For Immediate Release:
July 2, 2010

For more information, contact:
Francine Patella Ryan
ESL Public Affairs Manager
fpatella@esl.org
585.336.1089 or 585.261.6220 (cell)

ESL Federal Credit Union and K2 Communications Take Top International Creative Award - The 2010 Summit Creative Awards

Rochester, New York... ESL Federal Credit Union and K2 Communications were named as silver winner in the 2010 Summit Creative Award^® competition for their creative branding work regarding the launch of the new ESL headquarters.

The Summit Creative Award recognizes and celebrates the creative accomplishments of small and medium sized advertising agencies and other creative groups with annual billings under $30 million. Over the sixteen years, the competition has established itself as the premier arbiter of creative excellence for firms of this size.

This year's panel of international judges included professionals from Ogilvy B2 Interactive, Canada; Saatchi & Saatchi, United States; Stellar Debris Creative Studios, Japan; MCN Interpublic Group Company, Dubai; Pixel & Co. Creative Marketing, Canada; Paragon Marketing Communications, Kuwait; CMI Web Studio, United States; E-cubed.com Media Synthesis Inc., Canada; Brad, Canada; Both Worlds Creative, United States; Elevator, Croatia; RT Strategic, Canada; Daniel da Hora, Creative Consultant, Brazil; MFX, Inc., United States.

Entries in 23 major categories are judged against a stringent set of standards. During the blind judging events (entering company names withheld) judges search for innovative and creative concepts, strong executions and the ability to communicate and persuade.

This year's creative competition included companies from the following twenty-four countries: Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Croatia, Denmark, England, Germany, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Spain, Thailand, The Netherlands, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States and United Kingdom.

Winners were selected in categories that include print, broadcast, emerging media, online advertising, marketing materials, direct mail, green marketing, political, corporate video, public service, best idea never produced, industry self-promotion, and brand redesign.

The Summit International Awards (SIA) organization was founded in 1994. The organization conducts the Summit Creative Award, the Summit Marketing Effectiveness Award and the Summit Emerging Media Award. The 2010 competition is the 16th year for the creative competition.

Founded by George Eastman in 1920, ESL Federal Credit Union is a full-service financial institution with $3.9 billion in assets. ESL employs more than 600 people locally and has more than 300,000 members world-wide. Access to the credit union includes 20 branch locations and more than 42 ATM locations, a Tele-Banking Center, and Internet and online banking channels. The company is headquartered at 225 Chestnut Street, in Rochester, and can be found on the Internet at www.esl.org.

K2 Communications is a leading creative team known for developing innovative marketing initiatives, which help companies succeed in the global marketplace. By combining the power of creative thinking with strategic vision, K2 helps fuel tangible business growth.