INTERACTIVE INVESTOR RELATIONS AWARDS

Which industry category should I enter?

We designed the industry categories to be very broad in order to allow participants to choose an entry category that best fits their organization.  There can be overlap in some of the categories and it is up to the nominator to choose which is most appropriate for that particular entry. 

Can I enter more than one category?

Yes, each year many sites enter multiple categories to increase their chances of winning Best of Industry honors.  The WMA reserves the right to remove entries that are clearly not appropriate for a particular category.

What is the difference between the iIR Awards and the WebAwards?

The iIR Awards were developed to evaluate and recognize innovation and excellence in online investor relations as judged by investors, financial advisors as well as IR and Web professionals.  This competition focuses only on the section of a corporate Web site dedicated to investors, with particular emphasis on corporate reporting and disclosure, ease of use, creativity and functionality of the IR section of the corporate site

The WebAward Competition focuses on the entire Web site, with particular emphasis on the creativity and functionality of the overall interactive experience based on a given audience.  A site can be entered in both the iIR Awards and the WebAward Competition in the same year.

Do you have to be based in the United States to participate in WebAward Competition?

No,  competition entries and judges have come from more than 19 countries around the globe, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, France, Spain, South Africa, China, Hong Kong, Turkey, Israel,  Saudi Arabia, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Greenland, and many others.  The Web is truly global and so are the iIR Awards.  International entries will be judged based on the needs and expectations of a US investor.

How much does it cost to enter?

The entry fee for the iIR Awards Competition is $175 per category entered.  This entry fee serves two purposes.  First and most obvious, it supports the operation and marketing of the award competition program.  Second, it creates a barrier to entry for many sites that simply do not belong in a marketing competition of this caliber.  Our expert judges do not have time to review sites just looking for a free icon for their site.

Can you explain how the sites are judged?

Each site is assigned to three or more expert judges for evaluation.  The judges are informed of the mission statement and prospective audience for the site and provided a link with password, if needed, to enter and review the site.     Judges are not told who submitted the entry or which category it is entered into.  They  visit each assignment site starting with the URL provided on the entry form and assume the role of a target user.  After reviewing the site, they enter their scoring and record their observations and comments before moving on to the next site.  At the conclusion of the judging, the two highest scores are averaged for the final score.  Any lower scores are dropped, although the comments are retained and provided to the participants.

The highest score in a given category wins Best of Industry for that category. If the remaining entries receive above a certain score, they received the Outstanding IR site award.

What do I get if I win an iIR Award?

Beside the respect, recognition and admiration of your industry, peers and senior management, iIR Award winners create a marketing opportunity for the site that is recognized and the firm that created it.  To help promote your win, the WMA provides an icon for your Web site or publications, a handsome plaque or certificate for display on a wall, inclusion in the award page on our Web site with all of the entry contributors.

In addition, winners will be announced on The Wall Street Journal Online Web site.

If I win, do I get a plaque or certificate?

Best of Industry winners receive an 11x13 customized plaque that contains an image of the winning Web site and the award details.  Outstanding IR site winners will receive certificates of achievement.  Additional plaques and certificates can be personalized and ordered at the end of the competition.

Do you hold an event that we have to attend to receive our award?

We are not planning to have an event to announce the winners of the iIR Awards.  Winners will be announced by The Wall Street Journal Online, through a media release to media outlets worldwide, and on the WebAwards and iIR Award Web sites.

Will I receive judge’s comments for every site I enter?

We highly encourage judges to provide comments and feel it is one of the major things that set us apart from other competitions.  But, since, we cannot require judges to comment on each site, we cannot guarantee that all sites will actually receive comments from the judges. If you do receive comments, they will be published on your entry edit page.

We feel strongly that it is important for a judge to offer comments, particularly when they do not score a site well.  It is our goal to help each entry understand the judge’s thought process and to provide comments to assist the entrant improve for the future.  We will be making several changes to the judging instructions and systems this year to focus the judges on this important issue.

Can I rent the list of iIR Award participants?

The Web Marketing Association does not rent our lists or provide them to outside third parties.

Why does the WMA not release information about who competed in which category for its Competitions?

The Competitions run be the WMA are specifically designed to help professionals improve the quality of their sites and to promote their work and themselves.  We believe it is inappropriate to promote one site at another’s expense.  To minimize this possibility, we do not release category information beyond who won Best of Industry.