Jack Williams

Strange that this business has only received 5-star reviews on here, many of which sound suspiciously alike. The same goes for the Google reviews, three of which are basically identical in structure and content. I submitted a client for one award and heard back in a little over 24 hours--that doesn't indicate a particularly rigorous selection process to me. After doing a bit more research, I also found a Reddit post in which the author explains that they were charged an $800 applicant fee after being accepted as a judge. This is not especially surprising considering that the email I was sent reads "Winning a Global Recognition Award is entirely free; however, we do have some upgrades starting that you might like to consider," before listing a series of paid publicity opportunities ranging from a $110 winning certificate to $1000+ placements in media outlets. Within the following week, I got two more emails pushing for me to promote and showcase the award. Kind of feels like they will give one to basically anybody who applies and then ask for money to promote it--not the kind of publicity that seems in any way helpful or credible for my clients. I'm curious to see whether anyone else has had a similar experience.

UPDATE, Dec. 13, 2024: I see they have replied. The process did not take months for my client--it took less than 36 hours. I should also note that the $3000 Forbes bundle, which you can see on the "Pricing/Optional Upgrades" page on the site, explicitly mentions that it only guarantees publication in the Swiss edition of Forbes. The email that they sent me further clarifies that they can secure a guaranteed article in Forbes, "usually on one of their international sites, like Switzerland, Georgia, Israel, Mexico, or Colombia." Not particularly helpful for a US-based business.

I should also note more generally that the "optional" features that they offer in order to subsidize their "many staff" come to seem fairly essential when the only thing you receive for winning an award is an email that does not serve you in any way. If you want the win to look even minimally legitimate, you are going to have to go for the upgrades.

I put "many staff" in scare quotes because their website does not feature any pictures or even mentions of any founders or key members of the company, and the "Contact Us" page takes you directly to the submission form rather than providing any team members' email address. If they hope to secure a greater modicum of trust then I would hope for more transparency on their site.