Cover Story- Web Extras
Are Awards Worth the Effort- Web Extras
By Mikal Belicove
Tips for Winning Third-Party Awards & Award Lists
Any award worth winning has plenty of competition eager to fight for it, so before you start applying for the top awards, pick up a few tips and tricks from the masters themselves—CEOs and PR people who have their own well-stocked inventory of awards:
-As a PR person, get to know your clients as business people and human beings, so you can tell the honest story of what makes them so outstanding. The trick is to not trick—be honest when clients should not apply for certain awards and let them know when they need to hold back until you have a better story to tell.
Alison Bailin, account executive at HMA Public Relations in Phoenix
-Choose your awards carefully. What is required to apply? What will you gain if you win? How can your organization use the award to generate sales, business awareness and credibility? After asking these questions, you will be able to choose the right awards and take full advantage of the awards you win.
Melanie Rembrandt, CEO, Rembrandt Communications
-Use strong action verbs and energetic adjectives without resorting to hyperbole. For example, "With great skill and perseverance, our team attained 100 percent participation" reads better than "Everyone participated and put in their best effort."
Carol Stevenson, Account Executive, Kevin/Ross Public Relations
-Call the person in charge of running the awards program and ask what is required to win, then assign the project to your best people. If the award is worth applying for, it is worth winning.
Mike Nikolich, CEO, Tech Image
-Pick the awards that promise the optimum return on your investment. Chasing awards that are irrelevant or unattainable is a waste of everyone's time and resources.
Sally Comollo, Executive Director of Communications, Digital Lifestyle Outfitters
-It is not all about the numbers. Awards can be given for creative marketing, advertising, customer service, HR policies, green policies and other areas of operation. Keep your wording terse—avoid giving the judges too much to read. A dynamic CEO with an intriguing story to tell often claims the prize.
Bill Corbett, Jr., President, Corbett Public Relations
-Believe you will win. There's no point going for an award to win if you have doubts.
Tania Hall, Senior PR Manager, Junktion
-Give them what they want. Get in touch with a contact on the award committee and develop a clear understanding of the criteria and requirements before you start putting together your application.
Jim McKeown, Director of Communications, TopCoder, Inc.
-If you're serious about winning the award, be thoughtful in filling out the paperwork. Take it as seriously as an interview for an attractive position or imagine your pitching a new business proposal.
Lenhoff Wise, President and CEO, Shazaaam! PR and Marketing
-Work with a PR agency that has an intimate knowledge of which awards are available. This can be very valuable in helping you choose the right awards to pursue for your company. For us, a CEO award is really not beneficial, since it implies the success of the company was based heavily on just the strength of the CEO.
Cheryl Snapp Conner, Managing Partner, Snapp Connor PR
-Apply only for awards that you can realistically win, and start the application process early to avoid any last-minute issues that could derail your attempts. Awards can be the "icing on the cake," but cannot be a priority in our fast-paced, customer-oriented environment.
Elizabeth Driscoll, Vice President of Public Relations, The Go Daddy Group, Inc.
UTAH AWARDS
Dealmaker of the Year Award
Presented by: Association for Corporate Growth
Deadline: January 4, 2008
Mountain West Capital Network Deal Flow Award
Deadline: January 31, 2008
Presented by: Mountain West Capital Network
Small Business of the Year
Presented by: Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce
Deadline: January 2008
http://www.saltlakechamber.org/events/smallbusinessawards/
Entrepreneurial Success Award
Presented by: Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce
Deadline: January 2008
http://www.saltlakechamber.org/events/smallbusinessawards/
Minority Small Business Award
Presented by: Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce
Deadline: January 2008
http://www.saltlakechamber.org/events/smallbusinessawards/
Utah Entrepreneur Challenge
Presented by: Pierre Lassonde Entrepreneur Center
Deadline: February 2, 2008
Utah Innovation Awards
Presented by: Stoel Rives LLP and Utah Technology Council
Deadline: February 22, 2008
http://www.stoel.com/innovation/
Tech Titans Innovation Challenge
Presented by: Sorenson Center for Discovery & Innovation at the University of Utah
Deadline: February 29, 2008
http://www.techtitans.utah.edu
Best of State Awards
Deadline: March 15, 2008
(entry fee required)
vSpring Capital Top 100 Venture Entrepreneurs
Deadline: March 2008
Mountain West Capital Network Entrepreneur of the Year
Deadline: N/A
Presented by: Mountain West Capital Network
Pathfinder Award
Presented by: Sorenson Center for Discovery & Innovation at the University of Utah
Deadline: N/A
Utah Top 25 Under 5
Presented by: Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum
Deadline: June 30, 2008
Athena Award
Presented by: Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce
Deadline: June 2008
http://www.saltlakechamber.org
A Giant in our City Award
Presented by: Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce
Deadline: N/A
http://www.saltlakechamber.org
Forty under 40 Awards
Presented by: Utah Business Magazine
Health Care Heros
Presented by: Utah Business Magazine
Deadline: Summer 2008
Mountain West Capital Network Utah 100
Presented by: Mountain West Capital Network
Deadline: August 2008
Mountain West Capital Network Emerging Elite
Presented by: Mountain West Capital Network
Deadline: August 2008
Mountain West Capital Network Utah 100 Top Revenue Award
Presented by: Mountain West Capital Network
Deadline: August 2008
Outstanding Directors Awards
Presented by: Utah Business Magazine
Deadline: late-August 2008
Best Companies to Work For
Presented by: Utah Business Magazine
Deadline: mid-August 2008
Connect 25
Presented by Connect magazine
Deadline: early-September 2008
Women to Watch
Presented by: Utah Business Magazine
CEO of the Year Award
Presented by: Utah Business Magazine
Deadline: December 2008
NATIONAL AWARDS
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award
Presented by: Ernst & Young
Deadline: late-March
http://www.ey.com/global/content.nsf/US/EGCS_-_Entrepreneur_Of_The_Year_Awards_-_Overview
Inc. 5,000
Presented by: Inc. magazine
Deadline: early-Spring 2008
Forbes 200 Best Small Companies
Presented by: Forbes
Deadline: ?
Deloitte Technology Fast 500
Presented by: Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
Deadline: mid-January 2008
http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/section_node/0,1042,sid%253D56072,00.html
Entrepreneur Hot 500
Presented by: Entrepreneur magazine
Deadline: mid-October 2008
http://www.entrepreneur.com/hot500/companysubmission.html
Stevie Awards
Presented by: The American Business Awards
http://www.stevieawards.com/pubs/general/72_194_904.cfm
Launch - Winter 2007
For text versions of all Winter 2007 articles, visit: www.launchutah.com/q42007-article-list.php
For the full "digital magazine" version of Winter 2007, visit: www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/growutah/launch_2007winter
