We've published the Gold Stevie Award-winning entries in The 2013 (10th Annual) International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition.

READ THEM HERE

Now you can read the full-text of the entries that nearly 300 judges around the world deemed to be the best in their categories.  They are a treasure trove of case studies about how organizations of all types around the world are innovating, growing, or operating at peak performance.  (If you plan to enter the IBAs in 2014 - entries open in late January, join the mailing list for the entry kit - they are great examples of entries that the judges scored highly.)

Here are some examples of the great stories of achievement you'll find among the 2013 IBA Gold Stevie Award winners:

• Finland's Rovio Entertainment, the people who addicted you to Angry Birds, the winners for Company of the Year in Media & Entertainment
  
  
• The impressive and innovative management team of Best Doctors, Inc., winners of a Gold Stevie for Management Team of the Year
  
  
• Globe Telecom of the Philippine's highly effective marketing campaign, a Gold Stevie winner in the marketing awards categories
  
  
• A groundbreaking technology by Spain's Jofemar, incorporated into their Gold Stevie-winning new product awards nomination
  
  
• The impressive entry in the HR awards categories by India's Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, a Gold Stevie winner for Human Resources Department of the Year
  
  
• The sparkling website of Korea's Hyundai Motor Company, Gold Stevie winner in the website awards categories.

What will you learn from reading Stevie Award winning entries?

1. You'll develop a sense of the types of entries that judges score highly

2. That Stevie Award-winning entries are compelling and well-written

3. That they aren't always about world-shaking or industry-changing innovations

4. If you win a Stevie Award you'll be in very prestigious company!

Join the mailing list now for The 2014 International Business Awards and you'll receive the entry kit by email as soon as it's issued in January.

Makovsky Integrated Communications received the first-ever Grand Stevie Award for Interactive Services Agency of the Year in The 2013 American Business Awards, the top business awards program in the U.S.A.  (Entry to The 2014 American Business Awards is now open. Find out more here.)  Here we look at what winning the Grand Stevie has meant to the company; and at Makovsky’s work for MediScripts, which earned them two Gold Stevies in the Marketing Awards categories of the 2013 ABAs for Online Marketing Campaign of the Year and for Business-to-Business Marketing Campaign of the Year.

When Timothy Kane, Makovsky’s Executive Vice President, Digital Branding, heard that his firm had received the 2013 Grand Stevie for Interactive Services Agency of the Year, he was both delighted and surprised.

 “It was especially gratifying because we’ve made a major effort to build our integrated and interactive capabilities,” said Tim. “In fact, I joined the firm specifically to establish a digital practice. This Grand Stevie is a wonderful acknowledgement that we are accomplishing our goal.”

MediScripts’ Marketing Challenge

Tim was the executive in charge of Makovsky’s multiple Stevie Award-winning MediScripts marketing campaign. “For nearly 20 years, MediScripts had enjoyed an almost effortless increase in sales and profits,” he explained.  “MediScripts’ personalized prescription pads were the perfect way for pharma companies to put their messages right in physicians’ hands at the exact point of prescription.”

But then everything changed.

A Shift to Digital Channels

In recent years, pharma marketers have been shifting an increasing percentage of their marketing dollars away from traditional marketing vehicles and into digital channels. Younger brand managers began to dismiss MediScripts as just another tchotchke.

Makovsky’s challenge was to find a way to move MediScripts out of that tchotchke graveyard and into the world of multichannel marketing.

Introducing a New Medium

The first step was to reposition MediScripts as an actual advertising medium:

MediScripts. The most engaging medium. The agency then redesigned MediScripts’ brand identity, with a modern proprietary font and an icon specifically designed for use in digital applications.

Next, Makovsky suggested a shift in targeting. Over the years, MediScripts had aimed the majority of its marketing efforts toward senior brand marketers at the major pharmaceutical companies. Makovsky suggested broadening their targeting strategy to include younger brand managers, agency media planners, and agency creative directors. Why? Because brand managers control the budget; media planners control the buy; and creative directors control the campaign idea.

The new MediScripts launched in September 2011:

• A new MediScripts website featured separate user interface pathways for its three targets: Brand Managers, Media Planners, and Creative Directors. (This award winning website won a Silver Stevie in the website awards categories of The 2013 American Business Awards.)

• A campaign of provocative digital ads confronted the conventional media wisdom. Headlines like "What ad is more effective than any ad on this site?" drove MediScripts’ targets to the new website in record numbers.

• Erez Lapsker, the young CEO of MediScripts, became the public face of the brand, authoring bylined articles, white papers, and podcasts, and hosting a Marketing Agency Happy Hour with representatives from key organizations.

• Feature articles in major pharma marketing publications such as Med Ad News, PM360, and PharmaVOICE repositioned the company and legitimized point-of-prescription advertising.

From Antiquated to Innovative

Makovsky’s work for the new MediScripts produced immediate results. In the first 90 days of the campaign:

• Website traffic shot up by 120%; unique visits increased over 80%;

• Six feature articles and a corporate announcement produced 65 million media impressions;

• The podcast was downloaded 765 times by key targets and the white paper 104 times;

• The advertising produced historic click-through rates—as high as 4,800% above industry norms.
  

But there was one final—and unexpected—result. MediScripts, once considered an antiquated company with an irrelevant value proposition, was named PM360’s Most Innovative Company of the Year, for its ability to show value within the digital space and convey measurable engagement.

Tim summarized it this way: “The hardest part of any digital campaign is how to measure its success.  Not only was MediScripts able to see an increase in meetings and sales, but also the campaign paid for itself almost immediately.”

About Timothy Kane
Timothy Kane is Executive Vice President, Digital Branding at Makovsky Integrated Communications.  In his thirty-year career as an award-winning writer, designer, and marketing strategist, Tim has developed a unique perspective on the value of branding. "The market always rewards strength," he says. "And strength is revealed through communications." 

About Makovsky Integrated Communications
Kenneth D. Makovsky launched the firm in 1979 with a simple philosophy: “There is no task so difficult that it can’t be accomplished by a team of smart people working in harmony.” That mantra holds true more than 30 years later. Though many of Makovsky’s people have big agency and big brand credentials on their résumés, everyone shares an entrepreneurial mindset, infusing everything the company does with a sense of urgency and total commitment to results. That fosters a culture of collaboration, bound by a shared dedication to exceed clients’ expectations.  For more information visit: http://www.makovsky.com/

We're expecting more than 300 executives from organizations in more than 25 nations to attend The 10th Annual International Business Awards banquet at the W Hotel in Barcelona, Spain on October 14. Tickets are still available.

The IBAs are the world's premier business awards program, with categories to recognize the achievements of professionals in every facet of the workplace.  Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie® Awards will be conferred.  The IBAs feature categories for management awards, marketing awards, overall business excellence, customer service awards, HR awards, IT awards, PR awards, app and website awards, new product awards, and more.

Our guest room block at the W Hotel in Barcelona has sold out.  Any rooms still available at the W for the night of the 14th and adjacent nights will be at market rates.  There are plenty of other fine hotels in Barcelona within a short taxi ride of the W. Among them are the AC Hotel Barcelona Forum and the Hotel Arts Barcelona. See this article for a list of other hotels in the area.

Here's the list of organizations that have already booked their places for The 2013 International Business Awards:

Abu Dhabi Police GHQ Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
Accenture Chicago IL USA
ADCO  Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
ADTRAN Inc. Huntsville AL USA
AECOM New York NY USA
Ajman Police GHQ Ajman United Arab Emirates
Akbank TAS Istanbul Turkey
ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller Dubai United Arab Emirates
AstraZeneca Middle East & Africa
Astro Malaysia Holdings Bhd (Astro) Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
AVL Emission Test Systems GmbH Neuss Germany
AYGAZ Istanbul Turkey
Bahrain National Gas Company Manama Bahrain
Bakkavor Group Ltd Spalding Lincolnshire United Kingdom
Best Doctors Inc. Boston MA
CallidusCloud Pleasanton CA USA
CEZ Bulgaria EAD Sofia
Cisco Systems Inc. San Jose CA U.S.A.
Coca-Cola HBC Croatia Zagreb Croatia
Codan Insurance Copenhagen Denmark
Creative Virtual Ltd London United Kingdom
Daimler AG Stuttgart Germany
DANI Communications Seoul South Korea
Dell Bratislava Slovakia
Diamantis Masoutis S.A. Thessaloniki Greece
ECIJA Abogados Madrid Spain
Everything Everywhere London United Kingdom
Firmex Toronto ON Canada
Forests to Protect Lives Tohoku Association Miyagi Japan
Freelancer.com Sydney Australia
Garden Centre Dhaka Bangladesh
GDC Technology Limited Hong Kong
GeiserMaclang Marketing Communications Manila Philippines
GINGERS s.r.o. Bratislava Slovakia
GLOBAL EVENTS ID Corporation SL Madrid Spain
Global Leaders in Law Beaconsfield United Kingdom
Goyang City South Korea
GreenBulb PR Inc Metro Manila Philippines
GUBRETAS Istanbul Turkey
HANAROADCOM Seoul South Korea
Hanwoo Board Seoul South Korea
Heaven by Deborah Mitchell Shifnal Shropshire United Kingdom
Home Retail Group - Contact Centre (Model Office) Warfield United Kingdom
Hutchison Telecommunications (Hong Kong) Limited
Hzo Inc. Draper UT USA
Implix sp. z o.o. Gdansk Poland
Inovex Inc. Oakville ON Canada
inspiria event service GmbH Salzburg Austria
International Armoring Corporation Centerville UT USA
Jeju Free International City Development Center Jeju City South Korea
Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Council Jeju City South Korea
KEPCO Nuclear Fuel Company Seoul South Korea
Koç Holding Istanbul Turkey
Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology Seoul South Korea
Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation Seoul South Korea
Korea Southern Power Co., Ltd Seoul South Korea
Korea Transportation Safety Authority Seoul South Korea
KOROAD Seoul South Korea
KW Digital Stockholm Sweden
LLORENTE & CUENCA Madrid Spain
Maras Group Adelaide Australia
Marketing Services Press Agency  Siegburg Germany
M-CAT Enterprises LLC Austin TX USA
McCain Foods London United Kingdom
Mediafon Vilnius Lithuania
Mercedes-Benz Istanbul Turkey
MetaMoJi Corporation Tokyo Japan
Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources of Singapore
Nu Skin Enterprises (China Hong Kong Taiwan)
Nunwood London United Kingdom
Ooredoo  Doha Qatar
OPET Istanbul Turkey
other London United Kingdom
OTTOGI Corporation Seoul South Korea
Partner of Promotion Sp. z o.o. Warsaw Poland
promio.net GmbH Bonn Germany
PT Adaro Energy Tbk Jakarta Indonesia
PT Bank Permata Tbk. Jakarta Indonesia
Quality Systems Inc. Irvine CA USA
Reading Room Singapore
REN Lisboa Portugal
Riverbed Technology Reston VA USA
RTR Rete Rinnovabile Rome Italy
Ryan LLC Dallas TX USA
Salalah Free Zone Company Dhofar Oman
SAS Paradise Rescued Cardan Bordeaux France
Seznam.cz Prague Czech Republic
Shell & Turcas Petrol A.S. Turkey
Siemens AG Healthcare Sector Erlangen Germany
Smart Cookie Guildford United Kingdom
SmartSite LLC La Plata USA
SNAS - DHL Express Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Strategic Public Relations Group Hong Kong
SUNGWOOADCOM Seoul South Korea
Telecom Development Company Afghanistan LTD [Roshan] Kabul Afghanistan
TELUS Burnaby BC Canada
TELUS Communications Edmonton AB Canada
The General Directorate of Residence and Foreigners Affairs Ras Al Khaimah United Arab Emirates
The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency Seoul South Korea
The Korea Student Aid Foundation Seoul South Korea
Tmob Mobile Technology Istanbul Turkey
Torres y Carrera Consultores de Comunicación SL Madrid Spain
TRACCS Dubai United Arab Emirates
translate plus London England
TTNET Istanbul Turkey
Türk Ekonomi Bankasi AS Istanbul Turkey
Türkiye Is Bankasi A.S. Istanbul Turkey
Unilever Domestos Turkey
Uskudar Municipality Istanbul Turkey
Verne Global Falls Church VA USA
Virtusa Corporation Westborough MA USA
Weber Shandwick London United Kingdom
WebTalk and Live Warsaw Poland
Zyncro Tech Barcelona Spain

Join them in Barcelona on October 14 - reserve your tickets now!

MAC Presents of New York, New York USA won the Gold Stevie® Award for Small-Budget Marketing Campaign of the Year in the communications and marketing awards categories of the 2012 Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the world's top honors for women entrepreneurs, executives, and the organizations they run.  (Another MAC Presents campaign also won a Gold Stevie for Small-Budget Marketing Campaign of the Year in The 2013 American Business Awards.) The entry deadline for the 2013 Stevie Awards for Women in Business is August 28 - get the entry kit here.)

Here we look at the highly successful AT&T/Samsung sponsorship that MAC Presents put together with the New York fashion label rag & bone.

For the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note, AT&T and Samsung wanted to target the creative, fashion-forward mobile consumer, who would not only want the latest in advanced technology but would also view the device as a fashion accessory.

A custom promotion solution was needed that would establish a Galaxy Note social community within the fashion world during New York’s Fashion Week. Ideally, this social platform would integrate the phone into the daily life both of a fashion designer partner and of respected fashion bloggers.

The Ideal Collaboration

MAC Presents worked with AT&T and Samsung's marketing teams to select the ideal designers for them to collaborate with, and to create the unique marketing that would effectively reach the Galaxy Note's target audience.

MAC Presents developed a custom program that enabled AT&T/Samsung to partner with rag & bone, one of today's leading fashion brands based in New York City. To help reach the Galaxy Note’s influential target audience, MAC Presents worked with rag & bone to create an exclusive case for the Galaxy Note device.

The Galaxy Note was integrated into rag & bone’s 2012 fashion show during New York Fashion Week with signage and an exclusive, branded VIP area backstage. Additionally, influential fashion bloggers such as Bryan Boy, Leandra Medine, and Susie Bubble were given Galaxy Note devices to use for posting to their blogs and tweets during New York Fashion Week.

Comprehensive Media Plan
MAC Presents developed a comprehensive media plan that included print, outdoor, and online advertising as well as social media and public relations outreach. Bus shelter advertising was utilized to promote the partnership in key locations around New York City.

All creative featured the still photography of New York-based photographer Danny Clinch. Danny also shot a :30 commercial for the Galaxy Note featuring rag & bone's designers Marcus Wainwright and David Neville. The pair also hosted a private Galaxy Note launch party in New York City that included a performance from Band of Horses. With many celebrities in attendance, the event attracted millions of press impressions.

MAC Presents’ combined media outreach efforts garnered over 114,000,000 million consumer impressions.

Online Campaign

An extensive online campaign was implemented to increase awareness of the collaboration between AT&T/Samsung and rag & bone. MAC Presents partnered with fashion publications Front Row Daily and WWD to create rich, online advertising opportunities. Additionally, MAC Presents partnered with Billboard.com to reach the fashion, music oriented consumer.

Facebook Advertising

A daily Facebook advertising plan was put into effect to launch the campaign and build awareness of the Samsung Galaxy Note.

In total, over 4 billion consumer impressions were garnered through online efforts.

The Value of Social Media

Marcie Allen, president of MAC Presents, comments: “Social media has opened up brand involvement beyond tour sponsorships.” Allen points to MAC Presents' launching of Nokia Music with AT&T through a sponsorship with Green Day that has garnered more than 165 million social media impressions, as well as a Gold Stevie in the 2013 American Business Awards. “All the programs we put together in 2012 were heavily based in social media,” she says. “There has to be value. You have to be able to measure and track sales. You can do that with social media.”

Inspiring Women

“As a woman in the music industry, recognition in the Stevie Awards has proved an effective tool for me to encourage more women to enter this industry,” continued Allen. “As someone who has been in the music industry for 18 years, I want to inspire women and show them that anything is possible.  All power to the Stevie Awards for Women on its 10^th Anniversary!”

About Marcie Allen
Marcie Allen is President of New York City-based sponsorship and fulfillment agency MAC Presents. Allen leverages her eighteen years of music industry experience to negotiate high profile sponsorships between the world’s leading brands and artists. Allen has executed partnerships on behalf of brands including Jeep, Microsoft, Samsung, CITI, AT&T, and Nokia.  She is a seven-time nominee and two-time winner of Billboard Magazine's Concert Marketing and Promotion Award. Allen was named to Billboard’s Women in Music in 2010, 2011, and 2012 and Billboard’s 40 under 40 in 2013.

In April 2013, The White House honored Allen as one of their Hurricane Sandy "Champions of Change." The event highlighted people and organizations directly involved in response and recovery efforts following Hurricane Sandy. Allen directed a documentary short, “Beach 119,” about her efforts in Rockaways, New York, after the storm.

Prior to starting MAC, Allen owned and operated MAD Booking & Events, which booked and produced music festivals across the country including On the Bricks in Atlanta, GA. Allen is on the board of directors for Musicians on Call and the TJ Martell Foundation.

About MAC Presents
MAC Presents is an award-winning sponsorship and fulfillment agency based in New York City that executes partnerships between the world’s leading brands and artists. With expertise in the music industry, MAC creates authentic brand connections that produce unique experiences and ignite consumer passion.

Last week we announced the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners in The 2013 (10th Annual) International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition.  (See the lists of winners here.)

Earlier today we announced the winners of the Grand Stevie Awards - see that announcement here.

Now we'd like to name and thank the 179 executives around the world who participated on the 10 specialized final judging committees that determined this year's Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners in the final round of IBA judging.  (Earlier this month we thanked the 103 preliminary-round judges whose average scores determined the entries that were eligible to be included in final judging.)

You'll find the names of the committee members on the following pages:

Company / Organization Awards: Dr. Kim Ki-hak, CEO, KEPCO Nuclear Fuel Co., Ltd, Seoul, Korea, Chair
Corporate Communications, Investor Relations & Public Relations Awards: Kevin Read, Managing Director, Bell Pottinger Business & Brand, London, United Kingdom, Chair
Creative Media Awards: Egemen Ozcan, Director, Boogy The Event Company, Istanbul, Turkey, Chair
Customer Service Awards & Support : Angela Blevins, Vice President, Customer Care, Bluegreen Corporation, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, Chair
Human Resources Awards: Husam Mahmoud Abdallah, Senior Advisor, Organization Development, Dubai Airport Free Zone, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Chair
Information Technology Awards, New Product Awards & Product Management : Aslam Khan, CEO, Octaware Technologies Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, India, Chair
Management Awards: Mark F. Burton, CEO & President, International Armoring Corporation, Centerville, Utah, USA, Chair
Marketing Awards: Dr. Anwara Ali, Director of Public Relations. Lycamobile UK Ltd., London, United Kingdom, Chair
Korean Language Judging Committee: Hung Ki Kim, President, Korea Business Communicators Association, Seoul, South Korea, Chair
Spanish Language Judging Committee: Jorge Cachinero, Group Senior Director, Llorente y Cuenca, Madrid, Spain, Chair

This year's final judging was conducted online from July 29 through August 7. The final judges' average scores determined the Stevie Award placements, based on the IBAs' judging and awards process.

The awards will be presented to winners at the 10th annual awards banquet of The International Business Awards on Monday, October 14 at the W Hotel in Barcelona, Spain.  Tickets are now on sale.

Business Awards to Celebrate Excellence Worldwide at Barcelona Event

Organizations and individuals in more than 40 nations have been announced as Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie® Award winners in The 10th Annual International Business Awards, the world’s only international, all-encompassing business awards program.

Nicknamed the Stevies from the Greek word “crowned,” the awards will be presented at a gala event on Monday, 14 October at the W Hotel in Barcelona, Spain. Tickets for the event are on sale now at www.StevieAwards.com/IBA.    

Winning 70 Gold Stevie Awards this year, organizations and individuals in the United States made the best showing.  South Korea came in second place with 43 Golds, while Turkey earned an impressive 21 Gold Stevies.  The United Kingdom earned 19 Gold followed by host nation Spain with 12, Canada with 11, China with 10, Australia with eight, Singapore with six, and the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates with five each.

The top Gold Stevie winner this year is Jack Morton Worldwide (UK and the USA) with five.  Accenture (USA), Maras Group (Australia), and Weber Shandwick (Brazil, Hong Kong and the UK) are runners-up with four each. Winners of three Gold Stevies are Best Doctors, Inc. (USA), Burson-Marsteller (Australia and the UAE), Coca-Cola Turkey (Turkey), Finansbank A.S. (Turkey), Globe Telecom (the Philippines), Ignacio de las Cuevas S.A. (Spain), KW Digital (Sweden), LLORENTE & CUENCA (Spain), Nu Skin Enterprises (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan), Reading Room (Singapore), and RTR Rete Rinnovabile (Italy).

A complete list of all 2013 Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners by category is available at www.StevieAwards.com/IBA.   

Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners were selected from more than 3,300 nominations received from organizations and individuals in more than 50 nations.  All organizations worldwide are eligible to compete in The International Business Awards, and can nominate in a wide range of categories, including management awards, company/organization awards, marketing awards, public relations awards, customer service awards, human resources awards, new product awards, IT awards, web site awards, and more.  

More than 100 professionals around the world participated in preliminary judging in May-July.  Their average scores determined the entries that were eligible to be considered in final judging, which was performed earlier this month by the members of 10 specialized committees.  In total, nearly 300 executives around the world participated in the judging process this year. 

Next week the winners of the Best of the IBA Awards, five best-of-competition prizes, will be announced.

For high-resolution photos of the Stevie Award trophy or International Business Awards logo, visit http://www.stevieawards.com/pubs/iba/press/172_701_3120.cfm. Other information and resources for press are available at http://www.stevieawards.com/pubs/iba/press/172_701_3121.cfm. 

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.  A fifth program, the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, will open for entries next month.  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.   

We are pleased to share that video clips from the first of two award galas celebrating The 2013 (11th Annual) American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the USA, are now available to view on YouTube. (The second gala honoring the tech awards categories will be held on Monday, September 16 at the Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco. Click here to order tickets.)

Watch the June 17th American Business Awards presentations here.

450 entrepreneurs, executives, and their guests from around the country attended the first of two 2013 American Business Awards Banquets on Monday, June 17th at the at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. Categories celebrated at the June 17th ceremony included PR awards, live event awards, annual report awards, video awards, customer service awards, HR awards, support awards, and selected categories for company/organization awards, management awards and marketing awards.

Our American Business Awards video clips from June 17th showcase business award acceptance speeches made by individuals and organizations from around the country, including:

Charles Werhane of Enterprise Community Investment, Winner of the Gold Stevie® Award for Executive of the Year - Real Estate
Charles graciously accepts the award and thanks his team for allowing him to receive the award.

College Works Painting, Winner of the Gold Stevie® Award for Company of the Year - Materials & Construction
Taylor Duncan's accepts the award on behalf of College Works Painting and thanks his colleagues and partners

Constant Contact, Winner of the Gold Stevie® Award for Human Resources Department of the Year
Christine Osborne gratefully accepts the award and highlights the important of her fellow colleagues.

National Football League, Winner of the Gold Stevie® Award for Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year
Gracefully accepting their award, the NFL thanks the ABAs and highlights the benefits of their youth, health, and fitness campaign.

Visionista, Winner of the Gold Stevie® Awardsfor Best Sales Video for Government
Camilla Sullivan's humble speech brought to light the importance of her client's support.

Want to see more from the June 17th  celebration? Watch all acceptance speeches and view photos from the event.

We've just published a 3-minute video about how to enter the world's top business awards program, The International Business Awards . Watch it here:

To view the video on YouTube, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmMKhVwQZy8.

The International Business Awards are the world's top honors in business and the only completely international business awards competition. Our brief video covers all of the information you'll need to be able to prepare and submit entries to the IBAs.

All individuals and organizations worldwide -- public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small -- may submit nominations to the IBAs. The International Business Awards recognize achievement in every facet of the workplace. Our business award categories include: annual report awards, app awards, company/organization awards, customer service awards, human resources awards, information technology awards, management awards, marketing awards, new product awards, public relations awards, support awards, and website awards, among others. See all corporate awards categories.

The final extended entry deadline for the 10th edition of The International Business Awards is 10 July. Nominations should cite achievements during our eligibility period: January 2012 through 10 July 2013, the last day that late entries will be accepted. There is no eligibility timeframe for web site entries - it does not matter when the web sites were first published. (No additional late penalties or fees will be charged in association with the deadline extension. If you haven't already done so, you can request an entry kit here and it will be emailed to you right away.)

Have questions regarding the 2013 IBAs? Don't hesitate to contact us with your questions or call us at + 1 703-547-8389.

American Express OPEN, the NFL, and P&G Among Winners of Gold Stevie® Awards;New Product and Tech-related Winners to Be Announced at Second Event
in San Francisco on September 16

CHICAGO, IL, June 18, 2013 – Shining a spotlight on the best and brightest executives, organizations and employees in America, The 11^th Annual American Business Awards^SM announced Stevie® Award Winners last night at the first of two gala award ceremonies taking place this year.

For the first time, The American Business Awards’ June banquet was held outside of New York City.  Last night’s ceremony took place at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park Hotel and honored winners in categories such as customer service, human resources, corporate communications, live events, publications, and selected categories for company/organization, management and marketing.  Winners in all new product and technology-related categories will be announced at an event in San Francisco on September 16. 

The American Business Awards honor an all-inclusive spectrum of American business people and organizations -- from non-profits, emerging start-ups, major public companies and government agencies, to corner-office executives, corporate communicators, support staff and customer service teams.

Notable Gold Stevie Award Winners announced last night include:

­   Most Innovative Company of the Year: Procter & Gamble

­   Best New Company of the Year: Haystak Digital Marketing

­   Communications or PR Campaign of the Year – Social Media: MSLGROUP

­   Company of the Year – Real Estate: Renters Warehouse

­   Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year: The National Football League

­   Customer Service Department of the Year: Hyatt Legal Plans

­   Executive of the Year – Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations: Michael W. Kempner, CEO of MWW

­   Human Resources Department of the Year: BDS Marketing, Inc.

­   Best Brand Experience Event: NASCAR

­   Viral Marketing Campaign of the Year: U.S. Green Building Council

­   Best Media/Entertainment Video: Sony Playstation

American Express OPEN and NASCAR both won three Gold Stevie Awards last night, more than any other organization.  Winners of two Gold Stevie Awards are Accenture, Aflac, agencyEA, ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc., AXA Equitable, BMO Capital Markets, Experian Consumer Services, EMKAY Inc., K’NEX, Makovsky, Marriott Vacations Worldwide, Quality Systems, Inc., Resonate Pictures, Slack and Company, SquareTrade, SunGard Availability Services, The Keep A Breast Foundation, The Navicor Group, LLC, and VerticalResponse.

More than 3,200 entries were submitted to The 2013 American Business Awards and 320 executives nationwide participated in judging to determine this year’s Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners. 

For a complete list of the Stevie Award winners announced last night visit  www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.

Every new product or service nominated in The 2013 American Business Awards will automatically be included in voting for the People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products.  Voting will open to the general public on July 8, and the winners will be honored at The American Business Awards ceremony in San Francisco on September 16.

Last night’s presentations were taped and will be broadcast by the Business TalkRadio Network (www.businesstalkradio.net) on Wednesday and Thursday evenings.

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.  A fifth program, the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, will debut later this year.  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 2013 American Business Awards include the Business TalkRadio Network, Callidus Software, Citrix Online, Dynamic Research Corporation, Experian Consumer Services, John Hancock Funds, LifeLock, PetRays, and SoftPro.

The Stevie® Awards are pleased to announce that the PDF of the official program of the first of two awards banquets for The 2013 American Business Awards is now available for download, at http://www.stevieawards.com/uploads/file/ABA13_Program_June.pdf.

Recognized as the nation’s premier business awards program, the first of two awards banquets for The 2013 American Business Awards will take place on Monday, June 17 at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park Hotel. Get tickets for the event here. 

The program will be distributed to and downloaded by more than 15,000 executives over the coming year.

Can't make the awards gala? Download the full program here and listen to a broadcast recording of the June 17 awards presentations on Wednesday, June 19 at 8:00 pm ET. The 5:00 pm ceremony will be taped and broadcast on Thursday, June 20 at 8:00 pm ET. Business Talk Radio will also simulcast the broadcasts on their web site, at www.BusinessTalkRadio.net.  On their web site you'll find a list of the radio stations in the U.S.A. that carry BTR programming.