2019 UPCEA Marketing Awards - Categories and Submission Instructions

Print Publications

1. General catalog or tabloid, 4 colors throughout 
Please do not mount entry. Print copy of entry form must be affixed to back of entry.

2. General catalog or tabloid, 4 color cover, 1-2 colors inside 
Please do not mount entry. Print copy of entry form must be affixed to back of entry.

3. Annual/Anniversary Report/Magazine 
Please do not mount entry. Print copy of entry form must be affixed to back of entry.

4. Brochure/Booklet 
Please do not mount entry. Print copy of entry form must be affixed to back of entry.

5. Postcard 
Please do not mount entry. Print copy of entry form must be affixed to back of entry.

6. Newsletter (submit two issues from past year) 
Do not mount entry. Print copy of entry form must be affixed to back of entry.

7. Poster (mounting optional)

8. Miscellaneous print pieces (greeting card, invitation, calendar, bookmark; mounting optional)


Print Advertising


9. Single Ad 
Please mount entry.

10. Print Ad Campaign 
Please mount entry. 

Outdoor/Exhibit Signage

11. Outdoor billboard/signage

12. Transit (posters/banners inside or outside transportation, such as site advertising at airports, stations, bus shelters)

13. Trade show exhibit (banners, signs, free-standing pop-up banner stands, etc.) 
Mount photos of the actual piece in use, if possible, in order to illustrate the scale of the piece and how it appears to consumers. Please also include a color print out of the item. 

14. Outdoor Campaign


Broadcast Advertising


15. Radio 
Please include a URL on which the audio will play. No password required, please. Your script must also be uploaded to the submission form. You may also submit a hard copy of your script and a labeled CD/DVD of your submission in a binder.

16. Television 
Please include a URL on which the commercial will play (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo, Dropbox). No password required, please. Your script must also be uploaded to the submission form. You may also submit a hard copy of your script and a labeled CD/DVD of your submission in a binder.

17. Broadcast Advertising Campaign 
Please include a URL on which the elements of your campaign will play. No password required, please. Your script(s) must also be uploaded to the submission form. You may also submit a hard copy of your script and a labeled CD/DVD of your submission in a binder. Four or more activities/materials must be submitted to be considered a campaign. 


Mixed Media Campaign


18. Mixed Media Campaign 
Please mount entry. If mounted on more than one board, boards must be clearly labeled (e.g. 1 of 4, 2 of 4, etc.). Four or more activities or materials, including publications, broadcast, print publicity, interactive media or other activities must be submitted to be considered a campaign. Submit one sample from each portion of the campaign, including printed highlights of website or CDs, if applicable. 


Most Improved


19. Most Improved (Any project: website, printed material, web content overhaul, email design change, etc.)
Please submit both current and prior product for comparison. If the entry would present better mounted, please do so and clearly mark “before” and “after.” If it would present better in a binder, use that and clearly mark “before” and “after.” Be sure to attach entry forms to the actual pieces and not to the packaging materials. 


Strategic Recruitment Marketing Plan


20. Strategic Recruitment Marketing Plan 
The purpose of this category is to acknowledge and highlight creative and effective marketing strategies used by members to meet their organization’s goals and overcome recruitment challenges. The plans will be judged on:

  • Originality and creative solution finding in the specific circumstance of the organization
  • Explanation and analysis of the strategic problem or challenge faced by the organization
  • Discussion of the marketing objective and identification of the target market(s) for the plan
  • Description of the action/activity/communications plan used to achieve the objective(s)
  • Use of marketing research, needs-assessment or other information-based tools
  • Success as determined by measurable goals such as increased enrollments/market share, growth in conversation from inquiry to enrollment, penetration of new markets or reactivation of former students, etc.
  • A profile of the results achieved and an honest evaluation and discussion of the outcomes

Entry guidelines: Please submit entry in a binder or report cover and include:

  • Entry narrative – maximum of two typed pages
  • Marketing plan
  • Up to five additional pages of supporting exhibits (representative images of projects, prints or examples)


Interactive Media


21. Website 
This entry will be judged online. Please provide a URL for judging that will remain live through December 2018, even if the URL is not meant for public viewing. No password required, please

22. E-communication (e-newsletters, e-magazines, email, online annual reports) 
This entry will be judged online. Please provide a URL for judging that will remain live through December 2018, even if the URL is not meant for public viewing. No password required, please

23. Streaming/On-demand Content (Internet commercials, videos, etc.) 
This entry will be judged online. Please provide a URL for judging that will remain live through December 2018, even if the URL is not meant for public viewing. No password required, please.

24. Mobile Marketing (mobile websites, mobile apps, other mobile-based strategies using texting, QR codes or games) 
This entry will be judged online. Please provide links to each store/market in which the app is published (e.g. Apple’s “App Store”). For an app or other kind of mobile project, indicate which devices the app was designed for (e.g. iPhone 5 (iOS), iPad 3 (iOS), Android 2.3X, Google Nexus 7 (Android), etc. If entering a project that requires sign-in/password, prepare a screencast that clearly illustrates the functionality or provide a test sign-in for the judges to use for the live app.

25. Online display ads (static, animated, Flash or other rich media) 
This entry will be judged online. Please provide a URL for judging that will remain live through December 2018, even if the URL is not meant for public viewing. No password required, please.

26. Interactive Media Campaign 
This entry will be judged online. Please provide a URL for judging that will remain live through December 2018, even if the URL is not meant for public viewing. No password required, please. Four or more activities/materials must be submitted to be considered a campaign.

27. Miscellaneous Interactive Media (micro sites, landing pages, electronic greeting cards, projects of smaller scope than an entire website) 
This entry will be judged online. Please provide a URL for judging that will remain live through December 2018, even if the URL is not meant for public viewing. No password required, please.



The rubrics that will be used by the committee of Marketing Award judges can be found here.