Website and Electronic Communications Awards

Entries are due July 16, 2010.

The Construction Writers Association Website Awards were established in 1998 to acknowledge excellence in online journalism. Since then, the CWA Website Awards have expanded to include marketing-oriented websites and other digital media, such as e-newsletters, blogs, podcasts, and streaming video. These media are considered in the Electronic Communication Awards, which were added to the Website Awards in 2006.

View past winners »

Award Specifications

The competition is open to any construction-related individual, company, association, advertising agency, public relations firm, or publication submitting a completed entry form accompanied by a $125.00 entry fee per entry. The website and electronic communications awards are awarded to the organization. The organization and or the individual(s) submitting the award must be a CWA member in good standing at the time of submitting information.

Awards are limited to construction-related materials. Entries can be journalism-oriented and provide editorial content that meets the information needs of the construction industry. Or, they may be marketing communications-oriented and provide corporate communications, public relations, and advertising for a construction-related entity.

Entries will be divided into three classifications:

• Website Award
• Electronic Communications Award, and
  
• Blog or webcast, if applicable

Entries will be divided into categories at the discretion of the judges. Separate awards may be awarded in sub-categories: blog or webcast should a specific entry distinguish itself to the judges. The winner or winners will receive an award plaque and be recognized at the awards dinner, in the CWA newsletter, and on the CWA website. Awards winners will be presented their awards at the 2010 Annual Conference Awards Dinner on October 26, 2010, which will be held at the Hilton Suites Chicago on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, Illinois.

The judges also may elect to award Certificates of Merit to worthy entries. Judges reserve the right to decline selecting a winner if the entries do not meet award standards.

Judges

Judging will be conducted by an impartial panel of peers with acknowledged expertise in business communication, website design and electronic communications, selected by the CWA Website and Electronic Communications Awards Committee. The committee enlists seasoned business-business media professionals to serve as competition judges. The committee serves to screen entries to ensure they meet the prescribed entry rules. No individual is eligible to serve as a judge if he or she has submitted an entry in the CWA Website and Electronic Communications awards program or is affiliated with an individual or organization that has submitted an entry. Decisions of the judges will be final.

Judging Criteria

Websites will be judged on the basis of the following criteria, each carrying equal weight:

• Quality of content
• Overall design
• Use of innovative and accessible technology
• Navigation
• Search functionality
• Interactivity
• Reason to return to site, and
• Meets stated objectives

Electronic Communications will be judged on the basis of the following criteria, and our judges will consult to determine if any additional criteria may be needed.

• Effective use of technology
• Quality of content
• Design and graphics
• Accessibility (ease of use)
• Meets stated objectives, and
• Overall impression

Entry Requirements

Entrants must submit to the chairperson of the Website and Electronic Communications Committee a completed entry form printed from our brochure, a photocopy or a copy downloaded from the CWA website. All entries must be received no later than Friday, July 16, 2010. Submissions should not be mounted on boards. Entries must have been produced between January 1, 2009 and the submission deadline. Video/CD submission must include the entry's running time. Entry forms are available on the CWA website at www.constructionwriters.org. Entries will not be returned. An entry fee of $125.00 should be sent separately to CWA headquarters.

Only electronic submissions are eligible for this category. Please include in the subject line on all electronic entries: CWA 2010 WEBSITE AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION AWARD. Printed copies of websites, screen shots, or electronic communications sent via mail will not be considered. Entries should include a specific URL for Website Awards consideration. Judges must be able to access all parts of the website or a complete digital copy of the electronic communication being submitted from time of submission through October 1, 2010. A user name and/or password must be included in order to consider any private or password-protected pages.

Electronic communications can be submitted as URLs, PDF files, or digital image, mpeg, wav, or flash files, attached to your submission e-mail. Please confirm receipt of your award entry sent via email. CWA is not responsible for ensuring that materials sent via email are received in readable form by the jury.

The entry fee is $125.00 per entry. Separate forms are required for separate entries from the same organization. Several entry fees from a single organization may be combined into one check or credit card authorization.

Deadlines

All entries must be received no later than Friday, July 16, 2010.

Your entry must be sent to the chairperson of the website and electronic communications awards committee.

Please delete credit card information from the form you send to the chairperson.

Patti Flesher, Website and Electronic Awards Chair
By Email: pflesher@cement.org
Please state in the subject line: 2010 Website and Electronic Awards Entry

Your payment must be sent to the CWA Headquarters:
Deborah J. Hodges, Executive Director
Construction Writers Association
By Mail: P.O. Box 14784 Chicago, IL 60614
By Fax: 773 687-8627
By Email: info@constructionwriters.org

For Additional Information:
Contact the website awards and electronic communications chairperson or the executive director at info@constructionwriters.org.

CWA will issue press releases announcing all winners. Award recipients may send their own release after the official CWA press releases. The CWA logo is available upon request in writing by contacting Deborah J. Hodges, Executive Director. A copy of the draft release should accompany the request for logo use.

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