• Contest Opens: October 10^th, 2022
• Early Bird Deadline: February 28^th, 2023
• Deadline for Entry Submissions: April 23^rd, 2023
• Judging: April 25^th – May 2^nd, 2023
• Polaris Leadership Summit & Awards Ceremony: June 1^st, 2023

The Election Campaigns categories are open to all companies and organisations involved in the creation and execution of political campaigns, including political organisations, agencies, and consultancies.

The Public Sector Campaigns categories are open to all companies and organisations involved in the creation and execution of public sector communication campaigns, including governmental organisations, intergovernmental organisations, non-governmental organisations, agencies, and consultancies.

As campaigns are collaborative efforts, potentially created by and involving more than one company or organisation, Polaris Awards allows contributors to be credited.

To be eligible, the majority of a work must have been publicly released, implemented, or performed in a campaigning environment between May 1^st, 2021 and April 16^th, 2023.

Furthermore, to be eligible work must have been created and executed with client approval and as part of a genuine political or public sector communication effort. Work that is created for the purpose of entering competitions is not eligible. Polaris Awards organiser may require that entrants provide written confirmation from clients or any other document or information needed to verify the authenticity of a work.

Entries must reflect work in its original form, as it was originally released, implemented, or performed. Work must not be modified for entry and claims made in submissions must be based on fact.

If the jury queries the eligibility of a work, the entrant will be asked to provide documentary evidence to show that the work is eligible. If you have questions about whether an individual entry is eligible, please contact [email protected].

Entries cannot be made without the permission of the client and/or owner of the rights of the work.

There can only be one entrant per entry. The entrant is responsible for the payment of entry fees and will be considered the sole contact for the entry. Multiple organisations, companies and/or individuals can be credited for their contribution to the work entered.

Entries must be submitted online using the Polaris Awards portal.

Entries must be submitted into the relevant categories.

The same entry can be submitted into more than one category. However, a separate fee will apply for each submission.

Entries must be submitted in English.

Supplementary material submitted must not contain the name or branding of the entrant or any contributing organisations, companies, or individuals, as the jury receives entries anonymously.

Work which is not in English should be translated or subtitled exactly as it was released and implemented. For work that only involves audio recordings, translations must be uploaded as a separate PDF document. For work that involves video, translations should be included in the video files as subtitles. Subtitles should be clearly legible.

Case films must be in English.

Information on the entry form and the supplementary material uploaded must be final when the entries are submitted. No changes, replacements, or additions will be accepted after the deadline for entry submissions.

Supplementary material must be submitted in accordance with the file formats and specifications outlined below.

Information on the entry form and the supplementary material submitted must not contain the name or branding of the entrant or any contributing organisations, companies, or individuals, as the jury receives entries anonymously.

Credits for work will be published on the Polaris Awards website as they appear on the entry from. Please make sure information is entered correctly and in full.

Entries must be submitted in accordance with the deadline for entry submissions to allow time for entries to be processed and reviewed.

Entrants grant an unlimited, non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, transferable, royalty-free, paid up right to Polaris Awards organiser to reproduce, perform, and display the entries on Polaris Awards website, social media pages, and other media owned, rented, or controlled by Polaris Awards organiser.

Entrants are not permitted to enter work which is in breach of the rules above. Polaris Awards organiser reserves the right to disqualify entries which are in breach of any of the rules above.

No refunds will be made on entry fees after entries are finalised.

If entrants withdraw work they have paid for from Polaris Awards, they can either submit a replacement entry into the same or an alternative category before the deadline for entry submissions, or use the credit at a future Polaris Awards event.

Polaris Awards organiser may refuse or withdraw entries at any time if the entries:

• Do not meet the eligibility criteria.
• Violate national and international laws, regulations, and codes of practice endorsed by political consultants’ and public affairs associations.
• Use racist, sexist, or otherwise discriminatory language.
• Offend national sentiments, religious sentiments, or public taste.

If Polaris Awards organiser withdraws any paid entries, the entrants can either submit a replacement entry into the same or an alternative category before the deadline for entry submissions, or use the credit at a future Polaris Awards event.

In the event of a complaint against a winning or shortlisted entry, a detailed investigation will be conducted by the Polaris Awards organiser. If the investigation upholds the complaint, the entry and the award may be withdrawn.

Here are the accepted file formats and specifications for entries:

Entries will be judged by two panels, one appointed to the Election Campaigns categories, the other appointed to the Public Sector Campaigns categories, and both composed of expert practitioners, industry representatives, and scholars.

If you are interested in becoming a jury member, please apply! If your application is approved, you will receive an email with further instructions.

Judging for this year’s Polaris Awards will take place online between April 25^th – May 2^nd, 2023.

Jury members will be asked to review and score entries from 1 to 10 on each of the following criteria:

• Strategy (20%)
• Creativity/Innovativeness (20%)
• Execution (20%)
• Effectiveness/Results (40%)

Jury members will not be allowed to evaluate any categories into which they have submitted entries.

Once judging is closed, entries in each subcategory will be ranked according to their weighted average scores to determine Gold, Silver, and Bronze Polaris winners. Each level has a minimum score requirement for entries to be eligible for an award:

• Gold: 8.5
• Silver: 7.5
• Bronze: 6.5

The 5^th Polaris Leadership Summit and Awards Ceremony will take place in London, United Kingdom, on June 1^st, 2023.

Entrants will be informed by the Polaris Awards organiser if they have been selected as an award winner before the awards ceremony. However, winning entries and the level of awards won will be kept confidential until the ceremony.

Entrants grant permission to the Polaris Awards organiser to publish winning entries on the Polaris Awards website, social media pages, and other media owned, rented, or controlled by the Polaris Awards organiser.

Winning entries will receive the Polaris trophy. Trophies bear the name of the winner and show the level of the award, the category, and the subcategory.

Trophies will be sent to the addresses provided in the entries. Please make sure names and information are provided accurately in the entries. Trophies with inaccurate information will not be replaced unless the information on the trophy does not match the information in the entry.

Replicas for the trophies can be purchased by other organisations, companies and/or individuals credited on the work after the ceremony.