UK Sponsorship Awards 2023: People Awards - celebrate your most important asset: the team

The holiday season is closing in fast. So before the last person turns out the lights, the UK Sponsorship Awards team would like to wish everyone a good festive season and a prosperous New Year. Also, we just want to remind everyone that the Awards are a great way to celebrate the people making a difference across the sponsorship industry.

A lot of time and effort goes into entering UKSA’s numerous brand and sector categories. But there are also opportunities to shine a spotlight on the people who have over-delivered and out-performed in 2022.

There are three main ways that UKSA brings a personal touch to the industry’s leading annual Awards event. Between them they showcase everyone from senior leaders to rising stars, via the dynamic, innovative and creative teams that prove themselves day in day out.

Agency categories: There are so many great sponsorship agencies that UKSA has three awards up for grabs: Best Large Agency, Best Small to Medium Consultancy and Breakthrough Consultancy. Requirements for entry can be found here. These are prestigious awards designed to recognise the companies doing the work – not just the work itself or the client. Getting shortlisted for these Awards is partly about the hard graft that has been put in during the year, but it’s also a reflection of company culture. Innovation, inclusivity, contribution to the wider industry and staff welfare all count when the judges are reviewing entries. Companies that are selected for the shortlists are, in effect, applauding the teams that have contributed to their success.

UKSA Champions of Sponsorship: This initiative seeks to identify the most talented and influential figures in the sponsorship and partnership sector each year. It replaced the long-standing Personality of the Year Award – with the goal of recognising a broader range of achievements.  The Champions programme consists of up to five annual awards covering the full gamut of sponsorship activities:  Arts & Entertainment, Sport, Community, DEI, Media and Innovation.  All the UKSA team needs is your recommendation, with a couple of paragraphs outlining why you are nominating this individual - sent to info@sponsorship-awards.co.uk. You’re welcome to nominate someone within your company – but also feel free to highlights others that deserve a shout. This could be industry thought-leaders, digital disruptors, ESG evangelists or far-sighted clients. The final decision about Champions is made by the UKSA team and judges.

Young talent: The Barrie Gill Award for the most promising young sponsorship executive, partnered by Global Sports, recognises rising talents (27 or under) working within agencies, client companies or rights holders who are making a significant impact within their organisation and the sector at large. One of the highlights of the Awards night is seeing this category’s finalists coming up on stage – and realising the industry’s future is in safe hands. For this category, judges need a profile outlining what makes this candidate exceptional, how they have exceeded expectations and how this translates into future career development. The winner secures a cash prize and will be invited to a Think!Sponsorship training workshop. As with the other categories, just send submissions to info@sponsorship-awards.co.uk.

If the next few weeks look busy ahead of year end, rest assured that there is still time to enter these categories in early 2023. So why not show your people how important they are to the business?

Footnote:

The UK Sponsorship Awards attracts many loyal supporters who attend the event year after year. But there are, of course, newcomers who have never attended – tech sponsors, for example, or rights holders that didn't exist a few years ago. And there are some who have been absent for a few years. With that in mind, we’ve drawn up a list of ten compelling reasons why it makes sense to enter the UK Sponsorship Awards this year and, maybe, win or secure a place on the shortlist. What, in other words, are the business benefits?

We’ve also drawn up some advice on how to maximise your chances. There’s only one surefire way to win a UK Sponsorship Award – and that’s to convince the judges that your entry is the best. But there are a few ways in which you can improve your odds of getting noticed. Built up over years of feedback from the judges, these insights can help you hone your approach when drafting an eye-catching entry.

The final deadline for UKSA 2023 is January 16, so there is still time after the holiday season if the end of year rush is too intense. The UKSA Gala Dinner and Celebration will be on March 28, 2023 at the London Marriott Hotel. For more details on any of the above, contact UKSA Awards organiser Rosie Sarginson via this email address - rosie@sponsorship-awards.co.uk