THE UNAWARDS16 ARE OPEN

The UnAwards are back – and here’s everything you need to know to enter, showcase your best work and attend the coolest communications event of the year bar none…

By Darren Caveney

Following their huge success and popularity in 2014 and 2015, the comms2point0 UnAwards return on 1 December 2016. Bigger and better than ever, but remaining true to their original ethos.

So step forward and enter your best work now and show why you and your team deserve to be recognised in 2016.

What are the UnAwards?

The ‘UnAwards’ are different to any other comms, pr marketing and digital industry awards and, we believe, all the better for it.

They mean a lot to us because we know they make a real difference to the people working on the front line of comms across the sectors. We believe that you deserve proper recognition and real celebration.

The UnAwards are laid back, take place in a cool, quirky venue, and they recognise genuine creativity, innovation and results.

And with awards determined through a mix of independent judging panel and community voting, they’re also fair.

They are free to enter and intentionally cheap to attend. This is about connecting and celebrating you and our industry, not stripping you of your precious budgets.

The UnAwards in numbers…

The communications industry really bought into the UnAwards concept when we launched them in 2014.

Over 350 entries and 5k public votes have made them the ‘peoples’ awards’.

Shedding a tear…

Leading figures from the comms and digital industry got involved, entered and attended the ceremony. Some of the winners shed a tear. And many more of you took the opportunity to share a cool space with colleagues from around the UK for some important networking.

This year’s theme

We theme the UnAwards each year. This year themes are team work and collaboration, the thinking being that you can't achieve much without them however small or large your team.

Now, more than ever before, collaborating with good partners and suppliers is vitally important to the success of organisations and their communications achievements.

Strong team work and collaboration will resonate as a theme across our industry, and we suspect it will resonate with you too.

New and fresh for the UnAwards16

True to form, we’re keeping the UnAwards fresh and exciting. So this year we’re introducing some new categories, including ‘best social media account’ – now that’s going to be a battle royal...

The #UnAwards16 FAQs

OK, I’m in – how do I enter?

It couldn’t be simpler – you complete this short word document and you email it to us at admin@comms2point0unawards.co.uk  That’s it.

Here's our entry page for more info.

You could nail it is 30 minutes. And that may just be the best 30 working minutes you spend this year. Get yourself to a coffee shop one lunch time, order yourself a nice flat white and get cracking armed with good intel on what your work delivered.

How much is it to enter?

These are the UnAwards - there is no entry fee. Free, zilch, nowt, nothing. We want to see your best work so we strip away all of the barriers to make it as easy as possible for you to enter.

How long have I got to get my entry in?

The closing date for entries is 31 October 2016 (midnight)

So there really is no excuse to enter this year. We know that we comms folks can be coy about shouting about our own work. But if you don’t no one else will.

Who can enter?

The UnAwards are open to all sectors – public, private, third, charitable and education - and if you’re based outside the UK you’re also very welcome to enter.

How do I attend the UnAwards16?

You will definitely want to attend the UnAwards16.

Keep them peeled for an announcement on event tickets very soon – the UnAwards15 sold out so don’t hang around bagging your ticket to the coolest comms event of the year.

The UnAwards16 will be held at the rather lovely Everyman Cinema in Birmingham’s iconic Mailbox on 1 December, running from 10am - 3pm.  Make sure you’re there to enjoy the UnAwards ceremony, a fab film, and a rather nice meal.

Be a part of #UnAwards16

Darren Caveney is co-creator of comms2point0 and organiser of the UnAwards

If you’ve forgotten how epic the UnAwards15 were, or you’ve not been involved in them before, here’s a neat little short video which should hopefully whet your appetite...

THE REAL REASON WHY YOU SHOULD ENTER THE UNAWARDS

There are several reasons for us running the UnAwards 15. Celebrating the work and efforts of colleagues across comms, PR, marketing and digital is right up there amongst them, of course.

But for me it runs a little deeper than that.

By Darren Caveney

We run the UnAwards to support and – in our own way - fly a flag for folks across the UK and beyond who are working in difficult circumstances and still delivering day after day. To sing for the unsung, to recognise the unrecognised.

I hear – and I hear it way too often, I’m afraid – of some less than great behaviours by some organisations and the way they are treating staff. To a degree this is to be expected with the enormous and ongoing cuts to the public sector – with 350k people leaving local government alone in the past five years there is unprecedented change taking place.

But this doesn’t excuse shoddy behaviour.

Lack of recognition has been a theme in much of the staff survey feedback I have seen over the years too. Sometimes your achievements will be appreciated by others, sometimes they’ll not be. That’s a fact of comms life, as it is in life.

And for me, part of the UnAwards is flying back into face of this and celebrating what you do and do well. We’ve been at, and are, at your coalface so we know.

So the real reason why you should enter the UnAwards is to celebrate you.

The UnAwards are about sticking your hands up in the air, proudly, and saying “you know what – I did some bloody good things this year. And I damn well should celebrate them.”

If you’re feeling a bit unloved, the community will show you some love. We all need some, right?

And whether you are ultimately shortlisted or not in the UnAwards s not necessarily the most important thing either - taking some time out to reflect back on all you have done this year is. This can only be a good thing for you personally, for your teams, and for your organisations.

Of course, if you have done something amazing you should absolutely crow about it, get it on your LinkedIn profile and write a post about it on comms2point0.co.uk. You never know, it may just get you spotted and open a door somewhere for you.

Convinced?

Then get cracking. You have until the end of Wednesday 28 October to enter.

Grab an hour with a cup of coffee, sit somewhere quiet and do yourself proud.

You’ll be glad you did.

p.s. Don’t forget to nominate someone brilliant in our two public categories: Lifetime achievement and best comms/digital team.

Darren Caveney is co-creator of comms2point0 and the UnAwards

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