The 6th annual UnAwards close on Wednesday 30 October. So you still have time to enter, get yourself shortlisted and so you really, really should.
by Darren Caveney
With three weeks to go until the submission deadline, there’s a great way for all entries – not just the winners – to provide ongoing inspiration long after the December ceremony.
by John-Paul Danon.
Last year’s UnAwards resulted in a bumper of crop of 420 entries in the 18 categories. Of these, 70 achieved the kudos of being shortlisted but – naturally enough – there was only one winner in each section. So, what happened to the 350 entries that didn’t win? Those well-crafted submissions will have contained a wealth of information and inspiration useful to comms folk – I know, as I was lucky enough to be one of the judges.
This year, comms2point0 mastermind Darren Caveney and we at CAN have come up with a way in which the 2019 entries (from which there’ll be 19 winners, with the welcome addition of the ‘Supporting health and wellbeing’ category) can have a life long after the credits have rolled on the Christmas movie that wraps up the UnAwards winners’ event in December.
When you sit down with your beverage of choice to fill in this year’s entry form, you’ll see a tick box at the end asking if you’d be happy to share your submission as part of a new resource. This resource – currently being developed – will be a digital ‘campaign bank’.
A stash of insight gained from the submissions UnAwards entrants agree to share, plus from the campaigns CAN runs with local councils (on everything from recycling and fostering to resident consultations and public health) comms people will be able to search through hundreds of examples of great campaign work to find out which approaches generated the best outcomes, the messages that really resonated with audiences, and inspiring ideas for how to do things a little differently.
The resource will incorporate a ‘creative bank’ in which measurably successful and/or award-winning campaign assets – artwork, videos and digital tools – can be licensed for a small fee from the council who originated them, so you’re not having to constantly reinvent the wheel when you’re pushed for time and resources.
Play to your strengths
So, what can you add to our bank of collective comms knowledge through your UnAwards entry this year? Luckily you don’t have to be an all-round campaign genius and good at everything. Comms comes in all shapes and sizes and the categories for these awards are carefully worded so you/your team can throw the spotlight on whatever has done the heavy lifting for you over the past 12 months.
So, whether that’s social media, research, evaluation, email, internal comms, creative work, collaboration or managing to get things done free or low cost, there’s a category for you – with a full list here.
One of my favourite winners from the 2018 UnAwards was rewarded for their creative chops: South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue. Their video ‘Kids talk about their firefighter mums’ (which you must see here if you haven’t yet) came out of a need to recruit more women by appealing to career-changers with kids. The simple but brilliant idea behind the production was key: getting firefighters’ children to talk about them as mothers first before the reveal to flip any potential stereotyping on its head.
CAN is a digital company so, as you might expect, it’s strength in research and evaluation that I value as a marker of success in the campaigns we run with councils. For example, I’m proud of our ongoing work on the Stop Smoking London campaign with the capital’s boroughs which has seen us find new ways to get to those residents most likely to be on the verge of quitting.
We honed in on research that pointed to the 25-40 age group’s habit of using social cigarette breaks to check their mobile phones and combined this with a qualifying question on smoking for those who clicked on our digital ads to make sure we were targeting the right people. We then targeted London pubs and clubs in the evening to nudge smokers towards taking action with repeat messages. You can see a case study here.
But it was social media – using a Facebook tool that tested people’s knowledge of what things could be recycled locally and where – that powered my other favourite CAN campaign over the past year. We managed to get over 37,000 interactions over a two-week period for the four London councils taking part (case study here).
Inside knowledge
Of course, the UnAwards are as much about recognising teams who get their internal messages right, helping staff along in their day-to-day work, as external campaigning. One of the highlights of the UnAwards 2018 Winners’ Masterclass was the comms team at Loughborough University showing how an internal campaign can be both effective and low-cost by combining a meaningful cause with a meaningful objective in a defined timescale.
The university’s Heart 2 Heart initiative took place over a set 12 hours on Valentine’s Day. With the support of the British Heart Foundation and local ambulance service, nearly 1,500 staff and students (a meaningful target of two people trained per one identified space on campus) were taught to perform CPR in a bid to increase the cardiac arrest survival rate of one in 18 in the East Midlands (the meaningful cause).
The team at Loughborough nabbed two UnAwards for that campaign – both ‘best low-cost’ and ‘best internal’ communications. And Loughborough University is The Times and Sunday Times ‘University of the Year 2019’ (the UnAwards has its finger on the pulse of the good guys!).
So, grab a coffee, fire up your laptop and get that UnAwards entry in by 30 October. Even if you don’t win one of the honours, everybody still wins because you’ve shared the knowledge from all that hard work you’ve put into your comms over the past year. Good luck!
John-Paul Danon is co-founder and Sales Director at UnAwards sponsor, CAN, which works with local councils to get their campaigns seen by the right people online and on social media. Say hello on Twitter at CAN and JPDanon.
image via USMC Archives
We know that a common complaint from comms professionals is a lack of recognition for their work. The UnAwards19 is your chance to change that. In a big way.
by Darren Caveney
Whether it’s a brilliant campaign, managing communications through a crisis, or just turning up every day of the year and being the best you can be, it’s not a lot to ask to get the odd ‘well done’ or ‘thank you’.
But it doesn’t happen often enough for many and that is one of the reasons behind the comms2point UnAwards - to shine a light on the professionals proudly flying comms, pr, marketing and digital flags across the sectors.
Now there’s only one thing better than being shortlisted for an award - that’s being nominated by someone else for an award. It’s a special thing. It means you’ve caught someone’s eye, demanded their attention or impressed them with your creativity, doggedness, enthusiasm or skills.
Know someone like that? Then why not nominate them in the UnAwards19?
There are two ways in which you can nominate.
Option one - If you think an individual or a team should be in the running this year just complete this short online form and hit submit. I’ll do the rest and contact them on your behalf.
Option two - you can nominate an individual or a team in any of this year's categories and complete the entry form for them. You can do this in all categories with the exception of the best guest blog post category.
Three categories which really lend themselves to nominations are:
- Best comms/digital team
- Lifetime achievement UnAward
- Supporting health and wellbeing in communications (new to the UnAwards19)
For the Lifetime Achievement UnAward, all you need to do is complete the simple entry form here and email it through to admin@comms2point0unawards.co.uk
Accessible is good, right?
When I set up the UnAwards six years ago it was with the very clear mission to make them the most accessible industry awards around. And where the community were actively involved in shaping and deciding some of the winners.
So, best of all you, the comms community, gets to choose the winners through a public vote in the first two categories above, as well as in the 'Guest post of the year' category.
I’ll tell you more about the public vote soon.
HOW LONG HAVE I GOT TO NOMINATE SOMEONE?
The closing date is 30 October (midnight) so get nominating.
P.S. the UnAwards deadline is never extended.
BE THERE ON THE DAY…
Want to soak up the atmosphere of the coolest comms, PR, marketing and digital event of the year in person? UnAwards tickets will be priced at just £20 + vat each. See, I told you the UnAwards were really accessible.
By the way… Tickets will be available soon on a first come, first served basis and will sell out so don’t hang around. Keep following the official comms2point0 channels for updates - @comms2point0, the UnAwards website, and sign up to the all-new comms2point0 eMag for the latest news on this.
Shout me if you have any questions.
Good luck.
Darren Caveney is creator of comms2point, owner of creative communicators ltd and organiser of the UnAwards19
Image via Tullio Saba
The 6th annual UnAwards launch TODAY. They're the most accessible industry awards around. Now is not a time to quietly sit back and hope your boss recognises and appreciates your efforts. So try and get yourself shortlisted for an UnAward to really put your work on the organisational map.
by Darren Caveney
Judges awarded the innovative Comms Unplugged event both a winners spot and a highly commended tag at the UnAwards18. That’s some achievement for two people delivering it in their spare time. As always there is plenty of learning to share…
by Sally Northeast
In my second year of attending the UnAwards I’m not sure I’ve earned the right to call myself a ‘regular’ yet (hat tip to those five people who’ve been to all five events – I salute you!)
But I’ll admit I’m hooked.
This isn’t just any awards ceremony. I went to one earlier this year for my day job – my team was short-listed and I travelled to Manchester with my comms manager where we were assailed by an extremely glitzy, slick and expensive affair. It was enjoyable enough, but I’m not sure it had much heart.
The UnAwards have heart in spades. They also have friendship, they have ‘cool’ (the Everyman cinema is a genius place to hold an event) and they have talent and hard work.
So here are the five things I either learned, or was reminded of, at this year’s fabulous UnAwards.
Keep trying: In 2017 Georgia Turner, Darren Caveney and I were fresh from our very first Comms Unplugged event and thought we’d chuck in an award submission for something we were genuinely proud of. We were ‘highly commended’ in the Best Small Team category which was a lovely moment. Following our bigger 2018 event, which gave us lots more evidence to back up our concept, we felt we had an even better chance of a win so entered six categories. To our absolute delight we won Best Small Team and were highly commended for Best Creative Comms, as well as being shortlisted for Best Collaboration. If at first you don’t succeed, try again.
Be proud: Whether or not you’re shortlisted, whether or not you win, entering the UnAwards is a chance to reflect on work you’re proud of. How often do we comms folk chuck out campaign after campaign, never really stopping to look back and think: “Wow, that was a great piece of work!” We’re busy moving onto the next thing (or being pushed towards it). I’m terrible for doing this so writing our award submission was a great discipline. When I sit and read it back now I think a) how the hell did we pull this off?! and b) what a brilliant thing. Enjoy your success – you deserve it.
Learn every day: Keep learning is one of the five steps to wellbeing which we quote a lot in the unplugged world. And it’s true that there’s something to be learned from every new experience (and even from old ones!). There were 420 entries for the UnAwards and there will be something to learn from each and every one. Darren is gearing up to organise an UnAwards Winners Masterclass in the new year where the winners will share their tips for success – I look forward to being there as much to hear from others as to share the Comms Unplugged story.
Dare to be different: I’ve said the UnAwards is not like other awards ceremonies. Equally Comms Unplugged, our winning entry, is not like other events. In both cases I think the organisers set out with a clear vision about the ethos of what they were trying to create. Darren always says he worries no-one will enter or attend the UnAwards. We thought the same about Comms Unplugged in the first year. Because it’s different to other conferences it took a while for people to get on board. But when you have a few ‘first followers’ you’re on your way. If you build it, they will come – even if it takes a while.
Make friends: Comms Unplugged and the UnAwards have more in common than the ‘un’ bit. Here’s where we come back to heart. There’s a lot of positivity at the UnAwards and genuine pleasure at the success of others. It’s great to see good people being recognised and everyone is behind their comms colleagues from many different organisations. Comms Unplugged shares that positive vibe and has helped to create what I know will be long friendships among some of the unpluggers. You need to have a special bond if you’re going to share a compact Airbnb apartment with seven other ladies – and that’s what we did in Brum last week for the UnAwards. It was great fun and my trip to Brum was 48 hours I know I won’t forget in a hurry.
Finally, a massive thank you to Darren Caveney for giving us all the opportunity to share and celebrate our successes together with colleagues from across the UK and from a huge range of organisations. If you didn’t enter this year, start thinking now how you’ll measure that campaign you’ve just started so you can share your success at next year’s UnAwards. I’ll see you there!
Come to Comms Uplugged 2019 – it will take place on 5-7 September in beautiful Dorset. You can find out more here. And connect on Twitter at @CommsUnplugged
Sally Northeast is an organiser of Comms Unplugged and deputy director, communications and participation, at Dorset Healthcare
As the magic dust settles on the UnAwards18 I’ve been reflecting on what I think was the best UnAwards yet.
by Darren Caveney
There are too many highlights to savour and people to thank in just one post but I wanted to share some reflections as I sit here at home supping on a nice fresh coffee post-event.
As I mentioned at the ceremony, I don’t get nervous speaking at events or hosting events. It’s not a boast, I just don’t. But because the UnAwards is so personal and because I want everyone there to have a fabulous day - win, lose or draw - I have in previous years been a tiny bit tense on the day.
This year I did not. I just thoroughly enjoyed the whole day. It was relaxed with a room full of superb people.
If you were there, I hope you enjoyed it too.
So many highlights
There were many highlights for me amongst the winners. Think about a council like Northamptonshire, so often in the news these past twelve months because of the situation they find themselves in. Imagine how difficult it must have been for their comms team at times. To come through that and win an UnAward shows immense skill and character.
Think about the daily pressures front line NHS comms teams are faced with. To see so many shortlisted and some go on to win warrants huge credit.
And think about university comms teams under so much pressure to satisfy multiple stakeholders and now also help turn a profit too. Hats off to them for their shortlistings and wins.
Seeing teams like Warwickshire County Council win big at the UnAwards18 after years of trying shouts perseverance and that is to be applauded.
Three organisations picked up two UnAwards – Tower Hamlets Council, Loughborough University and Bradford Council, including Albert Freeman as best comms officer this year. One UnAward win is great, two is a little bit special.
Then there are teams like South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service winners for the second year on the trot. That isn’t a coincidence. It’s a great team full of ideas delivering consistently. Well doe to Alex Mills and the team.
A word about the private sector and a well done to Rebecca Roberts, owner of Thread and Fable, a woman who has left in-house behind and set up her own businesses which is now picking up awards.
And a shout-out for Sally Northeast and Georgia Turner - the people behind Comms Unplugged - who literally deliver something amazing in their spare time and on top of their regular and busy day jobs. That’s passion, creativity and desire all rolled up into one and I was very happy to see their hard work rewarded.
I was impressed with so many of the shortlisted entries. If you made the shortlist for best social media account and best social media campaign you are delivering truly exceptional work.
If you made the shortlist for best low cost comms work then congratulations. That’s where real creativity shines through. Bravo to you.
As it’s Christmas, when we do things in twelves, here are my top 12 key reflections…
1. It’s Christmas
The UnAwards now officially marks the start of Christmas for our comms community. As Paul Masterman put it “The UnAwards is the comms equivalent of the switching on of the Oxford Street lights”
2. Ever presents
There were five people in the room who have been to all five UnAwards. Wow. And six if you include me. I should give you all an UnAward for good attendance 😊
3. Local Government fights back
Local Government where the biggest winners this year picking up eight of the 18 awards. NHS, Police and Higher Education picked up two apiece.
4. We must learn from the winners
I will endeavour to find the sponsorship to put on another UnAwards Winners Masterclass in the new year where I’ll ask the winners to come and share the lessons of their winning work (please shout me if you’re up for supporting this) As always, it will be free to attend, true to the ethos of the UnAwards.
5. Truly UK-wide
Attendees came from far and wide across the UK – from Scotland, from Wales, from Yorkshire, the North East and North West England, from South West and South East England, and from the Midlands and Brum itself.
6. Making people feel good
Winners, smiled, laughed and cried. That’s a special thing to be able to enable.
7. Let there be music. Cool music…
If you want to listen to Ben Capper’s awesome #UnAwards18 playlist go here
8. Lifetime achievement
Huge congratulations to Dionne Mayhew, Rachael Shaw, Antony Tiernan and Jayne Surman for being nominated in the Lifetime Achievement award. That is a special accolade and one you should be really proud of – good people with huge skills. In the entire history of the UnAwards only 18 people have been nominated, and only five people hold the title. So it really is a unique band of communicators.
Well done to Jayne Surman who just pipped the other three.
9. Get your diaries out
A diary date for you – the #UnAwards19 will take place on Friday 6 December 2019 when we can do it all again and I can spend three month’s worrying about film choices.
10. The importance of giving
This year I wanted to have an official UnAwards charity and chose one close to home. Thank you to everyone who donated on the day to St Basils, who do amazing work for homeless young people in Birmingham. I shall give an update on what we collected on the day asap but if you would like to donate online you can do so here.
11. Die Hard IS a Christmas film
Strangely for such a film anorak as myself I’d never actually watched the whole film before. And never on the big screen. I thought it was brilliant and it’s my new favourite Christmas film. (I know, I am exceedingly late to that party)
12. Gratitude
I’m so grateful to get to run and host the UnAwards but even better than that is the chance to spend the day with a room of amazing people, some who I have come to value as friends. Thank you for making this the best UnAwards yet.
Some final, special mentions…
Luke Williams, Ben Caper, Adrian Stirrup and Nigel Bishop thank you for all of your help. You are a pleasure to work with and a talented bunch.
To the attendees, thank you for giving up a Friday in December. As Adrian Stirrup put it “what’s not to like about spending the day laughing with friends, recognising excellence, and watching Die Hard”
To everyone who submitted the record-breaking 420 entries thank you for allaying my annual fear that on one will enter because you’re all so busy.
The UnAwards remains a not for profit event and I am so grateful to the official partner Granicus, and the official sponsors Orlo, CAN, NUJ PRCC, the Local Government Association, Alive With Ideas and Perago-Wales - without your kind support the UnAwards would not be possible.
A shout-out to Dave Worsell of Granicus, a supporter of the UnAwards from year one, but who couldn’t be there this year.
A shout to my buddy Phil Jewitt. You know why.
And finally an extra special mention to the lovely Caroline Roodhouse and Alan Oram of Alive With Ideas who sadly could not attend. You were very much missed.
Until next year…
p.s. if you were there and have any feedback on the day please shout me. And if you’re interested in being involved a sponsor for the UnAwards19 please shout – I’m on darrencaveney@gmail.com
Darren Caveney is organiser of the UnAwards, creator of comms2point0 and owner of creative communicators ltd
image from Joanne Ford
After a three-month build-up the #UnAwards18 is almost here. Here’s your guide to the big day…
by Darren Caveney
Now in their fifth year, there has never been a more important role for the UnAwards in saluting, recognising and celebrating the work of communicators across our industry. Some of you are working under tough conditions. Some of you are adapting to smaller resources and increased demand. And others are just delivering damned fine work.
The UnAwards is my own way of giving a little bit back to an industry which has been very good to me. I take huge pride and pleasure in being able to take a decent chunk of time out each year, away from the day-to-day consultancy work, to organise the UnAwards and to help fly a flag – in my own little way – for our communications community.
The big day
If you have managed to secure a ticket to the #UnAwards18, well done – you’re in for a treat.
The event is sold out. The 141 available tickets have been in huge demand. The fact that this year’s event is a week closer to Christmas makes them even more special.
Win or not you’re in for a great day
The UnAwards is my favourite work day of the year. It’s quite unlike any other industry event I’ve been to.
Not winning…
Of course, if you’re shortlisted but don’t win, you’ll be disappointed.
With 420 entries and 70 on the shortlist it’s stating the obvious in saying that not everyone can win.
If you’ve been to a traditional awards event, paid handsomely for it, and left empty-handed it can feel like a massive anti-climax. I know, I have experienced that.
The UnAwards is different.
The day is designed so that win or not you can genuinely enjoy a fun event and a unique opportunity to connect with industry colleagues new and old. That in itself is reason to be there.
Twitter will be buzzing
If you can’t be at the UnAwards18 follow it on Twitter using the #UnAwards18 hashtag.
Announcing the winners and snaps of the big day
We’ll be posting the winners names to the UnAwards18 website after the event.
We also have the fab Nigel Bishop taking snaps and filming the event and we’ll get these online as soon as possible.
Timings, ceremony, film and food
The venue for the UnAwards18 is the very cool Everyman Cinema up on the third floor of Birmingham's Mailbox, B1 1 RF
If you’re coming along aim to be at the venue at 9.30am for registration, a mug of fresh coffee and a croissant. The #UnAwards18 ceremony will begin at 10.00am.
After the ceremony we’re watching a brilliant film kept a closely-guarded secret until the day.
After the film you’ll tuck into hearty bowl of veggie chilli and be done by 3pm. I expect plenty of you may the stay behind for a pre-christmas celebratory tipple. And why not.
And the dress code is…
Whatever you fancy. Literally. This is NOT black tie, as you’ll have guessed 😊 But if you want to come in your fancy clobber then go for it. I will, as always, be giving the annual outing to my UnAwards velvet jacket.
Saying thanks
Thanks so much for your support again this year, it means a lot. Everyone who entered, tweeted and endorsed.
Special thanks too to the official UnAwards18 partner, Granicus UK, and our official sponsors the Local Government Association, Alive With Ideas, the NUJ PRCC, Orlo, the Council Advertising Network and Perago Wales. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – there would be no UnAwards without you.
I look forward to seeing lots of you on Friday 7 December
#BestWorkDayOfTheYear
Darren Caveney is creator of comms2point0, owner of creative communicators ltd and organiser of the UnAwards18
image by me
The wait is over – the UnAwards18 shortlist has been published
by Darren Caveney
It’s not an exaggeration to say that it’s been a massive task for the UnAwards judges this year.
420 entries is a pretty astonishing return.
Huge thanks for the time and effort which all entrants took this year.
If you have made it onto the shortlist you should be really proud, it’s a major achievement.
And if you didn’t make it onto the shortlist you’ll of course be sad. We’ve all been there. But that should not detract from you being proud of your work.
Many on the shortlist this year didn’t make it in 2017. So please don’t give up – try again next year.
You can view the full UnAwards18 shortlist HERE.
BEING AT THE BIG DAY…
Each year the publication of the shortlist sparks a run on the remaining tickets.
I am going to limit ticket sales to two per organisation so that I can get as many shortlisted people to the big day as possible.
Ticket availability is limited and is first come, first served.
You can buy up to two tickets HERE.
SAYING THANKS
Finally a big, big thank you to the team of external judges - all 20 of them:
Dave Worsell, Matt Johnson, Emma Rodgers, Ross Wigham, Phil Morcom, Bridget Aherne, Carolyne Mitchell, David Grindley, Caroline Roodhouse, Alan Oram, Ian Curwen, Fran Collingham, Stuart Banbery, Rachael Richardson-Bullock, Matt Nicholls, Victoria Ford, John-Paul Danon, Phil Jewitt, Holly Bremner and Ben Capper.
It’s been a huge amount of work for you all and I thank you so much for your time and efforts. I owe you all a beer.
I look forward to seeing many of you on 7 December.
Darren Caveney is organiser of the UnAwards, creator of comms2point0 and owner of creative communicators ltd
The UnAwards18 Public Vote is now Open which means you can now choose your favourites this year…
by Darren Caveney
After a record-breaking 400+ entries a team of 20 external judges are currently battling through a tonne of great work to draw up the 2018 shortlist.
But as you know, the UnAwards are different to other awards because YOU get the chance to choose three of the big winners through a public vote.
And that public vote is now OPEN.
You have a tough, tough challenge now to select the winners from three important categories:
>> LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
>> COMMS TEAM OF THE YEAR
>> BEST GUEST POST OF 2018
You can cast your votes HERE
The public vote closes on 26 November (midnight)
Choose wisely.
And good luck to all of you.
Darren Caveney is creator of comms2point0 and organiser of the UnAwards
Well the 5th annual UnAwards has only gone and broken records….
by Darren Caveney
The 5th annual UnAwards promises to be the best yet. Over 400 entries swamped the UnAwards inbox and I am so grateful to everyone who has taken the time to make this happen.
Here are four big things to update you on…
1. ENTRIES
The entries have all been dispatched to a team of 20 external judges have been busy trying to select their shortlists. It’s an epic task but they are more than up to it.
2. THE SHORTLIST
Once the judges have done their thing the shortlist will be published on 19 November.
3. TICKETS TO THE BIG DAY
The venue is a belter with a strict capacity of 141 seats for an event which always sells out. Well done if you have already grabbed a ticket. The tickets are first come, first served so the only way to guarantee your ticket is to grab one now whilst you can HERE.
I will potentially then hold back a final allocation for any remaining shortlisted people. It’s a challenge to try to get everyone there but I shall do my very best to get shortlisted teams and individuals at least one ticket.
4. THE PUBLIC VOTE
The UnAwards are different to other awards and so you, the communications community, get the chance to vote for the winners in three categories – lifetime achievement, best comms team and best guest post of the year. There are some amazing people and teams to consider.
The public vote opens on 7 November and closes on 26 November and you can vote here from 7 November.
SAYING THANKS
Many thanks to the team of #UnAwards18 judges - Dave Worsell, Matt Johnson, Emma Rodgers, Ross Wigham, Phil Morcom, Bridget Aherne, Carolyne Mitchell, David Grindley, Caroline Roodhouse, Ian Curwen, Fran Collingham, Stuart Banbery, Rachael Richardson-Bullock, Matt Nicholls, Victoria Ford, John-Paul Danon, Phil Jewitt, Holly Bremner and Ben Capper.
And many, many thanks to the #UnAwards18 official partner, Granicus, and the official sponsors: The Local Government Association, Orlo (previously known as SocialSignIn), Council Advertising Network, NUJ PR Communications Council, Alive With Ideas and Perago Wales.
I’ve said it before but it’s so true, I couldn’t deliver the #UnAwards without your support.
More updates here and via @comms2point0 on Twitter very soon.
Darren Caveney is creator of comms2point0 and organiser of the UnAwards
Image via Tullio Saba
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
We know that a common complaint from comms professionals is a lack of recognition for their work. The UnAwards18 is your chance to change that. In a big way.
by Darren Caveney
Whether it’s a brilliant campaign, managing communications through a crisis, or just turning up every day of the year and being the best you can be, it’s not a lot to ask to get the odd ‘well done’ or ‘thank you’.
But it doesn’t happen often enough for many and that is one of the reasons behind the comms2point UnAwards18 - to shine a light on the professionals proudly flying comms, pr and digital flags across the sectors.
Now there’s only one thing better than being shortlisted for an award - that’s being nominated by someone else for an award. It’s a special thing. It means you’ve caught someone’s eye, demanded their attention or impressed them with your creativity, doggedness, enthusiasm and skills.
Know someone like that? Then why not nominate them in the UnAwards18?
There are two ways in which you can nominate.
Option one - If you think an individual or a team should be in the running this year just complete this short online form and hit submit. I’ll do the rest and contact them on your behalf.
Option 2 - you can nominate an individual or a team in any of this year's categories and complete the entry form for them. Two which really lend themselves to nominations are:
- Best comms/digital team
- Lifetime achievement award
For this second option, all you need to do is complete the simple entry form here and email it through to admin@comms2point0unawards.co.uk
When we set up the UnAwards we were absolutely clear that they would be the most accessible industry awards around. Where the community were actively involved in shaping and deciding.
So, best of all you, the comms community, gets to choose the winners through a public vote in these two categories, as well as our 'Post of the year' category.
We’ll tell you more about the public vote soon.
HOW LONG HAVE I GOT TO NOMINATE SOMEONE?
The closing date is 25 October (midnight) so get nominating.
BE THERE ON THE DAY…
Want to soak up the atmosphere of the coolest comms, PR, marketing and digital event of the year in person? UnAwards tickets are priced at just £20 + vat each. See, we told you the UnAwards were really accessible.
Tickets are available on a first come, first served basis and will sell out so don’t hang around. You can grab yours here.
Darren Caveney is creator of comms2point and organiser of the UnAwards17
image by Steve Snodgrass