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ARC 2007 AWARDS
ANNOUNCES ANNUAL REPORT WINNERS

>> MARQUARD & BAHLS <<
WINS BEST OF SHOW

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD TO PEPSICO

NEW YORK, NY – September 20, 2007 – The 21^st Annual International ARC Awards – the world’s largest annual report competition – were presented this evening at a gala ceremony  Ritz-Carlton Ballroom of  THE RITZ-CARLTON BATTERY PARK.  The winners were deemed the best out of  nearly two thousand entries from 27 countries .  ARC Awards  nominations increased 6% over last year’s record total.

This year’s BEST OF SHOW trophy was captured by Marquard & Bahls AG,  Hamburg, Germany.   This year’s theme was captured in the title Risking something new – discovering something new.   The judges commented that it was a great annual report, succeeding in its goal to communicate both visually and verbally the theme of the report.  The annual report scored near  perfect  ten’s throughout the Judging Rounds earning the judges’ accolades of “WOW!” “Bravo!”  “Imaginative”  “Beautiful and bold”, with special  kudos to the  “delightful”  and “refreshing”  illustrations.

The first ever LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT Award was proudly  presented to Elaine Palmer, Director, External Affairs, Pepsico, Purchase, New York, who is retiring this year.  Her career spanned 40 years in Investor Relations.  For over a quarter of a century she has produced the Pepsico Annual Report.  Since the ARC Awards inaugural competition 21 years ago, she has won every year, including several Grand Awards and one  BEST  OF SHOW.   

Dr. Frank Luntz, renowned corporate and political advisor, TV commentator, and author of the much acclaimed book, Words that Work, served as Master of Ceremonies.  He presented 36 Grand Awards to the individuals whose work demonstrated the highest degree of achievement in annual reports.

Grand Award Winners
In their respective categories, the 2007 Grand Award Winners were:

BEST OF SHOW

TITANIUM ACHIEVEMENT

PLATINUM ACHIEVEMENT

COVER DESIGN
Portrait

COVER DESIGN
Special Treatment

COVER DESIGN
Various

CHAIRMAN’S LETTER
International

CHAIRMAN’S LETTER
U.S.A.

PRESIDENT’S LETTER
Non-Profit Organizations

INTERIOR DESIGN
Special Production Techniques
International

INTERIOR DESIGN
Traditional - International

INTERIOR DESIGN
U.S.A.

NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATIONS
U.S.A.

NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATIONS
International

NON-TRADITIONAL
ANNUAL REPORTS
U.S.A.

NON-TRADITIONAL
ANNUAL REPORTS
International

OFF-CALENDAR
ACCOUNTING &
LATE PUBLISHED A.R.’S

ON-LINE ANNUAL REPORTS

SOCIAL AND PUBLIC
RESPONSIBILITY
REPORTS

SUMMARY A.R.’S

OVERALL PRESENTATION
Traditional Format

OVERALL PRESENTATION
Special Sizes

OVERALL PRESENTATION
Creative Approach

BEST OF AUSTRIA

BEST OF CANADA

BEST OF GERMANY

BEST OF HONG KONG

BEST OF KOREA

BEST OF MEXICO

BEST OF INTERNATIONAL

The ARC Awards , established by MerComm, Inc. in 1987, were created to honor overall excellence in annual reports, and to encourage noteworthy and vital writing, as well as imaginative and original design.

This year, over 1,900 entries in 12 major categories were submitted by some 800 different companies from 26 countries representing over 200 industries.   During a three-week period, the distinguished international panels of judges read and evaluated the annual reports.

Judges ranked the annual reports with a score between one and one hundred.   The top 25% scoring annual reports won Gold, Silver, Bronze and Honors Awards.   Entries with average scores above 92 received Gold Awards.   Only 6% of entries were classified   as Golds.   These Gold Award annual reports were then passed on to the Final Round of Judging, who selected the BEST OF CATEGORY Winners.

Criteria used to choose winners included Cover Design, Chairman's Letter, Writing, Interior Design, Financial Presentation, and Overall, how well the spirit of the company is reflected in the annual report.

Preliminary and final judges represent top level investor relations executives, financial executives, writers, designers, and photographers from over 70 different agencies and corporations in the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Mexico, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

In accordance with the global stature of the ARC Awards , all winners will be exhibited at the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe (Museum of Art and Commerce) in Hamburg, Germany, opening October 23rd.

The ARC Awards is sponsored by MERCOMM, INC., the world's only independent awards organization, founded with the mission to advance the standards of excellence in the fields of corporate communications.   The MerComm Awards Programs are free from advertising, membership dues, or outside sponsorships.   Entrants may review the judges' evaluations, and are guaranteed fairness and impartiality.   As such, the ARC Awards is considered the most highly respected and prestigious competition in the industry.