Judging

CAPIO’s Awards of Excellence focus on recognizing excellence in government communications. Entries are judged on a 100 point scale with points given to the following categories.  

Research 

• How thorough and valuable was the research that was conducted?
• Was the situation adequately and accurately analyzed?
• Were the research methods appropriate for the situation, budget or time constraints?
• Did the research help define who did you want it to reach?
• Did the research define what you wanted the audience to do?
• How as research collected?
• What type of research was used?
  • Primary – Survey, focus groups, interviews, communications audit, etc
  • Secondary – Historical research, internet research, etc
  • Formal – Survey, content analysis, etc
  • Information – Phone interviews, tracking calls, observations, etc
  • Qualitative/Quantitative
  • Scientific Method

Planning 

• Does entry display understanding of goals, audience objectives, strategies and tactics?
• Do objectives focus and define the behavior, attitude or opinion you would like to achieve?
• Are objectives SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, results-focused and timely)?
• Is the budget clearly noted and broken down to show per piece/per person cost (when appropriate)?
• Did the budget clearly outline internal and external costs, including staff hours, hard costs, consultant and production fees?

Implementation

• Does the submission identify how the plan was developed and executed?
• Does the plan note staff and/or consultants roles?

Evaluation

• Are the results of the program noted in this section measured against the objectives noted in the “planning” portion of the entry?
• What methods of evaluation were used?
• How successful was the organization in achieving its objectives?