Eligibility

The Summit Marketing Effectiveness Award (Summit MEA) recognizes marketing communications that create meaningful change with an intended audience.

  • Summit MEA is open to individuals and companies of any size.
  • All work submitted must have been completed within the last 3 calendar years up through the final deadline.
  • Entries may not have been previously entered in the Summit MEA competition unless 51% of the work has been revised.
  • All entries must be submitted for judging exactly as published, aired, or implemented and may not be modified for awards. The Summit Awards may request proof of initial production, publication, and/or air date.
  • A written translation or adaptation must accompany non-English entries.
  • There is no limit to the number of entries an entrant may submit.
  • Some entries may qualify for multiple categories. If so, treat them as separate submissions.
  • The Summit Awards and its jury reserve the right to reclassify entries that are incorrectly entered or deemed more appropriate in another category.
  • Judges may make no award when entries do not meet the standard for recognition.
  • We respect the intellectual property rights of entering firms and their creative work and will protect those rights.

Entry Definitions

  • Single Entry is one creative execution, such as a brochure, website, annual report, commercial, logo, outdoor placement, or direct mail piece.
  • Campaign/Multipart Entry consists of two or more related executions in one or more media. Because judges evaluate multiple pieces as part of the submission, campaign/multipart entries have a higher entry fee.

Winner Announcement

  • October/November

Entry Preparation

For each Summit MEA entry, provide a concise project overview that gives judges the context they need to understand the work and its effectiveness.

Your overview should help answer four basic questions:

  • What did you need the work to accomplish?
    Briefly describe the challenge, opportunity, product, service, or idea.
  • Who did the work need to reach or influence?
    Tell judges what they need to understand about the intended audience.
  • What did you do?
    Describe the idea, strategy, and execution. Include relevant challenges or constraints where helpful.
  • What changed?
    Explain what happened. Include the quantitative or qualitative evidence that best helps judges understand the result.

Keep it concise. You do not need to use the full 500 words. Judges need enough context to understand the work and its effectiveness, not an exhaustive case study.

Size: Keep uploads under 100MB.

Accepted files:

Images: jpeg, jpg, gif, png
Documents: pdf, doc
Audio: mp3, aac, amr, wma, wav, m4a, m4p
Video: flv, mp4, mkv, 3gp, mpg, mpeg, mov, avi, wmv

Unaccepted files:

Do not submit files that require judges to install software or download compressed or source files, including exe, psd, zip, tar, tgz, taz, or gz. Whenever possible, do not link to Google Drive, Dropbox, or another cloud repository that requires judges to navigate through files. Email us with questions or to discuss alternative submission methods.

Video/Television/Commercials/Radio/Audio

  • Upload a screenshot for the visual thumbnail and
  • Upload the file or provide a public URL, such as YouTube or Vimeo. Keep uploads under 100MB. If larger, please host the file externally.
  • Do not provide links to Google Drive or Dropbox files.

Print-oriented Items

  • For one-sided creative, such as ads, logos, or posters, upload a jpg.
  • For two-sided or multi-page creative, upload multiple jpg files or combine the pages into one multi-page pdf. Provide all relevant pages rather than only a presentation photograph so judges have the option to read and evaluate the work.

Websites, Online Entries, PR, and Online Applications

  • Upload a screenshot of the homepage or opening screen for the visual thumbnail and
  • Provide the URL in the designated field. For apps and interactive work, do not require judges to download or install the application. Instead, you may provide a short video, screen capture, or other visual presentation demonstrating the experience. Include any usernames or passwords needed for access.