Advice & inspiration

The importance of multimedia competitions within our industry

Barb Palser, director of digital media at McGraw-Hill Broadcasting, wrote a reflective article in this month’s edition of “American Journalism Review” on her experience judging the 2008 SNDies multimedia competition at UNC in August.

Palser wrote, “In this contest alone, dozens of entries stood out for their design quality, user engagement, news value and appropriate choice of media for the information being conveyed.” I completely agree that we are seeing a high level of innovation in multimedia competitions across the board. So, why does this matter and how does it affect you?

Interestingly enough, her article comes on the heels of my last post about the innovation seen in NPPA’s January award recipients.

There is indeed a great amount of inspiration coming out of these competitions. And, being a judge is a truly rewarding experience to sift through amazing work and have in-depth conversations about the state of multimedia. For instance, 2008 SNDies judges engaged in deep conversation about MediaStorm’s style of multimedia storytelling. I can’t wait to hear what topics will come up this year …

Yes there is an amazing amount of inspiration and lessons to be learned from these competitions, but only if users keep submitting their work. I understand the economy is tough and it’s hard to convince your boss to pay the fees. I know days blur together and contest deadlines are easily missed. But we can’t let these excuses negatively affect entry numbers.

I truly believe multimedia competitions are the backbone of our industry. They inspire us to try harder, congratulate those who push the barrier, and engage us in friendly competition. Whether it is NPPA’s BOP, SNDies, ONA’s OJA, APME, or another great multimedia contest, please take the time to submit your work for consideration.

Also, if you enjoy the peer review aspect of contests, I would encourage you to take advantage of II’s new section “Multimedia Round Table.” Occasionally, I will highlight a multimedia presentation for us to discuss. This will help both you to more closely analyze multimedia presentations, and the producers to better understand his/her audience and their feedback. It’s a win-win for everyone so get involved!

Other posts that might interest you:

• Multiple competition deadlines looming … enter now!
• II’s picks for 2010 Webbys – Interactive Advertising
• II’s picks for 2010 Webbys – Websites

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