Message from the Chair
Experience Excellence with Purpose
Dear Communication Colleagues,
We begin the IABC 2021 Gold Quill Awards with a call to all our communication colleagues everywhere in the world, to enter your outstanding work to mark moments of excellence and purpose. These are moments when we all can rise above adversity, celebrate milestones, advocate for a worthy cause, launch new programs, create solutions, sustain programs and develop people.
There is no better time to join than now. We in our respective countries are adapting and adjusting to the seismic shift brought about by Covid-19. This is when communication can help ready us for a new day by defining, reassuring, supporting, encouraging, overcoming, preparing, containing, resolving, and rebuilding.
The spirit behind the Gold Quill Awards is both the recognition and the continuous learning and professional growth that salutes you as a communicator, your team, your organization. Your exceptional communication works’ strategic relevance, timeliness and innovation further raise the bar and grow the body of work of our profession.
- NEW: We have a new category on Covid-19-related programs under Division 1: Communication Management - Category 14B: Covid-19 Response & Recovery Management and Communication. You can also submit videos, writings, publications and other communication tools done for Covid-19-related programs in appropriate categories under the regular Division 4: Communication Skills.
- SPECIAL DISCOUNT EXTENDED & SAME ENTRY FEES RETAINED: The special discounted early-bird rate for all entrants - members, non-members and students - is open all the way up to January 8, 2021. The same entry fees were retained.
- VIRTUAL ROADSHOW: We will be making the rounds of IABC regions and chapters to reach out to colleagues, likewise reaching out to partners and non-members, on our Gold Quill Awards.
- ONLINE GUIDES: The criteria, standards, and step-by-step entry preparation guides for each division, examples of winning entries, templates, and webinar training posted on the Gold Quill Awards site will help you write and submit your entries and primes you to maximize the advantages of joining.
IABC’s Seven-Point Global Scale of Excellence is the standard by which each entry is scored, creating a level-playing field. Diversity and context are celebrated and understood. Entries do not compete with each other. Rather, entries are scored vis-a-vis the rubrics and standards. Most important, you will also learn through the scores and comments of internationally distinguished communicators who comprise the global Blue Ribbon Panel (BRP) evaluators.
You will automatically receive feedback for each of your entries, the actual scores and verbatim constructive comments from the BRP evaluators. This unique feature and strength of the Gold Quill Awards put value on continuous improvement, professional growth, and learning through valuable feedback.
We embrace diversity as seen in the circle of winners in all these years - from various-sized institutions in different countries: boutique agencies, startups, consultancies, non-profits, educational institutions, governments, students, and companies.
For over 40 years, the Gold Quill Awards has set the standard, raised the bar, and built legacies. I myself have been shaped by this journey, who I am and what I can do as a communicator. I began as an entrant, then as an awardee, a Blue Ribbon Panel Chair, a BRP evaluator, a Gold Quill Awards mentor for my teams, the Awards Committee Vice Chair, and now as the Chair. I greatly encourage and invite you all to experience the Gold Quill Awards firsthand.
Here are the dates to remember: Submission opens on October 8, 2020. You can enjoy the early bird discounted rate, extended up to January 8, 2021. The deadline is on January 20, 2021 and the final deadline is on February 1, 2021. More details will be posted at https://gq.iabc.com/.
Join us now, and stand tall among the world’s best!
Cheers!
Ritzi Villarico-Ronquillo, APR, IABC Fellow
Chair, IABC 2021 Awards Committee
On behalf of the Awards Committee:
Maureen Healey, ABC, CAE - Vice Chair
Ed Kamrin, SCMP - Past Chair
Theomary Karamanis, Ph.D., SCMP - Member
Sylvia Link, MC, ABC, APR - Member
Jeffrey Ory, ABC, APR - Members
Derrick Rozdeba - IEB Liaison
Paige Schafer – Senior Membership & Operations Associate | Staff Liaison