What’s It Like To Be A Brilliance Awards Judge?
/Each year, when the Brilliance Awards close, we ask the judges about their experience.
We are delighted when the judges are delighted. Our goal at InspirED is for them to have an enjoyable experience, learn from it, and return year after year.
To get a glimpse of what it’s like to be a BA judge, here are just some of the comments from last year.
And thank you, judges. You are brilliant.
Judges In Their Own Words
“Judging these awards was an absolute pleasure because it provided a front-row seat to the incredible creativity and innovation happening in independent school marketing. It’s remarkable to see how far we’ve come from the days when marketing was an afterthought or simply taking pictures in classrooms. Today, it’s a strategic, data-driven, and highly creative discipline that shapes the way schools connect with families and tell their stories. I enjoyed not only celebrating these achievements but also being inspired by the bold and forward-thinking approaches schools are using to stand out. It’s exciting to think about where this profession is headed, and I feel privileged to be part of that journey.”
— Nija Majmudar Meyer, Vice President for Enrollment Management, Woodward Academy
“I love to see the creativity and ingenuity in school marketing. I want to feel something when I experience a school's marketing, whether it is for admissions or development. Each year there are brilliant stars and that keeps me coming back!”
— Jill Goodman, Jill Goodman Consulting
“Year after year, the creativity, thought, and excellence in every submission blows me away. It is an honor and pleasure to sit besides brilliant colleagues, both school professionals and partner consultants, in taking great care to judge each entry.”
Laurie Ehrlich, Thrive Hive Group
“Serving as a judge allows me to see what a whole range of schools are doing with respect to visual communication. Judging is a way to participate in the InspirED community because we all have something unique to bring to the table based on our experience working with independent schools. Some of us are associated with schools internally and some of us are outside vendors. The Brilliance Awards is a way to bring everyone together with a common purpose of recognizing and awarding the creative work for independent schools that rises to the top—and it’s a fun way to kick off the new year.”
— Michael Branscom, Branscom Photo + Film
“I love being a part of this community and enjoy seeing how far the marketing for independent schools has come. There are so many outstanding schools with such varied cultures and programs. It's always exciting to see how each school positions itself and shows off the community, academics, and extracurriculars. Every time I work with a school, I fall in love.”
— Carolyn Eiseman, CEH Design
“I love seeing the great things other schools are producing! Being in the trenches myself, I know exactly how much work goes into pulling off some of these amazing websites, print pieces, and social media campaigns.”
Deanna Luna, Director of Marketing and Communications, Bright School
“This year in particular, I most enjoyed the shift in perspective. I’m in the weeds in my projects—trying to achieve the goals of my client and connect with their specific market. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to look at industry design and marketing efforts without all the background information. I get to evaluate this work with an external perspective (much like the audiences I try to connect with through my work). It was creatively refreshing for me!”
— Emily Hajjar, Creosote Affects
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Go here to see previous years’ winners.
