The judging machine

You have entered – what now?

Judges for the Corporate Publication Competition are selected for their experience in and understanding of the communication and publication industry, some of whom are award winners themselves. The panel consists of respected industry professionals in the fields of writing, communication, design, and new media.

This is how the system works:

Once we receive your entries, the SAPF team prepare them for the different category judges and ensure that they have been entered into the correct category.
Judges review and score the publication(s) according to set judging criteria. Results and feedback are sent back to the SAPF team.
Results and feedback are processed and finalists’ entries are sent for moderation.
Moderators assess the results and make adjustments if necessary.
A separate panel considers the Editor of the Year entries.
Once the results has been finalised, certificates and/or trophies are prepared for the winners and finalists, which will be sent by email or courier.
All entrants will receive feedback via email.

The article The core of the benchmark on the blog explains what is expected of a judge. In their two separate articles judges Chantal Smuts and Theresa Lee share valuable advice on writing and communication. Chantal summarises what judges will be looking for when judging the Communication category, while Theresa shares the barometer she uses when judging writing.

Scoring sheets

Scoring sheets are specifically designed to evaluate publication entries on communication, writing, and design.

In addition to these, Digital Projects (online/interactive projects) are assessed on user experience vs user interface, coding, multi-media and activity, creativity, and budget vs final product. To be capped Editor of the Year, the candidate must be someone whom employers would like to head-hunt for their communications team, a bright star in the industry who excels on all fronts.

Marking system

Entries with an average score of 75% or above, receive certificates of excellence. Six finalists with the highest marks are then selected. From these second and first runners-up are chosen. The winner is the entrant with the highest score, and receives a trophy.

Judges’ feedback and comments

Comments by judges are intended to provide positive and constructive feedback to entrants and an opportunity to learn and grow, providing them with insight, focusing their attention to areas where they can improve.