2009 Gold Circle Award Honors Excellence and Innovation in Association Communications

WASHINGTON, DC—ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership has recently recognized associations that have excelled in their communications programs and initiatives with a 2009 Gold Circle Award. Made possible with funding from TMG (The Magazine Group), the annual competition selects associations and nonprofit organizations that have demonstrated excellence in communication within a number of categories, including annual reports, magazines, newsletters, blogs, podcasts, innovative communications and others. The competition received more than 300 entries this year and included a record-setting number of digital format entries.
 
“Communications is a critical function for any association because it is the primary means for sharing information internally with staff and members as well as with external audiences,” said ASAE & The Center President and CEO John H. Graham IV, CAE. “Winners of the Gold Circle Award competition have taken their projects to the next level, integrating the fundamentals of effective communications with elements of creativity, design, technology, innovation and metrics to measure effectiveness of their tactics. I congratulate each winner for their superior programs.”

This year, the program inaugurated a special new honor called the Council’s Choice Award, chosen by the Communication Section Council from among the current 2009 Gold Circle Award recipients. “The Council’s Choice Award is bestowed upon the one entry that sits head and shoulders above its peers in terms of overall effectiveness. It’s akin to a ‘best-in-show’ designation,” said Brad J. Monterio, chair of the Gold Circle Award Committee and member of ASAE & The Center’s Communication Section Council.

The Council’s Choice Award recipient will be revealed at the annual Gold Circle Award Ceremony, August 16 at 5:00 p.m., during ASAE & The Center’s 2009 Annual Meeting & Exposition in Toronto, Canada.

In addition, the Gold Circle Committee launched the 2009 edition of its “Effective Communications Practices Guide,” based on this year’s and past award entries as a resource for association and nonprofit professionals in designing effective communications programs.

For a complete description of all categories, divisions and other information about the Gold Circle Award program, including a copy of the guide, visit www.asaecenter.org/goldcircle.

The 2009 Gold Circle Award Honorees are:

Association Annual Report Print/PDF
Division B: NAMM, the Association for the International Music Products Industry – Connections: NAMM Annual Report 2008

Division B Honorable Mention: National Corn Growers Association – 2007 Annual Report
 
Blogs
Division A: The Forest History Society – PeelingBackTheBark.org
 
Division B:  SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association – InTheHopper.org

Feature Article
Division B: Los Angeles County Medical Association – “The Palmetto Problem”

Division B Honorable Mention: National Automobile Dealers Association – “Deal or No Deal”
 
General Association Web Site
Division B: National Business Aviation Association – www.nbaa.org

Division B Honorable Mention: Medical Society of Virginia – www.msv.org

Innovative Communications
Division B: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons – “75 Years of Orthopaedic History”

Division B Honorable Mention: Association for Laboratory Automation – “It’s Coming”

Issue Specific Web Site
Division B: Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation – www.TakeMeFishing.org

Division B Honorable Mention: Council for Responsible Nutrition – www.LifeSupplemented.org

Magazine Print/PDF
Division A Honorable Mention: The Forest History Society – Forest History Today

Division B: California Association of School Business Officials – California School Business

Division B Honorable Mention: Association of Corporate Counsel – ACC Docket

Media Relations Campaign
Division A: New Jersey Association of Mental Health Agencies, Inc. – “Bankrupt Dreams, Battered Souls”

Division B: Delta Delta Delta Fraternity – “Fat Talk Free Week”

Division B Honorable Mention: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology – “Presidential Pup Tops Allergy Coverage”

Newsletter Digital/Interactive
Division B: National Association for Healthcare Quality – NAHQ E-News

Newsletter Print/PDF
Division A: Realtors Land Institute – Terra Firma Newsletter

Division B: National Business Aviation Association – Business Aviation Insider

Division B Honorable Mention: American Pain Society – APS Bulletin

Peer-Reviewed Journal
Division B: Oncology Nursing Society – Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing

Division B Honorable Mention – Project Management Institute – Project Management Journal

Podcast
Division B: National Association of the Remodeling Industry – NARI Radio

Division B Honorable Mention – American Society of Plastic Surgeons – Today in Plastic Surgery (T.I.P.S)

The 2009 Gold Circle Award program is made possible with funding from TMG (The Magazine Group), the leader in quality custom media for associations.

“On behalf of TMG, I’d like to congratulate this year’s Gold Circle Award winners,” said Jane Ottenberg, president of TMG Custom Media. “We are proud to continue our support to recognize exceptional association communications, and applaud this year’s winners for sharing our commitment.”

MEDIA CONTACT: Jakub M. Konysz, 202.626.2831, jkonysz@asaecenter.org

About ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership
The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) is a membership organization of more than 22,000 association executives and industry partners representing more than 11,000 organizations. Its members manage leading trade associations, individual membership societies and voluntary organizations across the United States and in 50 countries around the world. The Center for Association Leadership is the premier provider of learning, knowledge and future-oriented research for the association profession. Together, ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership provides resources, education, ideas and advocacy to enhance the power and performance of the association community. For more information about ASAE & The Center, please visit www.asaecenter.org.

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