Sponsorship Awards 2013 - Shortlist Announced

The shortlists for the 19th Hollis Sponsorship Awards are out. All told more than 100 entries made it to this year’s lists – with Consultancy of the Year and Innovation of the Year still to be revealed.

“The judging process was long and complex,” said chair of the judges Rosemary Sarginson. “But the end result is a fantastic set of shortlists. With this year’s increased number of entries, I think these are some of the most competitive categories we’ve ever seen. Areas like Arts, PR and our London 2012 categories were especially tough.”

Companies on the shortlist range from industry giants like Coca-Cola and adidas through to first timers like Spontex and Beazley. “The shortlists read like a who’s who of sponsorship,” said Sarginson, “but I’m pleased to say that there was room for plenty of newcomers to the industry. After all, it’s not size that matters to the judges, but creativity, innovation, execution and evidence of effectiveness.”

Many of the categories were heavily-subscribed, so some companies were unlucky not to make it onto the shortlists this year. “To those companies that didn’t make the lists, I’d like to say thank you for making the judges’ job so difficult,” said Sarginson. “And better luck next year. I’m always at the end of the line to talk through the entry process if anyone needs guidance on the judging criteria.”

Sarginson also express gratitude to the judges, who give up so much of their time to make sure that every entry is properly assessed. “Without the judges, there wouldn’t be an Awards,” said Sarginson. “Once again they’ve rolled their sleeves up and read hundreds of pages of entries – all in spirit of good humour and enthusiasm.”

The shortlists for Sponsorship Consultancy of the Year and Sponsorship Innovation of the Year will be announced next week. There is also still time to put forward nominations for The Barrie Gill Award for Most Promising Young Executive– sponsored by the European Sponsorship Association. Please click here for more detail.