities.
• SC Launch invested in eleven new, promising portfolio companies and supported three companies moving operations to South Carolina.
• The increase in applicants in 2011 demonstrated the success of the SC Launch program.  The increased number of companies that actually received support showed that companies are maturing in their life cycles and choosing to run their businesses in the State of South Carolina. 

Good Stewardship
SC Launch is particularly proud to be an efficient steward of its funds. The organization documented that in 2010 95% of its funds were directed into investments in entrepreneurial company growth.

National & International Recognition
The business awards winning company was recognized in The 2011 American Business Awards for its role in leading collaborative entrepreneurial and economic development efforts.

"SC Launch is overwhelmed to receive such an honor from the American Business Awards," said SCRA Executive Vice President and SC Launch Executive Director Dave McNamara. "I would like to thank our staff, our investment board, and our outstanding resource partners for their hard work and dedication in building our program."

SCRA CEO Bill Mahoney added: "The SC Launch program continues to identify and support emerging technology businesses in South Carolina, and we are pleased to be recognized on a national scale.  We are committed to advancing South Carolina's Knowledge Economy, and I am confident that SC Launch, along with other SCRA operations, will continue to help companies succeed through our partnership efforts."

In addition to winning a Stevie Award, SC Launch was recognized by Forbes as one of the top entrepreneurial support programs in the nation for its dedication to pursing its mission. SCRA also received national and international recognition for such diverse outcomes as advances in defense-related manufacturing technologies, design and construction of LEED-certified research facilities, and quality-of-life improvements for prosthetics users.

About Dave McNamara:
Dave McNamara serves as SCRA Executive Vice President and SC Launch Executive Director. McNamara provides leadership at SC Launch by directing all aspects of operations, research, communications, and recommendations of the program. He is an experienced Fortune 500 and start-up executive, and also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina and Midlands Technical College. McNamara is a strong asset to the SC Launch program and brings the program an entrepreneurial spirit that is seasoned, savvy, and forward-looking.

About Bill Mahoney:
Bill Mahoney serves as President and CEO of SCRA and brings over 35 years of technology management and applied systems innovation and leadership to the company. Mahoney’s leadership has positioned SCRA as an emerging global leader in targeted applied research and commercialization vertical markets for federal and corporate clients. He has brought national attention to the award-winning SC Launch program, which was created under his watch.

About SCRA:
SCRA is an applied research company with over 28 years of experience delivering technology solutions with high returns on investment to federal and corporate clients. SCRA has three sectors which fulfill our missions: our Technology Ventures sector helps early-stage companies to commercialize innovations and create jobs, our Applied R&D sector manages over 100 national and international programs worth over $1.5 billion in contract value and our R&D Facilities sector builds and manages research facilities that include wet labs, secure rooms for sensitive work and advanced high-tech manufacturing shops.

In order to better serve our website visitors, The Stevie® Awards has updated and improved the search function on our websites.

Our newly added search function powered by Google provides:

1. Easier access to information
   Now, searching on any one of our four awards program web sites - The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, and The Stevie Awards for Women in Business – will produce consolidated, fresh search results from all four sites.
   
2. Consolidated search results
   With search results provided by Google, you’ll find what you’re looking for faster and in a format you’re accustomed to.

To access our search powered by Google, enter your keywords in the "Search Site" box at the top of any Stevie Awards webpage and hit enter.

Have you tried our new site search? Let us know what you think!  

The second early-bird deadline for The American Business Awards is today, Wednesday, December 14.Here are the first steps to help you start the submission process for The 2012 American Business Awards:

1. Get your entry kit here.
2. Review the 2012 ABA categories. We have dozen of possible categories including awards for organizations, teams, departments, and individuals as well as awards for websites, videos, blogs, apps, live events, and much more.
3. Review past winners' entries here. They're great models for how you should write your entries.
4. Make the most out of your submissions and learn how to submit winning entries here.

Have questions? Contact us at help@stevieawards.com; we'd love to help you get started on your 2012 submissions!

Not going to make the early-bird deadline? Don't worry - the next ABA deadline is March 28, 2012!

As the December 14 early-bird deadline for The 2012 American Business Awards approaches, we encourage everyone to submit their entries for the 2012 ABAs. Get your entry kit here.

Below are the top 10 reasons why you should enter:

1. Improve employee morale.  
   Applying for The Stevie® Awards is a simple and affordable way to recognize your organization and employees.
2. Impress potential clients.
   Your work will not only be reviewed and honored by peers and competitors, but also by potential clients!  Use the American Business Awards categories to show off your work and achievements.
3. Global recognition and free publicity.   
   Gold Stevie Award winners will have the opportunity to make a 30-second acceptance speech before an audience of 600+ executives from across the country during a nationally-broadcast awards dinner that will also be streamed worldwide over the Internet.
4. Company size equality.  
   You don't have to be a big company to win a Stevie!  Small organizations have an equal opportunity to win Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevies.
5. Access to your industry's leaders.  
   Many of the world's top business leaders will review your nominations during the judging process.
6. Flexible categories and newly-added categories.
   There are dozens of business award categories for individuals, companies, teams and departments as well as new categories to recognize websites, blogs, and apps!  Our ABA categories include acknowledgement of exceptional management and finance,  marketing and public relations, product development, customer service, and human resources.
7. Low entry fees. 
   The publicity that comes with winning a Stevie Award is well worth the low entry fees.
8. Earn industry status.
   The ABA is a great way to benchmark your achievements against competitors in your industry.
9. Oscar-like trophies.
   The Stevie Award trophies are among the most coveted prizes in the world and are produced by the creators of the Oscars. And now there's more of them, with the introduction of Silver and Bronze Stevies.
10. The Stevie Awards are the world's premier business awards. 
    You and your team deserve the kind of positive recognition that comes with being a Stevie Awards recipient.

What's your number one reason for applying for The American Business Awards?

There will be two ceremonies held to celebrate The 2012 American Business Awards- our traditional banquet in New York City on June 18, and our new tech awards ceremony in San Francisco in September (date and setting TBD). Tickets for both of these events will go on sale in mid-May. (Entries are now being accepted for The 2012 American Business Awards, get your entry kit here.)

Categories being celebrated in New York City include:

• Annual Report Awards & Other Literature Categories
• Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Awards Categories
• Customer Service Awards Categories
• Human Resources Awards Categories
• Live Event Awards Categories
• Support Awards Categories
• Video Awards Categories

Categories being celebrated in San Francisco include:

• App Awards Categories
• Company / Organization Awards Categories
• Information Technology Awards Categories
• New Product Awards & Product Management Categories
• Web Site Awards Categories

Awards  in the company / organization awards, marketing awards, and management awards categories will be announced in New York City or San Fransisco, depending on the category. See a complete list of all ABA categories.

Which 2012 American Business Awards categories will you be applying for? 

The first early-bird deadline for The 2012 American Business Awards, the largest of The Stevie Awards programs, is this Wednesday, November 16th. To be considered for the first early-bird deadline, submit your entries by 11:59PM Wednesday night.

How to Enter:

1. Request the Entry Kit.  Once emailed to you, the kit will be your guide on everything you'll need to know about how to prepare and submit your entries.
   
   
2. Pick who you would like to recognize and what for. There are hundreds of categories to choose from as well as awards for individuals, teams, and departments. Click here to see the entire list of categories.
   
   
3. Don't panic if you're not going to make the deadline, the second early-bird deadline is December 14. Click here to see the ABA's calendar.  

Entries submitted after the early-bird deadline will not be penalized in any way in the judging process. Preliminary judging will begin in April after the final entry deadline of April 25, 2012.  

Who do you know that should be nominated in the American Business Awards?

Artitudes Design Inc., of Issaquah, Washington, USA received a Stevie Award for Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year in The 2011 American Business Awards. The same program also won in the 2010 Stevie Awards for Women in Business. (Entries are now being accepted for the 2012 ABAs - get your entry kit.)

As the CEO and Creative Principal of Artitudes Design Inc., Andrea Heuston
strongly believes in creating and cultivating a culture of giving back to the community. Because art programs have been consistently cut from the curriculum, teachers and schools look to the community to fill this growing gap. Heuston has responded by providing arts education to local elementary schools through the company’s Artitudes in Action: Art Docent Campaign.  We asked Heuston about her crusading efforts to keep art in the classroom.

Why is art such an important subject for young children?
Every child learns differently. Art has been proven to help develop problem solving and critical thinking skills as well as cognitive and creative skills. Our main goal is to educate children in a variety of mediums such as painting, drawing, sculpture, and movement so we can reach those with different strengths and abilities. We need to give children as many tools as possible to make them as successful as possible. With school budget deficits, art is one of the first subjects to be cut.  We all need to step up and help wherever public school systems need the support.

How can non-design companies help support projects such as the Artitudes Art Docent Campaign?
There are several ways that people can help support our cause in their own communities. Volunteering at local schools as an art docent is a great way to give back. Most schools have art docent programs, but not many have enough parent volunteers and supplies to sustain the programs. If you are unable to volunteer, consider helping spread the word, or donate supplies to schools in your area.

What are Artitudes Design’s plans for the future of the Art Docent Campaign?
Our plan is to remain small, but to reach more students each school year. We would like to raise awareness in our community, and to people everywhere.  We would love to see more volunteers donating their time so the task isn't left only to small programs like ours. Awareness is one of our main goals. We hope that if more people are made aware of the need for art education it will encourage more people to get involved in their local schools.

About the Art Docent Campaign
Since 2007, graphic design firm Artitudes has partnered with Seattle-area schools, working with them to select classes with the greatest need for art instruction. The company’s employees then volunteer their time as art docents, allowing them to give something back to the community about which they are passionate: Art.

These aren’t your typical art docents, however. Team members create sample art projects, write lesson plans, purchase supplies or use recycled materials, coordinate with an elementary school, and then teach the lesson to the class. If classes are focusing on a specific topic, such as the Lewis & Clark expedition, the docents will tailor their lesson plans to that subject. Recently, a fifth grade class was learning about impressionism, so the docents created a project based on Monet’s landscapes. The lesson included tearing magazines into pieces and creating an impressionistic landscape on paper.

Artitudes focuses on using recycled materials in its instruction. This helps
keep out-of-pocket costs low, is environmentally conscious, and allows students
to recreate the projects in their own time for very little cost. Every child
has a unique learning style and creative strength, therefore the company works
with different tools and mediums, including painting, drawing, and
sculpture.

A Growing Challenge
The biggest challenge that Artitudes foresees is keeping up with the growing
demand for arts education in schools. Washington State has a budget shortfall of over $2 billion, and school funding is already being impacted. Artitudes believes it is now even more critical to grow the art docent program to reach more students; but that this can only be achieved through continued media outreach, donations of time and money, and the creation of a non-profit organization dedicated to championing basic arts education.

Art instruction is an essential tool in the development of a child.  It is a
critical building block in developing cognitive and creative skills.  The Artitudes Art Docent Campaign is just one program that will keep art inspiration alive so that the children of today become the artists and graphic designers of tomorrow. 

About Andrea Heuston
Andrea Heuston, CEO & Creative Principal of Artitudes Design, has over 20 years of experience in the graphic design industry. She established Artitudes in 1995. Heuston strongly believes in giving back to the community and focuses on advocating for the prevention of child abuse and on promoting arts education. She serves as a Board of Director with the non-profit organization Olive Crest, is a member of Entrepreneurs’ Organization, and serves on the Executive Committee of NW Next Leaders Council.

About Artitudes Design
Artitudes Design Inc. is a full service graphic design firm that specializes in executive communications within the high tech, retail, and non-profit verticals through customized presentations, marketing, motion graphics, and branding solutions. Founded in 1995, Artitudes currently employs 15 people. For more information go to www.artitudesdesign.com.

How is your organization engaging with your local community?