Welcome to the 2018 Blacksmiths Awards competition!

ELIGIBILITY

The Blacksmith Awards are open to all public relations professionals in the Greater Cincinnati area. If the work was conducted by an organization out of the area for an in-town client, it is also eligible. Entrants must submit original work or work they directly supervised. Entries must be for work produced/managed in the Greater Cincinnati area from July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2018.

DEADLINES

Early deadine: 5 p.m., Friday, Aug. 24
Regular deadline: 5 p.m., Friday, Aug. 31
Late deadline: 5 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 1 UPDATED: 5 p.m., Friday, September 14

Deadlines are applied based on the last time an entry was edited. Clicking the edit pencil next to an entry from the view/edit entries menu after a deadline will change the price to that for the next deadline. Entries will not be accepted after 5 p.m. on Sept. 11. Please ensure your entries are submitted, and the status on the view/edit entries page notes it is submitted or ready for judging by this time. Also, by this deadline, your payment must be made online, or you must indicate that you will be paying offline.

MULTIPLE ENTRIES

There is no limit to the number of categories into which a single program or tactic can be entered, provided it applies to the criteria stated within each category. Judges may reclassify any entry into a more appropriate category or disqualify it entirely if it fits no other category. Entries cannot be submitted as both a campaign and a tactic; however, part of a campaign may be submitted separately as a tactic.

Multiple Entry Discount: Entrants submitting 3 or more awards will receive a 10% discount, beginning with the third entry. Entries one and two, determined by the order in which entries are created, will not receive the discount. Note the discount will be automatically applied and is based on regular deadline pricing, no matter when the entry is submitted.

First Time Entering Discount:Organizations that are entering the first time, or have not entered for the past three years (2015-2016-2017), you will receive a $10 discount off of the total price. Use promo code New Entrant to receive this discount.

NOTE: For organizations that have multiple people submitting awards, we suggest using a single account/contact person for the organization, and sharing the login with those submitting work. This will ensure your organization is able to get the largest discount available

ENTRY FEES BASED ON DEADLINES

CAMPAIGN CATEGORY SUMMARIES

The Campaign Summary is limited to two 8.5x11 pages, no smaller than 11 point type, normal margins. It should include the following: Research, planning, implementation and evaluation.

More detailed judging criteria can be found here.

TACTIC CATEGORY SUMMARIES

Keep your Tactic Summary to one 8.5x11 page, no smaller than 11 point type, normal margins. It should include the following:

Research, planning, implementation, creativity and evaluation.

More detailed judging criteria can be found here.

PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY SUMMARIES

Keep your Professional/Team Summary to one 8.5x11 page. The Professional Recognition Summary should provide evidence of traits demonstrating the best in his/her/their field, such as communication skills, public relations expertise, creativity and integrity. See individual categories for specific summary instructions. 

More detailed judging criteria can be found here.

SUPPORTING MATERIALS

To accompany the summary, entries MUST include relevant support materials to show the success of the work. You are asked to supply at least 5 and no more than 10 examples of supporting materials, including electronic copies of or links to news clippings, photos, social media, videos, screen captures, and other collateral used (excluding props) in the execution of the campaign or tactic may be included. Website entries must include the URL (if still “live”), user IDs and passwords if necessary. Supporting materials should be well labeled so that judges can immediately identify them. The platform provides limits to the size of the uploads. 

OVERVIEW

To complete your entry, you must provide a 75-word overview of the entry, an image, and one interesting fact. These will all be used during the awards presentation.