Categories and criteria

AOP Awards 2010: categories and criteria

All award entries should prove commercial success, quoting figures wherever possible and should show evidence of success within the judging year: February 2009 to January 2010.

On each award entry form, you will be asked to write up to 200 words for each of the four criteria listed below. If they wish, entrants may also to submit an optional one page document as supporting material, including research, testimonials or other relevant information.

Wherever possible, entrants should include commercial figures, details of business models, profits and traffic figures. All information submitted will be on a confidential basis all of our judges sign non-disclosure forms.

Launch 2010

Open to products, services or websites (no relaunches) that have gone live within 12 months prior to the closing date. Entries will have achieved excellence in content, site marketing and interactivity within this limited time.

• Background of concept
• Marketing
• User experience and interactivity
• Commercial viability

Editorial Team 2010 - Business/Consumer

The judges will look for evidence of the team’s enterprise and performance in achieving outstanding success for the site, or digital platforms, and the value add to the overall business. There is no requirement that the editorial team should be working solely online.

• Enterprise and creativity
• Understanding of market
• Evidence of success of product within its market
• Development in the judging year

Research and Insights Project 2010

Recognising the ever-growing importance of research for the digital media industry, this award will reflect the best project by methodology, innovation, results against objectives and business impact. The award is only open to research commissioned or produced by online publishing companies.

• Objective of research
• Methodology
• Enterprise and creativity
• Success against objectives e.g. business impact

Digital Advertising Sales Team 2010

This category is open to any sales team working online (but not necessarily solely online) within a publishing operation. Entries should include testimonials from clients or agencies.

• Enterprise and innovation
• Professionalism and client relations
• Development in the judging year
• Commercial results

Innovation 2010

Awarded to products, services or websites that demonstrate an imaginative use of media or technology by incorporating an innovative feature that is relevant, original and of real benefit to its users. This award welcomes mobile and community sites, with entries demonstrating evidence of commercial success.

• Background of concept
• Creativity and originality
• Understanding of market
• Success against objectives

Cross-Media Project 2010

A successful use and mix of media used for a particular project or product is expected in this category. This could mean a combination of video, mobile, print, or any other relevant medium. Judges will be looking at the integration and creation of original or reworked content and ideas while maintaining a strong brand identity, and why this combination of media made a significant difference.

Please note that sending in copies of printed materials is not obligatory.

• Consistency of brand
• Creativity
• Evidence of added value to brand
• Success against objectives

Use of Mobile 2010

Recognising the achievements made in mobile by a digital publishing company. Entrants should demonstrate how the brand fits into the medium, explaining specifically how it has added value, what makes it accessible and suited to the mobile web. Judges will consider entries from mobile websites and mobile apps.

• Adaptation of brand to mobile medium
• Use of features unique to mobile
• Marketing and site/app discovery
• Effective monetisation

Commercial Partnership 2010

Entries are invited from digital publishers engaged in a commercial partnership with an advertiser or supplier aiming to promote and drive the advertiser’s brand forward or alternatively to develop new revenue streams for the media owner. Judges will be looking for evidence of success against objectives, such as: research, trading figures and results.

• Strategic vision of partnership
• Understanding of market
• Innovation
• Success against objectives

Use of Video 2010

Reflects the explosion in web video content and is open to both consumer and business titles. Factors taken into consideration will include innovation and quality in video content and return on investment. Companies may either present their overall video output or a specific project or campaign over the judging period.

• Innovation and creativity
• Understanding of market
• Consistency/extension of brand
• Success against objectives

Digital Editorial Individual 2010

This award rewards the individual contribution of online journalists, editors and community managers, and is open to those working in both consumer and b2b environments. Entrants should include (or link to) examples of their work where possible.

• Personal background and approach
• Meeting the needs of the audience
• Individual innovation and enterprise
• Colleague testimonial

Ad Technology Platform 2010

Also new to 2010, this award will be given to the best existing, new or improved third party ad technology provider that has demonstrated the most effective results driving digital publishers’ revenue forward. Judges will look for proof of the following:

• Enterprise & innovation
• Ability to create and increase revenue opportunities for publishers
• Usability / functionality for the end user
• Publisher Testimonial(s)

Website 2010 – Business/Consumer

Entries must maintain a consistently high standard across all aspects of the site. Judging will be based on design and usability, optimisation, creativity and overall results. Entrants should make clear how they measure success against objectives.

• Design & usability
• Engagement
• Creativity
• Commercial results

Specialist Digital Publisher 2010

Recognising the success of smaller media owners, this new award will accept entries from publishing businesses, both business and consumer, with a turnover of less than £5m per year.

• Strategic vision
• Success against objectives
• Enterprise & innovation
• Growth of business

Digital Publisher 2010 - Business/Consumer

Gold Award

Aimed at businesses rather than individuals, judging will be based on outstanding achievement in the digital media environment, with evidence of enterprise and innovation. This should be shown through a portfolio of sites or through breadth and versatility within a single site, indicating how the different elements figure in the publisher's strategy.

• Strategic vision
• Success against objectives
• Enterprise & Innovation
• Growth of business

Join the AOP group on LinkedIn - open for all Members to join
Subscribe to AOP's e-newsletter.