Details Announced for 4th Annual ‘O’ Awards, Pre-Noms Open

CHATSWORTH, Calif.—The pre-nomination process for the 2012 “O” Awards is officially open, and things have changed up a little this year. The Fourth Annual “O” Awards will be held Tuesday, Sept. 11, during the AVN Novelty Expo. ANE, which has co-located with the International Lingerie Show, takes place Sept. 10-12 at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The “O” Awards honor outstanding achievements in the pleasure products industry, including design, innovation, marketing, distribution and retailing. To be considered for an “O” Award, products must be released between June 1, 2011, and July 15, 2012. This year’s award categories are focused more on products and manufacturers than on retailers and distributors—a change largely made to address too much overlap between the “O” Awards and the annual AVN Awards. “We had some categories—specifically overall excellence awards to distributor and retailer categories—that were in both the ‘O’ Awards and the AVN Awards,” explained Sherri L. Shaulis, senior editor of pleasure products for AVN. “We wanted companies to hold that honor of ‘best of the best’ for an entire year, so we decided to keep them solely in the AVN Awards in January. That afforded us the opportunity to expand on some of the existing ‘O’ Award categories as well as introduce a few new ones.” There will be a total of 16 awards given this year, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, which is chosen by AVN staffers and reviewers before the event. Additionally, five of the categories will be open to voting by registered attendees of ANE. “We have always relied on industry insiders to help with the voting process in both the pre-nomination and final voting stages,” said Sara Harter, director of sales for AVN. “With attendees voting on specific categories, it gives the entire industry a chance to have their say in who deserves top honors.” The following are the categories for the 2012 “O’ Awards: Outstanding Product for Women: Any vibrator, dildo or other product designed specifically for women. Outstanding Product for Men: Any cock ring, sleeve or other product designed specifically for men. Outstanding Luxury Product: Any high-end product designed for men, women or couples. Outstanding Dietary Supplement: Any pill, drink or other substance ingested for an increase in performance or pleasure. Outstanding Enhancement Product: Any spray or cream applied externally for an increase in performance or pleasure. Outstanding Innovation: Any product that provides a technological improvement to the pleasure products field. Outstanding Lubricant: Any specific lubricating product. Outstanding Body or Skin Care Line: Any line of products designed to cleanse, scent or pamper the skin. Outstanding Non-Powered Product: Any product that requires no external power source. Outstanding Powered Product: Any product that uses batteries or electrical current. Outstanding Lingerie Collection: Any assortment of themed undergarments. Outstanding Accessory Product or Line: Any product or line of products used for body adornment. Outstanding Marketing Campaign: Any campaign specific to a company, line or product. Outstanding Packaging: Packaging for any specific product or line of products. Outstanding Debut Product: Any product that was launched between June 1, 2011, and July 15, 2012. Lifetime Achievement: Awarded to an individual who has made significant contributions to the pleasure products industry. To pre-nominate a product or line of products for any of the categories, email OPrenom@AVN.com with the category name in which the product is being nominated, the name of the product, the manufacturer of the product, and your name and email address for contact purposes if needed. To register ANE, visit NoveltyExpo.com.  For information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Sara Harter at sara.harter@avn.com or (818) 718-5788, ext. 109.  The Rio Las Vegas is offering rooms from $89. To book your accommodations, visit TotalRewards.com/hotel-reservations.