FAQ

General Information

What are the Digital Communication Awards?

Digital communication has become one of the fastest growing sectors. The Quadriga University of Applied Sciences launched the Digital Communication Awards in 2011 as a competition in online communications on both a practical and academic level. An expert jury formed by leading practitioners and academics review your outstanding online projects and campaigns.

Who hosts the Awards?

The Digital Communication Awards are hosted by Quadriga University of Applied Sciences. The aim of Quadriga University is to advance the careers of high-level professionals eager to further their horizon through interdisciplinary, practice-oriented education.

Are the DCA represented in any creative rankings?

Yes, you can receive points in the following ranking:

PR Journal (Germany): 8 points for winning projects / 2 points for shortlist nomination

Qualification

Who can apply?

The following are eligible to enter the Digital Communication Awards:

Agencies and companies, associations and NGOs, political parties, institutions, and individuals in the field of online communication.

Can an agency submit projects for their clients?

Either the client or the implementing agency can apply. Should a client and its agency submit the same project, the submission will then be considered as a joint application. In case of being shortlisted or winning, both the client and the agency are named.

What timeframe is relevant for the potential project or campaign?

Any project created or published between March 2022 and June 2023 may participate in the competition. The major part of the project must have occurred during this time frame, but it is not necessary for it to have been completed during the eligibility period.

As long as your project has been launched in the required timeframe you may enter the competition. Keep in mind that you are asked to present your results in the application. Presenting results of a fairly new project might be tough. In this case, you might want to convince the jury with your strategy and implementation – put some extra effort into these sections of the application form.

Application process

How do I apply?

You can apply online by creating an account on our intranet.

1. Application
For each application, information about the organisation and agency (if applicable) is requested. Submissions will exclusively be digital.

2. General information about the project or campaign

Each submitted entry should contain the following information:

Summary of the project at a maximum length of 400 characters (including spaces) – please note: This summary will be published when being shortlisted.
Time frame of the project
Budget (not a mandatory field, but an important information for the jury – please note: information will not be published)
Number of employees who worked on the project

3. Project Description
A short description of max. 2500 characters (including spaces) must be provided including the following:

Initial situation leading to the project or campaign
Objectives of the project
Strategic considerations
Details of the implementation
Summary and measurement of results achieved
A cover picture representing your project or campaign (maximum 1 MB)

4. Additional Material and Links
Accompanying materials are limited to three documents. Therefore, additional illustrative material should be carefully selected. Examples of possible illustrative documents are planning documents, press releases, images, PowerPoint presentations (no more than 10 slides) and movies. One document equates to one file. In addition, you can specify up to three links to websites, social media platforms, intranet sites, or online videos.

How many categories can I apply for?

The number of submissions is not limited. A project may be submitted in multiple categories.

What language should be used when submitting the applications?

Applications need to be filled out in English. Supporting material can be in original language. It is important for all our Jury members to fully understand the projects or campaigns. We recommend to hand in videos in English language or with English subtitles – but again: this isn’t a requirement.

Should I state measurements of my results in the application?

Absolutely, this is an integral part of the application. Reflecting on your original campaign/project objectives, please state how you measured them and whether you achieved them. Please also elaborate on the monitoring strategy and the tools and devices you used. What did you monitor while the campaign or project unfolded? When and how often did you monitor it? How did the insight gained inform your project?

What format is suitable for the uploaded material?

The following formats are acceptable:

For texts: pdf
For images: jpg/jpeg, gif, png
For videos/movies: mov, flv, avi (in the highest possible quality, maximum 50 MB, under 3 minutes, or as a link to a website where the movie can be seen)
For presentations: pdf, ppt (Ideally you convert ppt files to pdf format; maximum of 10 slides)

If you send larger files via WeTransfer, please make sure that the link is valid at least 6 weeks after the final deadline. Only then will the judges vote on the entries

When are the deadlines and what do they mean for the application costs?

The deadlines are the following:

Early Deadline: 26 May 2023

Late Deadline: 06 June 2023

Final Deadline: 16 June 2023

A surcharge of 140 Euro (late deadline) and 190 Euro (final deadline) applies for every project entered.

What is the cost?

Applications

Until midnight on 26 May 2023 (CEST), every application in the category “Accomplishments of the year” costs 390 Euro plus VAT. Every application in the category “Technology & Communication” costs 240 Euro plus VAT.
Every application in the other categories costs 290 Euro plus VAT.

During the Late Deadline between 27 May and 06 June, every application comes with a late fee of 140 Euro. During the Final Deadline between 07 June and 16 June, every application comes with a final fee of 190 Euro.

The application check costs 50 Euro and can be optionally added to your application.

Invoices will be issued upon receipt of the completed application documents. Sent applications cannot be cancelled.

Further fees

There are no costs involved for being nominated to the shortlist or winning a Digital Communication Award. The trophy, logos and certificates come free of charge. In case you win, we will send the trophy by post and charge 59 Euro for postage. Duplicates can be purchased for 369 Euro.

How do I pay the entry fee?

To finish your application(s), you will have to check out through our integrated shop system. We kindly ask you to pay directly by credit card, PayPal or to request an invoice. The invoice will automatically be sent to you via email. If paid by credit card, you will receive the payment confirmation via email.

Please note: Invoices are payable immediately upon issue. Unpaid entries will not be considered for the Awards. In case your invoice needs to be ammended, please contact the Awards team immediately.

Judging process

What is the application process like? How are the winners selected?

Applications to the DCA are handed in online via the DCA intranet.
After the final application deadline, the jury reviews all submissions online and determines a shortlist of three to five nominees in each category. The shortlisted nominees will then present their projects to the jury during the digital jury meeting in early September. The winners will be announced by the end of September.

When will the shortlist be published?

The shortlist will be published in the mid of July. All applicants will be informed via email if their submision was nominated by the jury for the jury meeting during the online voting or not.

Is it required to present the submitted projects to the jury in order to win the award?

The presentation of the shortlisted submissions during the digital jury meeting is an integral part of the application process and is a mandatory step for winning one of the Digital Communication Awards.

What criteria will be considered by the jury in the selection process?

The jury will evaluate the applications on the following criteria:

Strategy: In assessing the strategic approach, the jury will consider: how the challenges faced by the applicant were answered by research and/or measurement; the quality and variety of tools and tactics chosen to implement the strategy, considering the target audience identified; and, if applicable, the link between the campaign/project and the overall corporate strategy.

Innovation/Creativity: The jury will assess the degree to which the campaign/project is innovative in comparison to comparable industries/regions and directly responds to the identified strategic challenges and strategy. The degree to which latest models in PR & Communications work is reflected in the planning and implementation stages will also be assessed.

Implementation: The jury will evaluate consistency and appropriateness of tactics, tools and channels used for the strategy and target audience of the campaign/project, and will look for a clear identification of milestones and KPIs, as well as a clear link between allocated resources and implementation.

Results & Effectiveness: The jury will look at results and effectiveness form multiple angles. The jury will undertake an overall evaluation considering stated objectives and KPIs (share, share of voice, behavioural change), as well as the degree to which the campaign/project solved the problem set by the strategy. It will also compare allocation of budget and resources with the results, and look for a clear progression along the campaign’s funnel (from awareness to advocacy/behavioural change).

Are jury members allowed to nominate their own business?

Jury members can propose projects of their companies. However, judges are not allowed to judge any entries submitted on behalf of their company.

What about confidentiality of my application data?

All material will remain confidential to the judges. Judges are not allowed to judge any entries submitted on behalf of their company. In case you are shortlisted, we will only publish the short general description of your projects as indicated in your application form.

Jury Meeting - Online Pitch

What can I expect from a pitch?

If you are among the nominees, you will be invited to the digital jury meeting on 6 & 7 September.
During the digital jury meeting you and your team will present your project again to the jury (five to six people). You will have five minutes to present your submission and five minutes of discussion with the jury.

What criteria does the jury use to evaluate the pitch?

Strategy, Innovation/Creativity, Implementation, Results & Effectiveness

Does the jury know my application/project?

On the day of the jury meeting, there may be jury members in your panel who know the project and jury members who do not yet know the project. So it is important to find a good balance when presenting the project to the jury.

When will my presentation take place?

As soon as the shortlist is published, we will create the timetable for the jury session. You and your team will be given a 1.5 hour timeslot for your category. You will receive the exact time on the day of the jury meeting.
Please understand that due to the large number of nominated projects and out of fairness, we are not able to give out preferred times. We will do our best to send you the information quickly and thank you for your patience and flexibility.

When will I receive my exact presentation time?

You will receive the exact presentation time in your time slot about 15 minutes before your presentation. You will be given a time slot in advance.

With how many people are we allowed to present?

Due to the short presentation time (5 minutes), we recommend presenting with a maximum of three people.

Do you give feedback on entries?

Unfortunately, due to the high number of entries we receive, we are not able to give individual feedback.

Virtual Award Show

When will the winners be announced?

The final winners will be announced during the virtual Award show on 29 September 2023.
The Award show will be held completely digital. You can access the livestream via our website. You do not have to buy tickets to access the livestream.

In case of winning, we will send the trophy to you via mail. Postage will be invoiced to the winner (59 EURO).