Can I submit multiple entries?
Can I wait and submit this year’s work in next year’s (2012) competition?
Can I submit the same entry more than once in the same year?
Can I submit several different projects for entry?
If a project was created by an agency and client, who enters it?
How do I know if my entry has been received?
How are entries judged and types of awards determined?
How are winners notified and recognized?
What happens to the entries once the competition is over?
How do I keep my work plan to the required number of pages?
I’m submitting a large campaign by mail. How can I make sure that my entry fits the size limit?
What type of projects fall under the social media category?
What should I do if my work needs to be confidential?
What do I win?
There are two levels of Excel Awards – an Award of Excellence and an Award of Merit. The level of award depends on your total score.
Winners of an Award of Excellence will receive a beautiful, one-of-a-kind Excel Award statue.
Winners of an Award of Merit will receive a certificate or a plaque.
All Excel winners will be recognized at the IABC Ottawa 2012 Excel Awards Gala on Tuesday, June 5, 2012 at The Westin Ottawa; profiled on IABC Ottawa’s website in the 2012 Excel Winning Entries section; featured in communications material such as IABC Ottawa’s e-newsletter and media material around the awards; and shared via IABC Ottawa’s multiple social media channels (all with entrant’s permission).
Can I submit multiple entries?
You may submit as many entries as you wish as long as they meet the individual requirements of the selected category/ies. For example, the same program/project can be entered into several categories. Remember to tailor each entry to the specific category. Separate entry fees apply for each entry. (The same project may not be submitted in the same category by different individuals.)
How do I submit my campaign?
Please note that we encourage as many entrants as possible to submit their campaign online here. Alternately, you may submit you campaign by mail to this address:
IABC Ottawa Excel Awards c/o Kelly Rusk 55 Metcalfe, Suite 730 Ottawa, ON K1P 6L5
Can I resubmit an entry?
Yes, as long as the following two conditions apply:
- Your entry must not have won an Excel Award in the previous year’s program.
- Work on the project and/or measurement must extend into the current year. For example, an entry could be re-submitted to the 2012 Excel Awards if it was not a winner in last year’s program and the work and/or measurement extended into 2012.
Can I wait and submit this year’s work in next year’s (2013) competition?
The 2013 Excel Awards program will accept work produced prior to 2012 as long as the work and/or measurement extended into 2012. You may also submit work produced before 2011 if the work and/or measurement extended into 2012. Entries that won last year may not be submitted again.
Can I submit the same entry more than once in the same year?
You may submit the same entry in as many different categories that apply to that entry. You must tailor your work plan to fit each category and pay a separate entry fee for each category you enter. However, you may use a single entry form to submit your entry to multiple categories.
Can I submit several different projects for entry?
You may submit as many different entries as you wish. If you are entering several different projects, submit a separate entry form, work plan and work sample for each entry. Separate fees apply for each entry.
If my project was created by a team, which name do I use as the entrant’s name? How do I ensure that other mem- bers of the team receive credit for working on the project?
The entrant’s name should be the primary contact person who is principally responsible for the development, management and execution of the entry, and is submitting the project on behalf of the team. This person should fill in and submit the entry form. The entrant’s name must match the name on the work plan. The number of people who worked on the project team will not affect the judging process. If your entry wins an award, the contact person listed will then be asked whether any other project team members should be formally recognized for the award. The entrant must be the lead person on the project.
IABC membership belongs to an individual, not an organization. The primary contact person and lead on the project entering the awards must be a member of IABC to receive the member price. You cannot submit an entry under another person’s membership number. This may result in disqualification and your entry fee will not be refunded.
If a project was created by an agency and client, who enters it?
Either one can enter. If the material is proprietary, be sure to clearly indicate this on your entry and entry form.
IABC membership belongs to an individual, not an organization. The primary contact person and lead on the project entering the awards must be a member of IABC to receive the member price. You cannot submit an entry under another person’s membership number. This may result in disqualification and your entry fee will not be refunded.
How do I know if my entry has been received?
If you enter online, you will receive confirmation when you submit. If you are submitting by mail or courier, send your entries and fees using a traceable form of delivery in order to ensure confirmation of receipt.
How are entries judged and types of awards determined?
Excel Awards coordinators recruit a network of judges who evaluate all entries. Two judges use standardized criteria to evaluate each entry. Entries must score at least 5.25 out of 7 possible points to be named finalists. Those entries that score between 5.25 and 5.74 receive an Award of Merit certificate. Entries that score 5.75 or higher receive an Award of Excellence and will be recog- nized at the IABC Ottawa Excel Awards Gala with the presentation of a trophy. There is no limit to the number of awards that can be presented in each category. All judges’ decisions are final. View the judges’ evaluation forms here.
For the Communication Creative division, a panel of judges from creative agencies outside Ottawa will judge all entries.
How are entries scored?
Winning entries must demonstrate that they met clearly stated objectives, show originality and demonstrate results based on measured outcomes. Judges consider how well a program was conceived and executed, how appropriate the chosen strategy and objectives were for the desired results, and how the outcomes are measured and achieved.
Do entrants receive feedback?
For each entry submitted, entrants receive a one-page evaluation form with scores and brief comments from judges. All evaluation forms will be mailed to entrants after the public presentation of awards on Tuesday, June 5, 2012.
How are winners notified and recognized?
All Excel winners will be recognized at the 2012 Excel Awards Gala on Tuesday, June 5, 2012 at The Westin Ottawa; profiled on IABC Ottawa’s website in the 2012 Excel Winning Entries section; featured in communications material such as IABC Ottawa’s e-newsletter and media material around the awards; and shared via IABC Ottawa’s multiple social media channels (all with entrant’s permission).
What happens to the entries once the competition is over?
Entries will not be returned, so please do not send irreplaceable material. IABC is not responsible for lost or damaged entries. If your entry is proprietary, we will be happy to shred the materials. Please let us know by clearly stating this on the cover of your entry. Due to the volume of materials received, IABC cannot confirm receipt of entries.
Do judges really pay attention to details such as the permitted font size and the length of the work plan?
Yes. If you get these details wrong, you have no chance of winning.
How do I keep my work plan to the required number of pages?
Edit your plan to be clear and concise. Bullets, tables and lists, rather than full paragraphs, can help save space. Ask yourself:
- Does this outline show that the project was well managed?
- Does it cover all of the important points? Is it compelling?
- Could your work plan be used to show others what works?
I’m submitting a large campaign by mail. How can I make sure that my entry fits the size limit?
If you’re mailing your entry please note that a lot of information fits in a single one-inch-ring-diameter (2.55-centimeter) binder, which is the maximum size allowed. Organize and summarize your material. If you’re tight on space, remember that you do not need to submit an entire slide show or every news clipping. Provide a summary of research results, not all the feedback you received. Keep in mind that the work sample should be representative of your work. You are not required to document every aspect of the entire project.
What type of projects fall under the social media category?
A project qualifies for the social media category if the channel used is a conversation-enabled publishing platform that allows individuals and groups to collaborate and share knowledge and experiences online.
What should I do if my work needs to be confidential?
We ask entrants that are submitting confidential entries to clearly label digital documents with the word “confidential” and to clearly write “confidential” on the outside of a binder submission as well as the inside on any appropriate samples. Category coordinators are told to communicate to all judges that all entries and their specific contents are deemed confi- dential. Entry material cannot be copied. The results of judging are not to be discussed outside the judging team or in any way disclosed. Also, judges are told they should not evaluate an entry of a close colleague or friend, from an employee, client or supplier of their own organization or that otherwise compromises their ability to be impartial. Additionally, after judging is over, coordinators are asked to shred any materials that may have been deemed confidential.
