It’s that time of year: We’re beginning our deliberations on the 2015 Ballpark Digest Awards. And we need your help.
We are overhauling how we approach our annual awards. We know they are a big thing for owners and front-office personnel, and we take them very seriously. So seriously, in fact, that we’re making some changes.
First, we’re moving them up. Traditionally we make awards in late October and November. This year we’ll begin the awards in September and unveil them weekly.
That means the awards process must begin now. To that end, we’re looking for your nominations for the followings awards:
Executive of the Year (2014 winner: Charlotte Knights EVP/COO) Dan Rajkowski)
Best Marketing Campaign (2014 winner: Lehigh Valley IronPigs)
Team of the Year (2014 winner: Fort Wayne TinCaps)
Ballpark Renovation over $2M (2014 winner: Durham Bulls Athletic Park)
Ballpark Renovation under $2M (2014 winner: Simmons Field)
Best Ballpark Improvement (2014 winner: Modern Woodmen Park)
Best New Food Item (2014 winner: Big Apple, Fort Wayne TinCaps)
Editor’s Choice (2014 winner: Curtis Granderson Stadium)
Best Promo (2014 winners: Kalamazoo Growlers and Myrtle Beach Pelicans)
Best Charity Event
Organization of the Year (2014 winner: Big Top Baseball)
Best New Logo/Branding (2014 winner: Akron RubberDucks)
Broadcaster of the Year (2014 winner: Steve Klauke, Salt Lake Bees)
As you can see, we’ve added another category, and we may add a few more. At this point, we want to see your nominations. We usually receive 400 or pages of documentation from teams and PR agencies making a pitch for an award, and these presentations are a great help. But you don’t need to create a big presentation to nominate yourself, your team or your friend for an award: All we need is an email (editors@augustpublications.com). All submissions, of course, will be treated with absolute privacy, so go ahead and push your credentials! We’ll be accepting nominations until September 13.
One award isn’t listed above, and that’s because we’ll be treating the New Ballpark of the Year award differently. This year we’ll be seeking input from fans through online polling beginning on Monday, and we’ll also be sending an email to folks whose advice we trust. While we will retain the final decision over the Ballpark of the Year, we will be taking input from fans and the industry very seriously.
So, to sum up: send us your nominations by Sept. 13 and watch the site for voting on Best New Ballpark of the Year.