Celebrating the
talent and contribution of our peers

• Entries must have been produced between January 1, 2023 and February 15, 2024 in support of insurance services operations.
• View the Judging Criteria Here.
• The competition is open to IMCA members as well as non-members, including ad agencies that wish to submit work on behalf of insurance industry clients.
• IMCA is an international organization and accepts entries from organizations based outside of the USA as well as campaign material used in other countries. However, a written translation or adaptation must accompany non-English entries.
• There is no limit to the number of entries you may submit. You may submit multiple entries per category; however, each entry will require a separate entry form and fee.
• Entries may not have been previously entered in the Showcase Awards competition unless at least 51% of the work has been revised.
• All entries must be submitted for judging exactly as published, aired implemented, etc., and may not be modified in any way for an awards entry.
• If your work is password protected, provide a username and password for judging purposes.
• IMCA and our Awards Committee reserve the right to reclassify entries submitted to categories that do not reflect the materials in the entry.
• Judges reserve the right to make no award in a category (or to not score an entry) if submissions do not meet their expectations.
• ALL ENTRIES must be submitted online using the IMCA Showcase Awards platform (AwardForce). Physical submissions will not be accepted.
• Syndicated material (i.e., material prepared on speculation by an outside company for use by the insurance industry) will not be accepted. Please note that this does not include items commissioned by your company/agency for your company/agency’s direct use.
• Entry fees paid via check must be received by IMCA no later than March 8, 2024, for their associated entry(ies) to be considered for the competition.
• IMPORTANT: We may showcase winning entries from our Showcase Awards and the companies behind the work, but this is done only if the entrant grants us permission during the online entry process. IMCA recognizes that some entrants are adamant about not wanting their work displayed. Only those entries that grant permission will be considered for inclusion on our various public platforms. Otherwise, only judges and the IMCA CMO Council will see entries.

HOW TO ENTER

Entering the Showcase Awards

• Submit Now! Create an account through AwardsForce, our awards platform.
• Prepare your entry: Gather the information and evidence needed. You’ll need to determine the category for your entry (see “Categories” tab), provide detail about the objective and results of your entry, and upload files related to the project. Here’s an outline of what the form entails . You can save your entries at any time and come back to them, as long as they are submitted before the deadline of March 5, 2024.
• Submitting to multiple categories: You can enter the same project in more than one category, as long as the work submitted meets the criteria. You can use the ‘copy’ feature in AwardForce to create a copy of your entry and change the category as needed.
• Complete entry fee payment: Your total fee will be based on the number of entries submitted and your membership in IMCA (see the “Entry Fees” tab for details). Entry fees may be paid by credit card or check.
  a. If you choose to pay with a credit card, payment must be made via AwardForce when submitting your entry(ies). A merchant fee will be applied to entries paid by Visa, MasterCard and American Express. These fees will be added to your total and outlined in the payment summary. Upon payment, you will receive an automatic email receipt and accounting of your entries.
  b. If you choose to pay with a check, once submitting your entries, you will receive an email with an invoice. IMCA must receive payment by Mach 8, 2024. Otherwise, your entry(ies) will not be included in the judging process.
• Submit your entry by the deadline of March 5, 2024.
• Await your results! Showcase judges will assess each entry and you will be notified in May if your entry has won an award.
• Questions? Contact the IMCA office at (952) 928-4666 or via email at info@imcanet.com.

Create an account in AwardForce

IMCA SHOWCASE AWARDS CATEGORIES

*Indicates a campaign entry, for which the entry fee is $250 for members and $375 for non-members. Otherwise, each category has an entry fee of $225 for members and $350 for non- members.

Advertisements and Marketing Promotions

Marketing communications focused on sales or the marketing and promoting products and services to target audiences.

• Advertising/Promotional Campaign (three or more advertisements)*
• Magazine or Newspaper Advertisement
• NEW! Promotional Email Campaign*
• Promotional Email – Single Piece
• NEW! Newsletter (Print)
• Newsletter (Digital)
• Radio or Podcast Advertisement
• Direct Mail Advertisement
• Television Advertisement
• Outdoor Advertisement
• Other Digital/Multimedia Advertisement
• Other Print Advertisement

Brochures

Entries can be for content intended for either internal and external audiences.

• Brochure Campaign or Series (three or more brochures)*
• Promotional Brochure: Company or Capabilities Overview
• Promotional Brochure: Product or Service
• Other Brochure

Corporate Communications/Public Relations

Communications that are not directly sales-oriented and are targeted at analysts, shareholders, or the public at large. Entries can be any medium/format unless otherwise specified.

• Corporate Communications/Public Relations Campaign (three or more components)*
• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Campaign*
• Corporate Communications/Public Relations (News Release, Editorial/Article) – Single Piece
• NEW! Employee Recruiting Campaign
• Annual Report
• Other Corporate Communications/Public Relations

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging (DEIB) Communications

Communications that are focused on supporting the organization’s goals, initiatives, or special events related to DEIB. Entries can be any medium/format.

• NEW! External Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging (DEIB) Communications Campaign (three or more components)*
• NEW! External Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging (DEIB) Communications – Single Piece
• NEW! Internal Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging (DEIB) Communications Campaign (three or more components)*
• NEW! Internal Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging (DEIB) Communications – Single Piece

Events and Experiences

Entries can be from any type of event that supports the entrant’s business goals, including both internal and external audiences.

• In-Person Event (External Audience)
• NEW! In-Person Event (Internal Audience)
• Virtual Event (External Audience)
• NEW! Virtual Event (Internal Audience)
• Webinar/Webcast
• Event Attendee Materials (Agenda, Invitation, etc.)
• Exhibit Booth/Display
• Other Event or Experience (In-Person or Virtual)

Internal/Employee Communications

Communications that are not directly sales-oriented and are targeted at company employees supporting the organization’s goals, initiatives, or special events. Entries can be any medium/format.

• Employee Communications Campaign (three or more components)*
• Employee Communications – Single Piece
• Other Employee Communication/Publication

Long-Form Written Publications

Entries can be for content intended for either internal and external audiences.

• Blog/Article Campaign – Series or Collection*
• Blog/Article – Single Piece
• Magazines (printed or digital)
• NEW! Long-Form Instructional Guide
• Other Long-Form Written Publication (eBook, research report, white paper)

Podcasts

Entries can be for content intended for either internal and external audiences. There is no limit to the length of the podcast.

• Podcast Campaign (three or more podcast episodes)*
• Podcast – Single Episode

Videos

Entries can be for content intended for either internal and external audiences. There is no limit to the length of the video.

• Video Campaign (three or more videos)*
• NEW! Community Relations/Philanthropic Video
• Promotional Video
• NEW! Brand Positioning Video
• Instructional/Training Video
• Streaming/Live Video
• NEW! Other Internal Video
• NEW! Other External Video

Social Media

Entries can be from any social platform and the published content can be any format.

• Social Media Campaign (series of posts for a single objective)*
• Social Media: Single Post/Piece of Content
• Overall Social Channel Presence (single channel)*

Websites, Portals, and Apps

• Customer or Agent Portal (The portal cannot be publically accessible, i.e., must only be accessible with login credentials.)
• External Website
• Internal Website (intranet)
• Mobile App

Miscellaneous Tactics

Entries can be any medium/format.

•  Best Redesign/Refresh (single item)
  a. Entries in this category should have a single component (e.g., one logo, one website, one brochure, etc.) that has been redesigned.
• Best Redesign/Refresh Campaign*
  a. Entries in this category have multiple components of a larger redesign/refresh effort (e.g., a brand refresh or marketing material overhaul).
• Contest/Gamification
• NEW! Promotional Item/Branded Merchandise
• Creative Development on a Shoestring Budget
  a. Entries in this category have a budget of less than $1,000.
• Most Out-of-the-Box Idea
• My project doesn’t fit under any of these categories
  a. Please note that prior to judging, entries in this category will be reviewed. If it is        determined that there is an existing category that is appropriate for the entry, it will be moved to that category. If it is considered to be a campaign entry, an additional $25 will be required to cover the campaign entry fee.

Campaigns by Amount Spent (three or more components)

The campaign must include three or more components. Consider all costs, external and internal, including print and media buy. Please include the cost breakdown in your entry.

• Total Campaign less than $5K*
• Total Campaign between $6K and $15K*
• Total Campaign between $16K and $30K*
• Total Campaign between $31K and $50K*
• Total Campaign between $51K and $100K*
• Total Campaign more than $100K*

IMCA SHOWCASE AWARDS ENTRY FEES

Single (Non-Campaign) Entries
$225 (members)
$350 (non-members)

Campaign Entries
These categories have “campaign” in their title and are denoted with an * on the category list.
$250 (members)
$375 (non-members)

TIMELINE

Program Timeline