The 2015 IAB South Africa Bookmarks Awards are on track. Entries have officially opened for the awards that celebrate and support Africa’s digital marketing and media industry. The 2015 awards are now opening the Bookmarks Awards, now in their seventh year, to the continent as a whole, inviting agencies, publishers and students to submit their entries to the industry’s most prestigious awards.
And, for the first time, the Bookmarks Awards ceremony will be preceded by the IAB’s inaugural Digital Summit. Both events will be held on 19 February 2015 at the Turbine Hall in Newtown Precinct, Johannesburg.
“The 2015 IAB Digital Summit and Bookmarks Awards are about advancing the pace of digital marketing and recognising excellence, innovation and measurable impact. Digital is at the forefront of Africa’s growth and the Bookmarks will begin this new chapter in Jozi the heart of gold, the pulse of digital and South Africa’s economic hub,” says Josephine Buys, CEO of IAB South Africa
As the use of digital technologies continues to expand, so the continent’s industry is maturing, innovating and benchmarking itself against international standards. The Bookmarks, which is a well-established fixture on the South African advertising and publishing awards calendar, identifies and recognises excellence in digital creative work and execution that delivers measurable results.
The first IAB Digital Summit will feature top local and international speakers, as well as interactive breakaway sessions where delegates can engage, network and connect with some of the most inspired and inspiring practitioners in the global digital industry. This will be followed by the Bookmarks Awards ceremony hosted by celebrated comedienne and talk show host Anne Hirsch.
The IAB Bookmarks awards will be honouring winners in four major categories with 31 sub- categories which have been updated and amended in accordance with the latest industry trends and innovations that have emerged over the past year. In aligning with global standards these new categories recognise that the digital and advertising industry contribute professionalism; solution led development and measurable results.
New category additions include: Core awards – Native Advertising; IAB Ad format; Best Publisher Trade Marketing (Campaign); Use of User Generated Content; Data Inspired Creative Mobile; Integrated Mobile campaign and Rich Media Advertising for Mobile Devices.
Craft awards – Copywriting; Best Newswire and Research and Insights Projects
Individual and team awards – Best Blogger; Best Community Manager/ Social Media Marketer; Best Creative/Designer/Copywriter/Content Writer; Best Digital/ Media Strategist; Best Ad Ops Team and Best Journalist
Special Honours awards – Marketer of the Year (individual) and Marketing Organisation of the Year
Award entries are open to anyone in Africa and can be submitted online from 7 October to the 21 November 2014 at https://iabsa.net/summit/bookmarks. After a rigorous judging process by a host of top local and international judges, the short-listed finalists will be announced early in February 2015.
Entry costs for the Core and Special Honours categories are R950 per submission for IAB Members and R1150 for non-members, while the Craft awards are R750 for IAB members and R950 for non-members. Entries to the Individual and team awards are free.
For more information on how to enter, visit here.
IMAGE: Josephine Buys
