Excited to have this guest post from PCSGrades!!!
Who are You Rooting for in the MVC Choice Awards?
I am a bit of a sucker for a contest. My competitive side just can’t stay away from entering the fray. It doesn’t matter if it is a sporting event or an awards show. I am there, front and center, rooting or voting on my favorites.
If it’s a sporting event and my favorite team isn’t playing, I’ll pick a team to root for anyway. Maybe it is the underdog team or the team that has never won the Super Bowl or the World Series. Sometimes I’m just rooting against a rival team.
I love watching the Academy Awards with friends and entering the pool for picking winners in a long list of categories. As a reporter, I used to cover the Miss America Pageant. The Reporter’s Pool for picking the winner was always a lot of fun! Miss Congeniality was always the tie-breaker!
Long Time Coming
So, when I first heard about the Military & Veteran Community Choice Awards, I was excited! But the more I learned about it, the more I realized how long overdue these awards are.
The entertainment industry has the People’s Choice Awards and now the Mil-Vet community has theMVC Choice Awards! The great thing about it is the nominees don’t come from a marketing firm. There is no senior leadership influence, no media company buys, just the opinions of those we trust the most…our fellow service members, veterans, and military spouses.
The Popular Vote!
There are plenty of awards within our community but none that come directly from us. Many times, awards are decided by a small group of panelist and unfortunately, sometimes the popular vote isn’t all that popular.
I’ve seen awards where you look at the nominees and think, “My favorite isn’t even listed.” The nice thing about the MVC Choice Awards is you can nominate any company or organization of your choice.
Another plus is the data collected through votes in the “PCS & Relocations” category will be made available on-demand, year-round, through PCSgrades for anybody researching their next PCS. This is a great help to movers gathering information and resources as they head to a new Duty Station.
MVC Choice Awards and Working Together
Full disclosure here, I’m very proud that the company I work for, PCSgrades, is one of the five “Hosting Partner” organizations which also includes: Task & Purpose, GovX, the Military Influencer Conference, and Blue Star Families.
As a military spouse, I am very grateful this group saw a need to join forces and provide a grassroots level program to recognize and celebrate those brands who provide outstanding service to our community.
Who is Your Top Choice?
So, who do you think will win the “Military Spouse or Veteran Owned Business” award? The “Social Media Influencer” is another category that I think will be super competitive. And the “Places to Live” award will also be interesting. Who hasn’t seen those informal polls on Facebook asking “What is your favorite Duty Station?” I’m guessing maybe Hawaii or Colorado Springs will top the list.
Unfortunately, the awards presentation won’t be televised, so no opportunity for a watch party. But I am looking forward the banquet where the top winners will be announced at the Military Influencer Conference in the fall.
I’ll be that person polling my table, asking “Who do you think will win?”
Carla Olivo is an award-winning career journalist and proud Military Spouse. She currently serves as the Director of Strategic Communications for PCSgrades, a review website exclusive to the Military and Veteran Community.