The Tabbies allow all b2b editors, publishers and art directors the opportunity to have their best work judged by their peers and Paul J. Heney, TABPI president, said that this eighth iteration of the awards has people excited.
"I think a lot of publications are geared up to make some noise - to recognise their staff efforts, to market themselves, to talk about their accomplishments. We've had some signs in different industries that ad pages are picking up, companies are backing off their hiring freezes and most publishers I speak with sound optimistic," Heney said.
The Tabbies international b2b magazine competition encompasses 20 categories, and is open to English-language business-to-business publications around the world that are published at least quarterly, as well as b2b online-only publications. Unlike some more restrictive programs, publications are not required to maintain membership in any particular organisations in order to be considered for the awards.
Categories in the Tabbies' editorial division include: Best Single Issue, Department, Editor's Column, Feature Article, Focus/Profile Article, How-To Article, News Coverage, Regular Column, Single News Article, Special Section, and Technical Article. Categories in the design division include: Feature Design, Front Cover, Digital Imagery; Front Cover, Illustration; Front Cover, Photograph; Front Cover, Special Issue; Opening Page or Spread; and Table of Contents. The online division recognises the most interactive, informative b2b websites as well as online-only features.
The 2011 Tabbies are also partnered with the US's American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE), New Zealand's Magazine Publishers Association (MPA) and Australia's Society of Editors NSW and are supported by companies that have an interest in working with b2b editors and publishers - as well as supporting editorial and design excellence. The Gold Sponsors for the 2011 awards are Proximity Marketing (www.proximitymarketing.com) and Modern Postcard (www.modernpostcard.com). The Silver Sponsor for the 2011 Tabbies is Business Strategies Group Asia (www.bsgasia.com).
The deadline for entries to be postmarked is 17 March 2011. A late fee applies after that date. An electronic version of the Call for Entries is now available at the TABPI website, www.tabpi.org. Judges for the competition are selected from suggestions of regional editorial groups across the globe.
Winners will be announced on or about 15 July 2011.
