Speechwriters don’t have an equivalent to the Academy Awards yet, but we now have a recognition that is distinctly our own.
Last month, more than 20 speechwriters from around the country were honored for excellence in speechwriting in the inaugural Cicero Speechwriting Awards. This awards program is presented by Vital Speeches of the Day and The Executive Speaker, and it is the first of its kind to recognize distinction in speechwriting.
“Today, communication in a public forum is dominated by PowerPoint presentations and impromptu speaking,” says Scott Accatino, general manager of professional resources at McMurray, Inc., which publishes Vital Speeches of the Day and The Executive Speaker. “In that environment, the power of a well-crafted, on-point and moving speech is more pronounced than ever, and this awards program helps keep the established and powerful art of influence through the spoken word alive and well.”
“Prior to the Ciceros,” Mr. Accatino continues, “there was no national awards program for those in the speechwriting field. Now there is a way to measure the accomplishments of these talented writers and recognize them for their valued contributions to the art of speechwriting.”
The award-winning speeches were selected by a distinguished panel of judges. The judges included Thomas F. Daly IV, editor of Vital speeches of the Day; Robert O. Skovgard, editor of The Executive Speaker; Peter Robinson, author, television host and former White House speechwriter; and Robert Veninga, Ph.D., award-winning author and Professor Emeritus at the university of Minnesota’s School of Public Health.
The winners and the full texts of their speeches may viewed at http://www.mcmurry.com/award/cicero/doc/2007Winners.pdf.
Yours truly is represented, appropriately enough, by a speech I gave about speechwriting to the Washington Speechwriters Roundtable in the fall of 2006. It’s called “Bearding the Lion: Leadership Strategies for Winning Over Tough Audiences.” It rated a Silver Cicero. Maybe next year I’ll go for a gold.
