The deadline for entries into the SportBusiness Group partnered 2011 ESA European Sponsorship Awards is just two weeks away (19th September). The awards, organised by the European Sponsorship Association (ESA) are the only pan-European awards celebrating excellence across all sectors – sport, culture, entertainment, media, community and corporate responsibility.

The ESA awards provide an opportunity for all businesses to be involved, no matter what the size of  sponsorship budget. This year there are two new award categories, Business to Consumer – Media, and a Rights Holder Award, to reflect the success of a sponsor partnership. These complement the existing categories, which include Business to Business, Business to Consumer – Events, Business to Community, Business to Employee and a Multi-National Award.

The award winners will be announced at the ESA Awards Ceremony in Amsterdam, taking place on Tuesday 22nd November, as part of ESA’s two-day conference, Future Sponsorship.

Last year’s Awards attracted a host of entries from over 10 European countries, with global and national brands, AEGON, British Gas, BT, O2 and Philips all being crowned winners. MasterCard was the Multi-national award winner for its outstanding UEFA Champions League sponsorship.

Full entry details are available online at http://www.sponsorship.org/content/awardsIntro.asp or contact the ESA Office on T: (0) 208 390 3311 or email awards@sponsorship.org