Today is the final 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 done so, you can request an entry kit here and you will receive it right away.

We thought it would be helpful for communications professionals if we highlighted the top three reasons to submit entries to the 2012 ABA video awards categories.  

1. Flexible categories. 
   There are dozens of video award categories to choose from and videos are not limited to only one category. Your organization can submit as many entries as applicable!
2. Low entry fees.
   Our corporate video categories are among the most reasonable. See all entry fees here.
3. Free publicity.
   If chosen as a Stevie Awards winner, your organization’s video will be recognized in an awards ceremony and receive acknowledgment via press coverage and our radio cast and Internet streaming.

Our video competitions recognize excellence in videos first released or otherwise made public since January 1 2011. Submissions for these categories should include:

1. An essay of up to 100 words describing the video's purpose and results to date.
2. The video itself, in the form of an attachment or a URL, which you must attach to your entry through our attachment/link uploading tool.
3. Optionally, you may list creative and production credits for your work - a list of the people and organizations that contributed to its development.

If you wish to submit your video offline, on DVD, for review by the judges, you must first submit your entry online. Then, print out a copy of your entry and mail it with one (1) copy of the DVD to: The Stevie Awards, 10560 Main Street, Suite 215, Fairfax, VA 22030.

2012 ABA Finalists will be announced mid-May and the 10th Annual award winners will be announced at our traditional banquet on June 18th at the Marriott Marquis in New York City.

Want more ways to highlight your organization's efforts? We have several corporate awards categories that may be of interest including: app awards, live event awards, and website awards.

Turk Telekom of Istanbul, Turkey, won a Stevie® Award for Non-Profit Fund Raising in the video awards categories of The 2011 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards program. (The 2012 IBAs are now accepting entries. Download your entry kit here and begin submitting your entries by the 16 May entry deadline.) Here we look at how Turk Telekom conveyed their commitment to employees through their video of the year.

The 2011 video award winner is a leading communication and convergence technology group in Turkey which provides its customers with integrated telecommunication services from PSTN and GSM to broadband internet. With nearly 30,000 employees all over Turkey, the organization wanted to set up an insurance system in order to provide the security of social welfare and health care coverage for its nationwide workforce and their loved ones in Turkey.
In order to best serve their workforce, the corporate video award winner created the Health and Welfare Foundation. Although set up as a charitable organization, the Foundation aims to provide its policy holders with a wider range of services than those of private insurance companies in addition to top quality health and social welfare support.

This Health Foundation's best video aims to show how TTHSWF is valuing and touching the lives of its near 30,000 workers and their loved ones. You can read Turk Telekom's submission here and watch their winning video below:

About Turk Telekom
Türk Telekom Group is a leading communication and convergence technology group in Turkey which provides integrated telecommunication services including PSTN and GSM to broadband internet. Turk Telekom has nearly 30,000 employees all over Turkey. Türk Telekom group companies have 16 mn Fixed Access Lines, 6.7 mn ADSL Connections and 11.6 mn Mobile Subscribers. To learn more information, visit www.turktelekom.com.

Showcase your organization’s business-related films by submitting entries in the video awards categories of The 2012 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards program. (We are now accepting early-bird submissions with discounted entry fees through 11 April. If you can't make April's deadline, the entry deadline is 16 May and we will continue to accept late entries through 27 June; get your entry kit here.) Our corporate video competitions recognize excellence in films or videos first released or otherwise made public since January 1, 2011.

Our best video award categories include:

• Internal/Employee Communications
• Magazine Format
• Meeting Modules
• Motivational
• Orientation
• P.R.: Annual Reports
• P.R.: Government
• P.R.: Industrial
• P.R.: Media & Entertainment
• P.R.: Non-Profit Fund Raising
• P.R.: Other
• P.R.: Technology
• Sales: Direct Response Marketing
• Sales: Government
• Sales: Industrial
• Sales: Media & Entertainment
• Sales: Other
• Sales: Technology
• Sales: Product Sales
• Sales: Service Sales
• Security/Safety
• Teleconferences
• Tourism/Travel
• Training

Starting in 2012, as part of our 10th anniversary celebration of the start of the Stevie® Awards movement, all video award entrants will be eligible to participate in our first international business award celebration with our three levels of award distinction: gold, silver and bronze. The top scoring qualifying entry in each category will receive a Gold Stevie Award.  Finalists that receive a final average score of at least 8.0 out of a possible 10 will be designated as Silver Stevie winners. All other Finalists will be designated as Bronze Stevie winners. Learn more here.

Benefits of submitting entries to the IBA's video of the year categories include: 

1. Free international publicity
   If chosen as a Stevie Awards winner, your organization’s video will be recognized in an international awards ceremony. Your organization will also receive acknowledgment via press coverage and our radio cast and Internet streaming.
2. Multiple chances to win
   Our video awards and film awards categories are flexible to give you more options and increase your chances of winning a Stevie. Your organization can submit as many entries as applicable.
3. Low entry fees
   Our video award categories have some of the lowest entry fee costs. See all entry fees here.

Leave us a comment and let us know which video you'll be submitting in the 2012 IBAs.