As the deadline approaches (15 March 2019) we wanted to help you out with some advice for submitting your work for the 4th Annual CIMPA Awards. It’s pretty much common sense when you break it all down, but we’ve received a lot of questions over the years, so hopefully the tips below will assist you in placing your campaign/website/individual/etc. in the best light.
- Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, — read the Submission Guidelines and the T’s and C’s! We have tried to include all vital information in here — you will find them on your submission form section in each category under the ‘Click here to submit’ link.
- Read the category description and criteria properly to understand what you are applying for. Are you entering the correct award category? Try not to reuse a submission that you have already created for another awards program (or category), if you start from scratch you are more likely to hit all of the relevant details that you want to include.
- Study the Judging Matrix. We have literally spelled it all out for you here. You can see by the % how much each area is worth, and the judges will stick to this matrix. The descriptions should be obvious enough that you can optimise your chances for scoring the highest points by simply meeting the top level requirements. You can download the judging matrix for each category (they are all different) on the website.
- Make a plan of what you want to say, and how to showcase your brand/campaign/website etc best. Do you need to get permission from a client or your agency? Will you require their assistance in putting the submission together? Get their buy-in before you get started.
- “Better to start early than finish late.” Especially because we have late fees! Start early so you have time to re-draft. If you work backwards from the final submission date you can identify key deadlines during the process. Make sure you provide enough time for review by all stakeholders involved, especially if you are showcasing work completed for a client.
- K.I.S.S. — Keep It Simple, Sally. You may be penalised for going over the word count and our online submission summary is limited to 150 words MAX. Get your point across with bullet points. They are both simple and effective.
- Don’t just tell them — SHOW them how good you are. Use both quantitative and qualitative data to substantiate your entry. Showing a timescale of success can be really useful. Using pie charts, bar charts and diagrams will keep your submission visually interesting. Feedback from surveys, focus groups, and testimonials from customers will help give a more rounded view of your submission.
- Use one (1) document/ppt/pdf/mp4 to showcase your submission. We can’t stress enough how important it is to make your submission easy to view for the judges. Multiple documents, links or requiring items to be downloaded will hurt your overall marks.
*All advice must be taken with the understanding that not all submissions can win (unfortunately). The Cayman Islands Marketing Professionals Association is not responsible for any winners (or non-winners).