The annual Azbee Awards of Excellence is so much more than an awards program and creates more value to you and your team than recognition for your hard work. Entering, winning, and judging the Azbee Awards all have benefits that provide a return on your investment.
The ROI of Submitting to the Azbee Awards
The Azbee Awards provide an unmatched value in journalism competition. Stacking your ASBPE member discount ($115 per entry), freelance member discount ($20), and early-bird savings ($30 off by Dec. 15) makes the Azbees the most cost-effective and high-value journalism competition in B2B media.
Additionally, preparing entries gives editorial and creative teams a structured opportunity to review their best work from the past year, fostering internal pride, recognizing top work, and encouraging everyone to aim higher. As a bonus, gathering materials and entering as a team breaks down operational silos. For freelancers and staff alike, collaborating on entries builds stronger portfolio pieces and reinforces cross-functional teamwork.
Most importantly, entrants receive expert insights and objective evaluations from seasoned B2B peers who judge the competition, offering your team a valuable external perspective on strengths and opportunities for growth.
The ROI of Winning an Azbee Award
Winning an Azbee Award creates an immediate badge of distinction across your company — executives can champion it, sales teams can leverage it for advertiser confidence, and top-tier talent takes notice.
Each year, Azbee winners receive customized digital badges to deploy immediately in newsletters, social media, and website headers. Displaying your badges reassures subscribers and industry stakeholders of your publication’s rigorous standards and editorial independence.
Beyond the badges and certificates, winners have opportunities to be featured on ASBPE’s national channels (including winner spotlight interviews and educational webinars) to elevate their publication’s thought leadership.
Azbee Awards also assist your company with recruitment. For job seekers and hiring editors, an award-winning publication signals a vibrant, prestigious workplace. Highlighting your wins in job postings and onboarding materials attracts top-tier writing, editing, and design talent.
For self-employed, independent journalists and visual designers, an Azbee Award serves as a powerful marketing asset, helping command higher rates, prove subject-matter authority, and build an exceptional portfolio without corporate backing.
The ROI of Judging the Azbee Awards
Gain professional inspiration and insights as an Azbee Awards judge. Reviewing submissions exposes judges to cutting-edge reporting, design and visuals, and digital strategies from peer publications, sparking fresh ideas to bring back to their own newsrooms.
Additionally, there’s a small financial incentive for volunteering as an Azbees judge. Judges receive $5 in Azbee Bucks per scored entry, with no cap on how much they can earn (e.g., a 10-submission category yields $50, scoring 20 submissions earns $100, and so on).
Your earned Azbee Bucks can be used toward most ASBPE expenses, including membership dues; future award submissions; and webinar, event and conference registrations.
All in all, there are a multitude of ways to experience the true and proven value of the Azbee Awards. And if deciding which articles and projects to enter is a team effort, then you’re doing even more to build your newsroom’s rapport, confidence, and momentum for long-term editorial excellence.
Learn what is changing for the 2027 Azbee Awards of Excellence and start selecting your best work to submit starting Nov. 2. Join ASBPE or renew your membership to take advantage of our stackable savings — our member discount pays for your membership with your first submission.