The Peer Awards Foundation

The PEER AWARDS Foundation is a private foundation, which derives its grant-making funds primarily from the contributions of profit-making business events and activities, currently consisting of the annual Caribbean Peer Awards presentation banquet.

The PEER AWARDS Foundation is a strategic resource for innovative marketing people and institutions.

The Foundation's goals are to:

>	Strengthen professional marketing growth and development
>	Increase opportunities for professional marketing development
>	Promote regional and international marketing co-operation
>	Advance the growth and development of market and marketing research

About The PEER AWARDS Foundation

A fundamental challenge facing every society is to create political, economic and social systems that promote peace, human welfare and the sustainability of the environment on which life depends.

The PEER AWARDS Foundation believes that the best way to meet this challenge is to encourage initiatives by those working and studying closest to the problems; to promote collaboration among public and the private business sectors, and to ensure participation by men and women from diverse communities and at all levels of society. Such activities help build common understanding, enhance excellence, enable people to improve their lives and reinforce their commitment to society.

The PEER AWARDS Foundation is one source of support for these activities. The foundation will work mainly by making grants, financial contributions, loans, and scholarships, etc, that build knowledge and strengthen individuals, organizations and networks.

Funding & Other Revenue Sources

The foundations primary source of revenue will be net revenues derived from the staging of the annual Caribbean Peer Awards, which is currently funded from cash sponsorships and event ticket sales. Now in its eighth year this annual event is now an established event on the local marketing calendar.

Under the management of the foundation it is anticipated that increased funding will be derived from corporate enterprise and individuals, sufficient to generate the surplus required to fund the foundations activities.

Since the financial resources will be modest in comparison to expected needs, the Foundation will focus on a limited number of areas and programme strategies within our broad goals on an annual basis.

It is anticipated that additional funds will be derived from an investment portfolio to be established and maintained with a percentage of funds derived from annual revenues. This diversified portfolio will be managed to provide a perpetual source of support for the Foundation's programs and operations.

The Foundation operates as a local philanthropy in Jamaica and will be expanded to become a regional and international foundation over time

Programmes and funding

In the area of educational assistance, the Foundation will seek to enhance the capacity of schools and higher education institutions to broaden access to marketing information while pursuing higher levels of student achievement.

In higher education and scholarship, the Foundations goal will be to build and sustain access to fields of knowledge that deepen scholarship and public understanding of marketing and marketing practice.

In the area of Research the Foundation will seek to promote and support by way of grant funding responsible research and to develop appropriate channels of distribution for the findings that serve the needs of the marketing community, the society at large and its diverse constituencies.

In areas of Technology, the Foundations goal will be to strengthen opportunities for greater artistic creativity and expression that will generate the hope, understanding, courage and confidence needed to help fulfil the full potential of marketers.

The Caribbean Peer Awards

Since its humble launch in 1998, the PEER AWARDS has made, and is continuing to make, a profound impact on and contribution to the marketing community. The award is highly respected within and outside of the profession and is quietly sought-after. The ownership of a PEER AWARD is recognition by one’s PEERS that you are regarded as among the very best.

The PEER AWARDS are positioned as the premier award within the marketing and advertising community and every piece of communication is designed to reinforce this image and position. It’s the award to have, to showcase to clients, friends and associates.

The PEER AWARDS is an industry and professional event and is not confined and restricted by the competitive environment, which often times define how we operate. The PEER AWARDS seeks to rise above the restrictive barriers and allow for the participation of all members, irrespective.

The formal awards presentation will take place in May 2008. Previous presentations of this award focused on Jamaica. The Caribbean Peer Awards as its name suggest now embraces the entire region. The Foundation has decided that it will not be staging a Jamaica only event again.

To ensure that we have the widest possible participation in the selection of awardees, we will be establishing local contacts around the region, on the ground that can provide these recommendations and the required background information that will be need.

The Foundation also advised that it would be working closely with regional advertising agencies and production companies in the various islands to submit nominations for the 2007 presentations.

Category of Awards for 2008

Breakout Brands are brands from the region that now have a major impact and presence on markets outside of the region and designated international brands. Five (5) of these brands and the individuals/corporations responsible for their success will be honoured and designated Peer Awards Breakout Brands at the 2008 Caribbean Peer Awards Gala Event.

Peer Awards Brand Master – an Individual or Corporation who has clearly and without question demonstrated an ability to conceive and launch brands successfully and profitably that have stood either or both, the test of time and competition. It is proposed to present five (5) such awards at the event.

Nominations for these two groups will be open March 1^st to April 30^th 2008.

All properly submitted nominations will be posted on the blog site.

Submissions are to be emailed to thecaribbeanpeerawards@gmail.com and should include adequate supporting evidence of the nomination for the judges consideration. Submissions should also include contact information such as name, email address and telephone numbers.

The Judges will not be confined to the list of nominations and will be allowed to include other nominations as they see fit.

Judging of all the nominations will take place in June 2008.

The Final results will only be announced at the Gala Event in July 2008. There will be no prior announcement of awardees. Individuals and Corporations will however be advised of their nomination and encouraged to attend the presentation event.

The Judge's will be drawn from the group of presenters and their decision will be final. Voting will be by way of closed ballots submitted to an independent and reputable auditing firm who will keep the results until the night of the event. An auditors report will also be presented.

Peer Awards Foundation Honour Caribbean Media Giants

The Peer Awards Foundation staged the 2006 Awards Presentation Banquet of The Caribbean Peer Awards, at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Thursday, September 7, 2006. This marked the first time that the awards recognised figures and companies beyond Jamaica.

Billed as a red carpet and black-tie affair, the event had as main speaker recently appointed chairman of CVM Television and Superplus Food Stores Limited, Wayne Chen.

Lifetime Achievement Awards was presented to Lester Spaulding, chairman and managing director for the RJR Group and Ken Gordon, president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), Peter Webley, publisher of the regional newspaper Caribbean Today; and Neville Blythe, former chairman of CVM Communications Group and chairman of the UGI Group of Companies.

Lester Spaulding has overseen the expansion of Radio Jamaica from a single station to an integrated communications group encompassing radio television and Internet entities.

Peter Webley's Caribbean Today has for over 17 years been covering Jamaican and Caribbean interests in the US, particularly in South Florida.

Neville Blythe fashioned an integrated communications group, the CVM Communications Group, out of seemingly disparate properties: CVM Television, Hot 102FM; the X-News and Teen Herald. Blythe last year sold a majority stake in his media interests to Michael Lee-Chin, retaining holdings in finance, insurance and tourism.

Gordon has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in business, during which time he was chairman of a major Caribbean conglomerate, Neal and Massy Holdings, and had considerable interests in the media, serving as managing director of the Trinidad Express and CEO and chairman of Caribbean Communications Network (CCN). He has also had a significant role in the establishment of the Jamaica Observer as well as a number of regional media houses, including in Guyana and Barbados. Gordon also served as a senator in the parliament and as a government minister in Trinidad & Tobago.