SIPAWARDS - Categories
EDITORIAL
The David Swit Award for Best Investigative Reporting
Best Spot News or Single News Story
Best Interpretative or Analytical Reporting
Best Instructional Reporting
Best Scientific Writing or Technical Reporting
Best Blog or Commentary
Best Daily Publication
Best One-Topic Special Publication
Best Newsletter or Ezine (non-daily)
THERE ARE 5 CATEGORY DIVISIONS:
• Financial/Investing
• Public Sector/Government
• Health/Medical/Fitness
• Arts/Travel & Leisure/Sports/Culinary
• Business/Marketing
MARKETING
The Margie Weiner Award for Best Marketing Campaign of the Year
Best Editorial and Marketing Collaboration
Best Marketing Launch for a New Product
BUSINESS/SOCIAL MEDIA
Best Social Media Success Story
Best Use of Video
Rising Star of the Year
Best New or Relaunched Website
Best Sales Campaign of the Year
Best Mobile Smartphone App (Native)
Editorial
The David Swit Award for Best Investigative Reporting
This award honors one of SIPA’s greatest contributors and outstanding publishers. Investigative reporting is a longtime staple of the best SIPA member publications.
Judges will be looking for:
- A single story or series of stories;
- Thoroughness and clarity of subject;
- Reporting that exposes an abuse or condition that was generally unknown prior to publication.
Best Spot News or Single News Story
This is a category that SIPA members have traditionally excelled at, with many having a newspaper or wire-service background. This award will be given for the story that tells about a headline in the industry or a recent event.
Judges will be looking for:
- A story that exemplifies the tradition of news reporting;
- The scope and detail of coverage in the story;
- The timeliness or “exclusive” value.
Best Interpretative or Analytical Reporting
Because they are experts in their specific fields, SIPA members take that topic and explain it thoroughly for their subscribers.
Judges will be looking for:
- The best single story, series of stories or special report;
- The work that provides in-depth insight or actionable benefit to your audience;
- The work that best explains its subject so the reader will benefit.
Best Instructional Reporting
Who knows better than SIPA members how to write about a difficult topic? Reporting like this takes talent and when done well, has a great impact on making subscribers’ lives/jobs better/easier.
Judges will be looking for:
- The best story or series of stories;
- Instruction or professional assistance to a particular reader segment;
- Clear, well-written work that is superiorly organized.
Best Scientific Writing or Technical Reporting
This subject is typically one that traditional journalists get to only occasionally pursue. But many SIPA members thrive on this type of specialized assignment—and subscribers bask in the results.
Judges will be looking for:
- The overall effectiveness, clarity and timeliness of the article;
- An in-depth analysis of a specific subject;
- An article in any type of publication, print or online.
Best Blog or Commentary
(submit 3 posts/columns)
Blogs now fill today’s digital landscape, but the people who blog consistently and with a specific purpose are much fewer and far between. SIPA wants to honor the talented writers and groups of writers who are making these columns must-reads for their audience.
Judges will be looking for:
- Entries that are original, deal with timely content and show an effective writing style;
- Entries that fit within the scope of the company’s online strategy;
- Three posts by either one writer or a series of writers (as long as it is under the same blog title).
Best Daily Publication
One of the biggest current trends, daily publications come in many shapes and sizes—as headlines, blog posts, tips, news of the day—with the point being to reach out and touch your subscribers/members each day.
Judges will be looking for:
- Entries that show an effective and consistent style;
- Entries that show timeliness and creativity;
- Quality design, a sensible flow of information and strong editing.
Best One-Topic Special Publication
Newsletters shouldn’t get all the kudos. SIPA members produce many incredible one-topic publications such as directories, white papers, webinar reviews and special reports that should be honored as well.
Judges will be looking for:
- A white paper, special report, review, directory or supplement focused on one topic;
- Timeliness, clarity and helpfulness to members;
- If the publication achieved the goals that were laid out.
Best Newsletter or Ezine (non-daily)
(submit 3 consecutive issues)
This award pays tribute to something SIPA members have done best for years—and continue to do so—the newsletter. The look, delivery methods and channels may have changed, but the quality remains the highest.
THERE ARE 5 CATEGORY DIVISIONS
- Financial/Investing
- Public Sector/Government
- Health/Medical/Fitness
- Arts/Travel & Leisure/Sports/Culinary
- Business/Marketing
Judges will be looking for:
- Entries that deal with timely content and show an effective and consistent writing style;
- Entries that fit within the scope of and build on the company’s strategy;
- Quality design, a sensible flow of information and strong editing.
Marketing
The Margie Weiner Award for Best Marketing Campaign of the Year
This award recognizes the marketing campaign or plan which demonstrates innovation, creativity and (most importantly) results. The campaign can be for a conference, product revamp, subscription renewal, webinar, publication or other product or event. It will show the use of thought behind the list selection, choice of marketing media and other key parts of the plan.
Judges will be looking for:
- An outline of the reasoning behind the campaign and any challenges you faced and how you resolved them;
- Measurable results;
- Clear objectives and targets;
- How well you delivered on the objectives.
Best Editorial and Marketing Collaboration
Roles of our editorial and marketing team members are morphing, and both “functions” are moving out of their silos to work more closely together to create products and communities around content.
Judges will be looking for:
- Concrete examples of editorial and marketing collaboration;
- Evidence of creativity in engaging customers and creating community;
- Hard results with revenues/ROI;
- Details of various media (including social) used in campaigns to create engagement.
Best Marketing Launch for a New Product
Product launches may not be as prevalent in today’s climate, all the more reason to honor the successful ones. What made your launch effective? What benchmarks did you set for success and how did you meet them? What were the most important steps?
Judges will be looking for:
- A clearly thought-out process for the launch;
- Evidence of creativity in engaging customers and creating a new community;
- Hard results with revenues/ROI;
- Details of various media used in your campaigns.
Business/Social Media
Best Social Media Success Story
Are you doing something that is really working for your organization on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram? Perhaps it has driven traffic to your website or attracted new subscribers/members/user-generated content.
Judges will be looking for:
- Innovative ways of engaging your community;
- Use of social media to develop an attractive brand personality;
- Monetizing a community and/or successful generation of leads.
Best Use of Video
(marketing or content)
We’re seeing numbers that say that video is becoming a more and more effective tool in the marketing world. But it’s still a luxury for some companies. By honoring video, SIPA hopes to increase its use in the membership ranks.
Judges will be looking for:
- The effective use of video as a marketing tool, content for an article or as its own feature on your website;
- Creative use of the medium, technical proficiency and information covered;
- Substantive goals achieved.
Rising Star of the Year
Is there someone on your staff who is exemplary? Premiered last year, this award encourages you to showcase your best and brightest staff member under the age of 40.
Judges will be looking for individuals who have demonstrated:
- A strong track record of outstanding results;
- Leadership and management skills;
- Consistently performs at a level above and beyond everyday job expectations.
Best New or Relaunched Website
Website design and maneuverability within a site are keys to successful specialized publishers. Is there a good landing page? Are all the important indicators in place? Are there enough upsell opportunities? Can visitors easily find their way around?
Judges will be looking for:
- Websites that are easy to navigate and can engage visitors;
- Sites that portray the mission and scope of the company and accomplish pre-determined goals;
- What propelled the new website and if the site has succeeded in meeting that need;
- If website has led to greater profitability or engaged subscribers in a specific way.
Best Sales Campaign of the Year
The most effective sales campaigns take a product or live event and run with it—through strategic processes, creative channeling and old-fashioned hard work. See what it takes to sell successfully in today’s complicated landscape.
Judges will be looking for sales campaigns that:
- Exceeded their targets/objectives;
- Provided broader input to the performance of your brand—“this is what we need to sell it”;
- Came up with workable processes and creative solutions to varied situations;
- Made money.
Best Mobile Smartphone App (Native)
(submit 1 app link [iOS or Android] and username/password for content review)
Mobile has already gone from "buzz word" to "gotta have." However, effectively creating a brand-oriented, content-rich user experience on a small screen is easier said than done. SIPA wants to honor those who have not only created a mobile app, but refined that vision into a sophisticated on-the-go experience.
Judges will be looking for:
- Entries that showcase intuitive user experience design and simple content access including login;
- Entries that demonstrate ability to adapt the content for the mobile device;
- Entries that integrate with multi-channel publishing strategy and brand voice.
- Entries that help the user in some way and meet a need in the marketplace.
