This means that non-APA members from both home and abroad will be eligible for entry from international customer publishers through to digital agencies and in-house teams.

The new awards will showcase effective and creative editorial content for brands, further cementing APA reputation as being the first port of call for organisations looking to engage their customers through branded editorial content, irrespective of channel.

The International Customer Publishing Awards will also include dedicated digital categories recognising the significant rise of digital activity within the industry. This decision has been made following an industry audit by APA earlier this year that revealed over 15 per cent of the work produced by customer publishers in UK is now online. New categories include:
Best digital solution of the year (B2B/internal)
Best digital communication of the year (consumer)
Best digital solution of the year (charities/not for profit/public sector)
Best use of video
 
Best catalogue, best brochure and best annual have also been introduced following a consultation of APA membership.
 
The awards, which can be entered online at the dedicated website www.IloveEd.co.uk  will be launched under the creative banner of "love editorial", which runs across all award collateral from the Gala Evening through to the website.
 
A panel of international judges including top media planners and impartial client-side marketing directors will be tasked with judging the entries and selecting the winners.
 
Comments Julia Hutchison, COO of APA:
"The customer publishing industry is now worth almost £1 billion. It has been built on the production of engaging editorialised content for brands across different media - whether through traditional magazines or more recently online via a blog or video stream. The buoyancy of the industry, the rise of digital and the increased interest from international organisations all led to the birth of these new awards, combined with the fact we believe every editorialised content provider should be eligible for entry to continue to raise the bar of customer publishing.
 
APA has long been associated with new initiatives and we're really excited to be launching an international scheme devoted to spearheading our industry. We're extremely confident that they will garner much interest from all disciplines particularly in the current climate where the value of winning awards has catapulted."
 
Adds Emily Fovargue, Head of Customer Publishing, Royal Mail and overall sponsor of the International Customer Publishing Awards:
"I applaud the APA for continuing to innovate in the current climate and having the desire and commitment to further its growth. An international award scheme that celebrates the discipline will inevitably serve to increase the spotlight on this important medium and lead to more awareness of its effectiveness and creativity as a communications tool in the marketers' armoury."
 
The International Customer Publishing Awards will replace the hitherto separate APA Effectiveness Awards and Creative Awards bringing together these cornerstones of customer publishing.
 
The inaugural Awards will take place at London's prestigious Old Billingsgate on 25th November 2009.

Visit the website at www.IloveEd.co.uk