NAB has launched a new sustainability awards program at the NAB Show, which will be held April 15-19 in Las Vegas, to recognize individuals, companies and products for outstanding innovations in media technology that promote conservation and reusability of natural resources and foster economic and social development.

Back Story

“This is a topic that has been bubbling up in our industry and others for quite some time, and I think we have a responsibility as a show organizer because we have a tremendous platform at our disposal,” said NAB SVP Chief Customer Success Officer Eric Trabb, who is spearheading this new program and launched the NAB Product of the Year Awards in 2019. “What can we do as a show organizer to help elevate that conversation and to recognize what's going on in the marketplace?”

Trabb had a conversation with the team at Amazon Web Services (AWS), which is helping customers in the media and entertainment sectors implement sustainability measures in their operations and has significant sustainability goals for its own operations. For example, the company’s goal is to power its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025 and to achieve Amazon's goal of net-zero carbon by 2040.

Together they created this recognition program.

“We started to collaborate right away, and before you knew it, we came to this concept to recognize the work that's happening in our space,” Trabb said. “What better way to do that than at the industry's largest and most influential event.”

Need to Know

Supported by AWS, the new awards program will include:

• The Sustainability Champion Award, honoring individuals driving sustainability efforts and programs.
• The Sustainability Leadership Award, honoring organizations that have launched or completed sustainability initiatives.
• The Sustainability Product or Service Award, honoring products or services that significantly improve sustainability or provide sustainable market alternatives.

NAB Show will accept nominations from businesses of all sizes, locations and maturity, including non-profit organizations. Judged by an independent panel of sustainability experts, award winners will be chosen in each category, one each for small, medium, large and non-profit.

Nominations opened in January, and the submission deadline is April 3. The nomination fee is “just under $600,” Trabb said.

How It Works

To manage the program and judging process, NAB hired Barbara Lange, principal and CEO of Kibo121, a boutique consultancy firm focused on guiding media tech organizations on their path to sustainability.

“We relied on Barbara's insight to help us to develop the criteria and a credible panel of judges,” Trabb said.

How will entries be judged? The criteria depends on the category.

“For example, for the leadership award, we want to look at companies that are making transformation in alignment with the Paris agreement and the U.N. sustainability developmental goals,” Trabb said. “For products and services, it's more about addressing a critical environmental challenge and demonstrating real positive impact.”

A total of 16 awards will be presented during a special ceremony on the main stage at NAB Show on April 16 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. A panel on sustainability will precede the awards.

Giving Back

In collaboration with AWS, NAB researched and identified a charity, and the show will donate a percentage of the nomination fees to Creative Visions, a nonprofit that supports storytellers and empowers education and youth around human rights issues, according toTrabb.

Learn More

Details about the award rules and regulations for the awards program can be found here. Submit your entry here.

Watch or listen to TSNN’s full interview with Trabb about how the program came together, what the judging process will entail, how AWS is supporting it and what NAB has planned on-site.