AbaF Business Arts Awards 2003

Nominations are now open for the Australian Business Arts Foundation (AbaF) Awards 2003 which highlight the importance of improving the business and management skills of arts organisations.

They reward best practice in business arts partnerships and recognise the important role that the private sector is playing in supporting Australia’s cultural life.

This is the third year of the AbaF Awards, with a total of 12 awards to be presented. This year four new categories will be included:

 the KPMG adviceBank Award recognises the work of volunteer business advisers who provide their skills to arts organisations and the leadership of their employers who encourage staff volunteering;
 the Corporate Strategy Award recognises companies implementing partnerships that deliver benefits to the company across business units and/or state and regional offices;
 the Small Business Award is for partnerships between businesses, employing up to 20 people, and arts organisations; and
 the Encouragement Award honours partnerships with businesses that have not partnered the arts before.
Nominations are also being invited for individual leadership awards.

The Richard Pratt Business Leadership Award and the Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Cultural Leadership Award honour business and cultural leaders who have demonstrated exceptional vision, leadership and commitment to developing, encouraging and advocating alliances between the arts and business.

Winners of the 2002 individual leadership awards-Tony Berg (Richard Pratt Business Leadership Award) and Ian McRae (Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Cultural Leadership Award) – are an excellent example of how business and arts leaders can work effectively together to forge alliances that provide benefits for both sectors.

PARTNERSHIP AWARDS
The AbaF Businesses Arts Partnership of the Year Award will be selected from nominations in categories 1 to 6 below.
1. Bytecraft Commitment Award
For partnerships developed over a continuous period of at least ten years.
2. QantasLink Regional Award
For partnerships that deliver benefits to one or more regions located outside the metropolitan areas of Australia’s capital cities.
3. Community Award
For partnerships between local businesses and local arts organisations that enhance the cultural, social and economic life of the community.
4. Small Business Award
For partnerships between businesses, employing up to 20 people, and arts organisations.
5. Australia Council Media Arts Award
For partnerships that promote the arts to new and established audiences by uniting the business objectives and unique skills of media and arts organisations in innovative and creative ways.
6. City of Sydney Open Award
For partnerships that do not fall into the previous five categories.
7. Encouragement Award
For partnerships between businesses making a first-time commitment to a business arts partnership and arts organisations. The partnership must have been established after 1 June 2002. Nominations in this category will not be considered for the Partnership of the Year.

ADVICE AND STRATEGY AWARDS
KPMG adviceBank Award
Recognises the work of adviceBank advisers in helping achieve business related outcomes for participating arts organisations; and the leadership demonstrated by the companies of the advisers in encouraging staff volunteering.

Corporate Strategy Award
Recognises companies implementing partnership and sponsorship strategies that maximise returns on their support for the arts, in particular through strategies that deliver benefits to the company as a whole, across various business units and/or state and regional offices.
This year’s Australia Business Arts Foundation’s (AbaF) 2003 Awards will be presented in August before an audience of 800 in Sydney.

Nominations for the awards close with AbaF on 29 May 2003. Nomination forms can be obtained from the AbaF website at www.www.abaf.org.au by email from information@abaf.org.au; or by phone (03) 9616 0300.