DUBLIN, June 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Honor extraordinary carers who sacrifice for others

The BRAVE Awards, an international awards initiative that recognizes the courage and dedication of non-professional caregivers, is seeking nominations through June 30, 2013.  Developed and implemented by Shire plc, the global biopharmaceutical company, the BRAVE Awards honor unpaid, non-professional caregivers who give of themselves in a meaningful, dedicated and selfless manner. Up to 20 recipients each will be awarded $10,000 USD or the equivalent in local currency.

To learn more about the initiative and to nominate a non-professional caregiver, go to http://www.ShireBRAVEAwards.com or https://www.facebook.com/ShireBraveAwards and complete the online nomination form. There are no restrictions on the type of care being provided, no correlation with any health condition or therapeutic area, and the care recipient need not be prescribed a Shire medicine or treatment. The recipients of the BRAVE Awards will be chosen by a Selection Committee made up of Shire employees and non-Shire caregiving experts, and will be announced in November 2013.

A caregiver is defined by the Shire BRAVE Awards as an individual who is providing regular, consistent care for another person in a volunteer capacity. The caregiver can be a relative, neighbor, or friend who gives their time, support, and compassion regularly, helping another person who is not able to care for himself or herself. The caregiver cannot be a professional healthcare provider and cannot be compensated in any formal way through their activities as a caregiver.  Doctors, nurses, hospital staff and other healthcare workers are not eligible for consideration; however, they can nominate non-professional caregivers.

In 2013, the Shire BRAVE Awards are open to eligible nominees in 19 countries - Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The program has been developed to ensure confidentiality and privacy, and adheres to Shire's Privacy Policy. The BRAVE Awards are presented in the spirit of Shire's BRAVE culture.  

About the Shire BRAVE Awards

The Shire BRAVE Awards is an international program created by Shire to honor the courage and dedication of individual voluntary caregivers.  For the Shire BRAVE Awards, a caregiver is defined as an individual who is providing regular, consistent care for another person(s).  The caregiver cannot be a professional healthcare provider and cannot be compensated in any formal way through their efforts as a caregiver.  The caregiver can be a relative, neighbor, or friend who gives their time, support, and compassion regularly, helping another person(s) who is (partly or wholly) unable to care for themselves due to health and wellness issues, injury, or other extenuating circumstance.  Nominations for the 2013 BRAVE Awards will be accepted through June 30, 2013 and award recipients will be announced in November 2013.  For further information on the Shire BRAVE Awards, including official rules, legal disclosures, and Privacy Policy please visit http://www.ShireBRAVEAwards.com or http://www.facebook.com/ShireBraveAwards. 

For further information please contact:
Matthew Cabrey (mcabrey@shire.com), +1-484-595-8248
http://www.shire.com


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