Preparing to Nominate

To help streamline the submission process, collect the following information before beginning your entry.

• Brand’s gross revenue information (combined print and online) verified by your publisher
• Primary classification number as listed in the Business Publication Advertising Source of SRDS (If necessary, ask your publisher or promotions manager for the information.)
• Description of each entry (up to 1,500-characters)
• Summary statement about your media brand’s readership (up to 1,500-characters)
• A Web-ready PDF* of your print entry (*Due to file size downloads: provide entry assets as URLs)
• Login credentials for all gated content

• Select revenue class before any other selection
• Use care in selecting your category. An inappropriate category may result in a low score. Alternatively, the Editorial Committee may elect to change an entry to the most appropriate category if a publication does not have two entries in that category. More guidance is offered under Submission Rules.
• If you don’t see the category you want, it may be in a different Revenue Class or No Revenue Class Required
• Each title may enter up to two submissions per category

• Clearly describe the audience and the industry, profession, or business your entry serves. The screeners and judges should get a clear picture of who your readers are and what they do. The clearer your description, the better the screeners and judges will be able to determine if the material entered serves the readers’ needs.
• The Background Statement should describe the significance of the entry for your readers and the journalistic enterprise involved. Were the interviews hard to get? Was it necessary to survey a wide portion of your audience? Did it take months to do the legwork? The background statement can highlight any special or significant impact to the target audience or industry.
• Select your primary classification as listed in the Business Publication Advertising Source of SRDS.
• Who would you like to acknowledge on the award or certificate if you are a winner or finalist?

• Enter the web address for your entries. Due to file size downloads, please only use PDF uploads as backups and host all PDFs as URLs.
• Provide publish dates for each uploaded or entered asset.
• Provide login credentials for any gated content, as well as any special judge instructions. (Note: Judges should not have to register on your site in order to view content–please make sure login is provided.)

Provide the following information exactly how you want it printed/presented if you are a finalist:

• Entry Title (do not include the category name as the entry title)
• Publication / Brand Name
• Parent Company
• Phonetic pronunciations for both name and company (these are used for the ceremony so that our announcers pronounce the entry assets correctly)
• Upload a SINGLE  image to represent your entry for the online finalist gallery and for the virtual ceremony. Please note: Artwork files should be high resolution images (300 DPI or higher, limited to 100 MB in size each of the following file extensions: JPEG, JPG, PNG)
• Publication / Brand logo
• Parent Company logo
• Award shipping address

• Was your entry published in a publication from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024?
• Have you properly listed everyone who contributed to the entry, if required?
• Have you checked the revenue class of the brand based on combined print and online revenues?
• Have you checked the correct entry category? 
• Does the entry fulfill the criteria of the category?
• Have you given a clear description of your audience? 
• Have you given a complete background statement?
• Have you uploaded a high-resolution graphic image to support your entry?
• Have you provided your print assets as web addresses, or, where necessary, hosted PDFs as URLs?
• Have you provided all contact information?
• Will the URLs for your online entries be active through April 30, 2025? Have you included the login/password information for gated content?

• All entries must be submitted and paid for online via credit card (American Express, MasterCard, Visa). Receipts will be emailed after payment is received by 11:59 p.m. ET, January 8, 2025.
• If an entry that is submitted by the December 9 regular deadline is improperly submitted (and therefore subject to disqualification), the entrant may be notified and given an opportunity to make the required changes. Processing of entries can take up to three weeks after they are received.
• If you have questions about your entry, please contact us at nealawards@siia.net.