Clio Awards

The Clio Awards are given to reward excellence in advertising and design. It is given in a number of fields, including: TV, Print, Outdoor, Radio, Integrated Campaign, Innovative Media, Design, Internet, Content & Contact, and Student work. The awards are named for the Greek muse Clio and were first given in 1959.

On 13 June 1991, the Clio awards ceremony disintegrated in spectacular fashion after an audience of 300 waited hours for that ceremony to start. Clio chairman Bill Evans, apparently embroiled in money and drug problems, was a no-show, and 11 of the staff had quit the previous month after going unpaid for several weeks. After the emcee attempted to start the show and pass out awards from an incomplete list, the show erupted into chaos as some exasperated attendees stormed the stage in formal wear, making off with the remaining statuettes by the fistful.

Several months later, a group of investors headed by Chicago publisher Ruth Ratny reorganized the awards program, and eventually sold it to a Dutch-owned company VNU, which is the Clio's parent company to this day.

Clio is the largest and most celebrated festival of its kind. It attracts the best work from agencies, production houses and design firms all over the world. This work is judged by leading creatives, people who have distinguished themselves in their respective fields and who represent the very best of their craft.

Clio does not instruct the jury other than to ask jurors to value ideas more highly than mere execution. Clio supports an honest, democratic and non-political system of judging. Judges look at all entries submitted and select a short-list. From that, they vote to award the very best work with statues – bronze, silver or gold. The truly "best in show" receives an additional award: the Grand Clio, the highest and most "hard to get" token of recognition in the industry.

External links

• Official website
• The Most Bizarre Evening in Advertising History First-hand account of the 1991 Clio Awards.