2020 awards program is closed. Details for the 2021 ANA International ECHO awards will be announced in Spring 2020.

Submitting Your Creative Elements

The 2020 ANA International ECHO Awards are entered, categorized, judged, and presented by categories.

After you have selected the category(ies), please:

1. Identify all appropriate advertising media used for your entry.
2. Submit the proper samples with your entry.

Note: To protect the integrity of the judging, creative samples must not have labels or markings that could identify the creative group or agency. Also, the agency name must not appear in the body text of the entry application. Obviously, self-promotion entries are an exception.

Video Specs: All entries which are being submitted as video must use the following specifications:

• Format: Apple Quicktime (WMA/WMV files are not accepted.)
• Codec: ProRes 422, H.264, MP4, M4V, or uncompressed MOV file
• Resolution: 1920x1080 or 1280x720 for 16:9 format; 1440x1080 or 960x720 for 4:3 format. File should be at least 100MB per 60 seconds of video.
• Video to be limited to 180 seconds, with a suggested runtime of 120 seconds.
• Include subtitles if translation is needed.
• YouTube, Vimeo, and/or other hosting platform links are not accepted.

Entry Types:

• Alternative and Insert Media: Non-traditional media channels including package inserts, card packs, billboards, transit advertising, bus wrappers, and other forms of media not covered by other categories., Submit samples in the form of PDFs.
• Banner Ads/Landing Pages: Digital work that was designed to appear in an online channel and invites site visitors to click through to a landing page or web site. Includes leaderboards, rectangles, pop-unders, pop-overs, skyscrapers, buttons, banners, and interrupters. Rotating GIFs must be supplied as a collection of individual image frames in a PDF. Flash may be supplied as a link to a URL (make sure agency name is NOT revealed in URL name). Include a PDF of the landing page/website or a URL.
• Catalog: Promotional pieces that include specific product descriptions of multiple items, designed to generate retail traffic or non-store orders. Includes printed and electronic formats. Submit PDF of mailing cover, front cover, sample of inside spreads, and order form, and also submit an actual sample(s) (see address below).
• Collateral: Promotional materials that are not included in other categories. Examples might include brochures, hand-outs, door hangers, event banners, giveaway items, signage, etc. Submit samples as PDFs and also submit an actual sample(s) (see address below).
• Digital Content and Video: Includes vehicles used in the practice of digital content marketing such as blogs, online videos, e-books, white papers, podcasts, webcasts and webinars, blogs, web video series/webisodes, and online presentations. All entries must submitted for review in an appropriate digital format via URL provided on entry form or uploaded as an attachment to the online entry form. If the sites or web pages are no longer live, a self-contained version of a site or sites with the ads should be provided as a ZIP file, containing all needed assets. For “static” executions, screen shots in PDFs are acceptable. Please avoid agency identification (including as a part of the URL). Video specifications are as noted above.
• Direct Mail: All direct mail, either flat or dimensional, delivered to home or office by conventional postal services, courier, or messenger. Submit one actual sample. If actual dimensional piece is not available, you may send one or more color photographs (8.5"x 11"). However, you must send an actual copy of the letter. Do not mount samples. Mock-ups and electronic graphics are not acceptable.
• Email/Landing Pages: Websites, landing pages, microsites, and other forms of web development that is the designated online destination for a campaign. This is content that is not paid web advertising. Email communications are sent to personal computers (mobile messaging is a separate category). All entries must must be uploaded as a PDF with the entry form. For “static” executions (with no animation or video), screen shots are acceptable.
• Mobile: Permission-based marketing communications specifically intended for delivery to mobile phone, tablet, or other mobile devices. Marketing messages can either be push or pull, depending on the tactics and vehicles used. The tactics and vehicles include: application development, mobile site development, content distribution (downloaded or streamed), mobile search, web browsing, GPS location services, MMS/SMS messaging, and mobile display advertising. Submit mobile messaging samples electronically uploaded with online entry form. Video specifications are as noted above.
• Print Advertising: Space advertisements, including freestanding inserts (FSI) in publications. All entries must must be uploaded as a PDF with the entry form. Mark clearly whether it is a magazine or newspaper ad and give publication dates. Mounted samples are not allowed.
• Search Marketing: Search engine optimization (SEO) and paid pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. All entries must be self-running presentations. They must be submitted for review in an appropriate digital form and uploaded as an attachment to the online entry form. For PPC, explain how you used advanced techniques and tools to generate more traffic, improve conversion rates, and/or increase return on investment. PPC can include post-click optimization (i.e., multivariate landing page testing, heat maps, web analytics, etc.). Submit screen captures or reproductions of PPC ads as an attachment. Screen captures or reproductions should reflect both ads displayed on search engines and messaging on landing pages. For SEO, explain how you assisted in increasing ranking and streamlining navigation of website(s) through site structure changes, link development, social media and other strategies. Please post relevant web page(s) or URL and submit associated results (screen captures of search rank, report/reproduction of link development strategy, web analytics data, etc.) as an attachment. Please submit a list of any special applications needed to view the creative work, as well as any necessary user names/passwords. For SEO, printouts of web site screen shots are not acceptable, as source code can be important in evaluation. Also, please avoid agency identification as part of the URL.
• Social Media: Participatory digital media channels that facilitate dialogue and user-generated content from among a self-selected audience. Includes publicly available channels such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+, Pinterest, etc. Does not include blogs or proprietary digital communities that reside on a marketer’s own website Does not include display advertising appearing on social networks. Submit a self-running application of social media activity as experienced by the target audience at the time of the campaign in digital format uploaded as an attachment to the online entry form. Please include any necessary user names and passwords. For “static” executions, screen shots are acceptable. Please avoid agency identification as part of the URL.
• Telemarketing: Outbound Calls — Telephone sales programs. Submit an PDF of the call guide (script) including objection-responses and telephone FAQs. If available, a call recording can be electronically uploaded with the entry from. Inbound Calls — Lead or sales programs. Submit source(s) of calls. Also submit a PDF of the call guide (script) including objection-responses and telephone FAQs. If available, a call recording can be electronically uploaded with the entry form as an MP3 audio file.
• TV/Radio: Broadcast advertisements in both spot and program-length format. Submit samples electronically (upload with online entry form or post to a proprietary URL). All entries must be submitted without agency identification. 
  • Video
    • Video specifications are as noted above.
  • Audio
    • Format: MP3 or MOV file. Include subtitles if translation is needed.
• Web Display Advertising: Web ads and online paid advertising other than e-mail and search (which are separate categories). All entries must be self-running applications and must be submitted for review in an appropriate digital format uploaded as an attachment to the online entry form. Please submit a list of any special applications needed to view the creative work, as well as any necessary user names/passwords. If the sites or web pages are no longer live, a self-contained version of a site or sites with the ads should be provided. For “static” executions, screen shots are acceptable. Please avoid agency identification as part of the URL.
• Websites/Landing Pages: Websites, landing pages, microsites, and other forms of web development. This is content that is not paid web advertising. All entries must be self-running applications and must be submitted for review in an appropriate digital format uploaded as an attachment to the online entry form. Please submit a list of any special applications needed to view the creative work, as well as any necessary user names/passwords. If the sites or web pages are no longer live, a self-contained version of the sites or pages should be provided. For “static” executions, screen shots are acceptable. Please avoid agency identification as part of the URL.

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