THE FINAL COUNTDOWN - THE UNAWARDS18 CLOSE ON THURSDAY

The 5th annual UnAwards close on Thursday 25 October. So you still have time to enter, get yourself shortlisted and

really put your work on the industry map.

by Darren Caveney

Wow, year five of the UnAwards. They are a personal labour of love.

They have thrown up some brilliant work and given a platform for teams and individuals’ work to be celebrated and presented at industry events around the UK. That makes my heart sing and makes the many hours dedicated to making them happen so worthwhile.

Each year the UnAwards have a theme – this year it is this:

It’s the work which made a genuine difference, which nailed it creatively, which met its objectives, which could measure and prove its success. Work which changed something for the better. And captured your audience’s attention in a crowded, cluttered world.

Of course that can be easier said and done against a backdrop of further cuts and increasing work demand.

Team size, budget, skills and resource can impact upon our work.

But you will not be judged on these things.

So if you have a budget of £50 and a team of, well, just you, you can absolutely win an UnAward. Others have so why not you?

For our resources shouldn't - mustn't even - get in the way of delivering a piece of work, project or campaign which made that real difference.

Proving the difference which comms made is of course key. We are mature enough as an industry to know how to do this well now.

Sound great, huh – but you need to be quick…

The #UnAwards18 close on 25 October at midnight. So block out an hour in your diary to sit somewhere quiet (which for me would be my favourite coffee shop) and give your best work these past 12 months a chance to shine and be celebrated.

New to the UnAwards?

Well there's more here but in a nutshell they are the most accessible and innovative awards in our industry - free to enter, fun to attend and a celebration of our community's achievements.

There are 18 categories, so something for everyone

Even better you can enter the same piece of work in multiple categories to increase your chances of being shortlisted.

Don’t just focus on the obvious categories, think too about really important categories such as:

-          Best use of research/evaluation

-          Best use of email

-          Best use of ethical comms behaviour/diversity

-          Best comms team

-          Lifetime achievement

If you come along to the big day – shortlisted or not – you’ll enjoy one of the very best networking events of the year .

Oh and you get to watch a classic movie, which always remains a closely guarded secret until the day.

The UnAwards – they keep on giving...

Each year the winners are invited to showcase their winning work at the highly popular UnAwards Winners Masterclass in the new year. Also free to attend.

I know you’re really busy but no one else will do this for you...

That other non-important work demand which can stifle – meetings, ad-hoc requests, multiple distractions and the “could you just…” passing trade won’t go away. Ever.

But you might have a rather nice UnAward-winning certificate hanging proudly on your office wall. So be a little selfish with your time for once.

Have a good look at the dedicated UnAwards website here and you can grab the simple-to-complete entry form HERE.

Entries close on 25 October at midnight - you can see the full #UnAwards18 timetable HERE.

And remember – the UnAwards deadline is never extended.

I’m looking forward to seeing your brilliant work.

Keep watching @comms2point0 for all the latest news and updates.

Darren Caveney is creator of comms2point0, owner of the creative communicators ltd and organiser of the UnAwards

AN AMAZING THING HAS HAPPENED - TAKE A LOOK…

The 4th annual UnAwards has seen an amazing response from the industry. And in the process created an enormous treasure trove of learning.

by Darren Caveney

There are many things I love about running my own business: The consultancy, the training, speaking at events and mentoring comms people. The vat bills I love a bit less.

But most of all I really love to fly a flag for the communications community – to shout about the great and important work you all do, from Dundee to Dorset, from Swansea to Suffolk.

The UnAwards gives me an amazing platform to do this in spades. I like to think it’s my opportunity to put a little bit back into an industry which has been very kind to me.

Now it’s fair to say that the UnAwards soaks up a lot of hours of work behind the scenes – ask Mrs C, who hasn’t seen much of me these past few weeks.

But I love it and I’m passionate about making sure that we recognise the efforts, skills and dedication of comms brothers and sisters across the sectors.

The #UnAwards17 closed at midnight on 31 October. And then…

when I closed my laptop at 1.30am I was a little bit gob-smacked to sit back and reflect on the massive 414 entries which had been submitted. 414. Gulp.

That makes it a record-breaker.

I thank very much everyone who entered.

You do these things and, in quieter moments, wonder if anyone will enter this year or turn up at the venue on the big day. Over 3k people had visited the dedicated UnAwards website in the weeks running up to the deadline so I was optimistic but I never ever assume anything in life.

I can stop worrying now.

What happens next?

Well an army of external judges have quite a job on now to review, score and shortlist this mountain of comms excellence.

Once they have done this I’ll be posting the shortlist on the UnAwards website on 21 November.

What else?

Three of the categories – best comms team, best guest post of 2017 and the lifetime achievement UnAward - are decided by public vote. These will go live on the site on 7 November and you can choose your own favourites.

What does the big day look like?

Well in short it is my favourite work day of the year.

Held in the very cool Everyman Cinema in Birmingham’s iconic Mailbox on Friday 1 December it features the winners’ ceremony, the watching of a film (kept secret until the big day) and a meal in the retro diner.

I’m not going to go on about ticket sales except to say it is first come, first served, there is a capacity of 140 tickets and it sells out every year.

This short film from the UnAwards16 will give you an idea of what to expect.

Saying thanks…

I want to say thank you to the people who make the UnAwards possible. My aim with the UnAwards is the make them the most accessible communications industry awards in the UK. But I can only do this through the help, support, belief and financial backing of the official partner and official sponsors.

So a big virtual high five to official UnAwards17 partner Granicus UK, and to the seven official sponsors: SocialSignIn, Council Advertising Network, Social Simulator, the Local Government Association, the NUJ PR and Communications Council, Alive With Ideas and Perago Wales.

They are a group of people who continually back our industry which, in the era of tightening resources, is vital to our ongoing learning and development.

On top of that they are all great people who I would recommend to you as suppliers in a heartbeat. So check them out, talk to them and see where they can help you improve, become more efficient and deliver your objectives.

414. I may get that printed onto a T-shirt.

Right, I’m off for a lie down.

Darren Caveney is creator of comms2point0 and organiser of the #UnAwards17

image via Tullio Saba