IAB SA 2024 Bookmark Awards: The early bird gets ahead of the competition
Early entrants receive a discount entry fee as well as benefit from the additional time to incorporate all the tips and tricks provided by IAB South Africa and the Bookmark Awards.
This includes the Bookmarks Masterclass webinar, which is now available online as well as the new Bookmarks Masterclass Email Series that will outline important milestones to complete an entry, such as choosing the correct category, creating a case study, compiling results and using the entry portal.
The well-attended 2024 Bookmarks Masterclass, which took place in early February, was hosted by Alex Goldberg, creative partner at Ogilvy South Africa, who provided advice on crafting an award-winning Bookmarks entry.
Enhanced categories & criteria, improved BMA24 experience
The Bookmarks has also announced significant changes to its categories and criteria that highlight the evolving digital landscape and provide entrants with the best possible opportunity for their work to shine.
Three specific criteria are used to judge entries, each with a different weighting depending on the category being entered:
- Creative Excellence.
- Innovation and technical accomplishment.
- Meeting or exceeding business goals and results.
For the majority of categories, a one-page summary and a results document are required to fulfil the last criterion of Meeting or exceeding business goals and results.
Entrants should carefully check each category’s requirements before their submission, including the eligibility period between 1 March 2023 and 29 February 2024.
Additional changes include the renaming of subcategory names in the Platforms, Channels and Special Honours categories and deeper descriptions to aid entrants in selecting the appropriate category for their work.
Publishers see impactful change
Two noteworthy changes include broadening the Publishing category to include commercial sites that are not part of the Press Code and adding a ninth jury panel — the Marketing Craft panel.
Two new awards
The Bookmarks have also introduced two new award subcategories, the Lifetime Achievement Award and Best Creative Award, both of which cannot be entered.
The winner of the former will be selected from a shortlist compiled by the Bookmarks Committee and IAB South Africa executive team while the latter will be awarded based on points earned in the awards.
“This year’s changes to the Bookmark Awards categories and criteria reflect the IAB South Africa and Bookmarks’ ongoing commitment to ensuring awarded work benchmarks digital excellence and is in line with both international best practice and the evolving digital landscape,” says Razia Pillay, CEO at IAB South Africa.
“We believe the changes will further open up opportunities for new entries by agencies, brands and publishers that have previously not found themselves and their work represented in the award categories.”
Jury nominations
Nominations for the awards’ Jury Panels are also open until 23 February and the industry is encouraged to nominate their peers for seats on one of nine panels. The successful candidates will assess work across eight categories. Nominate your 2024 Bookmarks jury member here.
Nominations close this Friday, 23 February at midnight.
For more information on the Bookmark Awards 2024, visit the Bookmarks.
