For EDAC’s Marketing Awards, there are 12 categories to choose from to apply your submission within. Find the details of each below:
Recovery
1. Recovery Project or Plan
Strategic project or plan directly related to rebounding, rebuilding and recovery in your community.
Economic development professionals play a significant role in leading their communities to prosperity. Whether a new partnership or collaborative working groups like an Economic Recovery Task Force, EDOs are learning, researching, and supporting businesses in order to rebuild their local economy.
Also applicable: implementation of significant changes/revisions within your strategic plan/business plan or work plan that has assisted your municipality and businesses in rebuilding the local community since 2020.
Brand
2. Brand Identity / Application
Creative, memorable, meaningful and consistent application of brand identity. Must include a comprehensive brand guideline, logo, tagline and brand promise. Submissions that do not include a brand guideline document will not be considered. Additionally, include examples of brand being applied across multiple media to demonstrate consistency of application. Where applicable, abstract should detail any efforts made to choose sustainable materials or message behind the brand used to inspire or influence the community
Publications
Submissions in this category should be informational (as opposed to promotional)
3. Single Publication – 4 or less pages (including e-newletters)
A publication (1-4 pages in length) used to attract business investment, tourism, or to promote use of services (brochures, postcards, etc.). Includes HTML-based electronic newsletters – provide any applicable analytics in your abstract – opens, clicks etc. to demonstrate the newsletter’s effectiveness. PDF Newsletters are not applicable.
4. Single Publication – 5 or more pages (excluding research papers)
A publication (5 pages or more in length) used to attract business investment, tourism, or to promote use of services. Can be part of a series that represents a cohesive offering. If so, please provide samples to show the various media elements to this series.
Advertising
Submissions in this category should be promotional (as opposed to informational).
5. Single Advertisement
A single published advertisement (not necessarily printed) promoting/ marketing economic development or tourism opportunities, attractions, events or services.
6. Advertising Campaign
A series of themed published advertisements (not necessarily printed) promoting/marketing economic development or tourism opportunities, attractions, events or services.
Digital Marketing
In your abstracts for this category, please provide the exact URL.
Where applicable, abstract should include answers to: How do you keep this site/ media current and up to date? What is your electronic strategy? How will this digital communication affect your region/ business?
7. Website
Website uniquely reflects the community, with innovative elements, design and layout. Provides current statistics, data, services, that are relevant to the target user. Has ease of navigation to ensure that information is easily searchable.
8. Apps/Social Media
Applications that allow for two-way communication with a target audience. These can include social media campaigns or apps that have effectively and innovatively been an aid to interactions with the business community.
Other Promotions
9. Promotional Item
Unique items created specifically to promote or reinforce business/tourism themes, opportunities, attractions, or services. Must be innovative and customized for the purpose. (No generic objects with brand/logos will be judged). Where applicable, abstract should detail any efforts made to choose sustainable materials for these items and what message that it is sending to the community.
10. Promotional Video
Videos created to promote and/or reinforce business/tourism themes, opportunities, attractions, and/or services. Where applicable, abstract should detail any sustainable efforts and/or message that the video is sending to the community.
11. Promotional Event
Events geared to promoting economic development / tourism opportunities, attractions and services. To be considered, abstract must detail concrete outcomes and results of the event to as well as any sustainable motives or message associated with this event. Include examples, if applicable, of how virtual events have allowed you to continue with your goals, work, local successes, etc.
NEW: Community Collaboration
12. Community Collaboration Award
This award recognizes an exemplary partnership between economic development partners and other parties, where the outcome has demonstrated mutual benefit. This collaboration must result in one or more of the following outcomes: a significant improvement in service to both/all partners; developed new or improved processes and measureable results that prove the power of collaboration.
This award recognizes the contribution among an EDAC member working with a municipality, economic development corporation and external organizations. This team effort may have been through an informal agreement or a more formal legal structure. Nominations from both urban and rural municipalities are encouraged and should focus on the project and its implementation, not on individual’s qualities.
Eligibility: To be eligible for consideration, nominated projects must involve collaboration and shared responsibility outlined in the following category: Community Collaboration Award – an EDAC member working with a municipality or economic development corporation, partnering with an external organization which could include another level of government or governmental entity, post-secondary educational institutions, universities, hospitals, or non-profit agencies (or a combination of any of the above noted external organizations).
Not Eligible: Partnerships with private sector companies are not eligible to be nominated for this award.
Evaluation Criteria: In addition to the evaluation criteria noted above, the focus of this award is on the exceptional outcomes produced through the work of a team or work group. For this award effective teamwork and collaboration is viewed as, but not limited to:
- Promotion of overall engagement and/or cooperation; and
- Working together to achieve a common goal; and
- Overall impact and quality of the final product.
- Demonstrated evidence that all partners have contributed to the project.
The adjudication committee is not obligated to choose a winner in any category.
