Entries are flooding in for the 2013 AVA Digital Awards. And, for the past two weeks, judges have been reviewing entries on a daily basis. We will soon begin posting comments and uploading some of their favorite websites, videos and social media entries.

Someone is always available during regular hours to answer your questions via email or telephone, so don’t hesitate to contact us.  Info@avaawards.com    817-276-9829

Here is a question that we had from a Copenhagen video production company that might be useful to other entrants.

I’m not completely sure, whether our new production will fit into any of your categories, as I do not know how much you’ll focus on the digital part.  We just did a Corporate Image film, but it is not digitally innovative as such. Could you provide me with some information about your judging criteria, I’m thinking the category 177. Corporate Image (Video Production) might do.

Almost half of our entries are basically videos. Judges look at many factors in judging an entry. All projects are different, so it is difficult to make every one fit the same scoring model. There are the usual observations such as use of visuals and graphics and creative quality of writing and design; narration and pace in the case of video; functionality in websites etc. Many projects are so interesting and well done that the judges know quickly that they are Platinum quality. However, most digital professionals are not blessed with unlimited time and budgets to produce compelling websites and videos for projects like protecting endangered species in Africa.  Instead, most of us are working under time and money constraints to explain health plans, introduce products or services or provide company overviews. The challenge is to take subject matter that is often information packed and make it visual and interesting.

For these technical, information driven projects, the judges ask themselves:

1. If I had the subject matter and apparent budget, what could I have done?
2. How creative was the team in presenting visuals?
3. Did they take an original approach?
4. Were they able to tell a story without being overly technical, but still highly informative.

Part of the reason that digital has added so much to the production industry is that it gives us many new tools to work with. Digital and the web have blurred the lines of separation between video and print. Animation and moving graphics are only limited by someone’s imagination. This creative element adds interest and enhances the understanding of visual presentations.

To answer the original question on eligibility, any creative with visuals that move or that the user can choose to move, is eligible to be entered in the AVA Digital Awards.