By the time an Effie entry has reached the winners' circle, it has survived at least two rounds of evaluation from a jury of senior industry executives, focused on identifying the industry's most effective work.

The judging procedure is conducted in two rounds to select the most effective cases of the year.

In each round, a jury of senior industry professionals, from a variety of marketing disciplines, evaluate entries based on proof that commercial communication was key to the success of the campaign.

The Effie Awards South Africa will furthermore select one case to be judged as the Grand Effie or overall winner. The winner of this award is either the top-scoring case or is selected by a panel of judges from the top tier of gold-winning cases.

The awards say that the Grand Effie winner case not only demonstrates its capability to be effective but also displays a revolutionary breakthrough within the industry.

Criteria for qualification to judge
Round one agency representative judges are typically drawn from the senior / director level, while final round judges are drawn primarily from the C-suite.

On the client-side, senior management is invited to adjudicate round one, while final round judges are the top-level marketing executives within the company.

Following round two, the Grand Effie winner will be judged by a grand jury of senior industry professionals also drawn from the C-suite.

"Participating in the Effie Awards judging process provides immeasurable benefits to both agencies and clients in terms of deepening their understanding of what it takes to conceptualise and roll out an effective campaign," says Mathe Okaba, CEO of the ACA.

Okaba adds, "The Effie jury is tasked with the responsibility of maintaining the integrity of the industry's ability to deliver against business objectives, while also ensuring that the judging process is conducted according to the highest possible industry standards."

Key dates for the Effie Awards are as follows:
  • Application deadline — Wednesday, 25 May
  • Judges induction — Tuesday, 14 June
  • Round one — Wednesday, 10 August to Thursday, 11 August
  • Round two — Wednesday, 24 August to Thursday, 25 August
  • Grand Effie judging — Thursday, 29 September
Agency and client representatives interested in participating are encouraged to apply here.

For more information, visit www.effieawards.co.za or www.acasa.co.za. You can also follow the Effie Awards South Africa on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.