The a4uAwards have been high on the agenda here at existem, and this morning we distributed a press release calling for entries. 7 of the awards are Publisher and Community Choice where nominations are already open online. The remaining are judged by a panel.

Entering the a4uAwards is free, so what are you waiting for - get recognised for your work whether you are a merchant, agency, network or affiliate - find full instructions on the a4uAwards website.

Here is the press release.

Nominations for this year’s prestigious a4uAwards are already flooding in, but there’s only another 30 days left to ensure entries are received in time for the judging process to formally begin.

The a4uAwards, which were launched last year to celebrate the innovation & commitment being demonstrated by those working in the £3bn Affiliate Marketing sector at present, are this year being co-sponsored by jackpotjoy and in association with NMA. They include 16 distinct categories, with the gala event taking place on June 5 at the Sheraton Park Lane Hotel in Central London.

Nine of the prestigious awards will be judged by an independent panel consisting of some of experienced practitioners working in the sector, including Affiliates, Merchants, Network Directors, Agency Heads as well as commentators on the industry. For each award, the panel will be looking for evidence of innovation, creativity, fulfilment of client objectives and effectiveness of delivery.

The remaining seven awards will be Publisher & Community Awards, which apart from the affiliates4u Award for Excellence, will be decided by a controlled online vote via the 20,000 strong affiliates4u forum.

Nominations for the affiliates4u Award for Excellence are to be submitted by members of the Affiliate Community via an online entry form, attaching a testimonial as to why the nominated individual, team or company should win. The number & quality of these nominations will then be taken into account by the independent judging panel.

Matthew Wood, founder of affiliates4u and organiser of the a4uAwards, says: “Giving the Awards their own spotlight, with their own prestigious event, has once again raised the profile of this dynamic industry and will ensure that those delivering the goods will be recognised and celebrated in style.

“We’ve been inundated with entries already, which just goes to show the level of interest & support the industry is giving these awards and I’d like to thank everyone so far for their input, views and comments over how we can make this year’s event as special as it should be. I‘m now very much looking forward to watching the voting debate formally unfold.”

The 16 award categories, which will reward both a highly commended entry and overall trophy winner, are:

- Best Use of Creative
- Best Network Innovation
- Best Merchant Innovation
- Agency of the Year
- Publisher of the Year
- Best Use of AM as part of an Integrated Campaign
- affiliates4u Award for Excellence
- Publishers’ Choice of Network
- Publishers’ Choice of Account Manager
- Affiliate Marketing Blog of 2008
- Affiliate Manager of 2008

plus awards for innovative AM activity in the following vertical sectors:

- Finance
- Retail
- Gaming
- Travel & Leisure
- Technology & Telecoms

Entry for each category is free, and submissions need to be received no later than April 25, 2008. For more information about the event, individual categories and details on criteria for entry, please go to www.a4uawards.com