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Your invite to Freelancer of the Year

Freelancers are the unsung heroes of British industry - but not for much longer - thanks to a glitzy awards ceremony in London that will spotlight the creative industries’ best freelancers.

Launched by Xchangeteam, the Freelancer of the Year Awards will showcase the talents of eight people working in PR, editorial, marketing, media, design, advertising, events and digital services.

Entrants need not be multi-talented or uniquely skilled to win but they must have “added value” to a client’s project or “gone that extra mile”, organisers told Freelance UK yesterday.

Unlike previous years, freelancers can enter themselves for one of the nine awards, though they must ask a client for a testimonial in order to qualify for stage two of the contest.

“At the nomination stage we’re asking for 100 words on why the freelance thinks they should win,” Emma Brierley, founder and chief executive of Xchangeteam, said in an interview.

“The written entry should clearly spell out how the freelance went the extra mile, for example, how did they add value? Client feedback will then be needed at the entry stage, so freelancers can’t nominate themselves without justification.”

In addition, clients, agents or even friends can nominate a freelance before the deadline of November 13– also the closing date for so-called ‘self- entries.’

Their submissions will be agonized over by a panel of judges, who will chose a winner in each of the eight categories and select an overall winner - to be crowned Freelancer of the Year 2006.

“In real-terms, the victors can expect to be the central focus of a vibrant and far-reaching marketing campaign,” Ms Brierley said.

“Profiles will be drawn up of the best freelance people, and Xchangeteam will be actively marketing them.”

The spoils on offer to Freelancer of the Year have been echoed by Ray Christodoulou, a freelance copywriter, who scooped the accolade in 2005.

“It's nice to be recognised for what you do for a living,” he said.

“I suppose that the biggest change the award has made is that now, whenever I take time off, I don't feel that uncertainty about finding work that's so embedded within the freelancer psyche.”

For 2006, the panel of judges includes Dominic Shales, director of PR agency Paratus, Diana Watson, director of Bespoke Marketing, and Mike Cavers, creative director of Publicis Dialog.

They will look for freelancers whose assignments in the last 12 months have demonstrated professionalism, motivation, self-discipline, organisation and drive to succeed.

Freelancers who are shortlisted will be invited for interview in December, prior to the announcement of the winners in January at an awards ceremony in London.

Despite prizes in eight sector-specific categories, freelancers who have creatively worked for a project housed in one the sectors, such as design, media or digital, are eligible for entry.

“Typically, we expect freelancers to step forward in the design, events management, PR, media and even Web programming sectors, so not just straight IT, it has to be creative,” Ms Brierley said, responding to questions.

“These rewards aim to highlight the talent that exists in the freelance community, as often freelancers are the unsung heroes.

“Freelancers are often very effective at what they do,” she added, “but equally, they’re too often obscured from the forefront of their projects and can be overlooked.

“The Awards serve to give freelancers a well deserved pat on the back, to acknowledge their work, their drive and the contribution they are making to their industries.”

To nominate a freelance for Freelancer of the Year 2006 please visit Xchangeteam’s website and fill in the short entry form.

Oct 27, 2006
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