The Benny Awards

Celebrating excellence and innovation in benefits

Join us as we prepare to celebrate the 17^th "Benny" awards, presented by Employee Benefit News in partnership with corporate sponsor VSP Vision Care, the nation's largest provider of eyecare wellness benefits. The Benny Awards, which recognize excellence and innovation in the employee benefits/human resources field, are organized into five categories:

• Benefits Professional of the Year
• Benefits Leadership — Health Care
• Benefits Leadership — Retirement Planning
• Benefits Leadership — Judges' Choice
• The VSP People First Award

The presentation of the 2008 Benny Awards is a highlight of the annual Benefits Forum & Expo, to be held this year Sept. 21-23 in Washington, DC.

The winner of the Benefits Professional of the Year award receives a cash award of $3,000 and $1,000 in travel expenses to attend the Benefits Management Forum & Expo. Each of the other three leadership award winners will receive $1,000 apiece and $750 in travel expenses. Additionally award winners are profiled in a fall issue of Employee Benefit News and asked to participate on the magazine's Editorial Advisory Board to help influence the direction and execution of the publication's industry coverage.

The Benefits Professional of the Year is presented to the candidate who has demonstrated a consistent pattern of creativity and achievement in benefit plan design, administration, communication and/or staff management, as well as contributions to the benefits profession overall. The Leadership Awards in Health Care and Retirement Planning go to professionals who have demonstrated excellence in developing and managing programs yielding measurable impacts on the cost and/or quality of these benefits. The Judges' Choice winner is drawn from a wider spectrum of benefit programs and areas of professional responsibility.

The VSP People First Award recognizes the benefits professional who has led the adoption of an innovative program or approach that best exemplifies a "People First" organizational commitment. The program or approach should specifically promote work-life balance among employees, focus attention on superior service at every level, and generate opportunities for employees to support each other and the communities in which they live.

A panel of EBN editors, current Benny award winners and the program's corporate sponsor will evaluate nominees. Judging criteria include recent achievements involving innovative multi-year projects, professional recognition and depth of experience.

The panel will review submissions in the following categories:
Awards are granted to employee benefit, human resource or other practitioners directly involved in the management of employee benefit programs. Employers, co-workers and benefit suppliers or consultants may submit nominations. Only one person per company may be nominated.

The nomination form must be filled out ONLINE.

Submitted material need not be limited to the nomination form. Reasonable amounts of supporting information, e.g., documentation of achievements, or letters of support or endorsement from other colleagues/business contacts, are welcome and encouraged, and may be submitted here.

If you have questions, e-mail EBN Benny Award Coordinator Leah Shepherd.