ABOUT

22 Years of Communication Excellence

In the beginning, Saskatchewan was a barren, lonely place for communication and marketing professionals. Every now and then this rare breed would surface looking for others of its kind. Finding the playground empty, this unique species would retreat and hibernate, for the winters were hard and cold, and in the prairie heat of the summer months was a gift to be enjoyed, not squandered looking for other family members who were as scarce as hen’s teeth.

Saskatchewan was hardly a hospitable climate for the sons and daughters of creativity, information and strategic communication thinking.

But there was art to the written word, imaginations that could not be contained and a passion that would not be denied.

We’ve always had outstanding creators in this province. But, for many years, only a handful of people outside of Saskatchewan knew that because in this profession, visibility is everything. Most of the national competitions were won by people not half as talented as ours because our communicators weren’t entering. We were too busy. Too intimidated. Too much paperwork. To hard to round up the stuff needed for the entries. Too many deadlines.

In 1987, Jean Freeman, APR became the driving force behind the first awards competition for our industry, setting a new tradition in motion that would forever change the communication and marketing landscape. Jean successfully coaxed communicators from their long, silent hibernation to launch the Jeannie Awards, named by the late George Bothwell.

Others joined Jean in her quest. Enter Moses Kanhai, ABC, Lynn Goldman, APR, Irene Rau, ABC, Glenn Lemchuk, ABC, Barb Pollock, APR, and a great alliance between IABC and CPRS was born.

In 1991, IABC joined CPRS in a quest to put Saskatchewan on the map, recognized as a centre for communication excellence. The Jeannie Awards were renamed the Saskatchewan Awards for Communication Excellence or ACE for short and a year later, the organizing committee expanded beyond IABC and CPRS to include the Saskatchewan Advertising Agency Association and the Saskatchewan chapter of the Graphic Designers Association of Canada.

Both the awards competition and the ACE gala grew strong and mighty, increasing from 23 entries in 1989 to over 125 in 1990 to an average of over 175 today.

And the ACE Gala became the closest thing to a Hollywood red carpet event that the industry had seen. Attendance increased from around 40 people that first year to nearly 350+ before its 10 year anniversary. With lights, stars, gowns, sometimes gloves, and always an engaging creative theme it became the gathering place for the industry - an annual reunion to connect with almost everyone in the profession.

And in its marvelous, unfettered way, filled with pride and healthy competition, the industry celebrated strategic thinking and creative excellence. No longer hidden from sight, the communication and marketing profession was seen and heard.

This year we mark the 22nd anniversary of the ACE awards, with hundreds of award winning campaigns and smart strategies to our collective credit. This is a year to remember the work of those who have come before and celebrate the vitality of our communication and marketing industry.