ROUND ONE: The deadline for first-round voting is 23.59 on Monday 24th June 2013

First round rules:

  • Please don't multiple vote, we will find out and all your votes will be discounted;
  • You cannot vote for yourselves or for another company owned by the same organisation. Again, we will find out and all your votes will be discounted;
  • If you are a service company yourself, you can vote for another service companies operating in a different sector to you, so long as you have used their services in the past two years;
  • Any company you nominate/vote for must have delivered work for you in the past two years;
  • The company you vote for must have delivered work that was directly related to a marketing initiative;
  • There is only one voting form per person, but you can nominate/vote for your top three choices in as many categories as you wish;
  • The closing date for first round votes is 23.59 on Monday 24th June 2013;
  • Following the first round of voting, we will publish a shortlist, based on how many nominations/votes companies and individuals get;
  • The number of companies/individuals shortlisted for each category will depend on how many different companies or individuals were nominated in that category, and how many votes they get;
  • Shortlisted companies and individuals going through to the second round of voting will be invited to submit an entry form setting out why they think they should win;
  • A panel of judges selected by the Institute of Promotional Marketing will look at these second round submission forms and award points as set out below;
  • PLEASE NOTE: There is no charge to be entered into the first round of The COGS 2013. However, for those 19 industry categories, companies which are shortlisted for consideration in the second round of judging and which want to submit a detailed argument setting out why they should win will be asked to pay a small administration charge, which covers the costs of second round judging. The charge is £85 plus VAT per category entered for IPM members, and £105 plus VAT for non-members. There is no administration charge for going through to the second round of the two special categories, the Individual of the Year and the Company of the Year.

ROUND TWO:

Companies shortlisted following the first round will be asked if they want to enter the second round; if they do want to be considered for a COGS Award, then they will be asked to fill in a submission form explaining exactly why they should win.

This submission form will specifically ask them to address three criteria, which are:

  • A clear demonstration of creativity and strategic thinking;
  • Innovation in client services;
  • Against all odds. Please give an example where you or your company has delivered outstanding service in difficult circumstances.

For the 19 industry categories, companies which are shortlisted for consideration in the second round of judging will be asked to pay a small administration charge, which covers the costs of organising the second round judging. The charge is £85 plus VAT per category entered for IPM members, and £105 plus VAT for non-members.

There is no administration charge for going through to the second round of the two special categories, the Individual of the Year and the Company of the Year.

Individuals and companies which have been shortlisted for either of these two special awards do not have to fill in a submission form.

For each industry category, a panel of judges chosen by the IPM for their relevant experience will examine all of the submissions which have been put forward by shortlisted companies. Votes cast in the first round will not influence second round judging: winners will be chosen according to the strength of their second round submissions.

INDUSTRY CATEGORY WINNERS

The company with the highest score in each industry category after second round judging will take first place in that category; there will then also be a runner-up and a third place for each category.

SPECIAL CATEGORY

There are two special categories: Company of the Year and Individual of the Year.

Companies and individuals which are shortlisted in the two special categories will be asked to make a submission arguing their case for being the winner in the relevant category. There will be different submission forms for each Special Category.

All of the judges in all of the panels will then be asked to allocate points to the individuals and companies they think deserve to win the coveted Company of the Year or Individual of the Year award.

Unlike entry to the second round of the industry categories, where there is an administration charge to cover the costs of judging, there is no charge to go through to the second round of either of the two special categories.