MCV Awards 2015: Your guide on how to enter and get involved

The MCV Awards return on Thursday, April 16th. But the journey towards a prize starts with making your achievements known to us.

Here, we detail the criteria for each accolade and explain how you can get involved. And read carefully – we’ve changed a number of categories, how they are judged and what materials you need to submit

THE AWARDS

Games Retailer

Independent Retailer

New Games Brand

Peripherals and Accessories Brand

Buying Team

Marketing Team

Digital Marketing Team

Trade Marketing Team

PR Team

Agency Team

Community Team

Distribution Team

Sales Team

Indie Games Label

Game Campaign

Games Publisher

SPECIAL AWARDS

Store Manager of the Year

Unsung Hero

Person of the Year

KEY DATES

Lobbying is open NOW

Friday, January 16th: Lobbying closes

Friday, January 23rd: Finalists announced in MCV

Thursday, April 16th: MCV Awards 2014 night

HOW ARE THE AWARDS JUDGED?

For the 16 main awards we will be assembling specific panels with specialism/interest in key fields – retail, marketing, publishing, development and so on – to judge groups of awards either via email or face-to-face (schedules depending).

All judges will be invited to read the supplied lobbying/entry documents, so please mark up if any confidential information MUST NOT be passed on.

Store Manager of the Year will require nominees to attend an interview in central London.

Unsung Hero and Person of the Year are selected by MCV after soundings from the games industry.

GAMES RETAILER

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Any retailer – mainstream or specialist, digital, online or physical, or a combination thereof – which champions video games and prominently features them in its product range.

JUDGING CRITERIA

• Customer service
• Product knowledge
• Range and merchandising design and layout
• Commitment to street dates
• Games-specific marketing and promotional activity
• Vision & strategy

HOW DO I ENTER?

You can enter by emailing MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com with ‘Games Retailer: [YOUR NAME]’ in the subject. We require information on how your brand excelled in the listed criteria in the last year. Please provide any relevant commentary, timeline, images/assets, and/or stats and figures you feel necessary to support this nomination.

HOW DO I MAKE A RECOMMENDATION?

We will also take on board any lobbying or recommendations you want to make for a partner, competitor – or someone you just admire. Email your suggestion to MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com. Make sure the subject says ‘Games Retailer’.

DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH

INDEPENDENT RETAILER

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Any independent retailer – mainstream or specialist, digital, online or physical, or a combination thereof – which sells games and prominently features them in its product range.

JUDGING CRITERIA

• Customer service
• Product knowledge
• Range and merchandising design and layout
• Commitment to street dates
• Games-specific marketing and promotional activity
• Vision & strategy

HOW DO I ENTER?

You can enter your store by emailing MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com with ‘Independent Retailer: [YOUR NAME]’ in the subject. We require information on how your brand excelled in the listed criteria in the last year. Please provide any commentary, timeline, relevant images/assets, and/or stats and figures you feel necessary to support this nomination.

HOW DO I MAKE A RECOMMENDATION?

We will also take on board any lobbying or recommendations you want to make for a partner, competitor – or someone you just admire. Email your suggestion to MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com. Make sure the subject says ‘Independent Retailer’.

DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH

NEW GAMES BRAND

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

A new game brand introduced over the past 12 months that has made a significant impact at consumer level within the UK marketplace – regardless of whether the game is a physical release, digital release, hardware brand, or even company brand.

JUDGING CRITERIA

• Originality, innovation and creativity
• Sales success
• Long term potential
• Marketing support and impact

HOW DO I ENTER?

You can enter your new games brand by emailing MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com with ‘New Games Brand: [NAME]’ in the subject. We require information on how your brand excelled in the listed criteria. We recommend some commentary plus a timeline of brand milestones from the last year. Feel free to supply any relevant images/assets, and/or stats and figures that support this nomination.

HOW DO I MAKE A RECOMMENDATION?

We will also take on board any lobbying or recommendations you want to make for a partner, competitor – or someone you just admire. Email your suggestion to MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com. Make sure the subject says ‘New Games Brand’.

DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH

BUYING TEAM – NEW AWARD

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

This new award is for any team that manages buying and procurement for retail operations in the UK serving video games – be that for physical games or digital games across any format.

JUDGING CRITERIA

• Product knowledge and industry commitment
• Range and versatility
• Commercial strategy
• Reputation

HOW DO I ENTER?

You can enter your buying team by emailing MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com with ‘Buying Team: [NAME]’ in the subject. For team awards we require:

• Three case studies that detail how effective your team has been in the last year
• Assets of campaigns/creatives you think are relevant to the above
• Any relevant timeline from the last year, organisation structure, facts or figures
• A list of all those on the team to be considered for this award
• A picture of the team, or photos of all individuals on the team

HOW DO I MAKE A RECOMMENDATION?

Email any suggestions – be it a partner, competitor or someone you admire – to MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com. Make sure the subject says ‘Buying Team’.

DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH

PERIPHERALS AND ACCESSORIES BRAND

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

This award is for any company that designs, distributes and/or manufactures its own brand of peripherals and accessories for use with home consoles, handhelds or PC games.

JUDGING CRITERIA

• Innovation
• Quality of products
• Marketing
• Retail strategy
• Sales success

HOW DO I ENTER?

You can enter your peripherals and accessories brand by emailing MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com with ‘Peripherals Brand: [NAME]’ in the subject. We require information on how your brand excelled in the listed criteria. We recommend some commentary plus a timeline of brand milestones from the last year. Feel free to supply any relevant images/assets, and/or stats and figures that support this nomination.

HOW DO I MAKE A RECOMMENDATION?

We will also take on board any lobbying or recommendations you want to make for a partner, competitor – or someone you just admire. Email your suggestion to MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com. Make sure the subject says ‘Peripherals Brand’.

DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH

MARKETING TEAM

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Any UK-based marketing team or specialist company that has worked on more than one product or project within the interactive entertainment market over the past 12 months.

JUDGING CRITERIA

• Effective communication of product or brand messages
• Creativity
• Influence on sales performance
• Impact vs budget and resource level

HOW DO I ENTER?

Email MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com with ‘Marketing Team: [NAME]’ in the subject. For all team awards we require:

• Three case studies that detail how effective your team has been in the last year
• Any assets and images of campaigns/creatives you think are relevant to the above
• Any relevant information from the last year
• A list of all those on the team to be considered for this award
• A picture of the team, or photos of all individuals on the team

HOW DO I MAKE A RECOMMENDATION?

We will also take on board lobbying for a partner, competitor – or someone you just admire. Email your suggestion to MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com with the subject ‘Marketing Team’.

DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH

DIGITAL MARKETING TEAM – NEW AWARD

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Any UK-based digital marketing team or specialist company that has worked on more than one project within the games market over the past 12 months. This award focuses solely on achievements in digital marketing (not marketing of digital-only or digital-first games).

JUDGING CRITERIA

• Effective communication of product or brand messages
• Creativity
• Influence on sales performance
• Impact vs budget and resource level

HOW DO I ENTER?

Email MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com with the subject ‘Digital Marketing Team: [NAME]’. For all team awards we require:

• Three case studies that detail how effective your team has been
• Any assets and images of campaigns/creatives you think are relevant to the above
• Any relevant commentary covering the last year, organisation structure, facts or figures
• A list of all those on the team to be considered for this award
• A picture of the team, or photos of all individuals on the team

HOW DO I MAKE A RECOMMENDATION?

We will also take on board any lobbying you want to make for a partner, competitor – or someone you just admire. Email your suggestion to MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com with the subject ‘Digital Marketing Team’.

DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH

TRADE MARKETING TEAM

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

This award is for any company or team that worked on campaigns dedicated to in-store and retail support, inclusive of trade advertising, POS, distribution and merchandising.

JUDGING CRITERIA

• Effective communication of product or brand messages
• Creativity
• Influence on sales performance
• Efficiency and customer service

HOW DO I ENTER?

Email MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com with ‘Trade Marketing Team: [NAME]’ in the subject. For all team awards we require:

• Three case studies that detail how effective your team has been
• Any assets and images of campaigns/creatives you think are relevant to the above
• Any relevant commentary covering the last year, organisation structure, facts or figures
• A list of all those on the team to be considered for this award
• A picture of the team, or photos of all individuals on the team

HOW DO I MAKE A RECOMMENDATION?

We will also take on board any lobbying you want to make for a partner, competitor – or someone you just admire. Email your suggestion to MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com. The subject should say ‘Trade Marketing Team’.

DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH

PR TEAM

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

This award is open to all PR staff who worked on UK games campaigns during the past 12 months. Inclusive of in-house teams and retained or project-based agencies’ below the line activity.

JUDGING CRITERIA

• Originality and imagination
• Effective use of assets and creation of new materials
• Responsiveness and relations with the media

HOW DO I ENTER?

Email MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com with ‘PR Team: [NAME]’ in the subject. For all team awards we require:

• Three case studies that detail how effective your team has been in the last year
• Any assets and images of campaigns/creatives you think are relevant to the above
• Any relevant information from the last year
• A list of all those on the team to be considered for this award
• A picture of the team, or photos of all individuals on the team

HOW DO I MAKE A RECOMMENDATION?

We will also take on board any lobbying for partnesr, competitors – or someone you just admire. Email your suggestion to MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com with the subject ‘PR Team’.

DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH

AGENCY TEAM – NEW AWARD

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Any UK-based agency or external contributor that has worked for a UK games business to deliver influential marketing activity that raised brand awareness and help achieve commercial goals. Above the line activity handled by third-party firms will also be considered.

JUDGING CRITERIA

• Creativity and innovation
• Effective communication of brand’s messages
• Influence on sales performance
• Influence on audience
• Impact vs budget

HOW DO I ENTER?

Email MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com with ‘Agency Team: [NAME]’ in the subject. For all team awards we require:

• Three case studies that detail how effective your team has been in the last year
• Any assets and images of campaigns/creatives you think are relevant to the above
• Any relevant information from the last year
• A list of all those on the team to be considered for this award
• A picture of the team, or photos of all individuals on the team

HOW DO I MAKE A RECOMMENDATION?

We will also take on board any lobbying for a partner, competitor – or someone you just admire. Email your suggestion to MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com with the subject ‘Agency Team’.

DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH

COMMUNITY TEAM – NEW AWARD

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Any UK-based community relations/engagement team working for a UK games business. You can be internal or external, but we expect you have kept in regular contact with the audience to raise brand awareness and help achieve commercial goals.

JUDGING CRITERIA

• Creativity and innovation
• Effective communication of brand’s messages
• Influence on audience
• Impact vs budget

HOW DO I ENTER?

Email MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com with the subject ‘Community Team: [NAME]’. For all team awards we require:

• Three case studies that detail how effective your team has been in the last year
• Any assets and images of campaigns/creatives you think are relevant to the above
• Any relevant information from the last year
• A list of all those on the team to be considered for this award
• A picture of the team, or photos of all individuals on the team

HOW DO I MAKE A RECOMMENDATION?

We will also take on board any lobbying for a partner, competitor – or someone you just admire. Email your suggestion to MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com with the subject ‘Community Team’.

DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH

DISTRIBUTION TEAM

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Any distributor active within the interactive entertainment industry serving outlets large and small across the UK.

JUDGING CRITERIA

• Speed of service
• Order fulfilment
• Customer service
• Product condition
• Commitment to an orderly market

HOW DO I ENTER?

Email MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com with ‘Distribution Team: [NAME]’ in the subject. For all team awards we require:

• Three case studies that detail how effective your team has been in the last year
• Any assets and images of campaigns/creatives you think are relevant to the above
• Any relevant information from the last year
• A list of all those on the team to be considered for this award
• A picture of the team, or photos of all individuals on the team

HOW DO I MAKE A RECOMMENDATION?

We will also take on board any lobbying for a partner, competitor – or someone you just admire. Email your suggestion to MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com with the subject ‘Distribution Team’.

DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH

SALES TEAM

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Any UK-based sales team or specialist sales force, including in-house staff and outsourced service companies, that focus on sales inside of the UK.

JUDGING CRITERIA

• Product knowledge
• Depth of advance information
• Telesales customer care
• Trade relations
• Field sales reliability
• Sales performance

HOW DO I ENTER?

Email MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com with the subject ‘Sales Team: [NAME]’. For this team award we require:

• Any relevant commentary covering the last year, organisation structure, facts or figures
• Any assets and images of campaigns/creatives you think are relevant
• A list of all those on the team to be considered for this award
• A picture of the team, or photos of all individuals on the team

HOW DO I MAKE A RECOMMENDATION?

We will also take on board any lobbying or recommendations you want to make for a partner, competitor – or someone you just admire. Email your suggestion to MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com. Make sure the subject says ‘Sales Team’.

DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH

INDIE GAMES LABEL – NEW AWARD

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Any company publishing games in the UK on behalf of a smaller development partner – and achieved notable commercial or critical success over the last 12 months.

JUDGING CRITERIA

• Sales development
• Publishing choices
• Product quality
• Trade relations
• Marketing agility

HOW DO I ENTER?

Enter your team by emailing MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com with the subject ‘Indie Label: [NAME]’. We recommend you send us:

• Any relevant commentary covering the last year, organisation structure, facts or figures
• Testimonials from partners (where relevant)
• Any assets and images of campaigns/creatives you think are relevant
• A list of all the individuals on the team (where relevant) to be considered for this award, plus individual pictures or a team picture

HOW DO I MAKE A RECOMMENDATION?

We will take on board any lobbying you want to make for a partner, competitor – or someone you just admire. Email your suggestion to MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com. Make sure the subject says ‘Indie Label’.

DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH

GAME CAMPAIGN

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Any company that ran a significant marketing campaign in the UK supporting products or services within games. This is for an overall campaign covering TV, online, radio, outdoor and print, plus trade. You can enter as many campaigns as you like.

JUDGING CRITERIA

• Effective communication of product or brand messages
• Creativity and execution
• Influence on sales performance
• Impact vs budget available
• Media strategy

HOW DO I ENTER?

Enter by emailing MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com with the subject ‘Game Campaign: [NAME]’. We recommend you send us:

• Any relevant commentary covering the last year, organisation structure, facts or figures
• Any information that proves the effectiveness of the campaign
• Any assets and images of campaigns/creatives you think are relevant
• A list of all those on the team to be considered for this award, plus individual pictures or a team picture

HOW DO I MAKE A RECOMMENDATION?

We will take on board any lobbying you want to make for a partner, competitor – or someone you just admire. Email your suggestion to MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com. Make sure the subject says ‘Game Campaign’.

DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH

GAMES PUBLISHER

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Any company publishing games in the UK market that has achieved notable commercial or critical success and generally high levels of performance over the last 12 months.

JUDGING CRITERIA

• Sales development
• Product quality
• Trade relations
• Customer service
• Marketing agility

HOW DO I ENTER?

You can enter your team by emailing MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com with ‘Games Publisher: [NAME]’ in the subject. We recommend you send us:

• Any relevant commentary covering the last year, organisation structure, facts or figures
• Any assets and images of campaigns/creatives you think are relevant
• A list of all the individuals on the team (where relevant) to be considered for this award, plus individual pictures or a team picture

HOW DO I MAKE A RECOMMENDATION?

We will take on board any lobbying or recommendations you want to make for a partner, competitor – or someone you just admire. Email your suggestion to MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com. Make sure the subject says Game Publisher’.

DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH

STORE MANAGER OF THE YEAR

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

This new award will honour any store managers running key games outlets across the UK. You must have been a manager for at least 18 months by the time of the awards ceremony on April 16th.

JUDGING CRITERIA

• Specific projects and initiatives
• Market knowledge
• Reputation
• Sales performance

HOW DO I ENTER?

Email MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com with ‘Store Manager of the Year: [NAME]’ in the subject. We recommend you send us:

• A personal statement and bio no longer than 500 words summarising your work as manager
• Feel free to highlight how this relates to the criteria above, plus other areas like career and team development, how you work with head office and customer satisfaction
• Any assets and images you think are relevant to the above

HOW DO I MAKE A RECOMMENDATION?

We will take on board any lobbying for a partner, competitor, colleague, boss – or someone you just admire. Email MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com. Make sure the subject says ‘Store Manager of the Year’.

DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH

HOW IS THIS AWARD JUDGED?

MCV will compile a list of finalists after January 16th who will be invited to London for an interview with senior industry execs plus a member of the MCV team.

UNSUNG HERO

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

This new award will honour an individual from the UK games industry who, frankly, hasn’t had a moment in the spotlight but should have. This is your chance to put forward someone who has been instrumental in the success of a company, product or campaign, or the wider games industry, but simply hasn’t had the credit. Maybe they have been regularly nominated for an MCV Award but missed out – maybe they are low profile but deserve cheer and thanks. This is not specific to activity from the last year, and is ideal for those with committed long-service records in the games business.

HOW IS THE AWARD JUDGED?

The MCV team will pick the winner based on lobbying and soundings from the games business.

HOW DO I MAKE A RECOMMENDATION?

Email your suggestion to MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com. Make sure the subject says ‘Unsung Hero’. And tell us why this person deserves it.

DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES AND LOBBYING IS FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH

PERSON OF THE YEAR

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

This new award will honour an individual from the UK games industry who in the last year has been a stand-out achiever – either in terms of driving forward a product, raising awareness about an issue or topic, influencing at all levels, or simply being a notable games industry professional. This is specifically for activity in the past year and key successes in 2014.

HOW IS THIS AWARD JUDGED?

The MCV team will pick the winner based on lobbying and soundings from the games business.

HOW DO I MAKE A RECOMMENDATION?

Email your suggestion to MCVlobbying@nbmedia.com. Make sure the subject says ‘Person of the year’. And tell us why this person deserves it.

DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES AND LOBBYING IS FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH