Gold Quill Awards: Process and Rules
Contents:
Eligibility
Your entry must:
- Include original material for the work sample. Syndicated, borrowed, reprinted or stock materials are not accepted.
- Meet entry deadlines.
- For this year’s competition, you must submit work that was produced and measured in 2008.
- You may also submit work produced before 2008 if the work and/or measurement extended into 2008. (Entries that won last year may not be submitted again.)
- Include written permission to submit the entry from clients, agencies, suppliers and other key project participants, on the company letterhead of those granting permission. A printed copy of an e-mailed letter of permission, signed by the client or other key participants, is also acceptable.
- Include all required elements, such as an electronic copy and hard copy of your work plan.
- Be sent to the appropriate category coordinator or regional/language coordinator. Be sure to allow enough time for delivery to the appropriate coordinator.
- Conform to IABC’s Code of Ethics.
Work done for IABC chapters and districts or regions is eligible. However, work done for IABC or the IABC Research Foundation at the international level is not.
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Rules for writing your work plan
Think of your work plan as an executive summary of your communication strategy. The work plan describes your project’s communication program, how it was developed and what you intended to achieve. View examples of winning work plans online or purchase IABC’s Best Practices in Communication Planning and Implementation for an inside look into Gold Quill Award-winning programs.
Create a tailored work plan for each entry. Do not write one work plan and submit it to more than one category. Submit both an electronic copy on a disk or CD-ROM and a hard copy of the work plan. Be sure to label your CD with the entrant’s name, entry title and entrant’s organization (see "How to label your work plan" below).
Specifications
- Communication Management work plans must not exceed four pages.
- Communication Skills work plans must not exceed three pages.
- Communication Creative work plans must not exceed two pages.
- Entries must be typed. The minimum font size is 10-point on 8.5 by 11-inch paper (A4 size outside the Americas, or 21 by 29.7 centimeters).
- Use single column (paragraph) format, with no less than half-inch margins (1.3 centimeters) on all sides.
How to label your work plan
List the following information at the top of your 2-, 3- or 4-page work plan and not on a separate page:
- Entrant’s name: Give only one name. This must be the person who was principally responsible for the development, management and execution of the entry. The entrant’s name on the entry form must match the name on work plan. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in disqualification. If you win a Gold Quill, IABC will contact you by e-mail to see if you want to add additional names for recognition.
- Entrant’s organization: Give the name of your organization.
- Client organization or outside agency (if applicable): If the work you are submitting was not done for your organization, include the name of the organization for which the project was designed. If you are no longer affiliated with the organization the project was designed for, or are an outside supplier (e.g., an agency or freelancer), you must include the organization’s written approval of the project on their company letterhead along with your entry.
- Title of entry: Choose a name that clearly describes your entry.
- Division and category:: List the division number and name (e.g., Division 2, Communication Skills) and category (e.g., Category 19, Audiovisual) for your entry. See the list of categories for more information
- Time period of project: Specify when the communication project took place.
- Brief description: Provide a one- or two-sentence description of your entry.
Work plans for Communication Management and Communication Skills
To write work plans for Divisions 1 and 2, use the following format (including these headings):
- Need/opportunity. What need or opportunity did your communication project address? Clearly describe the issues the organization faced, and outline any impact these issues had on performance, reputation, image, profits, participation, etc. Highlight any formal or informal research findings that support your analysis of the need or opportunity.
- Intended audience(s). Identify your primary audience and any other audiences. What was the audience’s state of mind? What key audience characteristics did you take into account when developing your solution? Consider psychographic as well as demographic characteristics. Describe any research you did on your audience.
- Goals and objectives. Goals describe what your communication project was designed to accomplish. Choose one or two key goals to describe in detail. These goals should be aligned with your organization’s future needs. Objectives should be realistic and measurable, and should examine outcomes such as quantity, quality, time, cost, percentages or other criteria. These measures are often financial, but not always. If your measurements are not financial, be sure to note this in your description.
- Solution overview. Outline your project’s solution and the logic that supported it. Tell us why you did what you did. The solution should demonstrate your thought process, imagination and approach to problem solving. Discuss how you involved stakeholders in developing the solution. Identify key messages. Present the tactics and communication vehicles you used. Identify your role in the project and your level of involvement and responsibility.
- Implementation and challenges. State your project budget. It does not matter if the budget was small. Show that you made efficient use of money. Discuss time frames. Describe any limitations or challenges that you faced when communicating and implementing your ideas. (Judges are looking for flexibility and a capacity to resolve problems and negotiate solutions.) Note any special circumstances and discuss how they were addressed.
- Measurement/evaluation of outcomes. How did you measure your project’s results? Every result should be linked to one or more objectives. Results must be shown to be valuable, thorough and convincing. Measurement should demonstrate outcomes, not outputs.
For example, if your media relations campaign was designed to support a product roll-out, you should measure bottom-line figures about sales targets or the number of qualified sales leads, rather than just measuring the number of clips and impressions or advertising value equivalent.
If your challenge was to improve employees’ understanding of an issue, you must show that their knowledge increased as a result of the communication plan you implemented.
Work plans for Communication Creative
To write work plans for Division 3, use the following format (including these headings):
- Project summary. Give an overview of your project. What business need or opportunity did your solution address?
- Intended audience(s). Identify your primary audience and other audiences. Describe the key characteristics (needs, preferences, demographics, etc.) that you took into account when developing your solution. Describe any research you did on your audience.
- Objectives. What were your project’s creative objectives? What outcome did you target? How did your creative objectives contribute to your organization’s business need or opportunity?
- Key messages/theme. What messages or themes were most critical to convey? State your key messages or themes.
- Creative rationale. Summarize the creative solution and the logic that supported it. Tell us why you did what you did. Describe how your solution demonstrates insight and imagination. Identify your role in the project and your level of involvement and responsibility.
- Results. In what way did you achieve your project’s objectives? How did your creative solution address the business need or opportunity? Demonstrate the effectiveness of your solution by showing increases in sales, traffic, participation or other quantifiable outcomes. Discuss your budget, resources and time frames, and show efficient use of each.
Scoring guidelines
Judges score both your work plan and your work sample. View the judges’ evaluation forms.
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Rules for preparing your work sample
The work sample is the supporting material that illustrates your communication program. It can include videotapes, publications, design work, writing samples, photography, computer programs, etc. You may also include products such as scripts, an executive summary of the research results, the media buy, etc. Your work sample should represent the scope of your work.
The work sample can be either electronic or a hard copy, and is the physical example of your communication project—for example, a newsletter, podcast or web site. Please send the highest-quality samples you can afford.
Important: If the work was completed on behalf of a client, include a written letter of permission from the client on their letterhead acknowledging your role and their consent for you to submit this entry. A printed copy of an e-mail granting permission, signed by your client, is also acceptable.
A word about the size of your entry or entries
All entries should be contained inside a binder that has a maximum ring diameter of one inch (2.55 centimeters) or less. (Do not measure the spine; measure the ring size.) Pages inside the binder should be no larger than 8.5 by 11 inches (A4 size outside the Americas, or 21 by 29.7 centimeters).
Be sure to organize and condense your work to provide a representative overview of your project. Do not go over the size limit. While a binder is preferred, entries enclosed in a folder or envelope will be accepted but should not exceed one inch in thickness. If the entry is submitted in a folder or envelope and is more than one inch thick, you will be disqualified.
The only exception to the size limit is when a single piece of your work sample that is critical to your entry—such as a videotape, book or 3-D item—exceeds the dimensions. In this case, you may package the piece with your work sample. However, the rest of your supporting material must meet size requirements.
Use tabs to separate and label the different sections of your entry (i.e. entry form, work plan, work sample) and be sure all sections are clearly identified. Avoid paper clips and rubber bands. If something can be three-hole-punched, avoid using plastic sleeves-consider using plastic sleeves only for materials such as photos. Use re-sealable plastic pouches for DVDs, CDs, videos, etc. Label all the elements of your entry in case they become separated. Once you complete your entry, label the binder or folder with the name of your entry and send it to the appropriate Gold Quill Awards coordinator.
Technical specifications:
- Electronic/digital elements. Electronic and interactive work samples should be viewable on Windows or Macintosh equipment and/or software.
- For web sites, provide the URL or IP address of the site in your entry.
- For intranets or “limited, secured access” sites, provide instructions on how to register for the site, along with an account name or password. If access may be a barrier to evaluation, or if there's a chance the site may change after submission, consider submitting a "Tour of Work Sample Video" (of five minutes or less) on a CD-ROM.
Electronic entries will be disqualified if they contain viruses, if they disable or require disabling of any part of the computer system used in the judging, or if judges cannot view or install work samples using the instructions provided. Provide a summary of your CD-ROM, DVD or other electronic medium (a screen shot with caption, a storyboard of select scenes, etc.) in your work sample.
- Large and/or heavy items (displays, billboards, sculptures, etc). Send color photographs (no larger than 8 by 10 inches, or 20.3 by 25.4 centimeters) of large and/or heavy items.
- Publications. For periodicals, we suggest that entrants submit three consecutive issues as a single entry (for both printed and electronic versions). For semi-annual publications, submit both issues. For annual publications, including annual reports, submit one issue. Indicate the frequency of the publication (monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, etc.) in your work plan. Publication formats are defined as follows:
- Magazines: printed on coated or glossy paper, generally 8.5 by 11 inches (A4 outside the Americas, or 21 by 29.7 centimeters), saddle-stitched or perfect bound.
- Newspapers: printed on newsprint, approximately 16 by 23 inches (40.6 by 58.4 centimeters).
- Magapapers/tabloids: printed on coated or high-quality paper, generally 12 by 14 inches (30.5 by 35.6 centimeters) or larger.
- Newsletters: printed on newsprint or glossy paper, smaller in size than newspapers or magapapers, generally four to eight pages on 8.5 by 11-inch paper (A4 outside the Americas, or 21 by 29.7 centimeters).
- Photography. Submit your entry in the context in which it was used. For print media, submit the spread or story in which the photograph(s) appeared (a tear sheet is preferred). For photos used in displays or bulletin boards, or other cases where size is prohibitive, send an 8 by 10-inch (20.3 by 25.4-centimeter) photograph of the entire project and one close-up photo.
- Programs and campaigns. Submit a complete, concise entry that illustrates the entire campaign. To do this, enclose representative samples of multiple program elements. Submit color photographs (no larger than 8 by 10 inches, or 20.3 by 25.4 centimeters) of large or bulky samples.
- Writing samples. Provide a tear sheet or other evidence of where the sample appeared. For recurring features or columns (Category 21), send three different samples as a single entry. For scripts (Category 21), submit typed entries on 8.5 by 11-inch paper (A4 outside the Americas, or 21 by 29.7 centimeters).
- Videotapes. Submit programs in the standard format appropriate to the geographic area they will be judged in.
Be selective with your work sample
For larger communication programs, pick those examples (clips, photos, etc.) that best represent your entry, rather than sending every item. For example, don’t send a T-shirt—send a picture of a crowd of people wearing it. As a final check, ask yourself:
- If you were a member of the target audience, would the work sample capture your attention?
- Is it relevant, meaningful and memorable?
- Does your work sample portray the solution as described in the work plan?
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