Gold Quill Awards: celebrating communication excellence
How would it feel to add ‘global award-winning’ to your CV or team credentials? That’s what you could do if you’re awarded an IABC Gold Quill Award. For 40 years, the Gold Quills have been the pinnacle of achievement for professional communicators around the globe - showcasing the huge impact that communicators deliver for their stakeholders. The 2024 Awards are open for submissions until 4 February 2024.
What makes the Gold Quill Awards unique?
The Gold Quills are the only awards programme to honour communicators on a global scale. With a focus on excellence and continuous improvement, they attract high-quality entries from around the communication industry.
The awards are unique in helping entrants to benchmark their work against a global standard. Entries either meet Gold Quill benchmark or they don't, distinguishing from other awards when you may essentially be competing amongst several of your peers.
A category for every communicator
With 28 categories across four themes - communication management, market research, communication skills and training / education - there's a category for all fields of communication, including students. The Awards are open to IABC members and non-members.
Board member Lucy spoke to past-President Simon Monger, and Ann-Marie Blake who chairs the judging panel
They are constantly evolving to include current topics such as ESG and, new this year, strategic use of artificial intelligence.
Why take time to enter?
Communication professionals are busy people but it’s well worth prioritising time to submit a Gold Quill entry. All entrants receive constructive feedback from the evaluators, providing valuable insights for ongoing learning and developing your practice as a communication professional.
Even if you decide not to enter this year, following the work plan and global standard, can help you to really look at how you can elevate your work.
How are entries evaluated?
A group of distinguished international communication professionals evaluate the awards. They follow a strict ‘rubric’ - a standard that removes personal opinions and ensures a standardised, analytical approach. The process involves independent evaluation, consolidation, and an international sample check.
Further resources
These insights are taken from our recent conversation with Ann-Marie Blake, chair of the Blue Ribbon Panel that evaluates the awards and Simon Monger, past president of the IABC UK and Ireland chapter and Gold Quill evaluator. You can watch the full conversation here (32 minutes)
Visit the Gold Quill website where you’ll find all the official resources to help you, along with information on how to submit your entry, deadlines and entry fees.
Good luck with your entry!
