The Ninth Annual International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition, is now accepting entries. The entry deadline is 16 May; request your entry kit here.) 

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. Stevie® Awards are conferred upon top-scoring nominations in each category, as chosen by an international judging panel of more than 150 business leaders.

Our business awards categories include:

• Company/Organization Awards
• Customer Service Awards
• Human Resources Awards
• Information Technology Awards
• Management Awards
• Marketing Awards Categories
• New Product Awards
• Public Relations 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 during our eligibility period: January 2011 through 27 June 2012, 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.

The IBA deadline is 16 May and late entries will be accepted through the final entry deadline of 27 June with a $35.00 late fee. Finalists will be announced in late July. Entry details are available at www.stevieawards.com/iba.

2012 honorees will be celebrated at the 9th annual awards banquet on Monday, 15 October in Seoul, South Korea. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Stevie Awards movement, we will introduce Silver and Bronze Stevie Awards. This means that all honorees in the IBAs will now be Stevie Award winners (Note: Silver and Bronze Stevie Awards will replace Distinguished Honoree (honorable mention) medals). Read more about the new awards here.

To request an entry kit for The 2011 International Business Awards, visit www.stevieawards.com/iba.

All individuals and organizations worldwide – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small – may submit nominations to The International Business Awards.  The early-bird entry deadline, offering discounted entry fees, is 11 April.  The final entry deadline is 16 May.  Late entries will be accepted through 27 June, and results will be announced in late July.  Entry details are available at www.stevieawards.com/iba. 

New in 2012, Stevie Awards will be conferred at three levels of distinction: gold, silver and bronze.  Previously, only overall category winners have received Gold Stevie Awards. The Stevie Award trophy, made by the company that makes the Oscar and other major international awards, is one of the world’s most coveted prizes. Stevie Award winners will be selected by an international judging panel of more than 200 executives.

The International Business Awards recognize achievement in every facet of the workplace.  Categories include:

For a full list of categories visit the IBA web site.

The 2012 International Business Awards will include the Second Annual People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Companies, in which the general public worldwide will vote for their favorite companies. Each company honored with a Gold, Silver or Bronze Stevie Award in The International Business Awards’ company of the year categories will automatically be included in people’s choice voting.  Voting will open in late July and winners will be announced at the Seoul, South Korea awards ceremony on 15 October.

2012 Stevie Award winners will be celebrated at the 9^th annual awards banquet on Monday, 15 October at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Seoul, South Korea.

The 8th Annual International Business Awards were presented in October 2011 in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.  Honorees included American Express, Bombardier, Inc., Etisalat, Everything Everywhere, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, Siemens AG, TATA Motors, Tesco Poland, Toyota Motor Corporation, Turk Telekom, and Unilever N.V., among others.  2011 results are summarized at http://www.stevieawards.com/pubs/iba/awards/408_2219_21081.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.  Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide.  Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.stevieawards.com/, and follow the Stevie Awards on Twitter @TheStevieAwards. 

Today is the entry deadline for The 2012 (10th Annual) American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A. If you haven't yet entered this year, the web site will be open all night to accept your entries. Request your entry kit here and you will receive it right away. Can't make today's deadline? Don't worry, we'll continue to accept entries through April 25 with a late fee of $35.00 per entry.

The American Business Awards honors all facets of workplace, our award categories include: app awards, company / organization awards, customer service awards, HR awards, IT awards, management awards, marketing awards, new product awards, PR awards, and website awards. See all of our business award categories.

All ABA entries are submitted directly online through your account. You can begin by registering here.

If you have any questions regarding the submission process, we have several helpful resources including a step-by-step video on how to submit entries,  past winners' entries for your review, and  7 tips on submitting winning entries to help you make the most out of your entries.

As always, don't hesitate to contact us with your questions about how to prepare and submit entries. You can reach us at + 1 703-547-8389 or email us at help@stevieawards.com and we'll get back to you right away.

The entry deadline for The 2012 (10th Annual) American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A., is tomorrow, Wednesday, March 28, 2012.

The submission process is easy. To start, you should:

1. Request an entry kit. The entry kit will have all of the information you need regarding entry preparation and submission.

2. Review the 2012 ABA categories. The ABAs have several categories that honor organizations, departments, teams, individuals and much more. Our awards categories include:

• App Awards
• Company / Organization Awards
• Customer Service Awards
• HR Awards
• IT Awards
• Management Awards
• Marketing Awards
• New Product Awards
• PR Awards
• Web Site Awards

See all business award categories.

3. Submit your entries. Select your categories, write your submissions according to the instructions, and submit your entries.

If you have any trouble selecting categories or submitting entries, you can contact us at + 1 703-547-8389 or email us at help@stevieawards.com.

Late entries will still be accepted through the final entry deadline of April 25 with a late fee of $35.00 per entry. 2012 Finalists will be announced in early May and 2012 ABA winners will be announced at one of our two awards ceremonies. Our traditional banquet will be held at the Marriott Marquis in New York City on June 18th and our second ceremony where we will honor our tech awards winners will be held in San Francisco at the Julia Morgan Ballroom on September 17th. Click here to see the ABA calendar.

March 28 is the entry deadline for The 2012 (10th annual) American Business Awards, the premier business awards competition in the U.S.A. 

If you haven't downloaded the 2012 entry kit, you can find it online here. We also recommend that you watch the video How to Enter The 2012 American Business Awards for step-by-step instructions on how to successfully submit entries.

The ABAs have categories to recognize achievement in all facets of the American workplace, including awards for individuals, teams, departments, and organizations. Types of award categories include:

• App Awards
• Company / Organization Awards
• Customer Service Awards
• HR Awards 
• IT Awards
• Management Awards
• Marketing Awards
• New Product Awards
• PR Awards
• Web Site Awards

See all ABA categories here.

Entries submitted after March 28, through the final deadline of April 25, will be assessed a late fee in addition to any entry fee. 2012 Finalists will be announced in early May and the 10th Annual business awards winners will be announced at one of our two awards ceremonies. We will hold our traditional banquet at the Marriott Marquis in New York City on June 18th and have a second ceremony in San Francisco at the Julia Morgan Ballroom on September 17th where we will announce our tech awards winners. Click here to see the ABA calendar.

Need help answering  your ABA submission questions?  Email us at help@stevieawards.com  or call us at + 1 703-547-8389 and we'll get back to you right away.

The entry deadline for The 10th Annual American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A., is quickly approaching – it’s Wednesday, March 28, 2012. You can start submitting your entries today here.

How the submission process works:

1. Request your 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. Review the 2012 ABA categories.
   Pick who you would like to recognize and why they should be recognized. We have categories highlighting organizations, teams, departments, and individuals, as well as:

• App Awards
• Company / Organization Awards
• Customer Service Awards
• HR Awards 
• IT Awards
• Management Awards
• Marketing Awards
• New Product Awards
• PR Awards
• Web Site Awards

3. Submit your entries.
   Select your categories, write your submissions according to the instructions, and submit your entries.

Benefits of submitting a business award entry:

1. More chances to win
   All Finalists in the Best New Product or Service categories will automatically be included in the People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products, a public vote that will commence in July. The People's Choice Winners will be honored at the new tech awards ceremony in San Francisco on September 17. Finalists in the Best New Product or Service categories will have an opportunity to win two awards: a Stevie® Award, as voted by your peers, and a crystal People's Choice Stevie Award, as voted by your customers.
2. New award distinctions
   The American Business Awards banquets will showcase our three levels of award distinction: Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Awards. You can learn more about the new awards here.
3. Multiple awards banquets
   The 10th Annual corporate awards will have two awards ceremonies. We will hold our traditional banquet at the Marriott Marquis in New York City on June 18th and have a second ceremony in San Francisco at the Julia Morgan Ballroom on September 17th where we will announce our tech award winners.

Helpful resources to make your submission process easier:

1. Step-by-step video on how to submit entries
   Watch our helpful video tutorial on how to successfully enter submissions.
2. Review past winners' entries here.
   They're great models for how you should write your entries.
3. 7 tips on submitting winning entries
   Read our tips on how to submit winning entries.

If you have any questions regarding your ABA submissions, call us at + 1 703-547-8389 or email us at help@stevieawards.com and we'll get back to you right away.

Not going to make the March 28th deadline? Don't worry, you can still submit entries through April 25 with a $35.00 late fee.   Click here to see the ABA's calendar.  

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're a week away from what will be the largest International Business Awards event to date - our 8th annual awards banquet, on Tuesday, October 11 at the fabulous Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.  We're expecting more than 400 executives from 25+ nations to attend to help celebrate this year's IBA honorees.

Tickets are going fast - get yours now.

The IBAs are the world's premier business awards program, honoring business-related achievements of all types with corporate awards, management awards, marketing awards, new product awards, website awards, human resources awards, IT awards, public relations awards, and more.

Here is the list of organizations that have already confirmed their attendance at next Tuesday's gala.  Will you be among them?

Abu Dhabi Airports Company, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Abu Dhabi Municipality, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Accenture Services Ltd  India
ACE enterprise Slovakia  Bratislava  Slovakia
Aepona Ltd  Belfast  United Kingdom
African Access Holdings  Durban  South Africa
Al Fara'a Group, Abu Dhabi, UAE
ASDA'A Burson Marsteller, Dubai, UAE
AstraZeneca Bulgaria
Athen International Airport  Athens  Greece
Aygaz  Istanbul  Turkey
Azercell Telecom LLC  Baku city  Azerbaijan
Bombardier, Montreal, Canada
BRComm, Seoul, South Korea
BT, London, United Kingdom
Callidus Software  Pleasanton  CA  USA
Cascades Tissue Group  Candiac  Canada
COMSEL Co.  Ltd.  Tokyo  Japan
DANI Communications, Seoul, South Korea
DHL Express, Bonn, Germany
EFES, Istanbul, Turkey
Emarat, Dubai, UAE
Emirates NBD, Dubai, UAE
Everything Everywhere  London  United Kingdom
Finansbank A.S.  Istanbul  Turkey
GeiserMaclang Marketing Communications  Inc.  Manila  Philippines
GLOBAL EVENTS ID Corporation SL  Madrid  Spain
GS Engineering & Construction , Seoul, South Korea
GSMA  London  United Kingdom
Gulf Aluminium Rolling Mill Company  Sitra  Bahrain
Gulf Bank  Kuwait City  Kuwait
HANAROADCOM, Seoul, South Korea
Hancom Inc., Seoul, South Korea
Iberdrola SA, Bilbao, Spain
IBM Netezza, Marlborough, MA USA
IF Net  Tokyo  Japan
INTERIORS (Branch of EASA SALEH AL GURG GROUP)  Dubai, UAE
International Armoring Corporation  Ogden  UT USA
iolo technologies, Los Angeles, CA USA
Isbank  Istanbul  Turkey
Jeju Free International City Development Center, Jeju City, South Korea
Julphar Gulf Pharmaceutıcal Industrıes, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Karsan, Istanbul, Turkey
Kier Group plc, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
Korea Business Communicators Assn., Seoul, South Korea
Korea Nuclear Fuel Company, Seoul, South Korea
 Korea Student Aid Foundation, Seoul, South Korea
Lotte Department Store, Seoul, South Korea
M3 Communications Group, Inc., Sofia, Bulgaria
Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad  Kuala Lumpur  Malaysia
Melilea International Group of Companies, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Nestle Turkey, Istanbul
Newsis, Seoul, South Korea
Nu Skin Korea, Seoul
P2i Limited  Oxfordshire  United Kingdom
PetRays  The Woodlands  TX USA
PJ Lhuillier  Inc.  Makati City  Philippines
Planting for Tomorrow  Sendai  Japan
plusadd  Inc., Kawasaki, Japan
PMFTC  Inc. (Philip Morris Philippines Manufacturing  Inc.), Baguio City
Portugal Telecom  Lisboa  Portugal
PT Bank Permata Tbk  Jakarta  Indonesia
PT Unilever Indonesia  Tbk  Jakarta  Indonesia
Quality Systems, Irvine, CA USA
Reckitt Benckiser Group plc  Slough  United Kingdom
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
SIDM, Seoul, South Korea
Smart Media-The Annual Report Company  Colombo  Sri Lanka
Smart Reader Worldwide Sdn Bhd  Kuala Lumpur  Malaysia
Soongsil University, Seoul, South Korea
SUNGWOOADCOM, Seoul, South Korea
Tata Motors Limited  Mumbai  India
Thai Life Insurance Co., Bangkok, Thailand
The Brazilian Secretariat of Social Communication (SECOM), Brazilia
The Land Revitalization Institute  Tokyo  Japan
TSKB, Istanbul, Turkey
TTNET, Istanbul, Turkey
Türk Telekom  Istanbul  Turkey
 Uijeongbu City, South Korea
Uniqueplus, Seoul, South Korea
Weber Shandwick United Kingdom and Belgium
Whirlpool Europe  Comerio  Italy

APRA Porter Novelli of Sofia, Bulgaria has won the Stevie Award for Best Communications or PR Campaign of the Year - Reputation/Brand Management in the public relations awards categories of The 2011 International Business Awards. Here we look at their award-winning campaign to fight the flab.

The devastating facts behind APRA Porter Novelli’s LIVE ACTIVELY! campaign were that each year more and more people in Bulgaria were suffering from obesity and related health problems, particularly children, the elderly, and young working people. Contributing factors included a sedentary lifestyle and a lack of education on balanced nutrition. Bulgaria had recently ranked fifth in Europe for having the most obese population, according to the EU’s Diogenes project.

LIVE ACTIVELY! Campaign Objectives

Nestlé Bulgaria is the country’s biggest Nutrition Health and Wellness (NHW) Company, with products targeted at people from all age groups and social and professional backgrounds. Nestlé is also a socially responsible company, dedicated to long-term investment in the health and well being of consumers.

Research showed that obesity-related problems strike everyone, even children. APRA Porter Novelli therefore created the LIVE ACTIVELY! campaign for its client Nestlé to address the mass public.

LIVE ACTIVELY! Events

Since 2005, APRA Porter Novelli and Nestlé Bulgaria have organized an annual campaign to raise public awareness of the benefits of an active lifestyle and to promote the importance of physical activity in an urban environment. A key element in the project is to promote walking as a simple way to not only stay fit and healthy, but also to improving the environment and reduce air pollution.

APRA Porter Novelli organizes LIVE ACTIVELY! events each year in open air spaces that include central streets, parks, and beaches.  LIVE ACTIVELY! 2010 integrated the following events into one campaign:

• Sofia, June 20: Official Opening Ceremony, a walkathon, sports activities, concerts, and educational games.

• Varna, August 10, Nessebar, August 12, and Primorsko, August 14: Beach sports activities, tournaments, and educational games.
  

Communications Campaign

APRA Porter Novelli supported the 2010 LIVE ACTIVELY! project with a huge communications campaign that included the distribution of thousands of branded hats and T-shirts, special LIVE ACTIVELY! footsteps stuck on the ground to mark the route of the Sofia walkathon; 120,000 leaflet insertions in newspapers and magazines; 60,000 posters; print ads; TV and radio spots, outdoor billboards; Internet banner ads; and a Facebook fan page.

In addition, APRA Porter Novelli arranged for the distribution in Sofia schools of 10,000 maps of South Park, with locations and details of related sport activities; and at the opening ceremony, 50 LIVE ACTIVELY! Gold Medals were awarded to top Bulgarian sportsmen.

VIP Support

LIVE ACTIVELY! received support from numerous Bulgarian VIPs, including the Bulgarian Prime Minister, Boyko Borissov; the Mayor of Sofia, Yordanka Fandakova; Olympic athletics champion Tereza Marinova; World rhythmic gymnastics champion Iliana Raeva; World Champion weightlifter Armen Nazarian; and Olympic shooting champion Maria Grozdeva.

Overwhelming Results

The amount of publicity and total media space devoted to LIVE ACTIVELY! events has doubled each year.  Over 300 media outlets covered the events in 2010. The number of participants has grown by over 1,500% over the past 5 years, with 28,500 people taking part in 2010. Over 83,000 people were involved in all the 2010 LIVE ACTIVELY! activities, including 18,000 Facebook fans; and the most active participants received a total of 30,000 sports awards.

LIVE ACTIVELY! is currently the biggest sports event in Bulgaria. It is Nestlé

Bulgaria’s flagship initiative for Nutrition Health and Wellness.

About Tomislav Tsolov and Lubomir Alamanov:

Tomislav Tsolov and Lubomir Alamanov founded APRA Porter Novelli in 1994.  Under their guidance, it has evolved into one of the most experienced communication groups on the Bulgarian market, setting trends for the whole Bulgarian market.

APRA Porter Novelli was among the founders of the Bulgarian Association of PR

Agencies, and Lubomir Alamanov was its first Chairman, from 2001 to 2008. During these years the foundation of the PR industry in Bulgaria was formed and the Stockholm Chapter of Ethics was adopted.

About APRA Porter Novelli:

APRA Porter Novelli is a full-service communications agency with a team of over 70 experienced staff.  For more information go to www.apraagency.com.

Yesterday in this space we recognized the more than 100 professionals worldwide who participated in preliminary judging of The 2011 International Business Awards, the world's only all-encompassing, fully-international business awards program.  The average scores of those preliminary judges determined the entries that were eligible to be included in final judging.

Today we recognize the members of the final judging committee for the PR awards categories of this year's IBAs.  Our sincere thanks go to

Mary Frances Fagan, Director of Corporate Communcations, Europe and the Pacific, AmericanAirlines®, Hounslow, Middlesex, United Kingdom
Clare Gayner, Head of Corporate Communications, HP Asia Pacific & Japan, Singapore
Richard Hedges, Director-Communications, Civil Aerospace, Rolls-Royce PLC, Derby, United Kingdom
Miriam Henn, Head of Communications-Germany, Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH, Frankfurt, Germany
Poonam Kaul, Director, Communications, Nokia India Private Limited, Gurgaon, India
Jin Montesano, VP, Corporate & Government Affairs, Asia Pacific Region, Kraft Foods, Singapore
Anita Sharma, Assistant Vice President, Honda Siel Cars India Ltd, New Delhi, India
Ranjana Smetacek, Director, Marketing & Corporate Communications, Fortis Healthcare (India) Limited, New Delhi, India
Josie Taylor, Corporate Communications & Analyst Relations, Microsoft Asia, Singapore

This outstanding judging panel was put together and led by Committee Chair Atul Ahluwalia, President - India, with Corporate Voice | Weber Shandwick, in New Delhi, India.

Their average scores determined the winners of Stevie Award trophies and Distinguished Honoree (honorable mention) medals in categories such as

• Public Relations Agency of the Year
• Communications Department of the Year
• Communications Team of the Year
• Communications Executive of the Year
• and 13 Communications or PR Campaign/Program of the Year categories

This year's winners were announced last week and will be honored at ceremonies in Abu Dhabi, UAE on 11 October.

What do you think of the PR awards categories judging committee?