I'm thrilled to announce that this year Forrester will present the first-ever Forrester International Groundswell Awards! The Forrester Groundswell Awards are our effort to recognize not just the best ideas in social media marketing, but the programs that have proven the most effective at generating results for marketers. In the past we've run a single set of awards for all business-to-consumer marketers, no matter where in the world they were based — and we've always been excited to see and reward great social media programs from outside the US. This year, with companies around the world ramping up their use of social media marketing — and with many of them doing outstanding work — we decided it was time to create a special category for non-North American marketers.

If you've run a great consumer-focused social media marketing program in the past year — and if your program didn't specifically target the US or Canada — then we'd love to see your entry for the Forrester International Groundswell Awards. The entry deadline is August 27, 2010 (get your entries in early so you can generate audience votes!) and we'll present the awards at our EMEA Marketing and Strategy Forum in London on November 18, 2010. Be sure to check out Josh's post for full details and rules. I'm looking forward to seeing your submissions!