NEW YORK, June 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Nominations are now being accepted for the 2013 Platts Global Energy Awards, which recognize corporate and individual excellence across the entire energy complex. A total of 18 awards will be given in five sections: Strategic Vision, Industry Leadership, Stewardship, Premier Projects and Leading Technologies. All nominations must be received by September 16, 2013.

The Awards program, often described as "the Oscars of Energy" and now in its 15(th) year, routinely draws hundreds of nominations from energy and non-energy companies alike.

"We look forward to receiving this year's nominations and continuing the program's long history of recognizing the best of the best in energy," said Patsy Wurster, organizer of the Awards program and director of strategic media at Platts, a leading global energy, metals and petrochemicals information provider. "In recent years, entries in the areas of industry leadership, innovative technological advances, 'green' initiatives and social responsibility have been particularly competitive, and we expect nothing less this year."

This year, Platts has updated its Industry Leadership awards to include recognition for excellence in operations in "Electricity Generation," "Exploration & Production," "Grid Optimization," and "Midstream."

Traditional awards include "CEO of the Year," "Corporate Social Responsibility," "Efficiency Program," "Green Energy Supplier" and "Lifetime Achievement." As in the past, an independent panel of judges will select the "Energy Company of the Year" from the entire list of finalists across all categories.

Eligible for nomination are any companies doing business in or in close association with the energy industry. Nominations may be submitted by the energy companies themselves, their clients, their vendors and/or other industry associates. To submit a nomination, learn more about the award categories and see a full listing of past winners and photos, visit the Platts Global Energy Awards website.

Finalists will be chosen in each category and announced September 30, 2013, by press release and via the Global Energy Awards website.

The winners of this year's Platts Global Energy Awards will be selected by the judging panel later this year and announced at a black-tie dinner in midtown Manhattan on Thursday, December 12. For a fourth consecutive year, the dinner will be emceed by CNBC's Amanda Drury. Preceding the awards dinner will be the annual Platts Global Energy Outlook Forum, which this year is titled "Bridging the U.S. Boom: Global Markets Prepare."

More information and a list of last year's winners are available on the Platts Global Energy Awards website -- http://geaweb.platts.com/Home. Sponsorship opportunities are available through Vicki Peterson at +1 970-461-1090.

About Platts: Founded in 1909, Platts is a leading global provider of energy, petrochemicals, metals and agriculture information and a premier source of benchmark prices for the physical and futures markets. Platts' news, pricing, analytics, commentary and conferences help customers make better-informed trading and business decisions and help the markets operate with greater transparency and efficiency. Customers in more than 150 countries benefit from Platts' coverage of the biofuels, carbon emissions, coal, electricity, oil, natural gas, metals, nuclear power, petrochemical, shipping and sugar markets. A division of McGraw Hill Financial (NYSE: MHFI), Platts is headquartered in New York with approximately 900 employees in more than 15 offices worldwide. Additional information is available at http://www.platts.com.

About McGraw Hill Financial: McGraw Hill Financial (NYSE: MHFI), a financial intelligence company, is a leader in credit ratings, benchmarks and analytics for the global capital and commodity markets. Iconic brands include: Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts, CRISIL, J.D. Power & Associates, McGraw Hill Construction and Aviation Week. The Company has approximately 17,000 employees in 27 countries. Additional information is available at www.mhfi.com.

SOURCE Platts

SOURCE: Platts