Contest Corner: Follow entry instructions, win Convention-on-us!

Each year, starting on the Monday following the contest entry deadline, INA staff members begin the process of checking all entries to confirm they are prepared correctly. Newspapers are contacted to resolve any questions prior to the entries being judged, to ensure that all entries are judged fairly and properly. 

INA newspapers submitted 3,335 entries in the 2020contests. As you can expect, checking all of those entries and making follow-up contacts is a lengthy, exhaustive process.

The most common submission errors are multiple entries being combined into one entry upload, missing payments, full tearsheets not being submitted and entries that were missing parts of the required examples.

In an effort to minimize errors and the time INA staff and newspapers spend making corrections, we are continuing an incentive that will offer newspapers who prepare their entries perfectly a chance to win a free 2021 convention package. Each newspaper that does not have to be contacted to fix any of its 2021 contest entries will be entered into a drawing to win a package consisting of one convention registration, one meal package and two nights of hotel stay (approximate value $350).

When preparing your entries, please carefully read over the Call for Entries for each category’s rules and requirements. If you have questions, INA staff is ready to help! Contact us at ina@inanews.com or 515-244-2145.