(01/17/17)

By Scott Ball, TBW Editor

If you’re a dutiful ACI member, you saw – via Facebook, MailChimp or the Yahoo listserv – the call for entries to this year’s ACI Awards Contest. If you haven’t, that’s okay, but please sign up for any/all of those tools via the ACI website.

Either way, allow us to review what’s special about this year’s contest.

Imagine your agency’s name on a plaque like this.

This year for the first time, all entries will be submitted online – no more pulling tearsheets, copying files to CD or printing entry forms. You will use the “Interwebs” to submit entries in any of the 28 categories.

There’s lots to learn about this year’s contest, so please – explore the new contest site: https://enter.omnisam.com/menu-home.aspx?comp_id=aciawards.

There you’ll find more information about the contest, plus a “Register” button to get you started. After you register, login anytime to create and manage entries.

This online platform is new for everybody. We can’t over-emphasize how important it is to visit the site early to get familiar with it. This is not the year to procrastinate. (Besides, isn’t that one of your New Year’s resolutions?)

If you feel a little intimidated, a six-person support team is standing by to help you with the new process (see the “Categories” tab on the contest site). You are also welcome to contact Awards Chair Julie Hammonds for help.

As always, the categories have limits on the number of entries per agency or organization. If you think more than one person at your workplace might submit to the same category, potentially exceeding the limit, a little discussion now might save headaches later on.

What hasn’t changed is that the ACI Awards Contest rewards excellence and promotes craft improvement through competition. We encourage you to submit your agency or organization’s best work and look forward to seeing your entries.