rules & regulations

congratulations to the 2013 ame awards winners! The 2013 competition is now closed. Save the date: The 2014 competition opens on 1 August!

We're always at your disposal. If you need additional assistance or have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please contact Mike Grigaliunas in customer service (amecs@yourawardscompany.com), or Donovan Lee or Hal Goldberg in processing (ameprocessing@yourawardscompany.com).

• 1. competition dates & fees

  • Open for entries: July 23, 2012
    Deadline to enter: December 14, 2012

    Entry fees:

    • Enter between July 23-August 27 — $675 USD per entry.
    • Enter between August 28-September 24 — $775 USD per entry.
    • Enter between September 25-December 14 — $875 USD per entry.

    A separate fee is applicable for each category selection. If you are submitting more than one entry, send only one payment for the total amount of all of entry fees. Shipping costs, insurance, customs duties, and entrant's outgoing bank transfer fees are the entrant's responsibility.

    We do not charge media handling fees, sales tax, or VAT taxes. Payment must be received within 7 days of submitting your entries or they will be withdrawn from the competition. Currency must be in US dollars made payable to INTERNATIONAL AWARDS GROUP, LLC. For more information, call +1 (212) 643.4800 or email.

    Preferred payment types: Visa, MasterCard, or AMEX.
    Credit card fees - American Express, 2.5% of total order; MC and Visa, 1.5 %.
    Paying by bank transfer: You must prepay all of your bank's transfer fees. An additional fee of $35 USD will be added to your grand total to cover intermediary transfer fees.

    Your invoice number and our bank transfer information will be available to you prior to checkout, and you'll be able to print your invoice for your accounting department. Once the transfer is executed, get the bank transfer number from your accounting department, enter the number in the space provided in the checkout, and complete the entry process.

    Refund Policy: Refunds of entry fees will only be granted if a request is made within 14 days of submitting entries. A $100 fee will be charged to cover administrative costs. No refunds will be made once judging begins, but entries will be withdrawn from the judging schedule.

   

• 2. eligibility

  • All entries must be executed between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2012. You may not enter a campaign that has been entered in past AME Awards, even if it did not achieve award status.

   

• 3. judging, regions & awards

  • The AME Awards International Grand Jury consists of top interactive and multidisciplinary marketers, media planners, strategy directors, social media experts, and creatives who donate their time and expertise to the competition. The 2013 AME Grand Jury will be announced soon. View the 2012 Grand Jury here.

    Entries are first scored in regional rounds by jurors with specific knowledge of that particular market to assess their cultural and economic relevance. The final rounds are seen by the full international jury

    The regions:

    • North America
    • Latin America
    • Europe
    • Asia Pacific
    • Middle East & Africa

    Note: If there are not enough entries received from a particular region to merit a full judging session, those entries will be added to the judging session for the nearest region.

    The rounds:

    The AME Awards are judged in 3 rounds:

    Round 1: The Shortlist

    Judges review each entry within their region and score it based on its own merit against high standards of creative execution and marketing effectiveness. This includes the creative executions, the details of the written marketing brief, and the overall presentation of the work. This round will determine the shortlist.

    Round 2: The Medals

    All Shortlist entries are judged within their own region and based on their own merits. This round determines the Bronze, Silver, and Gold winners for each region. The AME Green Award will be presented to the highest scoring Gold-winning campaign that meets the objectives of resource conservation and reducing negative impact to the environment.

    Round 3: The Platinums & Grand Award

    All Gold-winning work is scored by all judges from all regions. A Platinum Award is presented to the top-scoring entry in each region.

    Note: In order to qualify for a Platinum Award, an entry must win a Gold medal. If there are no Gold winning entries in a particular region, no Platinum Award will be presented for that region.

    The Grand AME Award will be presented to the campaign that earns the highest score across all regions in this round.

   

• 4. scoring

  • Judges are asked to evaluate each entry based on 4 specific criteria, each weighted according to importance:

    • Results & Effectiveness — 30%
    • Idea — 25%
    • Execution — 25%
    • Challenge/Strategy/Objectives — 20%
   

• 5. submission of entries

  • While you may enter the same campaign into several categories with one form, a separate form must be filled out for each campaign. A printable record with a total of all entries will be automatically generated at checkout and emailed to you.

    The entry process is divided into 6 stages:

    1. cover page
    2. category selection
    3. case brief
    4. supporting materials
    5. credits
    6. review & checkout (in 4 parts)

    step 1: cover page

    Tell us the basics about your campaign.

    All fields are required unless otherwise indicated

    • entry title
    • brand name
    • product/service type
    • advertiser
    • advertising agency
    • country of entry
    • creative director
    • creative director email

    step 2: category selection

    You may enter this campaign into more than one category using this one form. A separate entry fee for each category is required.

    Select all categories in which you wish to enter this campaign:

    products & services

    • PS01 automotive (cars, motorcycles, RVs, parts, repairs, tires, accessories, fuel)
      PS02 beverages, alcoholic (beer, wine, hard liquor)
      PS03 beverages, non-alcoholic (juice, soda, coffee, energy drinks)
      PS04 business-to-business (human resources, recruitment, skills assessment, accounting, technical support)
      PS05 children & teen (services, social media sites, outreach)
      PS06 corporate (image, information, recruitment, rebranding, internal communications)
      PS07 education (brick-and-mortar or online programs; language classes, instructional sessions)
      PS08 electronics, business machines (copiers, fax machines, telecommunications systems)
      PS09 electronics, consumer (phones, digital cameras, televisions, personal computers, MP3 players)
      PS10 entertainment / event promotion (concerts, parties, street fairs, cultural programs)
      PS11 financial services (banks, insurance, investment)
      PS12 food, non-retail (grocery items, baby food, snacks, confections)
      PS13 food, retail & restaurants (franchise promotions, grand openings)
      PS14 government / politics (informational sources, policy or program communications)
      PS15 healthcare products & services (prescription or OTC medications, first-aid products, home health aides)
      PS16 household (appliances, furniture, décor, pet products)
      PS17 media promotion (news programs, newspapers, magazines)
      PS18 personal items (apparel, accessories, personal care, cosmetics, toiletries)
      PS19 professional services (legal, accounting, technical support)
      PS24 real estate (homes, brokers, condominiums, contractors)
      PS20 retail stores (promotions, grand openings)
      PS21 sport & leisure (travel, recreation, toys, games, sporting goods)
      PS22 sports promotion (game day, special events, playoffs)
      PS23 utilities (power, conservation, public awareness)
      

    social benefit

    • SB01 civic / social education
      SB02 environmental issues
      SB03 philanthropic appeals
      SB04 promotion of peace / human rights
      SB05 promotion of health & human services
      

    use of discipline

    • UD01 branding
      UD02 corporate image
      UD03 design
      UD04 direct response
      UD05 integrated (mixed media)
      UD06 interactive
      UD07 low-budget (<$100,000USD)
      UD08 media planning
      UD09 new product / service launch
      UD10 product placement
      UD11 promotions
      UD12 public relations
      UD13 sponsorship
      UD14 trade show
      

    use of medium

    • UM01 branded entertainment
      UM02 collateral
      UM03 ebooks
      UM04 events
      UM05 games
      UM06 guerrilla / alternative media
      UM07 mobile / cellular / hand-held device
      UM08 online
      UM09 outdoor / transit / out-of-home
      UM10 point-of-purchase
      UM11 pop-up stores
      UM12 print
      UM13 radio
      UM14 social media
      UM15 tablets
      UM16 tv & cinema
      

    step 3: case brief

    This is where you get into the details of your entry—everything from the nuts and bolts to the grand plans and glorious results.

    Try to keep your long-form answers under 200 words. Think clear and concise; think about what a judge would want to hear about when deciding how to score your entry; and include sources for your results wherever you can.

    all fields are required unless otherwise indicated

    would you like to keep the contents of this case brief confidential?

    If you wish any of the data submitted in your brief to be kept confidential, please check the box in the online entry system. The information contained in the brief will be kept confidential and for judging use only.

    campaign start date • campaign end date
    All entries must be executed between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2012 IMPORTANT: The AME Awards continues to uphold the highest standards for entry integrity and has long been aware so-called "scam campaigns"—campaigns that were either never published or were published without the full knowledge and consent of the client. Our Scamguard system requires jury members to flag suspicious ads and include comments in support of their doubt of its authenticity. Every flagged entry will be investigated; should the evidence prove the ad to be a scam, the ad will be disqualified, and the people listed in the credits of entering company will be barred from entering our competitions for a period of five years

    campaign description

    Give us a top-level description of your campaign.

    • new product launch
    • brand rejuvenation
    • brand or line extension
    • brand repositioning or restaging
    • market expansion (by category or region)
    • target expansion (to build incremental volume)
    • corporate identity building
    • multi-segment chain-value marketing
    • other (please offer specifics)

    campaign cost

    How much did you spend on your campaign, from brief to execution?

    • low-budget (under $100,000)
    • $100,000-$1 million
    • $1-5 million
    • $5-10 million
    • $10-25 million
    • over $25 million

    campaign scope

    If the campaign is international, indicate whether it's in a standardized format (the executions did not change when the campaign crossed national boundaries, except for perhaps language) or an international core campaign (the campaign was based on a set of core concepts and adapted to different demographic and cultural groups).

    campaign summary

    Tell us about the campaign, including important aspects considered in its conception, and its accomplishments. If your entry earns a spot on the AME Awards Shortlist, this summary will be used in the Winners Showcase, so do not include any confidential information in this summary.

    marketing context

    Specify language, cultural, and political sensitivities as well as market conditions for this product or service. For international campaigns, indicate how cultural variations impacted the marketing and communication strategies. Be clear about the place in the life cycle of this campaign, product or service occupied within its marketplace. Indicate if this is a first-time campaign, an adjustment to an existing campaign, or an addition to a previous campaign.

    target audience

    Be specific about age, gender, religion, national, and ethnic groupings, and specify why you chose these audiences.

    campaign planning

    Describe the thoughts, ideas, and disciplines used in the planning of the marketing and communication of your campaign.

    marketing strategy

    Specify the marketing and advertising strategies used. Include examples of how the target audience, campaign objectives, and marketing situations influenced the choices, and why you expected these strategies to achieve your desired results.

    media strategy

    Tell us what media were used and why. If your media choice differed by target audience, provide the context for each usage.

    creative strategy & execution

    Explain the creative approach taken in crafting the various executions. What insights or understandings of the market or the brand led you to approach your objectives with this strategy for your target audience? What was the specific impression or image you desired for the execution?

    evidence of results

    Clearly state the campaign's accomplishments and describe the most impressive results in terms of the set objectives. Be specific in tying the results to these objectives, as well as to your strategies (marketing and communications, media, and creative) and targets. Indicate the effect of the media choice, if any, on the intended results. Tell us what would you do again, what you wouldn't, and why. Provide brief but convincing documentation, citing evidence wherever possible. You may index your evidence of sales results, if you wish.

    other awards (optional)

    Has this campaign earned awards in any other competitions?

    step 4: support materials

    You may enter up to 6 pieces in support of your entry—a case video (highly recommended), PDFs of print executions, commercial spots, media coverage, whatever you have that will help the judges better understand your campaign and its effectiveness. If your support materials were in a language other than English, a translation is required. If you have a case video, please put that first.

    While you provide the details of your assets in this step, the actual upload of the pieces happens at the end of the process. After you successfully complete your check-out, you'll receive an invoice via email that includes a link for each and every piece you told us you would upload. Click the link and follow the instructions to make sure we receive your files.

    all fields are required unless otherwise indicated

    Please note: The total number of pieces should not exceed 6.

    Hint: If you really feel strongly that the judges need to see more than 6 executions from your campaign, try bundling the same types of material together—for example, put all print ads in one PDF, and that will count as 1 piece; or, put 2 30-second spots in the same .mov and that will count as 1 piece.

    accepted formats

    • .flv
    • .gif
    • .jpg
    • .mov
    • .mp3
    • .mpeg
    • .mpg
    • .pdf
    • Flash
    • PowerPoint
    • collateral (sending supporting material via post; see note below)
    • web site — Please provide the URL and log-in (if one is required) if you use an outside website to display your support materials. Please be sure the website and login credentials are available throughout the entire judging period (through March 31, 2013).
    
    

    uploading your support materials

    While you provide the details of your assets in this step, the actual upload of the pieces happens at the end of the process. After you successfully complete your check-out, you'll receive an invoice via email that includes a link for each and every piece you told us you would upload. Click the link and follow the instructions to make sure we receive your files.

    important note about sending supporting material via post

    We strongly encourage you to take advantage of the digital upload option whenever possible. But if you have an item (giveaway, direct mail piece, point-of-purchase display, etc.) that does not lend itself to digital representation, please follow these guidelines:

    A printable record of each of your entries will be automatically generated at checkout. This record will consist of an invoice for the total amount due and a label with Item IDs for you to attach to each execution to be physically submitted. You'll also get a mailing label to attach to the outside of the shipping carton. Please send labeled materials, along with the computer-generated invoice and any fees due, to:

    AME Awards c/o Your Awards Company
    260 West 39th Street, 10th Floor
    New York, NY 10018, U.S.A.
    Tel +1/212.643.4800

    IMPORTANT: Always use these labels or photocopies of them when shipping your entries. They contain important tracking information for our staff.

    All shipping costs, insurance, customs duties, and handling fees for all entries must be prepaid by the sender. We cannot assume responsibility for customs clearance. You will be notified by email when your entry has been processed.

    video entry format details

    DVD (either NTSC or PAL), or MOV on CD. All entries should be submitted together on a single DVD or CD if possible.

    NTSC: h.264 compression: 29.97/30 fps, Auto Key Frames, near-Broadcast Quality and Size. Audio: Stereo, 48 kHz, 16 bits, MPEG-4/AAC.

    PAL: h.264 compression: 25 fps, Auto Key Frames, near-Broadcast Quality and Size. Audio: Stereo, 48kHz, 16 bits, MPEG-4/AAC.

    If submitting a DVD burned in-house, please remove all region and security encryption and be sure the file structure is a standard DVD-5 format (all VOB files accessible).

    translation

    If your entry was not in English and does not include subtitles, please include an English translation.

    step 5: assign credits

    We recognize the amount of work that must be done when entering awards competitions, and that entering your credits along with preparing the creative for submission can be very time consuming and frustrating. To alleviate some of the workload, you are not required to provide additional credit information as part of the entry process. Only entries that reach Shortlist status will be required to enter additional information (names and titles of the people and or companies associated with the creation of the work) so that the entire team can be recognized on the web, in publications, in press releases, on our website, and in our showcasing venues.

    character limits

    When entering your credits, please be aware there is a maximum of 55 characters (letters, symbols, and spaces) allowed per line when using upper and lower case characters. If you use UPPER CASE CHARACTERS, the limit is 35 characters per line. You will be able to preview your credits before you move on to the next page.

    Please understand that space limitations prevent full credits from being listed on trophies and Finalist Certificates (see specifics below). We recommend listing credits in order of importance. credit formatting

    Talent names and job titles must be in proper case (all first letters capitalized). Please do not use all capital or all lowercase letters. Do not use commas to separate first and last names or job titles. Do not abbreviate job titles unless necessary to adhere to character limits. If listing multiple names or titles, separate with slashes. A few examples:

    • John Doe, Creative Director
    • John Doe / Jane Doe, Creative Directors
    • Jane Doe, Creative Director / Art Director

    If you earn an award, all provided credits will be published on the website, but space limitations prevent full credits from being listed on trophies and Finalist Certificates (see specifics below). Please review for accuracy, and list each credit only once—credits do not need to be repeated.

    credit order

    Trophies, certificates, and the website feature the competition name and year, your company name, winning category, entry title, and the brand/sponsor, in that order, as you presented them in the entry form.

    Certificates and the website will feature all credits from lines 1-5, plus four lines of additional credits of your choice—the creative director, marketing director, copywriter, whoever you think should be listed first. The website will feature all credits from lines 1-9 plus 7 additional credits of your choice for a total of 16 lines.

    The website will feature all credits from lines 1-8 plus 8 additional credits of your choice.

    step 6: review & checkout (in 4 parts)

    All payments should be made out to INTERNATIONAL AWARDS GROUP. We must receive payment within 7 days of entering in order to process your entry or it will be withdrawn from the competition.

    part I

    Please review your entry carefully. If you find any errors, you can make edits here.

    part II

    Here you'll see each of your entries with subtotals and a grand total. You can edit or delete entries from here.

    part III

    Please give us your billing and payment information.

    part IV

    Please confirm your order. Once you click "confirm & process your order," you'll see a printable version of your invoice, a copy of which will also be sent to your email.

   

• 6. disposition of entry

  • Entries and materials submitted will not be returned and may be displayed, shown, duplicated, published or reproduced for educational and promotional purposes. By entering, the entrant agrees to hold The AME Awards and any of its affiliated companies exempt from any costs or expenses of any claim arising out of any such use by The AME Awards or any of its affiliated companies.

   

• 7. awards

  • Winners will receive one award per entry (either a trophy or a certificate, depending on the final status the entry earns) with credits as detailed above. Additional trophies can be ordered from the AME Awards Store and include personalization to recognize the contributions of individuals involved with the entry.

   

Remember: We're here for you.

Contact Mike Grigaliunas in customer service (amecs@yourawardscompany.com), or Donovan Lee or Hal Goldberg in processing (ameprocessing@yourawardscompany.com) if you need additional assistance or have any questions, concerns, or suggestions. You can also call us at +1 (212)643.4800.