LONDON, Jan. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Nominations are now being accepted for the 2015 Platts Global Metals Awards, which recognize corporate and individual excellence in more than a dozen performance categories spanning the metals arena, announced program host Platts, a leading global provider of metals, energy, petrochemical and agriculture information. All nominations must be received by March 4, 2015.

The Platts Global Metals Awards, now in their third 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.

In 2014, the second Awards program honored 13 winners from the U.S., U.K., Australia, India and Japan, and included Australian iron ore producer Fortescue Metals Group, which was crowned Metals Company of the Year. A dual win was announced for the 2014 Chief Executive Officer of the Year honor: Mr. Klaus Kleinfeld of Alcoa Inc., and Mr. Chandra Shekhar Verma of Steel Authority of India Limited.

New awards to this year's program are Metals Distributor of the Year, and Metals End-User of the Year, which spotlight exemplary distributors and end-users that are delivering high-quality products and improving on efficiencies.

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 www.globalmetalsawards.com. Entries questions may be directed to Platts Global Metals Awards at globalmetalsawards@platts.com or +1 720 264 6840.

The 2015 Platts Global Metals Awards categories:

CEO of the Year

Lifetime Achievement

Breakthrough Innovation of the Year

Corporate Social Responsibility

Deal of the Year

Rising Star

Industry Leadership for:

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

Metals Distributor of the Year

Metals End-User of the Year

Finalists will be identified in each category and announced on March 16, 2015. The entire pool of finalists will be eligible for the 2015 Metals Company of the Year award.

From the list of finalists, an independent judging panel of respected metals industry experts will select winners for the 2015 Platts Global Metals Awards, which will be unveiled Thursday, May 21, 2015 at a black-tie gala at The Savoy in London. The dinner event is expected to be attended by hundreds of metals industry executives.

Executive sponsor for the 2015 Platts Global Metals Awards is Novelis Inc. , a global producer of rolled aluminum and a leader in aluminum recycling.

For sponsorship opportunities, contact Neil Roberts at +44 20 7176 7638 or visit: 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 based in London with more than 1000 employees in more than 15 offices worldwide. Additional information is available at www.platts.com.

About McGraw Hill Financial: McGraw Hill Financial, 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 and McGraw Hill Construction. The Company has approximately 18,000 employees in 30 countries. Additional information is available at www.mhfi.com.

SOURCE Platts

SOURCE: Platts