Meetings & Events Australia has announced it will go ahead with its National Awards program for 2020.

Now in its 37th year, the awards have undergone a number of changes to recognise the creativity and exceptional work of the event industry, despite major restrictions on gatherings throughout the year.

There are a total of 40 awards up for grabs across six categories including an Event Legacy award and a new category for Excellence in the Industry.

Categories such as events of the year, event management, venues and products and services now include virtual and hybrid events in the eligibility.

Meanwhile, a new award for Event Freelancer of the Year has been created, recognising freelancers in a variety of roles such as showcallers, producers, technicians, autocue operators, who are involved in the delivery of virtual and hybrid events.

To assist event professionals in their submissions, the following changes have been made:

• The word count has been reduced by around 40 per cent in each category to make the awards less onerous to enter
• Bundled pricing has been introduced for members, saving them 10 per cent for entering into two or more categories
• An additional month has been allowed for applications with the portal open now and closing on 1 March 2021

Open to members and non-members, applications can be submitted for events held in Australia between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2020.

The state finalists in each category will be recognised with the state winners and the national winners to be announced at one consolidated MEA National Awards event in 2021.

View the full list of categories and apply here.