Once a month in this space we highlight apps and websites that we think might help to make your workday a bit more productive or enjoyable.  Here are this month's suggestions.

Repic

Get early access to this new app that lets you see people's reactions to photos you send to them.

Dragon Dictation

An app that allows you to speak and instantly see the text transcription for everything from email messages to blog posts on your iPad™, iPhone™ or iPod touch™. FREE

eFax

The fax may become a popular tool again with this app which enables fax-sending from your iPad, iPhone or Android.  From $12.95.

SugarSync

An app that allows users to share and continuously back up files in real time, providing access to files and folders anytime, anywhere, from any PC, Mac, iOS, or Android device. From $18.95.

Have a favorite app, blog, or website? Nominate it for our app awards or website awards in the Stevie Awards for Women in Business.

The following professionals participated in the preliminary round of judging for the 10th Annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business during September-October 2013. Their average scores determined the 2013 Award Finalists. The awards judging process is now moving into the final judging phase. We thank the preliminary round judges for their interest, time, and insights. For more information about the program, including a complete list of all award categories, visit www.StevieAwards.com/women.

2013 STEVIE AWARDS FOR WOMEN IN BUSINESS PRELIMINARY ROUND JUDGES:

Husam Mahmoud Abdallah, Sr. Specialist Strategy & Business Excellence, Dubai Airport Free Zone, Dubai, United Arab Emirates             
Amal Al-Najjar, Human Resources Supervisor, Fluor Corporation, Ahmadi, Kuwait            
Eline Altenburg-van den Broek, Director, Quid Novi Foundation, The Hague, Netherlands            
Amy Anda, Director, Credence Management Solutions LLC, Washington, DC, United States         
Kausar Asif, Sr. Manager Mktg. Services, Cupola Pakistan Limited, Karachi, Pakistan        
Ani Atanasova, CEO, Pixelhunters, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tyrone Bachus, Sr. Director, Communications and Quality, Trowbridge & Trowbridge, McLean, VA, United States             
Rashi Bajaj, Founder, Carpet Couture by Rashi, Delhi, India         
Ishrat Bano, Doctor, Harvard University, Brookline, MA, United States   
Victoria Barnett, Senior Marketing Director, Royal College of Nursing, London, United Kingdom
Michelle Bart, President, CEO, National Women's Coalition Against Violence & Exploitation (NWCAVE), Vancouver, Canada               
Deepa Barve, Sr. Recruitment Leader, SSOE, Portland, OR, United States             
Janet Beale, Managing Director, Sytor Enterprises Pty Ltd, East Lindfield, NSW, Australia               
Maxim Behar, CEO, M3 Communications Group, Inc., Sofia, Bulgaria       
Sherry Bellamy, Website Designer, JZ Consulting, Centreville, VA, United States               
Sheri Benjamin, Silicon Valley Chair, Vistage International, Saratoga, CA, United States  
Denise Blasevick, CEO, The S3 Agency, Boonton, NJ, United States          
Erin Bolton, VP, Pivot Communications, Salt Lake City, UT, United States               
Tya Bolton, CEO / Business & Event Strategist, Exceptional Business Solutions, LLC, Waldorf, MD, United States 
Jennifer Braun, Owner & CEO, Type A Events | Festivities, Medina, MN, United States  
Emily Brown, Journalist Blogger, The Career Pioneer, Washington, DC, United States      
Jane Bryant, Director, Spire Communications, Potomac Falls, VA, United States 
Estee Buaron, MBA, Previous RBC, Ontario, Canada        
Peter Bush, Chief Executive, New Swansea Bay, Port Talbot, United States         
Bev Campbell, Employee Advocate, Western Wireless, Eastport, ID, United States          
Annie  Castellano, Chief Creative Officer, Switch: Liberate Your Brand, St. Louis, MO, United States       
Etta Cohen, Founder, Forward Ladies, Leeds, United Kingdom  
Camilla Colegrave, Independent Consultant, New York, NY, United States        
Kimberly Cooley, Communications Director, Henderson Hutcherson & McCullough, Chattanooga, TN, United States       
Churchill Dass Prince, Founder & CEO, Sales Intellect Company, Chennai, India  
Robyn Davis, Owner, When I Need Help, Columbia, SC, United States    
Danielle Di-Masi, Business Etiquette Expert, Click! Training & Consulting, Sydney, Australia          
Gail D'Silva, President & COO, JAUST Consulting Partners, San Jose, CA, United States   
Christine Dunn, Founder, Savoir Media, Belmont, MA, United States     
Diane Emo, VP Marketing, Coverall North America Inc., Boca Raton, FL, United States    
Lori Ericson, Product Planning and Development, Epicor Software, Denver, CO, United States    
Joy Lynn Fields, President, Joy Lynn, Inc., Atlanta, GA, United States      
Kharma Finley-Wallace, Business Operations Manager, AAA Mid-Atlantic, Washington, DC, United States            
Rachel Fishman Fedderson, Editorial Director, Parenting.com, New York, NY, United States         
Julia Forsyth, Senior Global Marketing Manager, GSMA, Atlanta, GA, United States        
Allison Freeland, PR Director, iAcquire, Minneapolis, MN, United States               
Heisha Freeman, Executive Vice President, The Move Management Center, Dallas, TX, United States    
Jaclyn Frenzel, Vice President, AFM, Inc., Stockton, CA, United States   
Patricia Garcia, Experience Architect, Critical Mass, Aurora, IL, United States       
Lorretta Gasper, Owner/Principal, Wind Rose Communications, Atlanta, GA, United States         
Dale Gerstenslager, GM PR & Communications, Doosan, Quang Ngai, Vietnam  
Pamela Gharaibeh, Child and Family Therapist, Main Street Therapy for Children and Families, Livonia, MI, United States               
Barb Girson, President, My Sales Tactics, New Albany, OH, United States             
Marilyn Glazier, Social Media Director, Helen Doron Ltd., Misgav, Israel 
Regina Glick, Director of Marketing, Summit Business Media, New York, NY, United States          
Marina Go, Publishing Director, Private Media, Surry Hills, NSW, Australia            
Audrey Godwin, Fearless Financial Mastery Expert, The Godwin Group, Bellevue, WA, United States     
Keith Goggin, Partner, Integral Derivatives LLC, New York, NY, United States      
Suzanne Harrison, Director, Strategy, Planning & Analysis, Allstream, Toronto, Canada   
Leslie Harstad, Director of Marketing, Optum, St. Paul, MN, United States           
Renda Hawwa, Corporate Communications, IntelligentMDx, Boston, MA, United States               
Barb Hendrickson, President, Visible Communication.com, Livonia, MI, United States    
Deborah Herman, President, Fabric Innovations, Miami, FL, United States           
Jill Heron, Director, Marketing & Client Relations, AMAXRA, Seattle, WA, United States 
Robyne Highsmith, Founder, Teen Dare To Dream Program, Zionsville, IN, United States              
Yvonne Howie, Chief Executive, The CEO Institute, Sydney, Australia     
Jennifer  Hrycyszyn, VP, Greenough Communications, Boston, MA, United States           
Clara HY Wang, Founder & President, KAI Communications, Beijing, China          
Nicol Jameson, Director of Marketing & PR, Lisa Hoffman Beauty, Los Angeles, CA, United States             
Anne Jefferies, Vendor Compliance Manager, AT&T Global Vendor Management, Biggar, United Kingdom         
JP Jones, Owner, Paige1Media, Lawerenceburg, TN, United States         
Rebecca Jones, Owner, bScene Marketing Solutions, Miami, FL, United States  
Sheryl Jones, Managing Director, Ozuro Fine Fewelry, New York, NY, United States        
Rose Jurczewski, Owner, Funxion Fuzion, Roselle, IL, United States        
Kathryn Kavicky, Owner/Director, Parachute Communications, Stamford, CT, United States        
Jennifer Keller, Director of Client Services, The James Agency, Scottsdale, AZ, United States       
Patricia Marie Kelly, Owner, Marie Kelly Unlimited, Algonquin, IL, United States
Laura Kerr, Principal Business Analyst - Interact, Sabre Airline Solutions, Dallas, TX, United States              
Lesley Kirchman, Senior Director of Corporate Marketing, Actiontec Electronice, San Francisco, CA, United States            
Roja Kolachina, CEO, Synerteq, Inc., Washington, DC, United States        
Shamina Krishna, Manager, Training Department, Smart Reader® Worldwide Sdn. Bhd., Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia              
Iwona Kubicz, President of the Board, Procontent, Warsaw, Poland       
Mary Anne Lanier, Trustee, Ray C. Anderson Foundation, Marietta, GA, United States  
Jill Liberman, Founder, Videoglobetrotter, Inc., Boca Raton, FL, United States    
Sarah Lippincott, PR Executive, zcomm, Washington, DC, United States 
Amy Lurier, CEO, TechFind, Inc., Natick, MA, United States         
Anil Machado, Managing Director, Tnell, Sieradz, Poland              
Morag Malloy, Managing Director, Fission Creative, Paisley, United Kingdom     
Jessica  Manna, VP & Chief Marketing Officer, Residential Finance, Columbus, OH, United States             
Margaret Manning, CEO, Reading Room, London, United Kingdom          
Lynne Marcus, President, Marcus + Company, Albuquerque, NM, United States              
Carol Marx, Past President, American Agri-Women, Rickreall, OR, United States               
Karen McFadzen, VP Technical Services, Cisco Systems, Chatswood, Australia    
Laura McIntosh, President, M Entertainment, Lodi, CA, United States    
Colin  McKillop, CEO, Butcher Enteprises, Brownstown, MI, United States          
Elaine Metlin, Senior Partner, Dickstein Shapiro, Washington, DC, United States               
Jon Michail, CEO, Image Group International, South Yarra, Victoria, Australia      
Stephen Moore, CEO, Petrochase, Scottsdale, AZ, United States              
Sarah Musgrove, Owner, Musgrove Productions, Playa Del Rey, CA, United States          
Patricia Neal, President, Heartland Inc., Minneapolis, MN, United States              
Karen Nicholas, Director, Learning Options, Manuka, Australia   
Elizabeth Ojeda, Manager of Strategic Partnerships, City and County of Denver, Denver, CO, United States         
Erica Olsen, COO/Co-Founder, M3 Planning, Reno, NV, United States    
Lorraine O'Neill, Director, The EPI Centre Pty Ltd, Parrearra, QLD, Australia         
Jill Osur, President, Save Your Do LLC, Walnut Creek, CA, United States 
Donna Oulton, Managing Director, Planet Heaven PR, Liverpool, United Kingdom            
Kaan Özsoken, Owner, K-Tex Sourcing & Buying Agency, Istanbul, Turkey            
Nikki Parker, Regional Director, North America and Oceania, Freelancer, Sydney, Australia          
Christine Pietryla, Senior Vice President of Public Relations, Walker Sands Communications, Chicago, IL, United States   
Harish Pillai, COO, Indus Health Plus Pvt. Ltd., Pune, India            
Jacqueline Plair-Rushin, Director, Global Customer Care, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Alpharetta, GA, United States 
Julie Pond, CEO, Sage Environmental Services, Inc., Seattle, WA, United States 
Lauren Prisco, Executive Vice President, Navis Learning Corporation, Canton, MA, United States              
Jesintha Rajaratnam, Managing Partner, Joje India Consultants - Finance and HR, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates               
Ariadna Randall, Independent Beauty Consultant, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Burlington, Ontario, Canada       
Sonu Ratra, President, Akraya, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, United States            
Shenan Reed, Chief Media Officer / Founder, Morpheus Media, New York, NY, United States   
Maria Reitan, Senior Principal, Carmichael Lynch Spong, Minneapolis, MN, United States              
Christina Robinson, Patient Care Representative, Group Health Coop, Seattle, WA, United States            
Jessica Rovello, Founder, Arkadium, Las Vegas, NV, United States           
Gyan Saxena, Member of Board of Advisor, DatamanUSA, LLC, Centennial, CO, United States   
Amy Scarlino, President & CEO, Catchpole Corporation, Boston, MA, United States         
Katja Schroeder, President, Expedition PR, Brooklyn, NY, United States
Mark Schroeder, Senior Vice President, M Booth & Associates, New York, NY, United States     
Bae Seog Bong, Managing Director, KCU, Seoul, South Korea     
Keira Shein, Partner, WilkinsonShein Communications, Stevenson, MD, United States   
Julie Sheppard, General Counsel, Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition (IHMC), Pensacola, FL, United States               
Ravinder Singh, Director - Strategy and Online Marketing, Kulwant Advisory, Kenya      
Michelle Smith, VP, Digital Networks, Inc., San Francisco, CA, United States        
Carla Spain, Communications Specialist, Patelco Credit Union, San Francisco, CA, United States  
Carolyn Sparano, Vice President, Client Services, Bronto Software, Durham, NC, United States  
Michael Spink, Communications Manager, LGFCU, Raleigh, NC, United States    
Mindy Statz, Director, Aravo, Irving, TX, United States   
David Stein, President & General Manager, Inman News, Alameda, CA, United States   
Kim Stiglitz, Director of Lifecycle Marketing, VerticalResponse Inc., San Francisco, CA, United States        
Natalie Sudina, Chief Executive, Best4Kid LTD, United Kingdom              
Heena Sunil Bulchandani, Specialist-Training & Development, HR Training, DEWA, Dubai, United Arab Emirates  
Letty Swank, Founder, Giftwrapperz, Los Gatos, CA, United States         
Deborah Sweeney, CEO, MyCorporation.com, Calabasas, CA, United States       
Veronique Topping, Owner and Web Developer, WomanOwnedNewYork.com, Rockville Centre, NY, United States       
Susan Tripathi, Change Champion, SimFrost Consulting, Mumbai, India 
Linda Varrell, President, Broadreach Public Relations, Portland, ME, United States           
Anne Walker, Founder & CEO, International Dance Supplies Ltd, Newton Abbot, United Kingdom            
Ann Wead Kimbrough, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL, United States   
Joyce Weiland, President, SoftPro, Raleigh, NC, United States   
Charlene Weisler, CEO, Weisler Media, LLC, New York, NY, United States             
Kelly Wels, CEO, GreenTeamDistribution.com, South Paris, ME, United States   
Floor Wijburg, Co-founder, Yes We Care, Rotterdam, Netherlands          
Polly Willson, Director of Digital Engagement, Reading Room, London, United Kingdom 
Becky Wilson, President, WDS Marketing and Public Relations, Overland Park, KS, United States              
Mark Wilson, President, ARIIX, Bountiful, UT, United States       
Shunee Yee, President & CEO, CSoft, Beijing, China        
Nicole Yelland, Director of Marketing & Communications, Livio, Ferndale, MI, United States        
Gwendolyn Young, Executive Director, Seed of Hope Foundation, Oak Brook, IL, United States 
Joseph Zitzelberger, Director of Manufacturing Development, PACCAR Inc, Chillicothe, OH, United States 

Final judging, to determine the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award placements from among the Finalists, will begin next week. Five distinguished women are chairing the 2013 final judging committees. Stevie winners will then be announced and recognized at the 10th annual awards dinner in New York City on Friday, November 8. Tickets are still available.

 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.   

Finalists were announced today in the 10th Annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business, the world’s top honors for women entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and the organizations they run.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business are produced by the creators of the prestigious American Business Awards and International Business Awards.  The Stevies are widely considered to be the world’s premier business awards.

This year’s Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be announced at an awards dinner at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City on Friday, November 8.  A new feature at this year’s event will be the Top 5 Awards, featuring the presentation of new Grand Stevie Award trophies to the five organizations that submitted the best collection of entries to this year’s competition.

More than 1,200 entries were submitted this year by organizations and individuals around the world for consideration in more than 90 award categories including Executive of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Women Helping Women, and Communications Campaign of the Year. 

Among the leading contenders with multiple Finalists are Accenture, Chicago, IL USA; Acxiom Corporation, Foster City, CA USA; Child's Play Communications, New York, NY USA; Deborah Mitchell Heaven Health & Beauty Ltd, Shifnal, Shropshire, United Kingdom; Marketing Maven, Camarillo, CA USA; NEI Global Relocation, Omaha, NE USA; One Legacy Pty Ltd, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia; Pivot Communications, Salt Lake City, UT USA; The Thomas Collective, New York, NY USA; and VerticalResponse, San Francisco, CA USA.  For a complete list of Finalists by category, visit www.StevieAwards.com/Women.

Award finalists were chosen by more than 150 business professionals worldwide during preliminary judging.  Members of five final judging committees will determine the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award placements from among the Finalists during final judging that begins next week.

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.

 

 

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.

Coveted Stevie® Awards to Be Presented at Ceremonies in Chicago and San Francisco 

New York, NY – May 9, 2013– Finalists were announced today in The 11^th Annual American Business Awards. Organizations as diverse as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Domino’s Pizza, Heineken USA, Microsoft, the National Football League, Procter & Gamble, Sony, and Wynn Las Vegas are among those recognized.  Lists of Finalists by category have been published at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA. 

The American Business Awards are the nation’s premier business awards program. All organizations and individuals in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations.

This year’s Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie® Award winners will be announced at two award banquets.  The first will take place on June 17 at the Fairmont Millennium Park Hotel in Chicago, Illinois; and the second, with awards in the new product and technology-related categories, will be held on September 16 at the Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco, California. More than 800 executives are expected to attend the events.  The ceremonies will be broadcast nationwide by the Business TalkRadio Network.    

Among the organizations with the most number of Finalists are Accenture, Actiontec Electronics, AT&T, Cisco Systems, EMKAY, Inc., Makovsky, Marriott Vacations Worldwide, Marvell Semiconductor, MWW, The Navicor Group, Quality Systems, Slack and Company, Travelzoo, USANA Health Sciences, Vemma Nutrition Company, and VerticalResponse.

A record number of nominations were submitted this year with more than 3,200 from organizations of all sizes and from virtually every industry.  The ABAs include a wide variety of categories including management awards, new product awards, marketing awards, public relations awards, human resources awards, information technology awards, web site awards, and more.

Finalists were chosen by more than 140 business professionals nationwide during preliminary judging in April and May.  Members of nine specialized final judging committees will determine Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award placements from among Finalists in judging that will begin next week.  More than 250 executives will participate in the judging process this year.

Voting will open in early July for the People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products, a component of The American Business Awards that invites the general public to vote for their favorite new products of the year in a number of categories including Favorite New Smartphone, Favorite New Tablet, Favorite New Consumer Product, and Favorite New Smartphone or Tablet App. 

For press credentials for the June 17 and September 16 award banquets or for more information, contact liz@thestevies.com.

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.

Coveted Stevie® Awards to Be Presented at Ceremonies in New York and San Francisco

New York, NY – May 10, 2012– Finalists were announced today in The 10^th Annual American Business Awards. Companies as diverse as Apple, Chipotle Mexican Grill, The Coca-Cola Company, Delta Air Lines, Ford Motor Company, ING DIRECT, NASCAR, Overstock.com, and YouSendIt are among those recognized.  Lists of Finalists by category have been published at http://www.StevieAwards.com/ABA. 

The American Business Awards are the nation’s premier business awards program. All organizations and individuals in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations.

This year’s Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be announced at two award banquets: the first will take place on June 18 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York; and the second, a new event, will be held on September 17 at the Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco, California and will honor Stevie Award winners in all tech-related categories. More than 800 executives are expected to attend the events.  The ceremonies will be broadcast nationwide by the Business TalkRadio Network.    

A record number of nominations were submitted this year with more than 3,000 from organizations of all sizes and from virtually every industry.  The ABAs include a wide variety of categories including management awards, new product awards, marketing awards, public relations awards, human resources awards, information technology awards, web site awards, and more.

Finalists were chosen by business professionals nationwide during preliminary judging in April and May.  Members of 10 specialized final judging committees will determine Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award placements from among Finalists in judging that will begin next week.  More than 250 executives will participate in the judging process this year.

Voting will open in early July for the People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products, a component of The American Business Awards that invites the general public to vote for their favorite new products of the year in a number of categories including Favorite New Smartphone, Favorite New Tablet, Favorite New Consumer Product, and Favorite New Smartphone or Tablet App. 

For press credentials for the June 18 and September 17 award banquets or for more information, contact jill@mediashoppr.com.

About the Stevie® Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.  Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide.  Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.StevieAwards.com/, and follow the Stevie Awards on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

About the Stevie® Awards

Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.  Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide.  Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.StevieAwards.com/, and follow the Stevie Awards on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. 

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

Q&A with Jennifer Rotner, owner of Elite Editing in New York, New York, which won the Stevie Award for Best Website in the 2010 Stevie Awards for Women in Business.  Jennifer is also Chair of the final judging committee for the Media categories of the 2011 Stevie Awards for Women in Business.  The final entry deadline for the awards is this Friday - you'll find the entry kit here.

What are your top 3 tips for creating good writing on the Web or in business documents?

1. Be Clear.

Clear writing focuses on a specific objective and a specific audience. Examine your assumptions about readers—can you use industry jargon? How much background information will you need to provide?

2. Be Honest and Accurate.

This should go without saying; people are going to more willingly trust (and therefore do business with) companies known for their integrity. Be intentional about spreading the truth and about verifying information—anything less will annoy readers who know the facts and motivate them to look elsewhere.

3. Be Balanced.

Ultimately, effective business communication happens when the message you present is received, understood and accepted by your intended audience; and the best way for this to happen is to create a balance—passion with control, grammar with rhetoric and readability with enjoyment.

What has happened since you won Website of the Year at the 2010 Stevie Awards for Women in Business?

It’s been a great year for us. Since we took home the award, we immediately saw an increase in traffic to the website that has sustained throughout the year. We’ve also seen the B2B side of our business grow by twofold. Much of that growth comes from building a good reputation and gaining referral business. I credit the Stevie Award with strengthening our company’s overall reputability and visibility in the market.

In 2011 we’ve also put a tremendous amount of effort into our website. With the goal in mind of making a visit to EliteEditing.com as resourceful and simple as possible, we’ve made a lot of changes and are relaunching this October, complete with new services, checkout system, and blog.

What item of news recently caught your eye and why?

I’ve been really enthralled by what’s going on in the Middle East. So much of my business involves social media, writing, and the sharing of ideas, and these have been a driving force behind the unprecedented movements that are changing the landscape of that region. I have Twitter followers from Egypt whose profiles call for freedom and democracy. It’s pretty awe-inspiring.

Do you have a favorite business app?

(Does Angry Birds count? It’s a great stress reliever on those tough days!)

Yes, I do. Evernote is a game changer for me. If you’re a list maker or a bookmarker, this is the most incredible tool. I went from always having a notepad in front of me and post-its sticking to my laptop (and often to the bottoms of my shoes when I got home) to having everything I wrote, heard, saw, bookmarked, etc., neatly filed, tagged, and organized in a cloud-based app that syncs to all my devices. Ahhh.

If you could choose another profession, what would it be?

That’s easy. Storm chaser. Since I was a kid I ran outside when everyone else ran inside. But, being a small business owner, sometimes I feel like that IS my profession!

What quality or qualities do you most value in your business associates?

Trust, above all else. I’m putting my business, my clients, my livelihood, into the hands of those I work with, so I need to feel that they are as devoted to the work as I am.

What do you think is the worst bad habit to have at work?

Everyone is different, but I can tell you mine: bringing my laptop to bed. I’m trying so hard to break the habit! Bed is for sleep, not for work! (Or that’s what I keep telling myself…)

As someone at the top of your profession, what keeps you inspired or makes you hit the ground running in the morning?

You’ve got to love what you do. I can’t imagine getting up every day and devoting my time to something I’m not passionate about. Whatever it is, you’ve got to find that thing that makes you want to kick the covers off and get to work. For me, it’s running this business. It’s helping people—day in and day out—to get published, get into grad school, or run their own businesses more effectively with our services. This is what drives and inspires me every morning to get working, and what makes me sneak that laptop into bed at night!

About Jennifer Rotner

Jennifer Rotner is the owner of Elite Editing, a New York–based full-service editorial company offering proofreading, editing and writing help for businesses, academics and individuals through the website EliteEditing.com.

From her real-world experience as a professional editor, Jennifer recognized the need for a better way to ensure that editing and proofreading services were customized to each of her clients. With this goal firmly in mind, she developed the exclusive matching system Elite Editing uses to pair every project and customer with the right proofreader or editor. Which is why Elite Editing boasts a loyal roster of satisfied clients and an unrivaled pool of editors that hail from the business, academic and journalism realms. 

Prior to founding Elite Editing, Jennifer helped form the editorial division at NYC & Company, New York City’s official marketing organization, where she ran the copy department as copy chief. Before taking on this post, she gained years of experience in the field as features editor for Focus-New York magazine and as an editor for the marketing department at the American Museum of Natural History.

Jennifer received a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and is a Baltimorean (her home town) above all else.

About Elite Editing

Elite Editing is a New York–based proofreading, editing, and writing company that offers editorial support for companies of all sizes, from small businesses and non-profits to large corporations and Fortunate 500s; authors and writers seeking to get published; and students who want their projects to have that final, all-important polish. Elite Editing also offers copywriting, web copy optimization and SEO, content creation, and many other long-term customized business solutions that give their clients the benefits of having a professional editorial staff, without the overhead. For more information visit EliteEditing.com.

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The final entry deadline for The 9th Annual American Business Awards^SM is just one week away, and while the competition is on track to attract a record number of entries, several categories and a people’s choice competition present special opportunities for aspiring Stevie® Award winners.

Widely recognized as the premier business awards program in the U.S.A., The American Business Awards honor organizations and individuals in a wide variety of categories, from management awards and public relations awards to technology awards, human resources awards, new product awards, and more.

“Historically, 20% of the ABA's categories receive 80% of the entries and this year is no different,” said Michael Gallagher, president of the Stevie Awards, organizer of the ABAs.  “Certain categories are extremely popular and have stiff competition, but there are others with fewer entries that we encourage potential entrants to look at.”

Gallagher recommends that organizations consider entering the following categories:

• Marketing Awards: there are more than 40 new categories for marketing campaigns of every type.  Gallagher said that new categories typically are not heavily subscribed in their first year
• Web Site Awards: there are also more than 40 categories for online media
• PR Awards: there are 13 categories for all types of communications campaigns

This year’s ABAs will bring the third edition of the People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products, in which the general public will vote for their favorite new products of the year in a variety of categories.  Gallagher recommends that organizations also nominate their new products and services in the ABAs, because they’ll have the opportunity to win two awards: a Stevie Award in the peer-reviewed categories, and a people’s choice award in the publicly voted competition.

Entry kits for The 2011 American Business Awards are available at www.stevieawards.com/aba.  The 2011 awards will honor achievements since January 1, 2010.   The final entry deadline is April 27, 2011.  Final results will be announced at ceremonies in New York on June 20, 2011.

More than 150 professionals nationwide will participate in the peer-review judging process this year.

Last year’s winners of Stevie Awards in the ABAS included  Accenture, adidas, Apple Inc., Boost Mobile, Ford Motor Company, Hilton Hotels, Nu Skin Enterprises, the Rubicon Project and The Timberland Company, among others.  

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 Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.