NZ public sector wins big in global communication awards

NB: this is a copy-paste of a blog post from IABC Wellington: www.iabcwellington.co.nz

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New Zealand public sector communications campaigns were prominent among winners of the prestigious 2009 Gold Quill Award for excellence in communication announced by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

New Zealand winners included Immigration New Zealand, for its MAGNET migrant attraction programme, and the Ministry of Social Development for the ‘It’s Not OK’ family violence campaign.

Other New Zealand winners were Ann Kennedy-Perkins of AKP Communications Ltd, for a communications programme supporting the establishment of the New Zealand Transport Agency, and Daniel Piper of Revolution Advertising in Auckland for its ‘Skoda Free Fare’ campaign.

Shona Brown, President of the IABC Wellington Chapter, said the awards were welcome endorsement of the high-quality communications work being done in the New Zealand public sector.

“The Gold Quills are recognised as the international benchmark of professional communications excellence,” Shona said.

“The strong New Zealand public sector showing in this year’s awards is especially pleasing – it is well-deserved reward for creative, innovative work that delivers results.”

This year’s competition received nearly 1,000 entries from 26 countries. Of these, 122 were selected to receive awards—41 Awards of Excellence and 81 Awards of Merit.

“The MAGNET programme did especially well – it picked up three awards in different categories, including a coveted Excellence award,” Shona said.

“The ‘It’s Not OK’ campaign also picked up an Excellence award, and it has been singled out for a special feature on Gold Quill winners in IABC’s Communications World magazine.”

The IABC is a global network of communications professionals committed to improving organisational effectiveness through strategic communication. Established in 1970, IABC serves more than 16,000 members in 80 countries.

The IABC’s annual Gold Quill Awards program has honored excellence in business communication for more than 36 years. Gold Quill entries went through two rigorous rounds of judging by a team of senior communicators from around the world, with the final selection made by the Gold Quill Blue Ribbon Panel of judges. The winners will be honored at the Gold Quill Awards gala on 8 June at IABC’s world conference in San Francisco.

For the complete list of 2009 Gold Quill winners, visit http://www.iabc.com/awards/gq