Such deliciously innocent moments aren't long for this world. Soon enough, they'll be overwhelmed by the thrill and anxiety associated with real competition; the endless spelling bees, essay contests, and competitive sports. They'll be vying for the best seat in the school orchestra, a coveted role in the school play, and acceptance at the college of their choice.
Just when you think it's safe to venture back into the water, when the competitive days of high school and college are over, think again. In the creative industry, the competition is just beginning. Whether it's at the local, regional, or national level, various industry organizations have grown adept at hosting annual awards programs, honoring what they claim to be the best of the best, sending out the call for entries like clockwork each year. Some individuals and creative firms leap wholeheartedly into the fray, vying for every award they might conceivably capture. Others, who hope their work speaks for itself, feel no need to sacrifice time and money for awards which, they believe, will do little more than gather dust on already overcrowded shelves. Somewhere in between are countless others, who are more selective about the process, entering awards competitions when they deem the timing and work most suitable.
Is there a right and wrong where awards competitions are concerned? Do they really mean anything other than an additional ego boost to the winner? Are awards a fair measure of the "best work" in the industry? Are they judged impartially? Why do some individuals and agencies vie for them when others can't even be bothered to enter? To gain more insight into the nature of the awards' beast, Oz spoke with competition sponsors, those who enter, those who've won, and those who pay very little heed to these creative industry awards.
No matter the reasons for pitting individual or corporate work against local, regional, or national competition, one thing is clear. Individuals and creative firms seeking to be recognized are not lacking for competitions to enter. The Creative Club (ShowSouth), Atlanta Ad Club, International Television Association (ITVA), Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP), Georgia Music Industry Association (GMIA), National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), and Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) are just a sampling of the organizations offering annual awards competitions and showcases.
Entering one does not preclude participants from entering many. In other words, if the category fits, enter it. Says Jim Newberry, President of Atlanta's Creative Club and Associate Creative Director of Fitzgerald & Company, "We enter only those we feel are the best shows, Communication Arts Design Annual, One Club, the Cleos, the Addy's."
Graphic designer Ted Fabella has won some 70 awards in the past ten years. Why does he enter year after year? "Even though it's high risk to enter when, in some cases, there's no guarantee of making it to the final judging, awards competitions offer a chance to put your work against other national work." "Knowing that your work is the best caliber is very satisfying," says independent producer/host and NATAS PR Chairperson Marilyn Ringo, who felt just like she'd won the lottery at a recent award's ceremony. "It's a measure of competence."
With creative work being so subjective, The Portfolio Center's Chairman of Art Direction Tony Messano believes it's sometimes difficult to differentiate work that's truly brilliant from work that is awful. "You're not always certain if it's brilliant or awful, which is why it's helpful to be judged by peers. It's nice to know that people you respect are saying you did something that didn't suck."
Entering awards competitions is also about stepping outside the vacuum of one's own isolated world. "So many PR professionals," comments PRSA President Mitch Head, "work for their bosses or clients, people who are not typically PR professionals. Awards are really the only independent means of getting critical acclaim. It's nice to be able to see what other professionals are doing. And it's nice to be recognized by your peers for a job well done."
When it comes to multiple entries, if the intention is simply to rack up the most awards by the end of the evening, Mark Dvorak, Director of Marketing for United Way and a recent PRSA individual achievement award recipient, believes participants are in it for the wrong reason. "If you're entering often, however, because you understand that people who put their heart and soul into projects should receive recognition for the work they've done," he notes, "how could I ever criticize that?"
JUDGING: A MATTER OF PERSONAL BIAS...
"This is the most subjective business there is," notes the Portfolio Center's Messano. "Judging," adds Scripts Unlimited scriptwriter and former ITVA Blue Ribbon Panel judge Martha Denton, "is also highly subjective. I've seen shows come out more highly rated simply because of the content. If, for example, some judge hates nuclear power and your program is about nuclear power, you might get marked down. The bottom line is that there's never been a competition that didn't generate complaints of unfairness, etc. It's an imperfect process."
Despite the imperfections, various organizations have worked hard to eliminate as much of the potential biases as possible. Marilyn Ringo, NATAS' PR Chairperson, comments that other NATAS chapters do the judging for the annual Southern Regional Emmy Awards. "In other words," she offers, "judges have no idea who entrants are so there's no personal prejudices. If there is some connection between judges and participants, they are obligated to disqualify themselves from the judging."
PRSA and ITVA also have agreements with other chapters when it comes to judging competitions. For example, the Seattle Chapter of PRSA judged PRSA's recent Phoenix Awards. Head remarks, "Our chapter is 700 members strong and the third largest in the country. We wouldn't tolerate back door awards."
AICP President Matt Miller, whose organization sponsors only one national award, strives to find top professionals in the industry to judge the group's annual award's fest. "Unlike other shows who send ten or twelve graying men to the Bahamas to drink pina coladas while they judge, we have different groups judge each category. When it comes to music, we draft composers. Jerry Seinfeld, for example, has been on the panel for humor. We look for professionals who really understand the art of each craft category."
As former Blue Ribbon Panel judges for ITVA's national competition, scriptwriter Denton and Maynard Knestrick, who directs the video communications department at Norfolk Southern, have judged a lot of top caliber video in their time. "As I was judging," Denton notes, "I realized I was learning in my own way to discriminate what seemed to be really high quality work." Knestrick adds, "We could see where a video had turned a corner, and what might have been done and/or what was done to take it to the next level."
The duo decided to share what they had learned as judges by creating a workshop for ITVA chapters. This workshop not only discusses various aspects of judging and the how to's of submitting videos to the awards' festival, but also focuses on critiquing strengths and weaknesses of previous winners' entries, and sheds insight into noteworthy design and production trends. "We look at clips from top award winners," Denton cites, "showing how the judges reacted, sharing what it is that makes them standout productions. This workshop isn't just about showing people how to win awards, but showing them how to reach their creative potential. It's very easy to get discouraged when you're looking at a competitor's high budget production. And budget can't entirely be discounted. But we show national winners, too, which were created from very modest budgets. It helps when people realize they don't need megabudgets to pull off quality work."
Although Mark Dvorak was nominated and honored by his peers for individual achievement in public relations at the recent Phoenix Awards, he chose to enter nothing of his own for this year's awards. The reason? "When it comes to awards, I have to look at the time and money involved. That's not to say we wouldn't have a chance of winning. United Way also offers a competition, and if I were going to enter anything, I would have been more inclined to enter that because I'd be more likely to steal good ideas from other United Way professionals."
While they were recently ranked number 12 in the Atlanta Business Chronicle's Top 50 Public Relations Firms (ranked by 1997 income), Jackson Spalding Ledlie is not a name gaining notice on the awards scene. "It's not that we're against awards," notes partner Bo Spalding. The problem is that awards competitions are so time consuming. Hours and hours of time are required to submit entries, not to mention the entry fees. Not to sound negative, but the award we want comes from clients who tell us we're doing a good job. In 1995, we started this business with 11 clients, clients that we continue to retain. All of our time is devoted to areas such as client service, training, new business development. To be honest, we've never had a client or prospect ask what awards we've won. They want to know what we've accomplished for other clients."
Admittedly, it's nice to be recognized by one's peers for excellent work, but a growing number of local professionals believe competitions aren't just about winning awards. Phil King, President of the Georgia Music Industry Association, notes, "We do seminars and showcases so people in the music industry can learn. It's not good enough just to craft a good song. Our showcases are about helping musicians learn to perform in a very intimidating environment. The more pressure filled evenings they get under their belt, the better off they are. Not to mention the fact that I bring in professionals from Nashville, New York, and Los Angeles to judge. Having people become aware of your work, being able to begin building relationships with those professionals who can impact a career, is vital to success in this business."
Unbiased critiques are another benefit of entering work in awards shows. Says former ITVA President Jennifer Bain, "ITVA provides entrants with judging forms. Those judges are encouraged to provide constructive comments, offering specifics about the strengths or weaknesses of a production, rather than just ripping it apart. I believe that getting feedback from people in other parts of the country can be invaluable." Songwriter and showcase winner Andrew Firstman appreciates the critiques. "Some writers think everything they write is great; I think everything I write is progress. The critiques I've gotten at GMIA showcases made me realize I'm not as sucky as I think. I think what awards and awards competitions do is to help you realize you've got a lot of good competition out there and to keep the fire under your butt so that next time you're working, you're reaching for that better line, that better hook."
Having judged PRSA's Silver Anvil Awards (Silver Anvils are the group's national awards), United Way's Dvorak learned something interesting. "There's a skill to writing entries," he realized. "You could tell who knew how to craft their entry verbiage. In the summary you have to state your objective, describe what you did, and then share measurable results. Those who could do that well had a much better shot at winning." ITVA's Bain agrees. "Over half the points ITVA awards go towards whether or not you met your objective. So it's really important to explain what you were trying to accomplish. If you can't explain a video's use, it can't be judged."
Do awards make a difference? Although NATAS PR Chairperson Ringo doesn't know that she can measure the financial impact of the awards she's won, she mentions, "there are subtle things that go on in people's minds when you win. You know they're thinking, 'she knows how to play the game' or 'she can certainly cut it.' I truly believe people are more likely to hire me when they see an Emmy on my credits." Graphic designer Fabella is also uncertain how to quantify the impact but believes, "It's a cumulative effect that helps build a professional reputation." The Creative Club's Newberry believes there is a direct correlation between awards and new business. "I recently went to a creative seminar," he recalls, "and one of the things that struck me was when I heard that 87% of award winning work wins sales."
It can also win jobs. AICP's Miller has seen it happen. "You have to realize that this show which takes place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, before traveling to museums across the country and the globe, and attracts big whig agency professionals, directors, producers, and talent agents, offers unparalleled one on one exposure to decision makers. We've got a student category offered at no cost to film school students. Those who are recognized for their work are typically signed up with a production company by the end of the evening."
"All awards offer visibility," states Gemma Gatti, founder of the Portfolio Center, which hosts its own competitions, in addition to encouraging students to compete outside the confines of the school. "But that's not to say that if you don't win, your work isn't good. A lot of times I don't agree with the judging, and I've seen students who don't win awards get hired by top agencies. Awards certainly have their value, and it can't hurt to enter, but I certainly wouldn't place all my stock in them."
When all is said and done, awards, according to most professionals interviewed, have their place, but the bottom line is not whether you've won an award, but whether your project achieved the client's objectives. Winning an award and achieving the client's objectives is like being a kid again. You can have your gooey cake and eat it too.