The Experience

The process that gets you from nomination to receiving an award should be rewarding, educational, and inspiring. That’s what we’d like all CODiE™ Awards nominating companies to say at the end of the journey. But we also believe you have to know what you have to put into it, or you risk having a less-than-stellar experience. Here’s information you need to know right now.

Nomination

Nominating a product for consideration is the easy part; participation in the program, though, will require some time and commitment. Nominating companies are obligated to provide product technical, sales/marketing, and implementation/use information, access to the product for judges (when appropriate), and conduct a demonstration of the product for judges. The effort is worthy of the outcome – not only because you have a chance to prove that your product stacks up well against the competition, but because you will receive feedback that can help you blow away the competition.

When you nominate a product, you get to select up to two categories in which to nominate. You may choose two product categories, but if you’re like most nominating companies, you’ll probably want to select one product category and then a corresponding "best overall" category. If you win your product category, your product’s overall score will be compared with the winners of all other categories that match up to a "best overall" category. If your product is the top-ranked nominee, you win the "best overall" category as well.

A product just might fit into more than one product or "best overall" category, which means you just might want to place it in more than two categories. You can easily purchase additional categories (at a discounted rate) at the time you select your primary options. See pricing details for more information.

Check the roster of categories to determine the best fit for your product(s). If you have any questions, contact Wendy Tanner at 202-789-4458.

Each product must be nominated separately.

To get started, go to the CODiE™ Awards Nomination Form

Judging

Participation in the CODiE™ Awards as a judge brings the distinction of service to the leading industries in the digital age while expressing leadership and subject matter expertise. The ranks of CODiE™ judges include industry executives and analysts, representatives of media outlets, bloggers, investors, and even some customers. All it takes is a background that reflects an understanding of the broader market for a specific product type and a willingness to see the latest and greatest the industry has to offer.

When you sign up to serve as a CODiE™ Awards judge, you’re sure to have a positive experience. We’re committed to that goal, and this year’s edition offers a few improvements to the judging process that will enhance the experience:

Assignment of no more than 5 nominated products, unless you ask for more.
Demonstration scheduling managed by SIIA staff.
Demonstrations held live online with a majority of judges assigned to the product participating together.
Recordings of demonstrations available to all judges, but particularly to those who cannot attend the live demonstration.
Public recognition for any judges who wish to be recognized.
A special gift to honor your participation in the CODiE™ Awards judging program.

The Review of Nominated Products

The heart of the CODiE™ Awards experience is in the review of the nominated products. Companies that are bold enough to put their products up to scrutiny… judges volunteering their time and expertise... and everyone working around a common set of criteria so that products may be scored by the judges.

The product review phase starts with the judges examining literature and other documentation provided by nominating companies about their products. This is a valuable opportunity for nominees to present their brand, their sales and marketing strategies, their technical expertise, and the details about the product that connect with the criteria for review. This year, we’re requiring nominating companies to create an online portal where product literature and documentation can be accessed. If appropriate, access to trial versions of the product could be available through the portal as well. This ensures that judges have a one-stop location for total product education and preparation for demonstrations. It also ensures that nominating companies can track who accesses what content.

Product demonstrations are the next step in the review phase. This year, CODiE™ Awards staff will be working with nominees and judges to schedule live, online demonstrations through a SIIA-managed Web platform. The goal is to have all judges participating in demonstrations. However, all demonstrations will be recorded so that any judges who are unable to participate may do so on their own time.

Once a judge completes demonstrations for the assigned products, s/he will be tasked with completing a scoring survey that has been developed to reflect the appropriate criteria and product attributes that reflect excellence in the category. Each criterion is scored based on a 5 point rating system, with an individual judge’s overall score calculated as the average across all criteria. Once all judges have completed scoring for a product, the average score is calculated and used as the basis for qualification as a finalist. The review process accounts for 80 percent of a nominated product’s overall score in the selection of winners.

Selection of Finalists

It’s a stirring moment when you find out that you’ve qualified as a Finalist for a CODiE™ Award. It almost feels like winning...almost. You’ve clearly achieved something worth shouting about – but the journey isn’t quite over yet.

Finalists are selected based on the scores from the judging phase. The number of finalists selected is dependent upon the total number of nominees within a category. The selection is based on the following scale:

5 total nominations in a category = 3 finalists
6-10 total nominations in a category = 4 finalists
11-15 total nominations in a category = 5 finalists
16-20 total nominations in a category = 6 finalists
21-25 total nominations in a category = 7 finalists
26-30 total nominations in a category = 8 finalists
31-35 total nominations in a category = 9 finalists
36-40 total nominations in a category = 10 finalists

Member Voting

Because SIIA represents the leading companies in the business software, digital content, and education technology industries, its members are great resources in the selection of winners of the CODiE™ Awards. Once finalists are announced, SIIA members are tasked with reviewing the products and voting on what they believe is the best product in each and every category. Their vote counts for only 20 percent, but it’s enough to tip the scales in a close competition.

We do believe in ensuring fairness in the member voting process. SIIA members are not eligible to vote in any category where its products – or those of its subsidiaries - have qualified as finalists.

Announcement of Winners

Winners will be announced at one of three events:

SIIA Information Industry Summit, January 24, 2011, New York, NT
All About the Cloud, May 2011, San Francisco, CA
SIIA Ed Tech Industry Summit, May 22-24, 2011, San Francisco, CA

Winners will have the option of receiving awards at the venue of their choice.

Timeline for the 2011 CODiE™ Awards

June 7, 2010	Begin Accepting Judge Applications
June 7 - October 1, 2010	Nomination Period Open
October 2 – 15, 2010	Late Nomination Period (late fee charged)
October 2, 2010 - February 25, 2011	First Round Review by Judges
January 10, 2011	Finalists for Content Categories Announced
January 13-21, 2011	SIIA Member Review of Content Category Finalists
January 24, 2011	SIIA Information Industry Summit Content Category Winners Announced
February 28, 2011	Finalists for Software and Education Categories Announced
March 1-31, 2011	SIIA Member Review of Software and Education Category Finalists
May 23-26, 2011	All About the Cloud Software Category Winners Announced
May 22-24, 2011	SIIA Ed Tech Industry Summit Education Category Winners Announced