Entry Deadline: March 16, 2012  |  Awards Ceremony: Summer 2012

A year in to our daily coverage of the intersection of sports, media, advertising and technology, Cynopsis Sports is proud to launch our first-ever Cynopsis Sports Media Awards recognizing the best in show both in front of and behind the cameras. For the first time, the sports industry will have an event that takes the talented work of producers, hosts, sponsors and executives alike, saluting the initiatives that drove audiences and turned sports viewers into fans.

Crossing the spectrum of television, radio, and online platforms, our list tackles all the corners of the industry including best series and savvy marketing tactics as well as top digital content. We look forward to seeing your submissions!

[Read the press release here] 

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 Who Should Enter?
 Eligibility Period 

 Categories
 Enter Now
 Deadlines
 FAQs
 Sponsorship Opportunities
 Contact Information

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Who Should Enter?

The Cynopsis Sports Media Awards are open to all individuals and teams worldwide including: networks, MSOs, teams, leagues, universities, production companies/studios, producers, video game developers/producers, website developers, app developers/producers, licensing companies, marketing companies, pr firms, ad agencies, creative services teams, and developers. Vendors are also eligible to compete on behalf of a client.  The program is open to national and international entrants.

 

Eligibility Period

To be eligible, the entry/campaign initiative must have taken place (either in part or in full) between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2011. The sports program or initiative must have taken place during this time, but it’s not necessary for it to be completed during the eligibility period.  In addition, although we welcome international entries/campaigns, part of it must have been used in the North American market.

All entries are held in strict confidence and we will not share information unless we receive permission from the entrant.

Categories

Talk Show: What program was able to break down a game or a signing, debate a personnel move with fellow analysts and keep audiences riveted along the way? This award recognizes excellence in a regularly scheduled series that is primarily interview-based and/or in a roundtable format discussing the state of a sport or sports.

 

Live Coverage of Sporting Event: The big game! This award honors a live, single broadcast of a game or match by a network or station.

 

News Show: An honor for the news and informational program that rounds up scores, news and highlights of either a variety of sports or specializing in one sport.

 

Documentary Series/Special/TV Movie: Recognizing the quality of a documentary series, special or TV movie produced specifically about an event that took place in the world of sports.

 

New Sports Show: This category honors the best sports-themed series in any category launched in the US Between Jan 1, 2011 - December 31, 2011.

 

Title Sequence: Reel ‘em in from the get go. This award honors the best program/event opening designed to be first seen by viewers during the 2011 calendar year.

 

Radio Program: Music to our ears. Best regularly scheduled local or national sports series that was broadcast through a local or national radio platform.

 

Webisode series: An online-only program with five or more episodes revolving around sports.

 

Live stream presentation: A single sporting event designed to be viewed online alone or in conjunction with a television network

 

App: You have an app for that. This award honors the top sports-themed mobile application designed to run on smartphones or tablets.

 

Online game/video game: The games about the games. This category awards a sports-themed video game for console, handheld device, phone or online.

 

Fantasy game: 32 million people ages 12 and over in the U.S. and Canada played some type of fantasy sport in 2010. Who gave players the best experience?

 

Marketing Campaign: Recognizing the creative use of marketing platforms to promote a sports-themed series or event that generated higher awareness and viewership for the broadcast.

 

Marketing Initiative: What one new, untried tactic launched a thousand+ ships for an event, team or show?

 

PR Campaign: Recognizing the creativity involved in a PR campaign designed to introduce and drive a TV series, special, movie or online series about sports.

 

Media Event: Saluting an event that drove press interest and coverage.

 

Network Sports Branding Campaign: Recognizing a long-term multiplatform promotional strategy designed to build an engaged fan base for a game or sports series.

 

Spot: An outstanding single video-based spot used to market or promote a specific sports program or event.

 

Print Ad: Toasting any single print, poster, or outdoor advertising material that is used to market or promote a specific series, team or event.

 

Social Media Initiatives: The best campaign utilizing social media platforms that brought remarkable viral attention and creativity to a team, sports or sports-themes series.

 

Interview of the year: What show dug in deep with an athlete, coach or sports executive to deliver a conversation that kept tongues wagging around the country?

 

Website: What online site was the best at raising TV viewing numbers for a series or sporting event?

 

Use of Integrated Sponsorship for Broadcast: Highlighting a particularly effective way to incorporate a sponsor into an on-air game, campaign or series.

 

Pro-Social Campaign: A great use for a great cause. This category recognizes the importance of an on-air or off-air campaign leveraging sports fans to benefit a pro-social initiative.

People Categories

Marketer: This person’s campaigns would have made tongues wag both inside and outside the industry, with a consistent message that brought in the fans, drove audiences and kept them coming back for more.

 

TV Personality: Who was 2011’s shining star? Whether it was anchoring a telecast, pushing the limits in an interview or calling the perfect game, this winner left a mark on television.

 

Network Executive: Laying down a solid foundation for a thriving channel, this executive brought prosperity and growth to an outlet through a solid strategy that propelled ratings for a national channel.

 

Station/Regional Executive: Rallying the local fanbase to deliver news and sports entertainment to homegrown audiences, this executive made the most of sports to capture regional audiences and entrench their channel throughout the community.

 

Sports Executive (Team or League): Who turned their team, conference or league from afterthought to water cooler conversation throughout the country by leveraging the brand into high-profile media exposure?

 

PR Person: A savvy executive who drove the creativity needed in a PR campaign to incorporate the press and public alike into a sports-themed series or event.

 

Digital Executive: Utilizing the final frontier of media platforms, whose tactics changed the way viewers absorb sports media on digital platforms and raised the bar for the future use of technology?

 

Digital Producer: Developing content that captured the masses, which producer leveraged digital audiences with fascinating material online only that was worthy of kudos from around the sports industry?

 

Digital Talent: This award will be given to the face behind the microphone who carried a sports program or event designed specifically for download or streaming.

 

TV Director: Delivering perfect production quality that wowed audiences watching a sports series or event, this person’s expertise provided viewers with top-notch delivery that competing programs will scramble to measure up to.

 

TV Producer: Crafting a telecast that engrosses audiences from the get-go, the winner of this award would have created on-air sports content that consistently kept fans glued to their chairs with mesmerizing content as the story unfolded. 

 

Please Note: Depending on entries, the judges may award multiple winners based on budget per campaign and we will bestow honorable mentions for all categories.

 

How to Enter

Compiling Your Entry

At the beginning of your two-page synopsis, the following information must be listed:

■ Category entered
■ Title of entry (as it would appear on your award)
■ Team members (on campaign) or Person who is entering
■ Key contact for entry
■ Organization submitting entry
■ Budget (All budget information is strictly confidential and will not be published w/o expressed permission.)

There are no binder specifications when compiling your entry.

Enter By Mail: Follow the instructions on the Entry form and mail with your entry.

 Enter Online:
You will be stepped through the registration process, and then the nomination process.


For Content Categories: 

Please include a 1- to 2-page synopsis describing your campaign or PR initiative using the following sub headings:
 

■ Objectives
■ Strategy
■ Tactics
■ Execution
■ Evaluation of Success/Results/ ROI

For People Categories:
Please include a 1-to 2-page synopsis with the following information: In 500 words or fewer, why you or the person you’re nominating should win this award. Please cover the following:

a) Specific campaigns or efforts spearheaded by this person and related outcomes
b) Leadership qualities (ability to manage internally, intra-departmentally and externally)
c) Innovative thinking
d) Sound judgment
e) Flexibility
f) Creativity
g) Financial management (where applicable)

Supporting materials for all categories should show evidence of the success of your work. It can be any of the following: Sales Figures, Brand Media Coverage, Clippings, Photos, CDs, Research Documents, and Testimonials.

What to Send? Send three (3) copies of your entry form, three (3) copies of your synopsis, three (3) sets of supporting materials and the entry fee.

Where to Send Entry:
Mary Lou French
Cynopsis: Sports Media Awards
Access Intelligence
4 Choke Cherry Road, 2^nd floor
Rockville, MD 20850

*Cynopsis Media and Access Intelligence will not return any entries or supporting materials.
**Access Intelligence Federal Tax ID#: 52-2270063
W-9 Form Request

OR Enter Online

Deadlines

Deadline: March 16, 2012 PST (postmarked)

Late Deadline: March 30, 2012 PST (postmarked)

All entries must be postmarked by Friday, March 16, 2012 PST. Entries postmarked between March 17 and March 30, 2012, please add a $175 late fee per entry. Finalists will be notified in late April and honored in the Summer of 2012 in New York City.

Entry Fees: The price of each primary entry is $300. If you submit the same entry into multiple categories, the additional fee is $175 per category. There is a late entry surcharge of $175 per entry. Payment in full must accompany the entry. Entry fees are non-refundable. Multiple entries are accepted and encouraged! A single entry can be entered into one or more categories. Please follow the “How to Enter” instructions above for each additional category you will be entering.
  
Receipts: Toyin Salau

FAQs

How are the entries judged? Entries are judged by a blue chip panel of corporate, agency, nonprofit and academic executives, as well as by the staff of Cynopsis Media. We evaluate your entry based on creativity, innovation, sound planning implementation and results. Our most important criterion is proven success in aligning your strategic objectives with your end goals.

Who is eligible to win an award? Any network, MSO, team or individual, university, corporation, agency, association or nonprofit, of any size is eligible to enter the Cynopsis Sports Media Awards program.

Where and when will the reception be held? The winners and honorable mentions will receive their Cynopsis Sports Media Awards in the Summer of 2012 during an awards event in New York City.

How do I increase my chances of winning an award? Provide as many concrete and specific examples of success as possible.

When will I be notified about the status of my entry? You will be contacted by Cynopsis Media staff regarding the status of your entry only if you are named a finalist in the awards program. Finalists are notified 30-60 days in advance of the Cynopsis Sports Media Awards Event.

Must we include our campaign budget? It’s not a requirement, but it helps the judges to better compare your campaign against other entries. Include at least a reasonable budget range. The judges always take into account the campaign budget relative to the goals and outcome. All information is confidential and will not be published.