Yesterday was the final entry deadline for the 11^th annual International Business Awards, the world’s top business awards program.

By popular demand, we have decided to universally extend the final entry deadline through Wednesday, July 9.  No additional late fees or penalties will be required, and late entries will not be penalized in any way in the judging process.

GET THE ENTRY KIT HERE.

The IBAs typically receive nominations from organizations in more than 50 nations and territories and are the world’s only completely international business awards competition. All organizations and individuals worldwide are eligible to submit entries.

This business awards program features a wide range of categories to recognize achievement in every aspect of the workplace, including

• Customer Service Awards
• Company/Organization Awards
• Creative Awards
• Human Resources Awards
• Information Technology Awards
• Management Awards
• Marketing Awards Categories
• New Product Awards
• Corporate Communications, IR, and PR Awards
• Support Awards 
• Web Site Awards, Smartphone and Tablet App, and other media awards

See the full list of International Business Awards categories.

Nominations should cite achievements since January 1 2013. There is no eligibility timeframe for app and web site entries - it does not matter when they were first published.

Winners of the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Awards will be announced on August 13, and the winners celebrated at a gala banquet at the Westin Vendome Hotel in Paris, France on October 10.

Do not hesitate to contact us with your questions about how to participate in The 2014 International Business Awards.

The first of two awards banquets for The 2014 (12th Annual) American Business Awards, the premier business awards programs in the U.S.A., will be staged next Friday, June 13 at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago.

* Get your tickets here

* Reserve guest rooms at the Fairmont Hotel here

The customer service, human resources, live events, publications, public relations & corporate communications, support and video awards categories, and selected categories for company/organization, management, and marketing, will be presented in Chicago next Friday.

The app, IT, new product and service, and website awards categories, and other selected categories for company/organization, management, and marketing, will be presented at a second event on September 12 in San Francisco.

So who's coming to the gala in Chicago next week?  Here's a current list of the organizations who've already confirmed their attendance.

7-Eleven
97th Floor
AAA Auto Club Group
ABM Franchising Group
AccountingDepartment.com
Acorda Therapeutics
Adconion Direct
AECOM
AHC
All Florida Paper, Inc.
AMD
American Medical Response
American Solar Direct
AT&T
Avention
BackBay Communications
Bankers Warranty Group/Bankers Financial Corp
BDS Marketing, Inc.
Benefitmall
Best Doctors, Inc.
Bloom Health
Bloomin' Brands
BMO Capital Markets
Borro
Capital One ShareBuilder
Cars.com
Checkers & Rally's Restaurants
Cisco Systems
Citrix Systems
Cub Cadet
CyraCom International, Inc.
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
Dean Evans and Associates
Digital Grin Communications
Diligent Board Member Services
Echelon Design, Inc.
Electric Insurance Company
Empire Today
Endurance
Engility
EPS Financial
Experian Marketing Services
Extraordinary Events
Fazoli's Restaurants
FBMC Benefits Management
Fiksu
FleishmanHillard (for AT&T)
Fora Financial
Google, Inc.
Graebel Companies, Inc.
Grand Canyon University
Grass Roots Meetings & Events, Inc.
Grow Marketing
Hamilton Jewelers
HighPoint Global
Home Instead Senior Care
HRsmart
Hyatt Legal Plans
Hyundai Motor America
IgnitionOne
Information Builders
Insperity
Integral Ad Science
InVNT
Isagenix
Kowa Pharmaceuticals
L.C. Williams & Associates
Level 3 Communications, LLC
Locus Telecommunications, Inc.
Lyris
Makovsky Integrated Communications
MarketBridge
Marriott Vacations Worldwide
MassMutual Financial Group
mBlox
Medtech
Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
Minacs Marketing Solutions
Monitronics
MOSAIC Rehabilitation, Inc.
Move Management, Inc.
MWW
Nongshim America
NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATION
Omnitracs, LLC
One Eighty
Oswego Community Unit School District 308
Oxford City Football Club, Inc.
Pairelations, LLC
Pepco Holdings, Inc.
Petplan
PetRays / CardioVet
PrintingForLess.com
ProcessPro
Quality Systems, Inc.
Realityworks, Inc.
Redbud Financial Group
Renters Warehouse
Roof Diagnostics Solar
Roth Staffing Companies, L.P.
Ryan, LLC
Saatchi and Saatchi
SCRA
Sentient Interactive
Sentric, Inc.
SignUpGenius
SingleHop
Slack and Company
Snowbound Software
Squaremouth
Squarespace
Stratus Interactive
SunTrust Banks, Inc.
Tallie
TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES
TechnologyAdvice
Teletrac, Inc.
Terapeak
The 5th Avenue Theatre
The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions
The Remi Group, LLC
The Webster Group
TIAA-CREF
Trex Company
Trupanion
U.S. Green Building Council
UAE Embassy - Consulate Division
UAE Embassy - Police Division
USHEALTH Advisors
Utah Basement Kitchen & Bath
Velie Law Firm
Virtusa Corporation
Washington Street Properties
Wells Fargo Bank
Wheels, Inc.
World Water Works, Inc.
Xcelus
Yext (Representing Citibank)

Want to network with this impressive group of organizations? Get your tickets here.

Janine Popick is CEO & Founder of VerticalResponse in San Francisco, California, USA, and the winner of a Gold Stevie Award for Female Executive of the Year-Business Services (up to 2,500 Employees) in the 2013 Stevie Awards for Women in Business.

The 2014 Stevie Awards for Women in Business competition is now open.  The early-bird entry deadline is July 23.  GET THE ENTRY KIT HERE.

“How do I build or get an email marketing list?” As the leader of an email marketing software company for the last 13 years that’s been the most common question I’ve heard whenever I’ve talked to small businesses.

I’m also often asked if it’s okay to use a purchased, rented, or scraped email list.

My answer? Nope. Nada. Not so much. There are no shortcuts to growing an engaged and loyal base of subscribers, fans, and followers.

In reality, rather than get you the results you want, that purchased list could tarnish your relationship with your recipients—not a great way to start out.

So, how do you grow a list with engaged subscribers who want to hear from your business? I have five sure-fire ways, so read on!

1. Offer Value

In exchange for giving you their email address, subscribers expect to get something of value. Whether it’s a discount, exclusive deal, advance access, tips, how-tos, advice, or something else, make sure the value is stated on your email sign-up form.

2. Give ’Em a Sneak Peek

You can give folks a sneak peek of what they’ll get by joining your email list. How? By providing tangible examples of your emails, newsletters, and invitations right on your website. This gives them a chance to “try before they subscribe.”

At VerticalResponse, we archive our weekly VR Buzz e-newsletter so folks can preview what they’ll see before they hand over their email addresses. Also, once they’re a subscriber, if they happen to miss a newsletter, they always have easy access to it.

3. Subscribe (Opt-in) Everywhere

Sending emails to your subscribers is all based on getting their permission first. Here’s where your “join my list” form—also called an opt-in form—comes into play. An opt-in form is priceless because, when people willingly give you their email addresses, they’re saying they want to hear from you. And by getting opt-in permission, you build a relationship and gain trust. It’s a win-win for both parties.

Tip: Make sure you keep your forms short, and easy.  Also, give folks the opportunity to sign up whenever they contact or interact with your business, including from multiple pages on your website (homepage, contact page, pricing page, etc.), your blog, your Facebook profile, transactional emails such as receipts and invoices, and at events or tradeshows.

4. Get Them to Pass It On

The ability to forward an email to a friend seems to have been around since the dawn of email marketing (trust me, I was there), but it’s amazing how many people still don’t include the forwarding ability in their emails.  This is a missed opportunity, especially now that people are totally accustomed to sharing any messages that they think friends or co-workers might get value from or enjoy.

Encourage the forward by saying something like: “Share this email with friends you think might enjoy it!” All email service providers should allow you to insert a forward to a friend link very easily when you create your email. The bonus is that an email service will usually include an option to sign up for a mailing list in these forwarded emails, and that will add to list growth!

5. (Social) Sharing is Caring

Make sure that every email you send can be shared by your current subscribers on their social media networks. Most email service providers let you include social media buttons in your emails that allow recipients to share your message on Facebook and Twitter.  Reporting and tracking will allow you to see how many people are sharing your messages.

There you have it:  Five sure-fire (and easy) ways to grow your email list. Have any to add to my list? Share them in the comments!

Did you enjoy this post? If so, sign up for the free VR Buzz weekly newsletter and check out the VerticalResponse Marketing Blog.

About Janine Popick
Janine Popick is the CEO and founder of VerticalResponse, a provider of online marketing tools for small businesses that include email marketing and social media marketing. Janine brings over 20 years of experience leading direct and Internet marketing programs for some of the biggest brands in technology and entertainment.

About VerticalResponse
VerticalResponse Inc., a subsidiary of Deluxe Corporation, provides a full suite of online marketing tools to help small businesses connect with their customers on email, social media, mobile, and more. More than 1 million users worldwide have relied on the VerticalResponse platform to easily create, manage, and analyze their own marketing campaigns, all from a single account. For more information visit www.verticalresponse.com, or connect on Twitter and Facebook.

The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards gala awards banquet took place this past Friday in Seoul, South Korea where five Grand Stevie Award winners were announced along with Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie winners.

The Grand Stevies were conferred upon the five highest-scoring Gold Stevie Award-winning entries from the five nations that submitted the most entries to the 2014 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards.  Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners were announced in April. 

The Grand Stevie Award winners are:

• Maras Group, of Adelaide, Australia.  Steve Maras, Managing Director & CEO of the firm, won Gold for Services Executive of the Year in Australia.

• PT. Telekomunikasi Indonesia, Tbk (Telkom Indonesia) Jakarta, Indonesia, which had won a Gold Stevie for Technology Company of the Year

• PartspARTs & IMSEONOC, Seoul, South Korea. 
  IMSEONOC's Korean Uniform for the 2015 Sochi
  Winter Olympic Closing Ceremony had won
  a Gold Stevie.

• ABS-CBN, of Quezon City , the Philippines,
  which won one of their two Gold Stevie Awards
  for Services Company of the Year.

• Delta Air Lines - Asia Pacific Customer Engagement and Sales Support Center, Singapore, Gold Stevie winner for Customer Service Leader of the Year.           

The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are the first new Stevie Awards program to be launched in seven years.  This business awards program was open to all organizations operating in the 22 nations of the Asia-Pacific region. 

Review the full list of Stevie Award winners here.

The 2014 awards offered 18 categories to choose from including Technology Company of the Year, Servcies Company of the Year, and Fastest Growing Company of the Year. We congratulate those who were awarded with a Stevie Award this past Friday.

Join the mailing list for the 2015 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards and you'll be emailed the entry kit as soon as it's available this fall.

The entry kit for the 2014 (11th annual) Stevie® Awards for Women in Business is now available and entries are being accepted.

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT HERE.

The early-bird entry deadline, with discounted entry fees, is July 23.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business are the world's top honors for female entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and the organizations they run. All organizations and individuals worldwide are eligible to submit entries. Startup of The Year is a new category this year, and the entry fees for the New Product and Services categories have been reduced significantly.

The entry kit contains all of the information you'll need to be able to prepare and submit entries to this year's awards. The final entry deadline is August 27, but late entries will be accepted through September 24 with payment of a late fee.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business feature categories to recognize achievement in many facets of worklife, including

* Entrepreneur Awards
* Executive Awards
* Management Team Awards
* Company of the Year Awards
* PR Awards
* Marketing Awards
* New Product Awards
* Website & App Awards
   and More

Wondering how you or your company can benefit from entering the Stevie Awards for Women in Business? Past winners share their experiences:

Winning a Stevie "shone a bright light on Signature HomeStyles’ mission to make a difference … one home at time. The Stevie Awards helped create more awareness about our company with articles appearing in the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Daily Herald, and other news outlets."
--- Madolyn Johnson, founder and CEO of Signature HomeStyles

"The town where I lived at the time I received the award -- Davie, Florida --  was so proud of and impressed with my Stevie Award that they named a day after me!  I never could have anticipated that this type of recognition would elicit such a response from my community, and I am grateful that the judges acknowledged the importance of supporting those with autism.  Winning the Lifetime Achievement Stevie Award was one of the high points of my career."
--- Valerie Herskowitz, president of the Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists

“I encourage every woman in business to explore the Stevie Awards program and consider nominating yourself or another worthy advocate for the awards. The Stevie Awards staff and community are incredibly supportive and insightful. Going through the nomination process is fun and generates powerful self-discovery. Take that step – find your voice!”
--- Liz Ryan, founder of Human Workplace

About the Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in five programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, and a new program, the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards.  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.

We've just published a 6-minute film featuring an overview of the Stevie® Awards, the host of the world's premier business awards programs, and interviews with Stevie Award winners.  

Watch the video here. 

The film provides an overview of all six Stevie Awards programs.

• The International Business Awards
• The Stevie Awards for Women in Business
• The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards
• The American Business Awards
• The Stevie Awards for Sales and Customer Service
• The German Stevie Awards

The entry deadline for The International Business Awards is May 14. Now in their 11th year, the IBAs typically receive nominations from organizations in more than 50 nations and territories. The IBAs are the world's only completely international business awards competition. All organizations and individuals worldwide are eligible to submit entries.

The International Business Awards recognize achievement in every facet of the workplace -- from annual report awards, app awards, company/organization awards, customer service awards, human resources awards, information technology awards, marketing awards, and more. See all of the awards categories here.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the world’s top honors for women entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and the organizations they run, will begin accepting entries Monday, May 19. Enter before July 24 for discounted entry fees.

Have questions regarding The Stevie Awards? Don't hesitate to contact us by email or at
+ 1 703-547-8389.

Robert Nicoson is Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Constant Contact®, Inc., in Waltham, Massachusetts. Nicoson is the Chair of the Final Judging Committee for the Human Resources awards categories in The 2014 American Business Awards, the top business awards program in the US.

Bob Nicoson has played an essential role in Constant Contact’s impressive growth. In the five years that he’s been with the company, the number of employees has tripled to more than 1,200 across six offices in the U.S. and abroad.  “My focus is making absolutely sure we hire well, and that we connect our people to our mission of helping small business succeed,” he says.  Bob and his team also get creative in ensuring that Constant Contact is an innovative and fun place to work, from regular employee Innovation Jams, to employee Wow! Awards, to a weekly “beer cart,” and more.

We asked Bob for his advice on how companies can find and keep the right employees.  “It’s all about engagement,” Bob told us.  “From the candidate experience right up through alumni status.  The best HR leaders are laser-focused on employee lifecycle strategies that set engagement metric records and promote an environment that supports extraordinary business results.” 

“Getting the basics right and sticking to the vital few priorities—a big challenge!—will lead to breakthrough HR outcomes,” concluded Bob

Evolution

Constant Contact has evolved from an email marketing company to an online marketing powerhouse, serving the needs of more than 600,000 small businesses globally. The company’s tremendous growth has paralleled its expanding employee base. Amid such dynamic growth, Constant Contact’s human resources team fine-tuned its comprehensive employee program in order to empower all employees to serve as recruiters, to fuel innovation, and to develop leadership skills.  This approach has ultimately fostered a diverse employee base that drives customer success in a work hard/play hard environment.  It also led Constant Contact to win a Gold Stevie® Award for Human Resources Department of the Year in The 2013 American Business Awards.

“The Stevie is a nice badge of honor for our team,” Bob told us.  “It’s helped to build our brand both inside and outside of Constant Contact and has resulted in a number of unsolicited applications for HR professionals who want to join a winning team.”

On being appointed Chair of The 2014 American Business Awards Human Resources Final Judging Committee, Bob commented:  “It’s an honor to serve the Stevie Awards organization to select the ‘best of the best’ HR departments.  I guess that it takes one to know one!” 

Spanning The Globe

While he’s now happily settled in the Boston area and enjoying all things New England, especially Cape Cod, Bob’s career has spanned the globe.  For more than 20 years Bob worked internationally, opening offices in Ireland, the U.K., and Puerto Rico while in executive leadership positions at Scala Business Solutions, The Pioneer Group, and Lotus Development (now Lotus Software).  During that time he also had the opportunity to live for four years in The Netherlands.  His work took him back to the Boston area when he served as Vice President at social networking site Gather, Inc., and as Human Resources Director of the Weston Jesuit School of Theology. 

What keeps him happy at Constant Contact?  “I love being surrounded by really smart people who genuinely enjoy supporting small business success.  And our leadership completely backs our efforts to make sure that Constant Contact continues to be a great place to work.”

On The Fast Track

Bob is excited about the future. “I get stoked by building meaningful engagement programs and services to support an employee population,” he told us, especially when those employees are “on the fast track, are crazy about innovation, and have an affinity and alignment for a common purpose and goals.”

In his free time, Bob is an adventure junkie.  A recent vacation found him hiking Machu Picchu and he’s also backpacked every National Park in the U.S.  For his next trip, he’s off to Bhutan.  So don’t expect to find Bob just sitting around—except when he’s working on the American Business Awards final judging!

About Robert Nicoson:

Bob joined Constant Contact® in June of 2008 and has more than 25 years of experience in human resources leadership and general management. In his role, he oversees all human resources programs, practices, and policies that govern Constant Contact's business needs and culture. Bob also drives executive, cross-functional team, and management leadership and development; strategic workforce planning and staffing; and compensation, performance management, and recognition and reward systems for the company.

Prior to joining Constant Contact, Bob served as vice president at Gather Inc., a social networking site for adults. Before Gather Inc., he was the director of human resources and change management consultant at Weston Jesuit School of Theology and the director of human resources and administration at CertaLogic Inc. He also held executive leadership positions in global human resources at Scala Business Solutions, The Pioneer Group, Inc., and Lotus Development Corp. (now Lotus Software).

Bob holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana State University.

About Constant Contact, Inc.:
Constant Contact helps small businesses do more business. It has been revolutionizing the success formula for small businesses, nonprofits, and associations since 1998, and today works with more than 600,000 customers worldwide. The company offers the only all-in-one online marketing platform that helps small businesses drive repeat business and find new customers. It features multi-channel marketing campaigns (newsletters/announcements, offers/promotions, online listings, events/registration, and feedback) combined with shared content, contacts, and reporting; free award-winning coaching and product support; and integrations with critical business tools—all from a single login. The company’s extensive network of educators, consultants/resellers, technology providers, franchises, and national associations offer further support to help small organizations succeed and grow. Through its Innovation Loft, Constant Contact is fueling the next generation of small business technology.

PT. Unilever Indonesia Tbk in Jakarta, Indonesia, won a Gold Stevie® Award for Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year (Asia, Australia & New Zealand) in the Company/Organization Awards categories of The 2013 International Business Awards.  Entries to the 2014 International Business Awards, the world’s premier business awards program, are now being accepted.  Get your entry kit here.

We talked with Sinta Kaniawati, General Manager of the Unilever Indonesia Foundation, about its Stevie® Award-winning program.

“The trash generated by city dwellers is set to increase significantly in the next two decades, especially in fast-growing cities in developing countries like Indonesia.” Sinta explained. “Poor waste management makes residential neighborhoods in cities more prone to health, environmental, and social problems.”

Waste pollution in tropical regions can result in malaria, typhoid, and dysentery. A lack of recycling programs has resulted in the burning of plastic waste, which has contributed to 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to a World Bank Report in 2012.

To tackle this problem, Unilever Foundation Indonesia developed its “Community Waste Bank Program” to empower communities to take action to reduce waste while receiving economic benefits.

We asked Sinta what winning a Gold Stevie® Award for Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year had meant to the Foundation.

“Winning the Gold Stevie is an international recognition of what we are doing with our CSR program here in Indonesia, and it really does make a difference,” Sinta told us. “With its panel of reputable international judges, The International Business Awards provides recognition and confirmation that our program meets international standards—even though, at present, it is only implemented locally in Indonesia. We hope that, with the exposure our program has gained through the Stevie Awards, our Community Waste Bank program can also be replicated elsewhere.”

The Unilever Indonesia Foundation launched the first Community Waste Bank program in 2004 with just 20 Community Waste Banks in Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city with a population of over 3 million.  By 2012, the program had grown to 499 banks, a 2000% increase in just 8 years. The program is now being carried out in the ten most populated cities in Indonesia, and reaches a combined population of more than 20 million people.

Helping Communities to Help Themselves

The Unilever Indonesia Foundation program assists communities in developing a system where they can collect inorganic waste and sell it based on its value. The money is saved at the Waste Bank and can be cashed over time. The system works like a regular bank, except that individuals deposit waste instead of money.

In 2012, 278 tons of waste was collected, generating 300 million Inodnesian Rupiah (approximately $26,000) of profits.  This was shared by more than 28,000 waste bank customers and directly impacted 140,000 beneficiaries. The profits have enabled low-income families to buy 3 kg of rice per month.

Areas with waste banks have reduced their waste by 80% and reported a considerable reduction in health problems.

The waste bank program aims to realize the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan target of “Reducing Environmental Impact” with the target of halving Indonesia’s waste by 2020.

In 2013, the Unilever Indonesia Foundation was on target to increase the number of waste banks to 700 while continuing to develop them into larger business units.  The Foundation’s unique approach has put the community at the center, while engaging governments, NGO partners, media, and its own corporate functions to support the program.

“Working with our NGO Partners, we trained the community to establish and manage the waste banks.” Sinta explained. “We support access to the market by establishing links with waste collectors as waste buyers. We also support the scaling-up of each waste bank to become larger business unit by approaching local banks to assist with soft loans for waste shredding machines.” Additionally, communities have been taught how to turn plastic waste into attractive recycled household items for sale; and organic waste is turned into compost.

In 2009, the Foundation’s Community Waste Bank program won the Stevie® Award for Environmental Responsibility Program of the Year for adding value to plastic waste. The program has influenced the Government of Indonesia to include waste banks in Indonesia’s “Adipura” Cities Performance Awards; and it was adopted as a Best Practice CSR Program in Waste Reduction by Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment in 2013.

Future Sustainability Programs

We asked Sinta where the Unilever Indonesia Foundation would be focusing its attention in 2014. “Over the coming year, the three main sustainability programs we will focus on are health, wellbeing, and nutrition; reducing environmental impact; and enhancing livelihood—especially for Indonesian smallholder farmers,” Sinta told us.

“Winning a Stevie Award has energized the whole team at Unilever Indonesia Foundation to keep doing what we are doing,” concluded Sinta.  “We look forward to creating more effective programs that will benefit the community throughout Indonesia.”

About Sinta Kaniawati

Sinta Kaniawati started her career in the corporate world in 1990 when she joined Unilever Indonesia as a management trainee. She built tremendous skills in market research, marketing for national and international brands, and customer development, and was assigned a senior position at Unilever Indonesia Foundation in 2007.  

Since 2009, Sinta has served as a Board Member of Indonesian Business Links and is a former executive team member of the Indonesian National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction. She was named Secretary General of the Indonesian Global Compact Network in 2010, and again in 2014; and she is a member of The International Society of Sustainability Professionals.

Sinta Kaniawati was born in Bandung, Indonesia. She completed her degree at Bogor Agriculture Institute. Despite a busy professional career, Sinta has a wide range of interests.  She loves music and is active in a variety of social organizations such as Bina Antarbudaya (the Indonesian Foundation for Intercultural Learning), and Toastmasters International.  She is also an enthusiastic leadership and communications trainer. Sinta is a LEAD Indonesia Fellow (cohort 15) and has been a presenter at The Climate Reality Project.

She is married with a young son and daughter.

About Unilever Indonesia

PT. Unilever Indonesia Tbk is one of Indonesia’s leading Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies. Its portfolio of Home & Personal Care and Foods & Beverages products is distinguished by many of the world’s best known and most trusted brands, including Lifebuoy, Vaseline, Pepsodent, Lux, Pond’s, Sunlight, Rinso, Blue Band, Royco, Dove, Wall’s, Rexona, Clear, and others.

About Unilever Indonesia Foundation

Unilever Indonesia Foundation focuses on improving health, hygiene, and nutrition; reducing environmental impact; and improving livelihood through sustainable socio-economic programs with the community. The Foundation has been recognized nationally and internationally since 2007.  In addition to The International Business Awards, it has received an Energy Globe Award; the Indonesian MDG Award for Environment, Improving Maternal Health, Reducing Child Mortality, and Combating HIV/AIDS & Other Diseases; and the Indonesian CSR Award and AFCSR Award.

Rosaline Raj is the founding principal of Creative Chaos Communications, a boutique agency in Silicon Valley that helps brands discover, create, optimize and share high quality multimedia content.  Raj first became a Stevie Awards judge in 2012. She now works to create engaging social media content and conversations for the six world-recognized Stevie Award programs. We asked Rosaline to share her insights and experience in judging the Stevie Awards.

Find out more on how to become a judge for the International Business Awards, the world’s premier business awards program, here.

Beyond Inspiration

Rosaline tells us that she first started judging entries for the Stevie Awards  purely for inspiration and to see how big brands and agencies were achieving success amidst the ever-changing communications landscape.  She very quickly learned that this was beyond inspiration. “Judging the awards became a dynamic professional development tool for me. This was the best way for me to gain deep insight into a campaign, project or event from top companies across the world.”

The Content Perspective

We asked Rosaline what role content plays in the entries. “To win an award, not only does the strategy need to be exemplary, but the content needs to break through the chaos. That doesn’t mean creating content for the sake of content. But instead creating high-quality content that is strategic, audience-focused, optimized and has measurable results. The impressive content in the entries - from both big and small brands – have helped build trust and drive awareness, differentiation and preference for their businesses.”

Extraordinary Teams

A winning entry shows how a team’s efforts have positively impacted a business. “I enjoy the stories that illustrate how a great leader creates the vision, builds an extraordinary team and empowers them to deliver exceptional results to their customers. Strong employees definitely build a strong business and it is exciting to see how companies build a successful brand from the inside out.”

Leveling Up the Playing Field

The Stevie Awards programs attracts everyone from the most influential brands to small businesses and non-profit organizations. Time, budget and talent are huge challenges for everyone. “I was particularly impressed with the level of creativity and amazing results from smaller businesses. I loved seeing their ingenuity in overdrive. I think the Stevie Awards level up the playing field and honors remarkable work regardless of company size and budget.”

On Judging Entries

We asked Rosaline on how she judges the entries. “Strategy and results weigh heavily. But I also look at the level of creativity and that extra “something” that takes an entry from great to outstanding.”

The Perks

Judging any awards competition is time-consuming but there are a ton of benefits.  “By judging the Stevie Awards, I have been able to break free from my “comfort zone,” weigh in on the strengths and weaknesses of a variety of projects, benchmark my work against renowned brands in the industry and gain validation that I am on the right track.”

About Rosaline Raj

Rosaline Raj is the founding principal of Creative Chaos Communications and has over 15 years of integrated experience spanning marketing, public relations, employee communications and journalism. She is the editor-in-chief of Contentology, the Creative Chaos monthly publication on all things content and how to grow your business with it. She’s a former board member of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC-Silicon Valley) where her work was honored with a Chapter Management Award (2013). She writes a column for the chapter’s monthly publication, The Communicator, which reaches 500 targeted communicators in the San Francisco Bay Area.  

Previously, she worked for Spansion, a global flash memory company in the automotive, industrial, consumer and communications markets. She was recognized in 2010 with the Vice President Spotlight Award.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in politics from San Jose State University.

About Creative Chaos Communications

Creative Chaos Communications is a boutique agency in Silicon Valley that helps brands discover, create, optimize and share high quality multimedia content.  We believe that a holistic approach to communications drives customer value, business growth and leadership. We believe in giving, sharing and teaching to empower entire communities and work with local non-profits to advance their work.  www.creativechaosgroup.com

First Winners in Newest Stevie Awards Program to Be Honored in Seoul on 30 May

29 April 2014 – Fairfax, VA USA: Winners in the new Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards, the only business awards program to recognize achievement in business throughout the entire Asia-Pacific region, were announced today.  The complete list of Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners is available at http://Asia.StevieAwards.com.

The Stevie Awards are widely considered to be the world's premier business awards, conferring recognition for achievement in the workplace over the past 12 years in programs such as The International Business Awards and the Stevie Awards for Women in Business. The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are the first new Stevie Awards program to be created in seven years.

Stevie winners will be celebrated and presented their awards at a gala banquet at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul, South Korea on Friday, 30 May.  Tickets for the event are now on sale.

Stevie Award winners include, among others:

• AirAsia Berhad, Malaysia
• ABS-CBN, the Philippines
• Billabong International Ltd, Australia
• Fast Retailing Co. Ltd, Japan
• Huawei Technologies, China
• Hyundai Steel, South Korea
• Yoma Strategic Holdings Ltd, Singapore

All organizations in the 22 nations of the Asia-Pacific region were eligible to submit entries.  Nominations of more than 500 organizations were considered for the awards this year.

More than 50 executives around the world participated in the first round of judging to determine the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners.  A second judging panel will choose a very few Grand Stevie Award winners beginning the first week of May.

The Stevie Award trophy, made by the company that makes the Oscar and other major international awards, is among the world's most coveted prizes.

For more information about the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, visit http://Asia.StevieAwards.com.

About the Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in five programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, and the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards. 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 Twitter @TheStevieAwards.