2022-3 has been another challenging year for professional speakers as live events take off again – and as speakers face ever-higher expectations to excel online as well as on stage.
This year’s awards reflect both these trends, and see us align more closely with our Australian colleagues while continuing to grow our professionalism.
We celebrate our annual award winners at glittering Gala events that showcase some of the best professional speaking talents in Aotearoa and the rest of the world.
Whether you’ve joined us within the last year or been with us since we began in 1994, we welcome you to this year’s Gala Awards event on 23 September 2023.
Kia kaha ake – give it a go!
We encourage our members to nominate good people for an award this year. We also encourage people to put themselves forward for an award. You can download a Nomination Form and an Application Form from the awards webpages.
Get onto it early, so everyone has enough time to do a great job!
Here are the awards on offer this year:
Key milestone dates
You need to meet the milestone dates below to qualify for judging:
Want to know more?
How do I nominate someone for an award?
Want to nominate someone for an award? Click here to download the Nomination Form (there’s also one on each award webpage). You then check that your nominee is happy to apply for the award, complete the form and email it to awards@psanz.nz.
What happens when someone nominates me?
How do I apply for an award?
You can apply for an award by downloading the Application Form from the webpage/s of the ward/s you want to apply for, then follow the application process above
No-one can apply for the President’s Award, because it is awarded at the President's discretion.
For the some awards, you may also be asked to showcase your expertise and originality in a compelling, unique ‘Speaker Sheet’ (see definition below).
Powerfully succinct self-selling is crucial for professionals speaking in today’s world. Please only send the information we ask for: if you email anything else, your application will be ineligible for judging.
Who is eligible for a given award?
Our Awards are linked to our membership categories and the eligibility criteria are listed on the web page for each award.
To maintain the integrity of our awards, the Awards Convenor is not eligible to apply for any awards, and if intending to apply in a given year, must step down before applications open. Other Board members may apply for any relevant award/s, provided they are not involved in operational awards processes.
How many awards can I nominate someone for or apply for?
You can nominate one person for several awards, although past winners of the Best MC at a National Meeting, Educator of the Year and Keynote Speaker of the Year have a stand-down period of one year before they can be nominated again.
What are the judges looking for?
The judges want to know if you are the one who deserves to win this award. This means that:
We will run sessions to help you with this, well ahead of the application closing date.
What is a ‘Speaker Sheet’?
Traditionally, a Speaker Sheet is a 1-2 page information sheet downloadable from a speaker’s website, that sells you to clients and bureaus thinking of engaging you for their event. An emerging trend is for these to be a set of 3-5 impressive PowerPoint slides that provide great photographic evidence of your professionalism.
You may submit a Speaker Sheet as a pdf with EITHER no more than two sides of A4 content, OR a maximum of 6 PowerPoint slides. Search for the term ‘Speaker Sheet’ online and you will find many great examples.
What do we mean by ‘speaking’?
Professional speakers associations around the world recognise the following business models for paid speaking:
1. Speaking for a fee
2. Speaking for free while selling things like books, programmes or coaching from the stage
3. Running your own events, with fees measured as revenue, not profit
4. Training workshops or courses
5. Paid webinars that generate speaking-related income.
Why do I have to produce financial information?
The business models above list how professionals speakers generate the income for their businesses. That’s how we earn our living: PSANZ and our sister associations all around the world are all about helping people with a message to run a successful speaking business. And successful business people track all their financial metrics. So it’s good to start doing that from the outset of your speaking career, because for the big awards, you need to show that you can bring in the big money!
How can you “show us the money”? You can ask your accountant to verify your speaking income by using the New Zealand Government Statutory Declaration Form here or you can sigh that form yourself. You can also send us a list of invoices if you wish.
How big is the money? Click here to check out the income threshold for becoming A CSP, or Certified Spealing Professional, in Australia and New Zealand.
Why do I have to provide testimonials?
Testimonials from thrilled clients and attendees are the most genuine tributes to your speaking skills. These can be in written or video format. We ask for contact details from just two or three of your delighted clients so we can speak to them in person.
What do we mean by ‘professionalism’?
As the national association of speaking professionals, including speakers, trainers, entertainers and MCs in New Zealand, our annual PSANZ awards recognize and celebrate our members’ professionalism in terms of their:
That’s why we ask you to describe in your Application Form your service to PSANZ and the wider industry – it’s in the spirit of Cavett Robert, founder of the world’s first professional speaking association.
When do we give or withhold awards?
Here’s how we maintain our awards’ integrity and prestige:
We encourage you to consider putting yourself forward for an award this year.
Remember – the judges consider the overall quality and professionalism of your entry in coming to their decision. Give yourself enough time to do a great job!
We wish you all the best with your application.
