Entry Narratives

The 2010 Bell Ringer competition is now closed.

PLEASE NOTE CHANGES IN THE ENTRY NARRATIVE PROCESS!

Entry Narrative Guidelines

• Single item division narratives must not exceed TWO pages.
• Campaign division narratives must not exceed THREE pages.
  
  
• Entrants must complete each of the following four sections in an 8 1/2 " x 11" document.
• Margins should be no less than 1" and typeface must be no less than 10 point.
• Times New Roman or Arial fonts are recommended. Elaborate fonts that make reading difficult will cause point loss or possibly disqualification.
• Be concise, using short sentences and bullets whenever possible.
• A budget line is recommended but not mandatory. If budget played a significant role, we strongly advise to include it.
• The narrative must be submitted as a PDF online.
• Excessive typos and general sloppiness may eliminate your entry from consideration.
• Important note: Entries that do not include narratives will immediately be disqualified without notice.

1. Situation Analysis

Describe the factors in the marketplace or organization that created the need for this project. Explain the problem(s) and opportunity(ies) pertaining to this project. Be sure to avoid industry jargon and explain the project in language the judges (who do not necessarily work in your industry) will understand.

2. Statement of Objectives

Provide a specific, detailed explanation of the objectives that guided the development of the project.

3. Program Planning and Strategy

Discuss the techniques, methods, and approaches you used to achieve your objectives and solve the problem. Single-item entries should include enough explanation of strategic and tactical considerations so that the context from which the piece evolved is clear.

4. Results Documentation

Provide both quantitative and qualitative documentation of the success of the project, such as inquiries or sales generated, press clippings, or positive feedback from management or client contacts that demonstrate that you met objectives. The results documentation must contain factual information, not impressions and should confirm achievement of the set goals. All supporting materials should be attached and should not be included in your entry narrative.

50 Word Summary: REQUIRED FOR CAMPAIGN ENTRIES ONLY

In the online entry form, provide a 50-word summary of your submission both online and with the physical entry, as this will be used by presenters in the event your entry wins. This is required to submit with the online entry. There will be a space to enter your summary. You do not need to include it with your narrative.

Scoring

The entry narrative will be the basis for scoring entries. Total maximum points for any entry is 100.

Point breakdown is as follows:

Situation Analysis: up to 20 pts
Statement of Objectives: up to 20 pts
Program Planning and Strategy: up to 20 pts
Results Documentation: up to 30 pts
Quality of Entry (i.e. following instructions, detailed, lack of errors, etc.): up to 10 pts

All winning entries will remain confidential until the night of the awards ceremony. Please note, judges are eligible to enter the competition but are not allowed to judge those categories that they or their companies have entered.

The online entry form page will be available soon.