Entry FAQ

The DMA Awards is where your work comes to prove itself; where you put it all to the test.

The Awards Team have put together their answers to a series of frequently asked questions about entering the awards.

If you have any questions not answered in this article, please get in touch with the Awards Team, who are on hand to help, at awardentries@dma.org.uk.

1. Do you have to be a DMA Member to enter the Awards?

No. The DMAs are open to both Members and Non members, however, DMA Members receive a 10% discount on entries. Email our commercial team to find out more about becoming a member and receive this discount.

Early bird deadline closes – Friday 26 July

• DMA Member - £315 (+VAT)
• Non-member - £350 (+VAT)

Entries close – Friday 13 September

• DMA Member - £360 (+VAT)
• Non-member - £400 (+VAT)

Late entry deadline – Friday 20 September

• DMA Member - £405 (+VAT)
• Non-member - £500 (+VAT)

Remember: the cost listed here is per category entered, not per campaign.

2. Are there any discounts on entry fees available?

Yes. The DMA is offering a £50 price reduction off the cost of each entry for first time entrants. This will apply regardless of membership and throughout the early bird, standard, and late submission stages.

3. Are the DMAs only open to agencies?

No. In 2023, 35% of our entries came from brands entering directly. We also received entries submitted directly by marketing services providers too. As long as your work meets the criteria for the category(s), you can enter it.

4. Are the winners always big agencies?

No. DMA Gold Awards have gone to agencies and brands of different sizes. You can see our list of winners and their case studies here. In 2023 our Grand Prix winner was a small independent agency, The Creative Consultancy.

5. Do you have to be a London agency or brand to win?

Again, no. The DMAs have seen many regional entrants be shortlisted and win. For example, Armadillo and Join the Dots, both agencies from the West, Zeal Creative an agency from the North, and CHAS, a charity from Scotland, have all won in recent years.

All entries are judged anonymously, so the names of agencies can’t be seen. This is to avoid bias during the judging process.

6. Do you have to submit a video as part of your entry?

Videos are not mandatory, and not including one as part of your entry will not put your submission at a disadvantage. Judges read each entry in full AND review all supporting material before scoring each entry.

If you decide to add a video, each entry can be supported by one case study video. However, this video is not viewed by our judges until the second round of judging. This ensures a more level playing field for those not able to produce case study videos. In addition, you can upload a maximum of two video or audio files to support your entry. These must be campaign assets that ran as part of the live promotion.

7. Do you need to have your entry professionally written to stand a chance of winning?

A well written entry is important to showcase your work and give it the best chance of winning, but there are plenty of free resources available to guide you. The DMA run free webinars and workshops to help entrants and offers them tips on how to make their entry the best it can be. Our Awards team are always on hand to support you. You can contact them at awardentries@dma.org.uk.

8. Do you have to attend the Awards Night if you’re shortlisted?

Attending the DMA Awards Night is not compulsory if you’re shortlisted. The DMA team works with their suppliers to ensure that the ticket cost includes all entertainment, food, and drinks on the night, so there are no hidden costs. We also benchmark our pricing each year to make sure we’re as inclusive as possible. Plus, you can attend our Shortlist Announcement Party for free by booking here.

9. I’m signed up to be a Judge this year. Can my agency or brand still enter?

Yes! We have a process in place to allow Judges to declare an interest, so work isn’t judged by those affiliated with the campaign. Our bespoke platform works out an average based on the other Judges’ scores, so the work won’t be put at a disadvantage.

10. How does the DMA protect the confidentiality of information contained in entries?

The DMA pride themselves on their confidentiality. A few processes we have in place are:

• All Judges and staff sign an NDA before judging commences
• The entry form has a section entitled ‘for Judges’ eyes only’ for confidential information, which will never be used in the public domain or outside the judging room
• The client receives a copy of the submission before finalisation, ensuring everyone is happy with what is disclosed

The Awards team will happily have a discussion with you or your client to help put your mind at ease. For further guidance on how to get client sign-off, please contact awardentries@dma.org.uk.

11. If we’ve entered before and not been shortlisted, is it worth us entering this time?

Absolutely. Some entrants win the first time, but the DMAs are ‘rewardingly hard to win,’ so please persevere.

The Awards team are always on hand to answer any or as many questions as you like, please contact them for advice about entering the DMA Awards - awardentries@dma.org.uk

Charlotte Quirk	Sian Pudney
Head of Events and Awards	Events and Awards Manager
Tel: 0207 291 3362	Tel: 020 7291 3353
Email: charlotte.quirk@dma.org.uk	Email: sian.pudney@dma.org.uk