HONG KONG, Sept. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Nominations have opened for the flagship 2011 PublicAffairsAsia Gold Standard Awards with under seven weeks until the deadline for entry.
The Gold Standard Awards recognise excellence in public affairs, communications, corporate sustainability and stakeholder engagement, and will be judged by a top-flight panel from across the Asia Pacific region.
New categories in the 2011 line up include The Gold Standard Award for Public Private Partnership, The Gold Standard Award for Corporate Financial Communications, The Gold Standard Award for Public Relations Consultancy and The Gold Standard Award for Corporate Responsibility. These new awards join a wide selection of categories which include country and trade promotion, diplomatic engagement and social media engagement.
Once again, the awards will recognise a top-level in-country or regional public affairs or communications practitioner through The Prospect Gold Standard Award for Professional Excellence. The PA industry will also identify the achievement of a political leader or campaigner through the open nomination Gold Standard Award for Political Communications.
Commenting on the awards, Steven R. Okun, the director of public affairs at KKR and the awards chairman, said: "The Gold Standard Awards are the only programme which celebrates the collaborative public affairs and communications achievements of corporations, government agencies, specialist consultancies, trade groups and NGOs in Asia Pacific."
The judges include over 40 senior practitioners from public affairs and corporate communications across business, government and the NGO community.
Okun added: "By nominating, or being nominated, you can promote the important work carried out by professional communicators, business, diplomats, governments and NGOs across Asia Pacific. Whether for your work in government relations, issues management, social media, trade promotion or good governance, we encourage you to become involved."
The full details on the 2011 awards programme, categories and sponsors can be found below and at the website www.goldstandardawards2011.com.
The 2011 Sponsors and Categories:
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
Sponsored by: AmCham-China
This award is made to identify excellence in the development of a CSR, sustainability or good governance project which enhances corporate reputation. It is open to corporations, NGOs and public bodies who can show commitment to sustainable business practices, governance values or corporate responsibility either through a single campaign, case study or broader corporate commitment to these outcomes.
Entry Advisory: Please provide no more than 1000 words with particular reference to the planning, implementation, outcomes achieved through a project or broader corporate commitment to corporate responsibility.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR COUNTRY OR TRADE PROMOTION
Sponsored by: Qantas Airways Limited
This award recognises effective communications and public affairs activity in the promotion of a country, industry or trade. It focuses on the work of chambers of commerce, embassies, trade and industry groups and government trade promotion agencies. It is open to any domestic, regional or global trade promotion activity connected to the Asia Pacific region.
Entry Advisory: The entry must not exceed 1000 words and illustrate how the body is effectively promoting its core industry, national or regional trade related aims and objectives.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR CORPORATE FINANCIAL COMMUNICATIONS
Sponsored by: Kreab Gavin Anderson
This award is designed to identify excellence in corporate financial communications, government relations or regulatory affairs. It is open to corporations, financial institutions, government agencies or regulatory bodies active in the financial communications arena. Entrants should show "Gold Standard" excellence in areas such as M&A communications, IPO communications or regulatory or governmental affairs.
Entry Advisory: Please provide no more than 1000 words with particular reference to the planning, implementation and outcomes of a financial communications or related governmental/regulatory public affairs campaign. Nominations from the agency sector in this category should be lodged in the name of the corporation or governmental agency for whom any work was conducted. Third parties, such as public relations consultancies, can act as the nominator where the nominee is a client.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR DIPLOMATIC ENGAGEMENT
Sponsored by: News Corporation
This award identifies excellence in diplomatic engagement through the nomination of any ambassador, embassy or diplomatic mission. It recognises achievement in corporate public affairs in areas such as the promotion of trade, economic, political or cultural relations. Nominations can be made by diplomatic missions themselves or by a third party, such as a foreign ministry, a partnering corporation, trade group, chamber of commerce or NGO. Entries must show achievement of a desired strategy or outcome following a process of external engagement by the ambassador, embassy or consulate.
Entry Advisory: Please provide no more than 1000 words with particular reference to a project or broader engagement strategy developed by an ambassador or diplomatic mission. There is no entry fee for nominations lodged by embassies or consulates.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR ISSUES MANAGEMENT AND CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS
Sponsored by: EON, The Stakeholder Relations Firm
This category requires nominations outlining excellence by any corporation, government, NGO or agency in communicating key messages in the management of an "issue" or "crisis". It is open to entrants from all sectors which can show a "Gold Standard" response to an event which took place in the 18 months prior to the close of nominations.
Entry advisory: Please provide no more than 1000 words with particular reference to the planning, implementation and outcomes achieved by the body in the preparation for, or handling of, a crisis or issue.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR NGO ENGAGEMENT
Sponsored by: Weber Shandwick
This award identifies excellence in NGO engagement with external groups. It applies to domestic and international NGOs operating in Asia Pacific or to Asian NGOs operating overseas. Nominations should identify "Gold Standard" achievement by an NGO in its strategic engagement with government, business or civil society. Nominations can be self made or by a third party, such as a fellow NGO/corporation/chamber of commerce or government agency.
Entry Advisory: Please provide no more than 1000 words with particular reference to the planning, implementation and outcomes achieved through NGO engagement. There is no entry fee for nominations lodged by NGOs.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP
Sponsored by: Food Industry Asia
This award recognises excellence in any project involving both the public and private sector in Asia Pacific. It reflects the growing importance of public private partnerships in areas such as health promotion, environmental protection and the delivery of public services. The award will be made to the partnership group in recognition of the public affairs and communications engagement, execution and outcomes connected to their PPP programme.
Entry Advisory: Nominations of no more than 1000 words can be lodged by any of the participants of the public private partnership and must illustrate how the collaboration achieved a pre-determined outcome utilising effective public affairs, government relations or communications.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS
Sponsored by: Hewlett Packard
This award recognises excellence in the use of social media as a communications tool by business, governments or NGOs. Entrants must show how social media has been used to effectively communicate with target stakeholder groups and has achieved desired outcomes.
Entry Advisory: Please provide no more than 1000 words with particular reference to the planning, implementation and outcomes achieved by the social media communications campaign or strategy.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
Sponsored by: Henry Hale Maguire
This award identifies excellence in a strategy or campaign engaging stakeholders such as government, the media, regulators, employees and the public. It is open to corporations, governments, embassies, NGOs and trade groups represented in Asia Pacific or representing Asian interests outside Asia. Outcome based it will show how a process of planned engagement has achieved a positive outcome with stakeholders.
Entry Advisory: Please provide no more than 1000 words with particular reference to the planning, implementation and outcomes achieved through the process of stakeholder or governmental engagement.
Professional Categories:
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARDS FOR 'CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR'
CATEGORY A: PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by: The Research Pacific Group
This award identifies public affairs excellence by a consultancy at either the in-country office or regional network level. It is open to public affairs and public relations consultancies operating in Asia Pacific who have developed service offerings in the areas of public affairs, government relations and corporate affairs. Entrants must illustrate excellence in benchmark areas such as such as client relationships and deliverables, professional team development and business growth.
CATEGORY B: PUBLIC RELATIONS CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by: PR Newswire
This award identifies corporate public relations and communications excellence by a consultancy at either the in-country office or regional network level. It is open to public relations and communications consultancies operating in Asia Pacific who deliver service offerings in the areas of corporate communications and corporate public relations. Entrants must illustrate excellence in benchmark areas such as client relationships and deliverables, professional team development and business expansion.
Entry Advisory: For categories A and B entrants should provide no more than 1000 words with particular reference to the key benchmarks identified above.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR 'IN HOUSE' TEAM OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by: Vriens & Partners
This award identifies excellence in an in-house public/corporate affairs or communications team in Asia. It is open to global and domestic corporations, government agencies and NGOs. Entries are expected to demonstrate the development of functions such as corporate communications/public affairs/government relations and illustrate its importance and contribution to broader business goals and strategy.
Entry Advisory: Please provide no more than 1000 words with particular reference to the key benchmarks identified above.
THE PROSPECT GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE
Sponsored by: Prospect
This award recognises achievement by a communications, corporate or public affairs professional connected to the Asia Pacific region. It is open to senior corporate or consultancy communications and public affairs professionals who are seen as leaders among their peer-groups and the broader corporate affairs and communications industry in Asia Pacific.
Entry Advisory: In no more than 1000 words entries should illustrate how the career achievements by the nominee identify them as an industry leader in the Asia Pacific region.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR POLITICAL COMMUNICATIONS
Sponsored by: eBay
This category recognises excellence in political communications. It is open to anyone or any corporate, NGO or governmental group to nominate a politician, public figure or campaigner who has shown significant achievement through their communications over the previous 18 months. Nominations are invited from individuals and organisations.
Entry Advisory: Please provide no more than 400 words to describe how the nominee has displayed excellence in their communications and engagement with target audiences. There is no nomination fee for this category, for which nominations close on December 1, 2011.
For more information please contact:
Craig Hoy
Executive Director
PublicAffairsAsia
Tel: +66-8483-79403
Email: craighoy@publicaffairsasia.com
