Answers to the most frequently asked questions about preparing an award-winning entry for the Paragon Communications Awards program.

Q. What if we did not conduct any "research" for our project or program?

A. The awards entry form asks you to document research, but that does not mean it has to be a formal or primary research effort. What you can discuss here is any "checking" or "investigation" you did into what your target audience is seeking or what your internal organization wishes to communicate or achieve. In the case of an annual report, for example, this might have involved getting copies of and reviewing other annual reports in the same industry. For a print brochure or direct mail program, it might be discussing or interviewing recipients of the last brochure/mailing/campaign etc. to see if they attended/bought/used based on the last effort and to determine what would motivate them to act this time around. Research could also take the form of an informal survey of board members or department heads to assess needs/perceptions/goals prior to beginning a new customer or employee newsletter, redesigning a web site, conducting a public affairs campaign, etc.

Q. What if our project did not have a large budget? Isn't it true that the agencies tend to win these competitions because they have larger clients and therefore huge project budgets and extensive creative resources?

A. No, agencies do not win all the Paragon Awards. You are asked to document budget in your entry format so that the judges can assess "how strategically or astutely you spent your budget based on the needs and challenges of the project." We ensure that our judges understand this every year and caution them not to assess entries on the basis of which ones are the biggest, most extensive, or printed in the most colors/with fancy varnishes. Instead, we ask them to determine if the entrant made the best strategic decisions and execution the project in the best way based on the available budget.

Q. What other part of the documentation do entrants seem to have problems with every year?

A. In addition to research, the one area we've seen trip up many is identification of the target audience. If you don't identify who the program or newsletter or project is directed to, then it's pretty hard for the judges to understand if your project was appropriately planned or designed - much less effective.

Q. Where can I learn more about how to complete the entry documentation?

A. We've posted some of last year's winning Paragon entries on this web site, click here to see the list. You can also go to national PRSA's Silver Anvil site at www.silveranvil.org and see entry documents from previous submissions to that program. That will give you ideas, too.

Requirements for Silver Anvils are just about the same as our chapter's requirements - except our chapter has, over the years, tried to be more accommodating to members who can't match their entry up with a broader entry category. This year, for example, Paragon has added a category for writing projects. However, instead of being judged on a total of 100 possible points entries in a category like this would have the research section eliminated and be judged on the appropriate adjusted number of total points.

Still have questions? Contact Paul Daniel.