The focus of this category spotlight is on the many opportunities that developers and marketers of new products and services have to pursue recognition for their work in this year's Stevie Awards programs, in The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, and the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards in particular. Every one of the Stevie Awards competitions has some number of categories to recognize new products and services. Each year the Stevie Awards receive thousands of new product nominations.
As in all categories in Stevie Awards competitions, winners are determined by several hundred professionals around the world, acting as judges. (For a description of the judging and awards process, read this article.)
Let's begin here with the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, which are in their second year. These awards are open to all organizations operating in the 22 nations of the Asia-Pacific region. The final entry deadline for this competition this year is March 11. Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners will be announced on April 1, and the winners celebrated during a gala event in Shanghai, China on May 15.
Nominated products and services in the Asia-Pacific awards may be completely new or new versions of pre-existing offerings. The 2015 awards will recognize new products, or new versions of products, issued since July 1 2013, the beginning of the eligibility period. This year's competition features 51 new product awards categories, alphabetically from Business-to-Business Products to Transportation products and services. Thirty of those 51 categories are for software products of various types.
What do you need to prepare to enter the new product categories in the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards? Just an essay of up to 625 words, describing the nominated product or service, including its features, functions, benefits, and market performance to date. The essay may be in any of seven languages, including Chinese, English, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay and Thai. You can complement the essay with up to five (5) links to online news stories, reviews, or other web-based files, and you may upload up to five (5) files to our server for the judges, which may include product manuals, photographs, videos, and the like.
The International Business Awards have grown to be recognized as the world's top honors for achievement in the workplace. All organizations worldwide may participate, and last year's IBAs attracted more than 3,300 from organizations in over 50 nations. Hundreds of those nominations were of new products and services.
The 2015 competition has three entry deadlines. Winners will be announced in August, and the winners celebrated during an event in Toronto, Canada in October. See the full IBA calendar here.
Nominated products and services in the IBAs may be completely new or new versions of pre-existing offerings. The 2015 awards will recognize new or new-version products issued since January 1, 2014. Like the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the IBAs also feature 51 new product awards categories. However, the IBAs also offer the opportunity seek recognition for your entire product development team, in a category called Product Development/Management Department or Team of the Year, as well as for your team's fearless leader, in a category named Product Development/Management Executive of the Year.
Entries to these IBA categories require the submission of an essay of up to 650 words, describing the nominated product or service, including its features, functions, benefits, and market performance to date. Beginning this year, all entries to the IBAs must be submitted in English. With the essay you have the option to upload to our server any number of supporting materials that will help to tell your story to the judges. These might include product reviews, customer testimonials, product demonstration videos and photos, and work samples, for example.
The American Business Awards are recognized as the top business awards program in the U.S.A. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. may submit entries. Two early-bird entry deadlines for the 2015 ABAs have come and gone, and two deadlines remain: March 25, and a late deadline of April 22. Finalists will be announced May 6, and the awards presented during two ceremonies: June 22 in Chicago, and September 11 in San Francisco. The new product awards will be presented at the September 11 event.
Nominated products and services in the ABAs may be completely new or new versions of pre-existing offerings. The 2015 awards will recognize new or new-version products issued since January 1, 2014. The ABAs have more new product and service categories than any other Stevie Awards competition, and the menu has grown even more diverse in 2015. See the full list of ABA new product categories. There are 28 categories for software products of various types, 20 categories for a variety of other product types, and two completely new category groups: 24 categories for Content-related products and services, such as Content Marketing Solutions, Mobile Publishing Technology, and Service Using Aggregated Content; and 26 categories for Education-related offerings, including Classroom Management Solution, K-12 Enterprise Solution, and Solution for Special Needs Students, among others.
Entries to these ABA categories require the submission of an essay of up to 650 words, describing the nominated product or service, including its features, functions, benefits, and market performance to date. Entries must be submitted in English. With the essay you have the option to upload to our server any number of supporting materials that will help to tell your story to the judges. These might include product reviews, customer testimonials, product demonstration videos and photos, and work samples, for example.
Nominating your product or service in The American Business Awards, if you're eligible to do that, has an important added benefit: Every new product or service nominated in the ABAs will automatically be included in voting for the People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products. Voting will be conducted by the general public in July-August, and the winners will be honored at the ABA's new product & tech awards ceremony in San Francisco in September. So nominees in these categories have the opportunity to win two Stevie Awards: one as adjudged by your peers, and the other as voted by your customers, employees, fans and followers.
Building the next great mousetrap isn't necessarily it's own reward. Professional and public acclaim can be useful tools for building your brand, accruing valuable third-party recognition, and stoking esprit de corps among your team. Winning a Stevie Award for your new product or service in 2015 can help you to achieve these goals.
