LONDON, Jan. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Nominations are now being accepted for the 2014 Platts Global Metals Awards, which recognize corporate and individual excellence in more than a dozen performance categories spanning the metals and mining arena, announced program host Platts, a leading global provider of metals, energy, petrochemical and agriculture information. All nominations must be received by March 3, 2014.

"We believe it is important to highlight the individuals and companies at the forefront of change and which exemplify excellence in performance and innovation in an industry so critical to global growth," said Andrew Goodwin, Platts vice president and general manager of metals and agriculture, and host of the Platts Global Metals Awards.

The Platts Global Metals Awards, now in their second year, will be bestowed upon individuals and companies that demonstrate best-of-class vision, industry leadership, stewardship and new technological innovation in aluminum, base metals, raw materials and mining, scrap and recycling, and steel.

The inaugural Awards program in 2013 honored 11 winners hailing from Luxemburg, U.K., Sweden, India and the United States, and included global aluminum products and recycling giant Novelis, which walked away with dual honors of CEO and Metals Company of the Year. The 2013 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award was World Steel Dynamics' Peter Marcus.

New awards to this year's program are Corporate Social Responsibility, which recognizes community re-investment; Rising Star, which honors fast-track innovation and performance; Metals Mover of the Year, which lauds outstanding mid-supply chain operations and leadership; and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of the Year which spotlights exemplary end-users that are improving efficiencies and technologies.

Eligible for nomination are companies doing business in, or in close association with, the metals and mining industries. A company may nominate itself or may be nominated by its clients, its vendors and/or other industry associates.

To learn more about the Award categories, the independent judging process, and/or to submit a nomination, visit this link www.globalmetalsawards.com. Entries questions may be directed to Platts Global Metals Awards at +1 720 264 6840 or globalmetalsawards@platts.com.

The 2014 Platts Global Metals Awards categories:

Chief Executive Officer of the Year

Lifetime Achievement

Breakthrough Innovation of the Year

Corporate Social Responsibility

Rising Star

Deal of the Year

Metals Mover of the Year

Original Equipment Manufacturer of the Year

Industry Leadership for:

    --  Aluminum
    --  Base Metals
    --  Raw Materials & Mining
    --  Scrap & Recycling
    --  Steel

Finalists will be identified in each category and announced on March 17, 2014.

From the list of finalists, an independent judges panel of respected metals industry experts will select winners for the 2014 Platts Global Metals Awards.

The winners will be announced on May 21, 2014 in London at a black-tie dinner gala which is expected to be attended by hundreds of metals industry executives.

Co-sponsoring the 2014 Platts Global Metals Awards is CME Group, the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace. Executive sponsor is Novelis Inc., the world's premier producer of rolled aluminum and the global leader in aluminum recycling.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available; contact Neil Roberts at +44 20 7176 7638 or visit this link: http://gma.platts.com/Sponsor.

For more information on metals, visit the Platts website at www.platts.com. Platts' reporting on metals markets spans more than 40 years, following the tradition of its parent company, McGraw Hill Financial, which has covered metals for more than 80 years. With its acquisition of the Steel Business Briefing Group and its specialist unit The Steel Index in 2011, Platts became a leading global information provider in metals.

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, and McGraw Hill Construction. The Company has approximately 17,000 employees in 27 countries. Additional information is available at www.mhfi.com.

SOURCE Platts

SOURCE: Platts