SIIA Issues Call for 2011 CODiE™ Awards Nominations

Revitalized Awards Program to Offer Dramatically Different Experience for Software, Content Companies

WASHINGTON, June 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), the principal trade association for the software and digital content industries, today announced it is now officially accepting nominations for the 2011 CODiE™ Awards, the information industry's only peer-reviewed awards program. Companies in the business software, digital content, and education technology industries are invited to nominate products that reflect a high level of innovation and excellence.

For over 25 years, the CODiE™ Awards have recognized the industry's best companies and products. Each company is subjected to an extensive review by subject matter experts in the respective industries, making an SIIA CODiE™ Award a mark of distinction that carries weight in the industry and with customers, investors, and media. For more information about the CODiE^™ Awards or to submit a nomination, visit www.siia.net/codies/2011.

John Crosby, Vice President of Corporate Communications for SIIA, emphasized that this year's CODiE™ Awards will be unlike any before: "SIIA conducted a thorough review of the CODiE™ Awards program to ensure that our commitment to innovation and excellence keeps pace with that shown by the industries we serve. Our new approach places even greater emphasis on delivering meaningful value for a company's investment in the CODiE™ Awards."

Changes for the 2011 CODiE™ Awards include:

• Updated the range of categories to reflect the current scope of the business software, digital content, and education technology industries.
• Expanded the opportunities for recognition through a series of "best overall" supercategories. All product categories feed into at least one "best overall" category.
• Validated the product category descriptions and review criteria through an externally-conducted, research-based review process.
• Strengthened the rules for participation, so that nominees and judges have a reasonable understanding of what to expect from the process and from one another.
• Enhanced the review process to raise its importance in overall scoring and make it easier for products to be effectively reviewed.
• Upgraded the promotional value and impact of qualification as a finalist or winner of a CODiE™ Award.
• Altered the pricing and packaging options so that nominating companies can get more out of the CODiE™ Awards investment.

"The CODiE™ Awards represent excellence in the business software, digital content, and education technology industries," noted SIIA President Ken Wasch. "By recognizing the best new technology products and services, SIIA advances the important role participating companies play in the digital economy. This year marks a seminal point in the 25-year history of the CODiE™ Awards, and I am certain that participating companies will find the experience both valuable and rewarding."

About the CODiE™ Awards

The CODiE™ Awards, originally called the Excellence in Software Awards, were established in 1986 by the Software Publishers Association (SPA), now the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), so that pioneers of the then-nascent software industry could evaluate and honor each other's work. Since then, the CODiE Awards program has carried out the same purpose - to showcase the software and information industry's finest products and services and to honor excellence in corporate achievement.

The CODiE™ Awards hold the distinction of being the industry's only peer-reviewed awards program, which provides member companies with a unique opportunity to earn praise from their competitors. Now in its twenty-fifth year, the CODiE Awards program has raised the standard for excellence and serves as prestigious representation of outstanding achievement and vision in the software and information industry.

About SIIA

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is the principal trade association for the software and digital content industries.  SIIA provides global services in government relations, business development, corporate education and intellectual property protection to 500 leading software and information companies.  For more information, visit www.siia.net.

SOURCE Software & Information Industry Association