WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE YOU ENTER

The 2012 Bell Ringer competition is open!

The Publicity Club is proud that the Bell Ringer Awards entries are completely electronic allowing you to save money and the earth. Below is information about the awards program, as well as instructions for uploading your electronic entry. If you have questions about the entry process, please contact Susan Vaillancourt at susan@pubclub.org or (603) 718-8675.

Please create and submit your online entries here. 

Deadlines

All entries must be finalized online no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, March 16, 2012. Late entries may be submitted until 5 p.m. on Friday, March 23, 2012.

Please note that a $100 late fee will apply to every entry received after 5 p.m. on Friday, March 16, 2012. The competition will close and no late entries will be accepted after 5 p.m. on Friday, March 23, 2012.

Entry Fees

Entry fees are as follows:

Single Item/Member: $100
Single Item/Non Member: $130
Single Item/Student: $45

Campaign/Member: $140
Campaign/Non Member: $180
Campaign/Student: $65

Each entry must be accompanied by the entry fee in the form of a check or money order payable to The Publicity Club of New England. You can also submit payment via credit card online. If you are submitting multiple entries and paying by check, please include one check for the full amount and mail your check with a report of all your entries to the Pub Club's mailing address below. Checks must arrive one week prior to the deadline or your entry will be voided.

Publicity Club of New England
131 DW Highway, #521
Nashua, NH 03060

Online Entry Process

Please follow the instructions for your online entry carefully. Failure to do so may result in disqualification. For step-by-step instructions visit the Online Entry Process page. 

Corporate Member Discounts

Corporate members are eligible for volume discounts. Please email susan@pubclub.org to determine your discount if you have 15 or more entries. Discounts may only be applied BEFORE the entry deadline.

Member vs. Non-Member Rates

Corporate members pay the member rate for all entries. All entries not submitted by a corporate member organization must be submitted by an individual member to pay the member rate. The individual member's name must be the contact for the entry.

Eligibility

The Bell Ringer Awards are open to:

• All public relations and communications professionals in the New England region
• Full-time undergraduate and graduate students at a New England college or university
• Professionals outside of this geographic area who handle communications assignments for entities within New England

Applications for individual entries and campaigns must be submitted by the agency/company that performed the work, regardless of current status of individual team members or client/agency relationships. For example, if an individual worked on a project during the eligibility period but no longer works with the agency and/or company, the individual cannot submit for the Bell Ringer. However, the agency and/or company can.

Eligibility Period

Entries must represent work completed between January 1, 2011 through March 16, 2012.

Judging

The judges for the Bell Ringer Awards are distinguished members of the PR, marketing/communications, and media communities. Judges evaluate entries according to the planning, execution, and accomplishment of marketing and communication objectives, placing a high value on creativity and demonstrated results. To protect the integrity of the awards program, no judge reviews any category in which he/she or his/her agency or company has entered.

Categories

Award categories are broken down into single item and campaign categories. Please note that a campaign may be entered in only one campaign category. However, any or all campaign elements may be submitted in appropriate single-item categories.

Disqualification

Entries failing to follow the guidelines and requirements outlined in the Call for Entries will be disqualified. Disqualified entrants will not receive notification or refunds.

Duplicates

Should two parties submit duplicate materials, whether in the same or different categories, only one entry will be accepted. Both parties will be notified and must respond within 24 hours as to which entry will stand. If no consensus is reached, both entries will be disqualified. While no content changes will be allowed, additional names may be added to the entry form to recognize the work of the other party.

Recognition

Only six individuals listed in the credits section of the entry form will be formally recognized with certificates. Please check list for accuracy. It is the entrant's responsibility to ensure that the correct contributors receive credit and that their names and titles are correct.

If you would like additional certificates, they will be available for purchase following the awards ceremony. If you submit a list with more than six names, you will be billed before receiving the additional certificates.

AWARD CEREMONY

Awards will be presented at the 2012 Bell Ringer Awards Ceremony on June 4, 2012 in both professional and student divisions. The Super Bell Award will be given to the outstanding campaign entry deemed "Best of Show" by a consensus of the judges. The highest scoring Bell Ringer Campaign/Student Bell Ringer Campaign Award winners are automatically entered into the Super Bell Award competition.

At the awards ceremony, all winning entrants will receive an engraved plaque along with certificates for up to six individuals whose names appear on the entry form. Judges also present Merit Awards to any additional outstanding entries. If you would like to receive more than the allotted six originals, additional certificates will be available for purchase following the awards ceremony.

At the awards ceremony, The Publicity Club will recognize recipients of the William M. Cavanaugh Student Grant, the Young Professional Award, and the John J. Molloy Crystal Bell (experienced veteran award).

Entry Narratives

This document provides all the details about your award entry, from research and planning to idea inception to activities and results. View the Entry Narrative page for more detail on what your narrative should include.

Supporting Materials

Campaign entries must include a minimum of three and a maximum of six supporting materials. All news clips submitted in support of a campaign count as one item, regardless of quantity. DO NOT include duplicates of the same coverage. For example, Associated Press stories that run in multiple outlets should be submitted once accompanied by a list of actual placements. Single-item entries do not have a minimum requirement for supporting items, however, the maximum remains at six.

For print materials, we recommend scanning to upload the materials as PDFs or JPGs. If you do not have a scanner, copy centers such as Staples and Kinkos can do this for a nominal fee. Please contact the Pub Club at susan@pubclub.org with any questions.

Logos

When submitting your entry online you will be asked to upload your company's logo. Logos should be high resolution (minimum of 300 dpi) JPEG files. Do not upload client logos. 

Contact Information

If you have any questions about your entry, please contact: The Publicity Club Executive Director:

Susan Vaillancourt
The Publicity Club of New England 
Phone: (603) 718-8675
susan@pubclub.org