ARC Awards: Excellence in Annual Reports
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ARC 2008 AWARDS
ANNOUNCES ANNUAL REPORT WINNERS

>> GREATER TORONTO AIRPORTS <<
WINS BEST OF SHOW

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD TO CURRAN & CONNORS

NEW YORK, NY - September 18, 2008 - The 22nd Annual International ARC Awards - the world's largest annual report competition - were presented this evening at a gala ceremony in the Grand Salon Ballroom of The JUMEIRAH ESSEX HOUSE Hotel. The winners were deemed the best out of over twenty-one hundred entries from 28 countries. ARC Awards nominations increased 10% over last year's record total.

            This year's BEST OF SHOW trophy was captured by GTAA Toronto Pearson International Airport, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This year's theme was captured in the title Uplifting people. The judges commented that it was an excellent annual report, succeeding in its goal to communicate both visually and verbally the theme of the report. The annual report scored near perfect ten's throughout the Judging Rounds earning the judges' accolades for its clean and crisp design, great concept, and execution which was carried through consistently to the end.

            The PLATINUM ACHIEVEMENT Award, honoring the design agency which places the most wins for its clients, went to HGB Hamburger Geschäftsberichte, Hamburg, Germany.

            The ARC Awards presented the TITANIUM ACHIEVEMENT Award, honoring the agency with the highest percentage of wins to VSA Partners, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

            The LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT Award was proudly presented to Scott Greenberg, President and COO, Curran & Connors, Hauppauge, New York, who is retiring this year. He was with Curran & Connors for 22 years and was instrumental in growing the company from a single design studio to the largest designer of annual reports in the United States. Since the ARC Awards inaugural competition 22 years ago, he has won every year, including numerous Grand Awards and eleven PLATINUM ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS.

            Tracy Byrnes, financial reporter for FOX Business Network and author of the much acclaimed book, Break Down Your Money, served as Master of Ceremonies. She presented 38 Grand Awards to the individuals whose work demonstrated the highest degree of achievement in annual reports. 

 

Grand Award Winners
In their respective categories, the 2008 Grand Award Winners were:

BEST OF SHOW

GTAA Toronto Pearson International Airport
(Canada)

TITANIUM ACHIEVEMENT

VSA Partners, Inc.
The Greatest Percentage (64%) of Wins on Behalf of their Clients

PLATINUM ACHIEVEMENT

HGB Hamburger Geschäftsberichte
The Greatest Number of Wins - 33 Awards - on behalf of their Clients

COVER DESIGN
Artistic/Creative

Paragraphs Design for
DIAMOND MANAGEMENT & TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANTS

COVER DESIGN
Portrait

Mensalia/Rosebud Inc. for
WIEN ENERGIE GMBH
(Austria)

COVER DESIGN
Various

Mensalia/Büro X Wien for
WIENERBERGER AG
(Austria)

CHAIRMAN’S LETTER

VSA Partners, Inc. for
GE

PRESIDENT’S LETTER
Non-Profit Organizations

United States Postal Service

INTERIOR DESIGN
U.S.A.

Paragraphs Design for
ADVANTA CORPORATION

INTERIOR DESIGN
Traditional - International

X_Design for
WAL-MART DE MÉXICO
(Mexico)

INTERIOR DESIGN
Non-Traditional - International

Greater Toronto Airports Authority
(Canada)
INTERIOR DESIGN
Special Production Techniques
3st Kommunikation for
VOLKSWAGEN AG
(Germany)
WRITTEN TEXT
U.S.A.
New Jersey Resources
WRITTEN TEXT
International
Greater Toronto Airports Authority
INTERIOR PHOTOGRAPHY
U.S.A.
New Jersey Resources
INTERIOR PHOTOGRAPHY
International
S/O Project for
SK TELECOM
(South Korea)
ILLUSTRATIONS Marquard & Bahls AG
(Germany)
FINANCIAL DATA Mensalia/ Büro X Wien for
WIENERBERGER AG
(Austria)
OFF-CALENDAR ACCOUNTING & LATE PUBLISHED A.R.s Cheil Worldwide for
SAMSUNG
(Korea)
ANNUAL REPORT WITH 10-K
Traditional
Curran & Connors, Inc. for
SAFEWAY, INC.
ANNUAL REPORT WITH 10-K
Special Treatment
Framework: CR for
EMCOR GROUP, INC.
 
NON-ENGLISH ANNUAL REPORTS
XEO GmbH for
EVONIK INDUSTRIES
(Germany)

NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATIONS
U.S.A.

Samatamason for
THE ATLANTIC PHILANTHROPIES

NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATIONS

International

Yello for
CAMP QUALITY
(Australia)

NON-TRADITIONAL
ANNUAL REPORTS

U.S.A.

Savage Branding & Corporate Design for
CONSOLIDATED GRAPHICS

NON-TRADITIONAL
ANNUAL REPORTS

International

HGB Hamburger Geschäftsberichte for
MPC CAPITAL AG
(Germany)

ON-LINE ANNUAL REPORTS

VSA Partners, Inc. for
UNITED SERVICES AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION

PRINTING & PRODUCTION

S/O Project for
SK TELECOM
(South Korea)

SOCIAL AND PUBLIC
RESPONSIBILITY
REPORTS

Paprika for
CASCADES INC.
(Canada)

SUMMARY ANNUAL REVIEWS

California Water Service Group

OVERALL PRESENTATION
Traditional Format

BCN Communications for
GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION

OVERALL PRESENTATION
Special Sizes

Curran & Connors, Inc. for
SBA COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION

OVERALL PRESENTATION
Creative Approach

Addison for
NEENAH PAPER, INC.

BEST OF AUSTRIA

Mensalia/Buro X Wien for
TELEKOM AUSTRIA GROUP

BEST OF CANADA

Nolin Branding & Design for
BORALEX

BEST OF GERMANY

3st Kommunikation for
KUKA AG

BEST OF HONG KONG

Yellow Creative (HK) Limited for
MTR CORPORATION LIMITED

BEST OF KOREA

S/O Project for
SK TELECOM

BEST OF MEXICO

X_Design for
WAL-MART DE MÉXICO

BEST OF INTERNATIONAL

Western Hemisphere

Addison Corporate Marketing for
WPP PLC
(United Kingdom)

BEST OF INTERNATIONAL

Eastern Hemisphere

EX-ACT Corporation for
JAFCO CO., LTD.
(Japan)

JUDGES' CHOICE AWARD

Kirchhoff Consult AG for
SYMRISE AG
(Germany)

            The ARC Awards, established by MerComm, Inc. in 1987, were created to honor overall excellence in annual reports, and to encourage noteworthy and vital writing, as well as imaginative and original design.

            This year, over 2,100 entries in 14 major categories were submitted by 1,068 different companies from 28 countries representing over 200 industries. During a five week period, the international panels of distinguished judges read and evaluate the annual reports.

            Judges ranked the annual reports with a score between one and one hundred.  The top 25% scoring annual reports won Gold, Silver, Bronze and Honors Awards.

            Criteria used to choose winners included Cover Design, Chairman's Letter, Writing, Interior Design, Financial Presentation, and Overall, how well the spirit of the company is reflected in the annual report.

            Preliminary and final judges represent top level investor relations executives, financial executives, writers, designers, and photographers from over 90 different agencies and corporations in the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Mexico, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and the United Kingdom.

            The ARC Awards is sponsored by MERCOMM, INC., the world's only independent awards organization, founded with the mission to advance the standards of excellence in the fields of corporate communications. The MerComm Awards Programs are free from advertising, membership dues, or outside sponsorships. Entrants may review the judges' evaluations, and are guaranteed fairness and impartiality. As such, the ARC Awards is considered the most highly respected and prestigious competition in the industry.

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