-
Call for Entries Legitimate?
Greetings,
I couldn’t really figure where to post this so I thought I’d try the corporate forum.
Each year I get mailers from so called awards/contests (you’ve seen them, Addy/Viddy/Telly/Davey). They are expensive to enter and expensive to accept. I’ve always suspected that they were really just a for profit venture in disguise. After a little research into one of them I discovered that the judging organization was not a true association of peers but a front for the contest itself. Their only events listed on the web site were the deadlines for contest entries. No meetings, no forums, nothing else.
My question is first, has anyone else had these same suspicions? Am I totally off-base?
Second, are there any legitimate contests juged by peers in the industry. Emmys aside, anything for non-broadcast? Anyone ever consider starting a contest through User Groups or even Creative Cow?Thanks,
Hal
-
4 Replies
-
There are a lot of contests out there suddenly…
It used to be Clios, Emmys, Monitors…then Addys…now there are Viddys, Tellys, Communicators, Aurora, Daveys…the list goes on.
I don’t think that being a money-making venture necessarily makes a competition illegitimate.
I’ve judged Emmys and there is a very established method for that, but the regional competitions are not so huge and most NATAS chapters judge for other NATAS chapters. A competition like the Tellys (which I’ve also judged for…) is national so all entries have to be run through the system as a single, though long, process.
The Tellys have a less complicated method of scoring than Emmys but can be challenging because each judge has a much larger number of entries to judge.
Also, regional commercials are a pretty wide spread…I had ads for a single-lot car dealer with “Dealin Doug” in some small middle-America town to a very ethnic-focused Revlon commercial featuring Brandy and Tyra Banks designed for Detroit, still a single market, but certainly a spot created with far more resources than the car lot ad. Tough to score with a common scale.
We tend to focus on the competitions our clients recognize…Emmys, Addys (American Advertising Awards), Tellys, Chicago Film Festival Hugos…etc.
We avoid the competitions that have vague missions or frankly, hardware that we don’t want on the shelf. I find the Videographer Awards clapboard trophy particularly undignified myself (my own opinion, no flames please)…though I’m sure the competition is probably legit.
TimK,
Kolb Syverson Communications,
Creative Cow Host,
2004-2005 NAB Post Production Conference
Premiere Pro Technical Chair,
Author, “The Easy Guide to Premiere Pro” http://www.focalpress.com
“Premiere Pro Fast Track DVD Series” http://www.classondemand.net -
I had a client that despite the crap he submitted always one a Telly.
It seemed that at $135 a pop he was guaranteed to receive a trophy.
I have served as a judge for the Emmy’s and I can tell you we only awarded those who delivered quality, interesting programs. We has to weep out alot of visual and content crap which amazed me at why the productions had even been submitted. Maybe the producers figured they only had to strive for Telly quality but were shocked to learn what Emmys look for.
Tony Salgado
-
The Madison MCA-I has renamed the long-standing Vidies Awards to the WAVE Awards in order to reflect the broader membership of MCA-I…WAVE stands for Web, Audio and Video Excellence.
Just an FYI…look for your call for entries in the mail later this Summer.
Rich Rubasch
Titl Media
MCA-I Board Member
MCA-I Madison, WI -
I am an independent producer, director, and writer for both stage and screen and have been since 1992. Our company recently won its first two bronze (second-place) Telly Awards, having submitted four total projects for consideration. While I agree with everything people have said in this thread (from the concerns to the support of these smaller, less-prestigious awards), I have to say … Mr. Saldago’s criticism of the Telly was so utterly laced and littered with grammatical and just-plain unintelligible commentary that I am suspect of his judging ability. I realize this is simply a thread that hardly anyone will read, but come on!
“We has to weep out alot of visual and content crap…”
“…always one a Telly.”
Um, are you serious? Does this “judge” have a high school diploma? If anything, this reassures me that other awards might just be ok.
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up