2021 Effie Awards South Africa announces call for entries

The Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) has opened the call for entries for the 2021 Effie Awards South Africa. This is the first time that the globally recognised Effie Awards for effectiveness in marketing communications are being held in South Africa. The inaugural programme, initially scheduled to take place in 2020 was postponed due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

South African agencies, clients, media partners and start-ups are invited to submit their entries via the Effie Awards South Africa website. Acceptance of entries via the portal will close at 12:00 on Thursday 15 July, 2021.

For this first edition of the Effie Awards South Africa, over 60 categories are available for entry across 2 category groups. Full details on how to enter, including details on the categories and entry requirements can be found on the ‘how to enter’ tab at www.effieawards.co.za. It is recommended that entrants download and familiarise themselves with all the entry documents, categories and requirements prior to initiating the online entry process.

“When we announced the call for entries in 2020 for what would have been the inaugural Effie Awards in South Africa, we had no idea how our world would be turned upside-down and soon we’d all be collectively holding our breath, wondering how the pandemic would impact us. We’ve weathered the storm to some extent and it is with great excitement that we formally announce the official call for entries for the very first Effie Awards programme on the continent. Winning an Effie, considered globally to be the most respected marketing effectiveness award, provides client-agency teams with global recognition for their most effective work. In trying times such as these, the value of that recognition could not be more pertinent for campaigns that delivered against a pre-defined set of marketing and business objectives,” says Mathe Okaba, CEO Association for Communication and Advertising.

Entry Deadlines for the 2021 Effie Awards South Africa are as follows:

Early Bird:       Thursday 10 June, 2021 at 12:00

On-time:          Thursday 24 June, 2021 at 12:00

Last Minute:    Thursday 15 July, 2021 at 12:00

Round one of judging will take place on Thursday 12 August and the final round on Thursday 2 September  with the Grand Effie judging session scheduled for Monday 11 October.

Effie Awards South Africa winners will be announced at the inaugural Effie Awards Gala, to be held as a combined virtual and physical event, on Thursday 14 October. The Gala event will be preceded by the Effie Summit: South Africa to be held online on Wednesday 13 October where respected industry commentators, marketers and leading agency representatives will deliver engaging and relevant presentations on marketing effectiveness.

“These awards are about what matters most to clients – results. This global symbol of achievement will catapult our profession onto the global effectiveness stage, and we invite all marketers operating within the borders of South Africa to enter. We look forward to celebrating and honouring the results and marketing effectiveness achievements during the Gala event in October,” concludes Okaba.

For more information visit the Effie Awards South Africa website at www.effieawards.co.za or visit www.acasa.co.za.

Follow @EffieSouthAfrica on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and @EffieAwardsSA on Twitter to keep up to date on the latest developments.