THE 2017 CATEGORIES AND CRITERIA
- Entries should not exceed 1000 words and should address planning, execution and outcomes [where appropriate] on an equal basis.
- Unless otherwise stated nominated programmes must have been launched, or have shown significant activity or progress, in the 18 month period prior to the opening of nominations.
- Please note that supporting materials are not permitted. Any reference to supporting evidence should be included as hyperlinks in the external links section of the entry form. Entrants can embed photos or links to videos in the main body of the entry form.
THE PROSPECT GOLD STANDARD AWARDS FOR PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE
Sponsored By: Prospect
These awards recognise achievement by senior communications, corporate or public affairs professionals. Two awards will be made: one for an agency professional and one for an in-house professional. The awards are open to the nomination of senior 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. Please state in-house or consultancy in the nomination.
Outline submissions of no more than 500 words must initially be made in this category by September 30. Nominations can be made by nominees themselves, third parties (such as clients and colleagues) and by Gold Standard Awards judges. Entries must show significant leadership and achievement by the nominated professional, illustrating their contribution to their organisation’s success. Judges will look for innovation in communications and corporate affairs strategies (in-house nominee) and the successful development of their agency’s growth, innovation and business development (consultancy nominee).
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR COMMUNICATOR OF THE YEAR
Sponsored By: House of Rose Professional
This category recognises excellence in communications by a business or public figure. It is open to anyone or any corporate, NGO or governmental group to nominate a corporate leader, public servant, campaigner or political figure who has shown significant achievement through their communications over the previous 18 months. Nominations are also sought from among The Gold Standard Awards judging panel. Outline submissions of no more than 500 words must initially be made in this category by September 30. These will be considered by a panel of Gold Standard Awards judges before we request further details in support of the successful nominations. Nominations can be made by nominees, third parties (such as clients and colleagues) and by Gold Standard Awards judges.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR POLICYMAKER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored By: Food Industry Asia
This award recognises a government figure or body in the Asia Pacific region for their achievement the policymaking arena. Entries should illustrate how, through engagement with external stakeholders, an individual minister or policymaking body has successfully developed and implemented a specific initiative which addresses the needs or concerns of stakeholders. Outline submissions of no more than 500 words must initially be made in this category by September 30. These will be considered by a panel of judges before we request further details in support of the successful nominations. Nominations can be made by nominees, third parties (such as corporations or trade groups) and by Gold Standard Awards judges. Judges will be looking for examples of successful outcomes, innovation and consultative and transparent engagement.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARDS FOR CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP
Sponsored By: EON – The stakeholder relations group
These awards identify excellence in the development of a CSR, sustainability or good governance project which enhances corporate reputation. They are 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. Judges will look for innovation in programme development and successful implementation. Entries should highlight how the work undertaken has had a positive effect on the organisation’s reputation among target groups.
One Corporate Citizenship award will be presented in each of the following regional sub-categories:
- Australasia – including PNG and New Zealand
- Japan and Korea
- Greater China
- South East Asia
- India and South Asia
- The Middle East
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR COUNTRY AND TRADE PROMOTION
Sponsored By: MHP Communications
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 and investment agencies. It is open to any domestic, regional or global trade promotion activity connected to the Asia Pacific or Middle East regions. Judges will look for innovation in design and implementation of a programme which promotes an individual city or country, or an individual trade or industry.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR BROADCAST AND VIDEO
This new award recognises the effective use of video or broadcast as a communications or campaign tool by a corporate, NGO or government body. Judges will look for creativity and impact. Entries should contain an embedded link to the video (including any username or password) and be accompanied by up to 500 words. This text should explain the strategy behind the use of broadcast and illustrate impact and outcomes – including, where possible, return on investment.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
Sponsored By: Media Village
This award recognises a successful and strategic communications/PR campaign designed and implemented by an organisation, or its communications agency, operating in Asia Pacific. Based on measurable results, entries should show how a process of strategic engagement through a communications or public relations campaign met, or exceeded, target outcomes and objectives. Judges will look for the generation of successful ideas which are implemented in a communications campaign. Judges will also look for specific measurable outcomes and impacts.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR FINANCIAL COMMUNICATIONS
Sponsored By: AmCham China
This award identifies excellence in corporate financial communications. It is open to consultancies, corporations and financial institutions, government agencies or regulatory bodies active in the financial communications arena. Judges will look for innovation and successful communications in areas such as M&A communications, IPO communications or investor relations.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARDS FOR DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS
These awards recognise excellence in the use of digital and social media as communications tool by business, governments or NGOs.
The Gold Standard Award for Digital Communications
This award identifies excellence in the creative use of digital channels to achieve communications, public relations or corporate affairs goals. This can be through the use of websites, blogs, email newsletters, online polling and other digital tools. Judges will look for innovative and creative strategies aligned with measurable impact which meet or exceed pre-determined communications outcomes.
The Gold Standard Award for Social Media Communications
This award identifies excellence in the creative of use of social media channels to further communications, public relations or corporate affairs goals. This can be through the use of application such as Twitter, Facebook and WeChat and other emerging social media platforms. Judges will look for innovative and creative strategies aligned with measurable impact which meet or exceed pre-determined communications outcomes.
The Gold Standard Award for Integrated Communications
This award identifies excellence in the creative of use of digital and social media channels as part of an integrated communications, public relations or corporate affairs strategy. Judges will look for innovative and creative strategies, which utilise digital or social media and at least two of the following channels: media relations, events, experiential, government relations and advertising/paid media.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR DIPLOMATIC ENGAGEMENT
Sponsored By: 21ST CENTURY FOX
This award identifies excellence in diplomatic engagement through the nomination of any ambassador, embassy, diplomatic mission or parent foreign ministry. Judges will look for innovation in diplomatic engagement 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 the successful implementation of a strategy or project which includes external engagement by the ambassador, embassy, consulate or ministry. There is no entry fee for this category.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
This award recognises employee engagement by a corporate, NGO or governmental organisation. Judges will look for excellence in engagement between an organisation and its employees or membership base. This could include, for example, internal employee communications, crisis communications or change management.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Sponsored By: APCO Worldwide
This award recognises successful and strategic government relations or corporate affairs engagement between a company or NGO and a government body, state agency or regulator. Judges will look for evidence that a process of planned and strategic engagement delivered positive results. Entries should highlight effective and innovative communications or lobbying strategies.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR IN-HOUSE TEAM OF THE YEAR
Sponsored By: Edelman
This award identifies excellence in an in-house public/corporate affairs or communications team in Asia Pacific or related to the region. It is open to multinational and domestic corporations, government agencies and NGOs. Successful entries must show significant achievement and development in the team management, results and performance in the previous 18 months.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR ISSUES MANAGEMENT AND CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS
Sponsored By: CS&A International
Nominations must show effective crisis or issues management work undertaken by any corporation, government, NGO or agency. Entries should clearly illustrate success in the strategy or method for managing an “issue” or “crisis” which has taken place in the last 24 months. Judges will be looking for evidence of successful planning and execution. Company or organisation names can be redacted where such material is sensitive in nature.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR NGO ENGAGEMENT
Sponsored By: Weber Shandwick
Nominations for this award should illustrate effective and innovative engagement involving a non-governmental organisation. Entries must illustrate high levels of achievement in a campaign, project or outreach programme involving a corporation, government agency, industry group and a registered charity or official non-governmental organisation. There is no entry fee for entries lodged by NGOs.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP
Sponsored By: Landmark Public Affairs
This award recognises excellence in any project involving both the public and private sector in Asia Pacific. It reflects the growing importance of PPPs in areas such as health promotion, environmental protection or economic and social development. The award will be made to the organisations engaged in the partnership in recognition of successful public affairs and communications engagement associated with their programme or activities.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARD FOR STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
Sponsored By: North Head
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. Judges want to see how a process of innovative engagement has achieved a positive outcome with stakeholder groups and, in turn, met original and measurable objectives.
THE GOLD STANDARD AWARDS FOR CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR
Sponsored By: PR Newswire
Unless otherwise stated these awards are open to agencies operating in the strategic communications, corporate affairs, government relations or sustainability sphere.
CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR: AUSTRALASIA AND NEW ZEALAND
This award identifies excellence by a consultancy operating in Australia and New Zealand. Entries can be lodged for an individual office or for the agency as a whole. Judges will look for evidence of fee and profits growth, client retention and growth, staff and team development, successful client work and service innovation.
Confidential content should be clearly underlined in the entry.
CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR: KOREA AND JAPAN
This award identifies excellence by a communications consultancy operating in Korea and Japan. Entries can be lodged for an individual office or for the agency as a whole. Judges will look for evidence of fee and profits growth, client retention and growth, staff and team development, successful client work and service innovation.
Confidential content should be clearly underlined in the entry.
CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR: GREATER CHINA
This award identifies excellence by a communications consultancy operating in Greater China. Entries can be lodged for an individual office or for the agency as a whole. Judges will look for evidence of fee and profits growth, client retention and growth, staff and team development, successful client work and service innovation.
Confidential content should be clearly underlined in the entry.
CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR: SOUTH EAST ASIA
This award identifies excellence by a consultancy operating in South East Asia. Entries can be lodged for an individual office or for the agency as a whole. Judges will look for evidence of fee and profits growth, client retention and growth, staff and team development, successful client work and service innovation.
Confidential content should be clearly underlined in the entry.
CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR: INDIA AND SOUTH ASIA
This award identifies excellence by a consultancy operating in India and South Asia. Entries can be lodged for an individual office or for the agency as a whole. Judges will look for evidence of fee and profits growth, client retention and growth, staff and team development, successful client work and service innovation.
Confidential content should be clearly underlined in the entry
CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR: THE MIDDLE EAST
This award identifies excellence by a consultancy operating in the Gulf and Middle East Region. Entries can be lodged for an individual office or for the agency as a whole. Judges will look for evidence of fee and profits growth, client retention and growth, staff and team development, successful client work and service innovation.
Confidential content should be clearly underlined in the entry.
SPECIALIST CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR
This award identifies excellence by specialist consultancy operating in Asia Pacific. Entries can be lodged for an individual office or for the consultancy as a whole. Judges will look for evidence of fee and profits growth, client retention and growth, staff and team development, successful client work and service innovation. Agencies should be focussed on a specialist service such as crisis management, digital communications, financial communications, government relations or CSR/sustainability.
Confidential content should be clearly underlined in the entry.
NEW CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR
This award identifies excellence by a new consultancy operating in Asia Pacific. Entries can be lodged for an individual office or for the consultancy as a whole. Judges will look for evidence of fee and profits growth, client retention and growth, staff and team development, successful client work and service innovation. To qualify consultancies must have been operating in the given location for a period of less than three years.
Confidential content should be clearly underlined in the entry.
REGIONAL NETWORK OF THE YEAR
This award identifies corporate public relations and communications excellence by a full service consultancy at the regional network level. It is open to public relations and communications consultancies operating in Asia Pacific who deliver service offerings in the areas such as corporate communications, financial communications, crisis management, corporate public relations or public affairs. Judges will look for evidence of fee and profits growth, client retention and growth, staff and team development, successful client work and service innovation across the Asia Pacific region.
Confidential content should be clearly underlined in the entry.