What's different about this years awards?

Entry forms have been streamlined, deadlines toughened up, and there’s some new categories like Best Regional Magazine.  We’ve summarized the changes below 

Entries open April 15, but if you want to avoid the agony of last-minute entries, now’s the time to start gathering information (your entry should cover the period April 2019 to March 2020).     

Make sure you book yourself in for our Award entry workshop on April 23 too (details below). 

New & Improved

• Entry forms have been streamlined and criteria, word counts, and weightings have been altered. In many of the forms, the number of questions has been reduced, and the information we ask for is less prescriptive. Judges still want concrete examples and hard data, but we want you to be able to tell us your success story in your own words. Go to mpa.org.nz for the full categories and entry criteria.
• We’re getting tougher on deadlines. In past years we’ve often extended deadlines by a few days in response to calls from desperate entrants. This year we’ll be sticking to the deadline date. If you really can't meet that date, you can pay a late fee of an extra $40 per entry and get an extra 48 hours. No entries will be accepted after the late deadline.
• More publicity. The awards showcase the best and brightest in the magazine world – and we want to share their stories with the wider industry. If you’re a finalist or winner, we might ask you to make a video or attend an advertiser event.
• New awards: For the first time this year, we’ll have a Best Regional Magazine category to recognise magazines that give a voice to local communities. We’re also introducing a Best Headline award, because there’s really nothing better than a super-smart headline – we’ve made this free to enter (if other categories entered in 2020), so we’re hoping to see a whole host of clever entries. Visit mpa.org.nz for full categories.
• Most important is a new Supreme Award, for the Magazine Advertiser of the Year. This recognises an advertiser who, over award year, has made the best use of magazines: getting great results across multiple titles and platforms.
• Our Lifetime Achievement Award has always honoured the contribution of long-serving magazine people: this year we’re adding the Magazine Person of the Year award, which can recognise an individual who’s made a stand-out impact in award year. Both awards are at the discretion of the MPA Board and will only be given when there is a truly deserving candidate.