Ray Rico Freelance announces the 2017 Focus Mid-South Magazine Awards
call for nominations
Honor the great work being done in the Mid-South LGBTQ community by nominating your favorite youth LGBTQ, adult LGBTQ, or LGBTQ ally in the 2017 Focus Mid-South Awards competition.
Ray Rico, owner of Ray Rico Freelance, a full-service marketing agency, conceived the idea. Ray Rico Freelance is the publisher of Focus Mid-South, an LGBTQ -centric print and online magazine with content created for the LGBTQ community and its allies. The awards will recognize volunteers, businesses, and allies in Memphis and the Mid-South. Winners will be announced at the Focus Awards event on August 24, 2017 at the Clark Opera Memphis Center.
Four awards will be presented:
The Visionary Award will be given to an LGBTQ person age 25 or older whose work has created opportunities or will have long-lasting benefits in the Mid-South LGBTQ community.
The Trailblazer Award will go to an LGBTQ person age 25 or younger whose work has created opportunities or will have long-lasting benefits in the Mid-South LGBTQ community.
The Allie will be given to a straight person of any age whose work has created opportunities or will have long-lasting benefits in the Mid-South LGBTQ community.
Lastly, the People’s Choice Award nomination will be conducted via MailChimp, Focus Awards VIP Texting Plan, and through the Focus Mid-South Facebook page. This award will be given to anyone of any age/any group whose work has created opportunities or will have long-lasting benefits in the Mid-South LGBTQ community.
Nominations must be submitted online at focusmidsouth.com/nominations. Nominators must complete the official online nomination form that also includes: writing a description of the qualities possessed by the candidate to make them worthy of the award along with a description of the candidate’s achievements, responsibilities and accomplishments within and outside the LGBTQ community; uploading three letters of recommendation from community sources who know the nominee and their work in the LGBTQ community; obtaining and uploading the nominee’s written consent to participate in the nomination process and the awards ceremony.
The deadline for nominations is June 20, 2017 at 4 p.m. Judging will take place in the days following and the winners announced at the award ceremony in August. Finalists from the People’s Choice Award online campaign will be sent to a judge’s panel for the final selection; winners in this category will also be announced at the August event.
Judges will be invited from throughout the community and chosen based on their involvement in LGBTQ issues.
Focus Awards detailed information: focusmidsouth.com/awards
Entry form/submit nominations: focusmidsouth.com/nominations
Email inquiries: awards@focusmidsouth.com
Awards event: Thursday, August 24, 2017 at 6:30 p.m.
Clark Opera Memphis Center
6745 Wolf River Greenway
Memphis, TN 38120
Event tickets: $50 per person and available through our website. Tables are $350 for seating for 8. Red carpet arrival and photos followed by cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served beginning at 6:30 p.m. with the award announcements at 7:45 p.m.
Sponsorship opportunities are also available. See full details on our website, focusmidsouth.com/awards.
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Media contact: Chellie Bowman, 318-518-0946; email awards@focusmidsouth.com.
