|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
Entries for the 2009 DMA Awards have now closed.
Work can be entered into as many categories as you like – either as an individual element or as a whole campaign. However a single piece can’t be entered in more than one of the Business sector categories. The committee reserves the right to disqualify any entry that has been entered into the wrong category or where the entry form has not been completed as instructed.
If you need help, you can call Janet Attwater on 020 7291 3343. Alternatively, you can post a
query
for one of our committee members to answer.
Only work that appeared between 1 August 2008 and 31 July 2009 is eligible. The exception is the Brand Building and Customer Acquisition categories, which can span two years to show long-term effectiveness, but some of the work must still have appeared during 2008/9.
Crafting a winning entry
The deadine for this year’s entries is 3pm on the 11 September. But with the DMAs, it’s absolutely critical that your entry form does the work justice. If it’s clear and compelling, judges will spend more time getting to grips with it – and will be more likely to defend its merits when discussion starts to get heated. So giving yourselves time to craft your entry could be the difference between a walk to the podium and saying, “If only I’d explained the target market better.”
Planners, share your strategy. Creatives, rationalise your concept. And if the client needs a gentle prod to release some sales figures, it never hurts to start early.
Assembling a judging panel to do justice to your work
Each judging panel comprises a group leader, planner, data planner, art director, copywriter, media buyer and at least two clients and/or category specialists. In total, we’ll have 200 judges, reviewing an expected 1,000 campaigns over three days.
Judges are selected for their sector experience and reputation. While many are old hands at awards judging, we ensure that at least 10% are new, to ensure a steady flow of new people and perspectives.
The judging process
Each judge marks each entry individually, without conferring, and then the marks are collated and up to 10 entries are put through to the second stage. These entries are discussed in great detail to make sure they excel in all three criteria. Then, without conferring, the judges select the Gold, Silver and Bronze winners.
Usually a clear winner will emerge, but if the level of excellence demands it, the placing is finalised by extra voting or debate.
Judges are not allowed to vote for work from their own brands, organisations or work in which they have any kind of interest. No reference to the agency that produced the work is allowed on samples or within the entry form (other than the front page, which the judges do not see).
Furthermore, every judge signs a confidentiality agreement to protect commercially sensitive information and to ensure the results are not revealed until the Awards Ball on 9th December.
Want to win? Here are our DOs and DON’Ts
DOs
DO be clear, precise and honest when talking about media schedules, lists and – especially – results.
The judges will spot a false or empty claim a mile off. We don’t publish details of results in the detailed results section unless permission is given, and every judge signs a confidentiality form prior to judging.
So, tell it as it is and give your work the best chance of winning through.
DO quote actual figures. Judges have to be able to judge actual figures: responses, sales, cost per response, cost per lead, enquiry, conversion to sale, overall ROI etc rather than indexing.
If you can think of an interesting way to explain why the results are award-winning – we'd welcome that, but always give us precise results.
DO make it compelling. If you can’t sell your work, you can’t expect to win. Tell the judges what’s so different or original about the way you approached this brief. How does what you’ve done compare with the way it’s been done before? Why was what you were asked to do so difficult?
DO leave time to draft and re-draft the entry, to track down the results, and to get signatures from the agency AND the client.
DO call Janet Attwater if you need help on 020 7291 3343 or email
janet.attwater@dma.org.uk
DON’Ts
DON’T exaggerate your results.
DON’T hand-write entries – they will be disqualified.
DON’T waffle. You don’t need to write a whole case history on the award form. People waffle when there isn’t that much to say.
DON’T mount your work – it will be disqualified.
DON’T supply Promotional videos for your work.
- Any video support for integrated work must be only 2 mins long
- No unrelated background music
- Voice overs should be limited to a succinct explanation and not be used to “promote” the work
- Must include actual work
- Must be robust, serious explanation not “showcasing”
- Films may only be used as a format with entries which include 3 or more media
- Must not mention name of Agency or other involved partners
DON’T busk. Meaningless phrases such as ‘results exceeded expectations’ or ‘the client was very happy’ or that “initial feedback to the campaign was excellent” mean nothing without hard figures.
DON’T expect results that simply performed better than a target response rate to impress the judges. Remember the results have to be award-winning. So you need to convince the judges that the ROI of the campaign is worthy of a DMA.
DON’T reveal the name of the agency in the name and address lasering on the samples. Samples with an agency name on will be disqualified.
DON’T staple your entry form. It must print out as it appears on screen ( 5 separate pages). Questions 12, 13 and 14 must appear together on the back page if you want the results information to be kept confidential
|
|
|
BACK TO TOP
|
|
 |
|
|
Log-In
To sign-up to this site please use the following link to obtain a
username and password.
If you already have a username and password for the main DMA site but need a password reminder please
click here.
|
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
Diary Dates 2010
Call for Entries:
Opens July
Close of Entries:
10 September
Judging Dates:
5,6,7 & 12 October
Presentation Ball:
8 December
For more information about the Awards contact
Janet Attwater
Tel: 020 7291 3343
|
|
|
|
|
