The closing date for submitting entries to the How-Do Awards 2011 is this Friday 11 March and the awards dinner is on Thursday 26 May. The third annual How-Do awards dinner last April attracted almost 600 guests and this year's How-Do Awards will once again offer the largest single gathering of media and creative industries folk in the North West over the course of 2011.
Entry categories and criteria can be found and entries submitted from this link. As in previous years, there is no charge to enter the How-Do Awards.
The 16 awards, together with a category for Personality, span the region’s rapidly converging media and creative sectors and will reflect the very best that the region – one of Europe’s most vibrant - has to offer.
The 2011 dinner, for the third successive year in association with our headline sponsor MediaCityUK, will be compered by Jim Hancock ...and….bowing to pressure from guests, at this year’s dinner we will also be having an after awards bop/party at The Point with the DJ and musician Clint Boon our master of ceremonies.
For any queries about submitting an entry, please contact Nicky Wake or Rowan Jamieson and their team at Don't Panic Projects on 01706 828855 who are helping How-Do co-ordinate these Awards. Alternatively you can email Rowan at rowan@dontpanicprojects.com
To access the online entry site, please click here.
If it ain’t broke – don’t fix it
Details about the categories follow but, essentially, given the success of previous years, we are not tinkering with a format that has proved to be extremely successful and popular in terms of:
- an outstanding judging panel
- a shorter rather than longer list of award categories and
- no charge to submit entries.
We are fortunate that we’ve been able to retain our acclaimed panel of judges for year four which not only helps maintain continuity but helps ensure that the credibility of the How-Do Awards remains literally second to none.
We are also pleased to welcome two new faces to our judging panel this year: Paul Taylor of Vision+Media and Ian Ross of Everton FC. Wherever a possible conflict of interest might arise, the individual judge will refrain from voting in that particular category. More detailed information on our outstanding panel of judges follows below.
Entry information
Entries can either be made online using the relevant online submission form (attaching supporting materials) or alternatively the appropriate entry form can be downloaded, completed and returned by email to rowan@dontpanicprojects.com or by post to awards competition administrator Don’t Panic Projects, 8 Market Chambers, Market Place, Ramsbottom, BL0 9AJ.
There is no charge for entries and no limit on the number of categories that can be entered by a single company. Entries must be submitted by company personnel not their representatives.
The closing date for submission of entries is Friday 11 March.
Judging Criteria
Specific criteria for each category are set out on the entry forms but as a overall rule of thumb, entrants should be aware that the judges will be looking for companies or organisations who can clearly demonstrate transparent success in 2010; growth of the company or maintaining or increasing market share in a difficult economic climate.
Our judges are seeking organisations who have experienced and managed adversities, seized challenges and created opportunities.
Judges will require evidence to substantiate all entries and this could include details of financial performance, evidence of job retention or creation, new business wins or client retention, industry awards or accolades.
Our judges recognise the role strong leadership and highly trained employees play in building successful organisations and the overall growth and success of the creative and media industries in the North West. They are keen to reward investment in staff development and training and will be looking for evidence of this in entries submitted.
They will also consider the structure, presentation and clarity of each entry.
There are 16 award categories and – where appropriate and applicable - there is no limit on the number of categories that can be entered by a single company, i.e. – a newspaper group with print and digital interests can enter the newspaper, magazine and web site categories or an advertising agency can enter the advertising/media agency, digital or design categories where they believe their output in those categories merits submissions.
If you have any queries about the entry process, please contact Don't Panic on 01706 828855.
How-Do Awards 2011 - categories
- Newspaper – daily, weekly or other
- Media website
- Magazine
- TV programme
- Creative /Advertising agency
- Media sales
- Digital agency
- SEO & PPC agency
- Social Media agency
- PR agency
- Design consultancy
- Independent production company
- Radio station
- Radio programme
- Commercial App
- Game
- Personality - judges' choice, no entries sought please
How-Do Awards 2011 – the judges
Martin Anderson, ad agency BDH's last chairman and one of the most prominent figures in the region’s advertising community over recent years. Spent most of his career at what was BDH (now TBWA) where he became creative director in 1978. Moved across to account management in 1988 and became MD in 1992 and chairman in 1996. Was chairman of IPA regions 1994 to 1996 and served on the IPA council in London for 15 years.
Iain Bennett is the sector leader for digital and creative industries at the NWDA where he is responsible for strategy and development of Europe’s second largest cluster of creative and digital companies. He was previously a theatrical agent and subsequently a founder of a new media design agency.
Shaun Fensom, chief executive of Manchester Digital and chairman of the Community Broadband Network. Has been working in the online industry since the 1980s in various roles and with a number of ISPs. He oversees the Big Chip Awards - the largest digital event outside London.
Karen Gee, managing director of the Kuoni-owned travel company Journeys of Distinction. Was previously sales and marketing director at Shearings Leisure in Wigan. Since graduating in International Marketing, Karen has specialised in the travel and leisure industry, working for companies including Airtours, First Choice, Flying Colours, Universal Studios Florida and Sky Travel.
Philip Graf CBE, former chief executive of Trinity Mirror and currently deputy chairman of Ofcom, a partner with the executive coaching firm Praesta Partners and a NED with Archant. Philip is also a trustee of the homeless charity Crisis. A Cambridge law graduate, Graf joined the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo in 1983 and became chief executive of what was then Trinity in 1993. Led the acquisition of the Mirror Group in 1999 and subsequently became the chief executive of the enlarged company. In 2003 he was asked by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to carry out a review of the BBC's online activities.
Mike Hackett is the managing director of Principles Agency, one of the largest independent ad agencies outside London. Mike joined Principles as an executive in 1988. Progressing through the ranks, he became the youngest person to be elected to the Principles board. Having been creative services director, he then spent a number of years as the agency’s commercial director. In 2006 he was appointed managing director. Leeds-based Principles has a turnover of c£24m.
Jim Hancock, journalist, presenter and political commentator for over 30 years. He was Granada TV’s political correspondent from 1987 to 1994 and political editor of BBC North West from 1998 to 2006. He is widely acknowledged to be the region's leading political pundit and can also be found chairing conferences for bodies such as the CBI and the IoD.
Paul Newman, head of communications at MediaCityUK and previously in charge of Liverpool Culture Company's PR and public affairs team overseeing Liverpool ’08. Prior to promoting Liverpool as European Capital of Culture, Paul was director of communications at the Football Association in London. Prior to joining the FA, he spent 20 years as a broadcaster working for BBC News and Sky News, ITV in addition to covering the first Gulf War for TV-am.
Ian Ross, head of public relations, Everton Football Club. Began his journalistic career on the Southport Visiter in 1974 and then the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo before joining The Times in 1985. Further spells followed on the Daily Telegraph and The Guardian before he joined Everton in 2001. Is also an author of several sports-related books and his three obsessions are his two children, the music of Ray Davies and the works of Oscar Wilde.
Sally Sykes took up her role as head of communications at the Health and Safety Executive in Bootle in 2009. Previous roles with Ciba-Geigy, AstraZeneca, DePuy, Scottish & Newcastle, Littlewoods and Manchester Airport. Last November she was voted in as the new national chair of the CIPR.
Paul Taylor, chief executive, Vision+Media. A qualified lawyer with over eighteen years' commercial, management and legal experience in the media sector, Paul took over from Alice Morrison as the chief executive of Vision+Media following her decision to step down in January 2011. He oversees delivery of the organisation's business strategies for the creative and digital industries.
