Submissions are judged on the strength of concept, quality of execution, and ability to persuade. Respected creative professionals with a depth of industry experience sit on several judging panels. The Summit Creative Award employs blind judging: company names are withheld. Judging begins two weeks after the final deadline and takes approximately one month. All entrants are notified of award results electronically after the judging stage is complete. Winners are sent and in-hand winner packet.

Each category employs slightly different judging criteria; however, broadly, the following are the Summit Creative Award judging criteria:

The strength of Concept/Ideation/Big Idea (originality and uniqueness of approach, message targeting and honing, the synergy between concept, copy, and layout/execution) 1-20 pts. Quality of Execution (How well the idea was executed (visual appeal, the tone of voice, chosen media, placement, etc.) 1-10 pts. Ability to Persuade (How well did the creative move the target audience closer to the action or encourage a change in thoughts) 1-10 pts. Judges’ PowerPoints (used at judges’ discretion to boost specific submissions they identify as exemplary) – 0-10 pts.