JUDGES

The Judges

Mark Wright

CEO Based IN LONDON

Mark was the winner of 2014 BBC The Apprentice, and went on to found the UK’s fastest growing digital marketing agency: Climb Online. The business turned over £1.7 million in its first year, securing contracts with over 200 worldwide.

Ramona (Wylie) Nicholas

CEO Based IN IRELAND

Ramona is a self made, Award winning, Female Entrepreneur who is the Joint Managing Director of the Cara Group, which holds 13 Pharmacies, 2 Cara Home stores and also a thriving Online store. She completed two series as a Dragon on the RTE Series ‘Dragons Den’.

Valerie Roe

CEO Based In Dublin

Valerie Roe PR is one of Ireland’s leading PR and communication agencies delivering compelling, customised communication campaigns aimed at maximising the marketing of products, services, venues, events and people across all sectors.

Louise Rumball

CEO BASED IN LONDON

Louise Rumball is the Founder of Chapter Three, a social media and influencer marketing agency working with clients such as BXR London, Nike, MTV and The Yacht Club

Gary Hughes

CEO BASED IN CALIFORNIA

Gary is CEO and Founder of Deuce Brand. Deuce Brand is a California lifestyle company built on a foundation of creating the world’s hottest wrist wear accessories.

Emma Gribben

Consultant BASEd GLOBALLY

Emma is a global digital marketing consultant, trainer and mentor working with clients around the globe. She is a digital marketing trainer for Google on the Digital Academy in Europe.

Stephen Baxter-Crawford

Belfast Based, Works Globally

Stephen manages social media activity for in-market teams in China, global paid campaigns in emerging markets and has delivered creative content training both locally and in the Middle East and India. His creative approach has helped Queen’s University Belfast achieve the position of the world’s top online university brand.

The Judging Process

The judging panel consists of industry experts based across the world. The judges will firstly read and pre-score all entries based on the eligibility criteria. They will individually score each question before combining these to give an overall score for each entry. The scores from all judges will then be combined and the highest scoring entries will determine the shortlist.

Once the shortlists have been decided, the judges will meet to discuss the highest scoring entries and agree on the winners of each category.  The shortlist will be announced week commencing 26th August and winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Thursday 26th September 2019. The decision of the NI Social Media Award judges is final, and no discussion or correspondence will be entered into. Additionally, no feedback will be given regarding the selection of shortlisted nominations or winners.

Our Guide to Creating an Award-Winning Entry

There’s no denying it – everyone loves winning an award, especially when you are being recognised by your industry for the hard work you do. At Digital 24, we believe it is important to take the time to enter business awards for your organisation – awards demonstrate your leadership in the industry, increases staff morale and gives you an opportunity to celebrate a great piece of work. It can also help you evaluate previous work, clarify your objectives and even identify areas for improvement.

As a multi award-winning digital agency, we have established a number of key factors that should be considered when entering an award.  Here are some of our top tips to create an award-winning entry…

Our Top tips For Award Writing

  • Don’t Skip the Rules!
    Start by carefully reading the entry criteria and make sure you are eligible to enter the award – this will ensure you avoid spending time on writing an entry that won’t be accepted! Have a browse around the website and take note of key information and dates such as the deadline. In most cases, late entries won’t be appreciated or accepted by the judging panel.

  • Pick the Right Category
    It may sound simple, but ensuring you pick the right category for your work is vital. If you enter into the wrong category, you won’t have a chance of winning the award. Take the time to read over the criteria for each category; you may even find that your campaign fits into more than one category. If this is the case, submit an entry for each related category but make sure you tailor each form and don’t just copy and paste!

  • Understand the Judging Criteria
    Once you have established your category, it’s time to start writing your award-winning entry. Spend a bit of time re-reading the judging criteria for your category and looking at the questions in the entry form – this will help you to get a greater understanding as to what the judges are looking for.

  • Content is Key
    You may have worked on an unbelievable campaign and achieved incredible results, but if you fail to convey this in your entry form, you won’t win the award. Judges want to be wowed with an interesting story that is unique to you and your client, so start your entry with an opener and set the scene for your campaign. You should also ensure you have addressed each criterion within your answers, as this is how the judges will score your entry.

  • Get the Team Involved
    Don’t be secretive about entering the award, get your team members involved in the entry process! They may have worked on different aspects of the project and will be able to talk about insights and results from their work on the campaign. Schedule a team meeting and work together to write down key points and results that should be included in the submission.

  • Make Your Entry Memorable
    Remember, the judges will receive and read a large number of submissions, so make yours memorable. Make sure your entry is passionate and tells a story, including how the outcomes meet the initial objectives of the campaign. You should also attempt to include visual content in your submission such as photos, infographics and videos – this will help you maintain the judges’ attention and showcase your creativity.

  • Include Actual Evidence
    In our opinion, this is one of the most important factors when writing an entry! Judges love to see proof of what you have achieved; this may be in the form of data insights, follower numbers or engagement levels. Don’t neglect this part of your entry, as these results will demonstrate the success and impact of your campaign.

  • Provide Supporting Material
    Where possible, include a range of documents to provide context and background to support your entry such as word documents, images and videos. Most importantly, you should ensure it is linked back to the goals and evaluation in the entry form.

  • Take Your Time
    Creating award-winning entries takes time and effort, so make sure to start early so as you plenty of time to understand the judges’ criteria, thoroughly answer each question and proof-read your work.  Never assume that the awards deadline can be extended – more often than not, this won’t happen!

  • Proof-Read!
    We can’t emphasise the importance of proof-reading enough! Spelling mistakes and typos can ruin an otherwise excellent entry – judges want to find about what you did, how and the results, so if you make it an easy read, you’re halfway there. Find someone in the office who has not been directly involved in the process and ask them to carefully read your work – they will be able to ensure the copy flows well and will correct any spelling or grammar errors.