Q: I’m a small marketer, and only the big guys become finalists and win.
A: This year we have broken out three of the largest categories by sales so that smaller companies can compete! Plus, small marketers have walked away with top honors in bigger categories. For example, in the 2009 MCM Awards SteveSpanglerScience.com not only won the Gold Award in the Children’s Products Catalog category, it was our Website of the Year!
Q: The same companies win every year.
A: It’s true that many merchants consistently achieve excellence, but first-time entrants and new companies take home Gold and Silver awards each year. This year we are limiting the number of entries to four per company to help level the playing field.
Q: It’s a beauty contest.
A: Each entry is judged on multiple, equally weighted criteria, including cover/home page, merchandising, copy, design and production/navigation and usability, and customer service and ordering. Judges are continually reminded to weigh the marketing success and other factors included in the evaluation just as heavily as graphic appeal.
Q: If I submit my financial results on the entry form, the judges might discuss our numbers with competitors.
A: Entry form data is confidential – members of the judging panel sign a contract in which they promise not to share the information provided on the forms. And in the 25-year history of the Awards, there has never been a breach of confidentiality.
Q: The judges may be biased toward their own catalogs or Websites, or those of their clients.
A:Judges are prohibited from reviewing any catalog, or Website, with which they have or have had an affiliation as well as those of competitors.
Q: It’s not worth the time and expense to enter.
A: Even if you don’t make it through to the finalist round, all entries receive feedback from the prescreening judging panel. In fact, this year we plan to enhance the feedback provided by the panelists. So just by entering, you’ll receive a mini-critique from an industry expert – well worth the price of entry!
Q: How do I submit an entry via snail mail or FAX?
A: You can’t. All entries must be submitted electronically. If you are sending us catalogs as part of your Print entry, you may include a copy of your entry form.
Q: What if I want to pay the entry fee by check?
A: You can pay by check if you’d like – just make it out to Penton Media and include MCM Awards in the memo and mail it to:
Tim Parry
c/o Multichannel Merchant
11 River bend Dr. S.
P.O. Box 4949
Stamford, CT 06907
If you enter the word “Check” (the “C” must be capitalized”) as a coupon code, your credit card will not be charged.
Q: Entrants used to be able to submit a one-page essay. What happened to that?
A: We no longer are accepting the one-page essays. While many merchants kept their essays to one page, there were some who gave us multipage white papers and information that was not relevant. To streamline the entry and evaluation process, this year we are limiting remarks on why entrants are worthy of an MCM Award to 250 words as part of the digital entry.