Judging for Africa and the Middle East’s premier brand communication awards, the Loeries, will take place from 13 to 17 July and finalists will be announced around 22 July. The Loerie Awards take place in Cape Town from 24 September to 27 September.
Over 130 judges, all leading experts in their fields will judge the work and international jury chairmen Jan Jacobs (Johannes Leonardo, New York), Jim Sutherland (Hat-trick Design, London) and Matt Shirtcliffe (Saatchi & Saatchi DGS, New Zealand) will head up the panels.
This year a notable change to the Loeries judging procedure is the addition of a period of discussion which will take place after the first round of judging. Previously, the two phase judging process had been completely silent.
Says Loerie Awards CEO Andrew Human: “The aim of the judging process is to seek out work and ideas that are exceptional, out of the ordinary. The role of the jury is to reward excellence and to inspire greater things. For the past number of years we have not allowed discussion to avoid bias. However, the industry has matured and with the increase in entries from countries outside South Africa, as well as the complexity of the categories, we feel that the introduction of discussion will benefit the selection process.”
Pete Case, a Digital Forum board member and Creative Director of Gloo Digital Design adds: “We hope that this new step will increase the effectiveness of the procedure and give a better understanding of context and environment for some of the entries. Judges will only be permitted to talk up a particular entry, in support of why they should be a finalist, thus preventing the possibility of negative influence.”
According to Rob McLennan, Creative Circle Chairman and Executive Creative Director of Network BBDO, the discussion is an important aspect of the Loeries’ commitment to fair and transparent judging process. “Our judges are some of the top creatives in the country, and represent both the larger, traditional agencies and the fresh talent from the smaller companies. It is this diversity which will further enhance our search for creative excellence in the entries we judge.”’
Commenting on the design category, Gaby de Abreu, SA Graphic Design Council (Think) board member and Creative Director of Switch Design says: “We reward fresh, brilliant ideas rather than simply beautiful design aesthetics. Historically, the Loeries has been rather controversial for its distinctively high standards, but what critics often fail to realise is that it is through these competitions that we can ensure that the brand communications industry continuously raises the bar. Additionally, it puts us in good stead internationally.”
All entries, in all categories, are judged according to five criteria: innovative concept, bringing new and fresh thinking; excellent execution; relevance to the brand; relevance to the target audience; and relevance to the chosen medium.
The entries are judged using the proprietary entry management solution developed by the Loeries and this year all scores will be recorded using Apple iPod Touch devices. “Our judging systems ensure a smooth process and by using the Apple devices we avoid error in the ballot counting process. In addition to this, the entire process is externally audited,” says Human. “Work that excels in the above criteria – work that is judged to be effective communication by the jury – represents Creative Excellence, and is rewarded with the highest accolade – a Loerie Award.”
The three judging panels expect an exceptionally high standard of entries this year. “The current marketing budget cuts due to the recent recession are, ironically, a fantastic catalyst for fresh work as agencies are forced to become more creative in their thinking. In addition, companies have to be more selective regarding which projects they choose to enter into The Loeries,” believes De Abreu.
The full judging panels are listed on the Loeries website (www.theloerieawards.co.za).
