Questions?
Email us

1. Competition is open to PRIVATE AND INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS WORLDWIDE AS WELL AS BUSINESSES SUCH AS AGENCIES, DESIGNERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS, WEB DEVELOPERS, WRITERS, PRINTERS, ASSOCIATIONS, ETC that work with private schools and are submitting for their clients. (Exceptions are Categories 3,8, and 12 which can ONLY be submitted by the school and must be created in-house WITHOUT ANY outside help at all.)

2. Schools must serve students in any grade from PK through 12th grade or PG, including schools outside the United States.

3. Entries may have been produced at any time, but the specific entry may not have already won an InspirED Brilliance Award. (Example: Acme School Magazine, Spring 2021 issue, won an award, but it’s permissible to enter the Fall 2022 issue.)

4. There is no limit to the number of entries that can be submitted by any one school or business.

5. It is acceptable if both a school and a business submit the same entry under the same category. If the entry wins, both the school and the business win.

6. Judges can enter for their school or business but must recuse themselves from voting on their own submissions.

7. Any item can be submitted in multiple categories in the same year provided a separate entry fee is submitted for each. 

The entry can be produced at any time, as long as it hasn’t been a Brilliance Award winner in the past. (See No. 3 above.)

There must be at least 5 entries in a category to judge. In the event that there aren't sufficient or awardable entries in any one category, the category will not be judged. We anticipate there will be a Gold, Silver, and Bronze award for each category. Minimum score applies for winners. No refunds. Each entry will be judged by a panel of experts in private school marketing who are representatives from schools and/or businesses.

Judges will recuse themselves from judging entries created by their own school or company. The judges will not be told if the agency submitted the entry. They will only know the name of the school.

Entries are scored on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest using the criteria below. Criteria exceptions are noted below.

Criteria

1. Originality: Is it new, different, unlike the others? Consider concept, presentation, and individual components in deciding how fresh it feels.

2. Persuasiveness: Does the entry accomplish what it sets out to do? Would it persuade you to act (inquire/apply, for an enrollment piece; give, for a fundraising piece; feel proud or connected, for a magazine)?

3. Copy/Script/Dialog:  Does it make a positive impact? Does it convey its message clearly? Is it enjoyable to read or, for videos and podcasts, listen to? Is it interesting, well-written, well-edited, and error-free? If it tells a story, does it have a clear arc and point? Is it creative, fresh, and compelling? Is it effective in achieving the purpose of the piece?

4. Visual Elements: Depending on the piece, these could include photography, video, graphics, typography, graphic design, and/or artwork. Are they appropriate to the piece? Compelling, fresh, and interesting? Are photos/video of high quality in terms of composition, lighting, and other technical aspects? Do they contribute to the overall effect and story

5. Execution: Does the piece excel in the effective use of design, color, typography, graphic elements, audio, digital elements, layout, navigation, user-experience? Is it readable, understandable, clear, compelling? Is it creative and modern?  Is it technically excellent?

6. Overall Appeal: What’s your gut feeling about this project? Do you like it?

All categories will be judged on criteria 1-6 above with the following exceptions.  

PHOTOGRAPHY: These categories will be judged on criteria 1,2,5,6

• 12. & 13. Still Photography

• 20. Magazine: Photography/Imagery

DESIGN: These categories will be judged on criteria 1,2,4,5,6

• 15. Website: Homepage Redesign

• 17. Magazine: Overall Design

• 19. Magazine: Cover Design

COPY: These categories will be judged on criteria 1,2,3,6

• 18. Magazine: Writing

• 22. Single Blog Post

PODCAST: This category will be judged on criteria 1,2,3,5,6

26. Single Podcast Episode

GRAPHIC IDENTITY: These categories will be judged on criteria 1,4,5,6

• 16. Graphic Identity Redesign

• 25. Logo

Categories where entries can be “any format” will require the judges to use their best judgment in applying the criteria.

• School info (name, address, grades it serves, coed/boys/girls, day/boarding/both, contact, URL)

• Agency info (if appropriate: name, address, contact)

• Team members on the project

• Whose name goes on the winner’s certificate

• Category you’re entering

• Agreement to terms

• Payment via credit card

Done!

Pro tip: Create an account after the first entry and make entries even faster later.

Entries fees are: Early Bird $30 per entry (ends midnight 9/21/23 midnight); Standard $59 per entry. Payable by credit card. Entry fees are not refundable.

Go to the "How to Enter" page. Complete the entry form, submit the entry fee, and send your materials to InspirED.

All winners receive:

• a certificate in celebration of their win

• their work posted on the InspirED website with select judges' comments

• the opportunity to be featured as an InspirED By Example case study

• a press release template to customize for media

• a digital Brilliance Award-Winner badge for your website and social media

Oh. And all winners get bragging rights for years to come. 

Awards Open                   Thursday, Sept 7, 2023
Early Bird                Sept 7-21, 2023 midnight
Deadline for Entries       Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 Thursday, Oct 26, 2023 at midnight, EDT
Deadline for Materials   Monday, Oct 23, 2023 Monday, October 30, 2023 at midnight, EDT
Winners Announced       Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Submission of entries to the InspirED School Marketers Brilliance Awards acknowledges the right of InspirED to use them for publicity for the purpose of promoting future competitions or the InspirED website. Securing the release for any entries is the responsibility of the entrant. InspirED may re-categorize submissions at its discretion. In the event that there aren't sufficient or awardable entries in any one category, the category will not be judged. There must be at least 5 entries for a category to be judged. No refunds. The judges will review all submissions and their decisions on categories and winners are final. If InspirED discovers that a winning entry did not adhere to any of the rules, it reserves the right to rescind the award. Judges will recuse themselves from judging work from their own school or company.

Winners will be notified by e-mail. Winners and winning entries will be posted on the InspirED website and social media channels. 

No. The judges only know what school the entry is for, not who submitted the entry.

InspirED recognizes the value of competition. Winning an award...

• demonstrates the value of your work to fellow employees, school parents, and leadership.

• recognizes your team and affirms their work.

• is great publicity for your school in the local, regional and national community.

• elevates private school marketing worldwide.

• benchmarks your accomplishments against peer schools.

• is a great resume-builder.

• makes you feel good!

No. InspirED realizes the judges' comments may be helpful in improving your school's marketing and communications, but the Brilliance Awards is a competition not an audit, and the judges are commenting on the entries with that purpose in mind. So unfortunately, we don't share judges' comments except for those that appear with the winners on the website.