Entry Kit

This award has been designed to reward creativity in branded content and entertainment, defined as: the creation of, or natural integration into, original content by a brand. The purpose of branded entertainment is to deliver marketing messages by engaging consumers via relevant content platforms rather than traditional advertising methods.  

Entrants will show how a brand has successfully worked independently or in association with a content producer or publisher to develop and create or co-create entertaining and engaging content for their audience. This could be either by creating original content or programming for a brand or by naturally integrating a brand into existing formats by partnering with a publisher or media partner.

Entries should demonstrate how consumer insights successfully integrated into original content to drive audience engagement and create synergy across paid, owned and earned media.

Successful work might leverage a single media channel, such as web video or broadcast, but may also use multiple platforms to deliver content to audiences across various channels, including: radio, magazine, books, gaming, music, video, mobile, social, community, blogs, experiential events, and more.

The jury may award Branded Content & Entertainment Gold, Silver, Bronze and a Grand Prix if appropriate to entries in this section.

The definition of Branded Content and Entertainment for the purpose of Eurobest is the creation of, or natural integration into, original content by a brand. The purpose of branded entertainment is to deliver marketing messages by engaging consumers via relevant content platforms rather than traditional advertising methods.

An entry or campaign may be submitted into more than one category - however it is essential that each entry is appropriate to the selected category, and focuses on the elements most relevant to that category.

A01. BEST FICTIONAL PROGRAM, SERIES OR FILM WHERE A CLIENT HAS SUCCESSFULLY CREATED A DRAMA, COMEDY OR MINISERIES AROUND A PRODUCT OR BRAND
Including TV, mini-series, webisodes, cinema, DVD releases and online

A02. BEST NON-FICTION PROGRAM, SERIES OR FILM WHERE A CLIENT HAS SUCCESSFULLY CREATED A REALITY, DOCUMENTARY OR LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT SHOW AROUND A PRODUCT(S) OR BRAND(S)
Including TV, mini-series, webisodes, cinema, DVD releases and online

A03. BEST BRAND OR PRODUCT INTEGRATION INTO A FEATURE FILM, EXISTING TV SHOW AND/OR SERIES
Including cinema, DVD releases and online

A04. BEST USE OF BRAND SPONSORSHIP INTEGRATION
(Brand alignment to a previously existing format)  

A05. BEST USE OR INTEGRATION OF USER-GENERATED CONTENT

A06. BEST USE OR INTEGRATION OF EXPERIENTIAL EVENTS
Creative positioning of a brand using events, festivals, flash mobs, installations etc.

A07. BEST USE OR INTEGRATION OF MUSIC
Including music in original branded content, brand integration into music distribution or promotion

A08. BEST USE OR INTEGRATION OF OFFLINE MEDIA SUCH AS PRINT, OUTDOOR ETC.

A09. BEST USE OR INTEGRATION OF GAMING AND/OR DIGITAL MEDIA
Including online games, PC & consoles, mobile, apps, branded social media, mobile applications etc.

A10. BEST INTEGRATED CONTENT CAMPAIGN
Entries will use more than one media in a campaign which is initiated, led or driven predominantly by branded content and entertainment

1. The Festival is open to all those involved in advertising and communication agencies, production companies, clients, etc. throughout the world.

2. Entries cannot be made without the prior permission of the client/owner of the rights of the media solution.

3. It is the responsibility of the entrant to ensure that the commissioning client has the rights to use the intellectual property of the brand advertised.

4. The Organisers may refuse entries which offend national or religious sentiments or public taste.

5. Any entry which, up to and including the final day of judging, has infringed any of its country of origin's voluntary or regulatory codes of practice, is not eligible. It is the responsibility of the entrant to inform the Festival Organisers should any infringement have arisen prior to the judging and Awards Ceremony.

6. All entries submitted must be designed for implementation and must have been implemented for the first time between 1 September 2011 and 31 October 2012. Entries will be accepted on the basis that they are designed to run in Europe or are created by European agencies/companies. Work can be entered by agencies outside Europe if it was created for and implemented in Europe. Likewise, work that has run outside Europe may be entered as long as it has been created by European agencies. Entries cannot be cancelled or removed from the Festival after the 31 October 2012. In the event that additional information regarding results and the outcome of the campaign becomes available after you have submitted your entry, the Festival organisers will accept updated and additional information relating to the results section only up to 31 October 2012.

7. Only one party may submit an entry, i.e. Agency or Production Company, to be agreed in advance between the parties concerned. In the event that the same entry is submitted by two different entrant companies, only the first entry will be accepted.

8. All entries must have been made within the context of a normal paying contract with a client, except in cases of self-promotion and charity/not for profit organisations and public services categories. That Client must have paid for all, or the majority of the costs of the case entered.

9. The Festival organisers may contact the client related to any entry at the request of the jury at any time during the voting process, should any questions about the implementation or presentation of the work arise.

10. The Organisers will endeavour to move entries to more appropriate categories if necessary. However, the Jury may not be allowed to move entries between categories during the judging.

11. All entry forms must be completed online at www.eurobest.com, including an entries payment page and entry form. Please note that entries completed online will not be considered a complete entry until all the relevant entry materials have been received, either online or in the Eurobest office.

12. An entry sent online will not be considered complete until the corresponding material arrives at the Festival office and payment has been received.

1. All entries must be submitted for judging exactly as published, aired or implemented and may not be modified for awards entry. However, entries that are not originally in English may be translated as long as the presentation is exactly the same as the original version.

2. The Festival reserves the right to request a full media schedule from each entrant company to verify the authenticity of the ad(s) in the event that entry is shortlisted or a winner.

3. In the event of a complaint against any winning or shortlisted entry, the Festival organisers will conduct a full investigation into each case and will request detailed documentation from all parties concerned including the complainant, the entrants and the client.

4. The Festival organisers will have no hesitation in withdrawing an award in cases where the complaint is upheld.

5. Entrants or companies who are proved to have deliberately and knowingly contravened any rules relating to eligibility may be barred from entering the awards for a period of time following the Festival as specified by the organisers.

6. For further information please refer to our official statement on ‘scam’ entries.

The Jury will meet in Lisbon in November to vote on the entries and select finalists and winners

The shortlist is decided by a first round of voting. A computerised voting system selects the highest marks given. Further voting establishes the ranking and is the basis of the Jury's discussion and awarding of Branded Content & Entertainment Gold, Silver, Bronze awards. The Grand Prix is selected from all the entries that have won a Branded Content & Entertainment Gold.

At all voting stages, a judge may not vote for any campaign to which he or she has contributed.

The decision of the Jury in all matters relating to the awarding of prizes will be final and binding.

The Eurobest prizes will be awarded by a Jury comprised of top International creatives.

The Awards given are as follows:

A Grand Prix must be awarded in Branded Content & Entertainment. Entries in the charities and public services categories and those with a charitable or public service message are excluded from winning the Branded Content & Entertainment Grand Prix.

The Juries will award Gold, Silver and Bronze in each category to entries judged to be deserving of this honour. All awards will be given to the entrant companies. Duplicate trophies can be purchased by other participating parties after the Festival.

Shortlisted entries will receive a certificate.

Special Awards:
The Network of the Year Award is given to the agency network that obtains the highest score for entries in the Film, Film Craft, Print, Outdoor, Print & Poster Craft, Radio, Media, Mobile, Direct, Promo and Activation, Design, PR, Integrated, and Branded Content & Entertainment sections. To form part of the network for consideration in the calculation, the company concerned must be wholly or majority owned by the network or be associated with a network group through naming and/or branding.

For more information on Special Awards and their calculation please click here

All entries and payment must be received in the Eurobest office or through our website www.eurobest.com, no later than this date.

1. Only one party may submit an entry and this is to be agreed in advance between the parties concerned. In the event the same entry issubmitted by two different entrants, only the first entry received will be accepted.

2. All entries must relate to one single campaign. Entries relating to more than one campaign (even if promoting the same product) must be entered separately.

3. All entry forms should be completed online at www.eurobest.com. Please note that entries completed online will not be considered a complete entry until all the relevant entry materials have been received, either online or in the Eurobest office.

Within the entry form you will be required to answer the following questions:

• Describe the current situation around Branded Content & Entertainment in your country, or the region where this campaign appeared. Include any restrictions or regulations imposed by TV stations, broadcasting companies, government or other regulating body. (200 words)
• Describe how the audience were drawn to the content, giving examples where possible. (100 words)
• Summary of the Campaign: Give an overview of the whole campaign or project from start to finish, in order of implementation. Describe the challenge, the objectives, the strategy and the execution. (300 words)
• Outcome: Give some idea of how successful this campaign/entry was both for the client and with the consumer or target audience. The more quantifiable statistical information you can give the better. (200 words)

Please ensure you do not refer to the name of your company or any contributing companies, or people within this submission.

Please carefully check and re-check the credits you have entered. If you are shortlisted or a winner, these credits will be published on our website exactly as you have typed them here. Any amendments or additions to credits made after 31 October 2012 will incur costs.

1. COMPULSORY MATERIALS

CASE FILM:
For all entries, you MUST prepare a Case Film of your campaign. Along with the written submission, this presentation will be used for Jury deliberations and will also be shown at the Festival, to give delegates the opportunity to study, appreciate and learn from the entries.

No agency branding or any contributing creative companies/people must be visible on the case film (e.g. Logos credits etc.)

Please supply 2 versions of your presentation, as follows:

1) LONG version: 2-3 minutes long
This explanatory clip will be viewed by the Jury during voting and deliberations and could be used if your entry is a winner in post-Festival promotions. It will also be shown at the Festival, to give delegates the opportunity to study, appreciate and learn from the entries. This presentation should contain some key visuals - video, still images or any other appropriate footage to best explain the campaign with a simple, clear commentary in English summarising the written part of your entry (see Entry Form). Our experience shows that juries find this the easiest way to understand and judge entries. We recommend that you keep your presentation concise and to the point.

2) SHORT version: 30-45 seconds
Additionally, you must supply a shortened/edited version of 30-45 seconds which would be shown at the awards ceremony in the event that the entry is a winner. This should again contain some key visuals and a simple clear commentary in English summarising the written part of the campaign.

Please indicate when you send your submissions if there are reasons, such as music licensing, that mean your presentations cannot be shown after the Festival.

MPG2 File Encoding Standards
For submission to Eurobest 2012 please encode a high quality video as an MPG2 Program Stream. The resulting MPG2 file should have Audio and Video as one file, encoded as Pal 25fps, Frame Size 720 x 576. The Data Rate must not exceed more than 8 megabyte/s.

You should upload your Case Film as an .mpg2 or .mov file when you submit your entry using the online upload facility. Please note the maximum file size is 240MB.

Please indicate when you send your submission if there are reasons, such as music licensing, that mean your Case Film cannot be shown publically after the Festival.

DO NOT send your Case Film on a URL.

For further assistance and guidance on preparing your case film, please contact branded@eurobest.com

2. SUPPORTING MATERIALS

You may also supply relevant support material, depending on the campaign you are submitting. I.e. any supporting content – e.g. the TV series, film, magazine, radio show, music video etc.

Judges will not be forced to watch or read ALL supporting content but entrants should be assured that they will view a reasonable amount in order to judge the work.

All supporting materials should be supplied in the following formats and uploaded to our website:

• All JPEGS must be 300 dpi, RGB with the longest side measuring approximately 420mm.
• All video material should be submitted as Mpeg2.
• All audio files should be submitted as MP3 files.
• All websites or online materials must be submitted via a URL, even if only posted temporarily for the purpose of the judging.

All judging materials will be shown to the jury in digital format.

Please make sure that any material provided can be easily understood and shown to the jury. Entries which are not in English should be translated or accompanied by a full translation. It will be in your own interests to explain or translate any specific word play or local social, cultural or political references and nuances.

Please submit all video content as it aired. However, you should ensure that all agency/production company names, logos and 'people' credits have been removed. Reference to the client name (even if they are the entrant or contributed to the work) is of course, acceptable.

If you submit a URL to a landing page containing content, please make sure it is unbranded and that the files are edited as above.

All content needs to be presented for judging anonymously.

The entry fee of €399.00 is applicable on EACH Branded Content & Entertainment entry.
There is a registration fee of €249 to be paid once.
For UK participants only, VAT (at 20%) must be added.
All EU member countries MUST supply their VAT registration number.

Preferred method of payment is by Bank Transfer. This incurs a €10 charge, bank details as follows;  

BANK TRANSFER to:
Account Name: Eurobest Awards  
Account Number: 550/00/42043034
Sort Code: 60-00-01
IBAN: GB29NWBK60721442043034
BIC/Swift: NWBKGB2L
Nat West Bank plc, City of London Office
PO Box 12258, 1 Princes Street
London EC2R 8PA.  

If you choose to pay by CREDIT CARD there will be a handling charge:
AMEX 2.5% of the transaction
Others: 1.5% of the transaction

Cheques are NOT accepted.

If you pay by bank transfer, please email a copy of your bank transfer confirmation to payments@eurobest.com, or fax to +44 (0)207 728 4030.

It is imperative that you cover ALL Bank charges; otherwise your entries may be refused. Please ensure that payment is made in EUROS and arrives at our bank in EUROS.

Participants who pay by bank transfer will receive a proforma invoice (invoice to pay) as part of an email confirmation containing a full set of completed entry forms.

• There will be no refunds for withdrawals by entrants after the official entries deadline of September 21st 2012, regardless of any extension.
• Entrant requests for withdrawals of entries AFTER September 21st 2012 will not be eligible for a refund or credit for towards future Eurobest festivals, but are entitled to submit a replacement entry (up to the closing date of submissions).
• In addition to the above, if the festival notifies you at any point that your entry is not eligible and has been withdrawn from judging, you will be entitled to the following (if the entry has been paid for):
  
  Entitled to submit a replacement entry (up to the closing date of submissions)
  Be issued a refund
  Use the credit towards future Eurobest festivals
  
  
• If an entry is submitted in replacement of a cancelled entry that has already been paid for, the funds will be transferred whenever possible.
• All invoicing will be conducted post festival, at which time credit notes will be issued for any entries eligible for refunds/credit for future festivals.
• Refunds can only be requested after a credit note has been issued. This credit note entitles you to a refund, or use of the funds towards future Eurobest festivals.
• To request a refund you must send the following to the Eurobest finance team at payments@eurobest.com
  1. A copy of this credit note
  2. Proof of the original payment (for the sale(s) referenced on the credit note) e.g. Bank Transfer confirmation or Credit Card confirmation
  3. Your bank details issued on company headed paper (if eligible to be refunded via this means) and should detail the following:
  Account Name
  Account Number
  Bank Name
  Bank Address
  Sort Code (if applicable)
  BIC/SWIFT (if applicable)
  IBAN
  
  
• We cannot proceed with the refund without all the above items.
• If using this credit for future Eurobest festivals, please provide a copy of this credit note, along with your future festival submission details (i.e. EI/100) to payments@eurobest.com. The credit will be offset against any future balance outstanding for payment.
• Refunds or credit for a future festival are only allowed to the company as specified on the credit note.  It cannot be transferred to another company.

The following instructions must be strictly adhered to:

Your entries package(s) will be scanned and tracked on arrival at the festival office. In order for us to ensure your parcel can be easily traced, it is ESSENTIAL that all entrants use the barcoded label supplied with the last page of their online entry forms when sending entry materials to the Eurobest festival office. Please use photocopies if necessary.

The Festival Organisers cannot accept any responsibility for entries lost in transit, held up in Customs or refused at the Festival Office because of shipping costs. Please fully cover all courier and mailing costs in advance, up to and including arrival at the Festival Office.

ENTRY DEADLINE: 21 September 2012

Please include all the following items when sending your entries to Eurobest:

• Branded Content & Entertainment Entries Payment and Entry Forms
• Relevant supporting Materials
• Copy of bank transfer confirmation if applicable

Should be sent by courier or registered mail to:

EUROBEST AWARDS
Greater London House,
Hampstead Road,
London, NW1 7EJ,
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 20 7728 4040
Fax: +44 20 7728 4030

It is in your interest to confirm safe delivery of your entry. However, the Festival office can only confirm delivery of parcels bearing the official barcoded Festival package labels which are included in your confirmation email. Please note the Festival's new address above.
A Customs Invoice should be included in this consignment which should be clearly marked:
"FESTIVAL MATERIAL - NO COMMERCIAL VALUE".

If your courier requires a value to be indicated, this should be purely nominal - for example: 1.00 Euro per video or 50c per support material.
It is the competitor's responsibility to ensure and confirm safe delivery of his/her shipment at the Eurobest office and to cover fully ALL courier, mailing and insurance costs and any import duties in advance, up to and including arrival at the Eurobest office.

The Eurobest Organisers cannot accept responsibility for presentation of entries which arrive after 21 September 2012.

Any material submitted in the course of entering the awards becomes the property of the Organisers and cannot be returned.

Entrants may be required to supply additional material of any shortlisted or winning work for any promotional publication and exhibitions held after the Festival.

In order to promote the Festival, each entrant authorises the Festival Organisers to screen or publish his ads with or without charge at public or private presentations, wherever and as often as the Organisers think fit. The Festival Organisers retain the right to transfer videotape to film or encode digitally.

In addition, each entrant undertakes to allow the lending or selling by the Festival Organisers of the entries to any interested public or private organisation with a view to promoting the International Advertising Festival either directly or indirectly.

Any entry may be compiled by the Festival Organisers into a collection of entries. Such a collection may not, nor may any extracts of it, be copied, marketed or sold by any organisation other than the Festival Organisation or any organisation authorised to do so by the Festival Organisation. Each entrant agrees to assist the Festival Organisers in supporting any legal action that may be taken to prevent a breach of this condition and to supply information to the Organisers immediately should they become aware that an unauthorised collection or compilation is available for sale or distribution.

Each entrant agrees to hold the Festival Organisers harmless of any claims that may be made against them by reason of any such screenings or publishing. Winners have the right to use any award given to them for promotional purposes on condition that this is correctly described.

All entrants must accept that their entries may be used in our archive

Each entrant confirms to the Organisers that they have the legal right to enter the Festival on the terms of these Entry Rules. Each entrant indemnifies the Organisers against all liability to any other person, firm or company and all loss arising from a breach by the entrant of any of these rules.

Each entrant accepts full responsibility for the quality of entries and discharges the Festival Organisers from any responsibility in respect of third parties.

All entrants will strictly observe the Entry Rules. Completion and signature/sending of the Entries Payment Form will imply full acceptance by each entrant of the Festival Rules. Non-compliance with any of the Entry Rules will result in automatic disqualification of the entry.

The decisions of the Festival Organisers in all matters relating to the Eurobest Festival shall be final and binding.