Golden Penguin Awards Competition

This national awards program recognizes the best marketing and merchandising efforts in support of March Frozen Food Month, June Dairy Month and Summer Favorites Ice Cream & Novelties. The Golden Penguin Awards competition features a variety of categories to suit your promotion efforts.

Calling all retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, sales agents and local associations: Did you know you can enter any marketing efforts, big or small? There’s a category to fit YOUR promotion! Submitting your Golden Penguin entry is easy with a complete online entry form where you can provide a summary of your program and upload all documents and photos supporting your efforts. This online system streamlines all entries, making it more efficient for you to submit your entry and for the panel of judges to determine winners.

*New for 2023, a Retail Dietitian Wellness Program category has been added! This is a 30-60 day sustained wellness campaign created by a Retail Dietitian and using at least two forms of digital/print communication and/or in-store or online execution. View additional details below!

Jump to:  What Can Be Entered  |  Who Can Enter  |  Submitting Your Entry  |  Judging

What Can Be Entered?

Marketing campaigns and merchandising events held in direct support of either the March Frozen Food Month, June Dairy Month or June/July Summer Favorites Ice Cream & Novelties promotions including up to 30 days before and after the given month(s).

Entry submission deadlines are as follows:

• March Frozen Food Month | May 5, 2023
• June Dairy Month | August 11, 2023
• Summer Favorites Ice Cream & Novelties | August 11, 2023

Who Can Enter?

Retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, sales agents and local associations of any size can enter any and all categories that are applicable to your business. Entries will be judged on their own merit taking into consideration organization size and/or program budget.

2023 Categories

• In-Store Display – creative and effective use of signage, visuals, props, etc., in support of the specific promotion month. Displays may use NFRA POS, but are not required to. Retailers/Wholesalers can name an assisting company or the sales agent/manufacturer may enter on their own.
• In-Store Event – events in support of the specific promotion month that may include demos, shopping sprees, celebrity appearances, remote radio/TV broadcasts, etc. Submission should include event photos and any advertising, signage or publicity around the event.
• Community Involvement – in-store or out-of-store event supporting a community/public service or charitable cause (food drive, fundraising, volunteer service, etc.). Submission should include photos and supporting media and clearly demonstrate a tie-in with the corresponding promotion.
• Social Media Campaign – a sustained campaign utilizing at least two forms of social/digital marketing including: website, blog, emails, apps, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram or other social platforms. Submission should include examples of ads, screenshots or other visual or audio items.
• *New for 2023! Retail Dietitian Wellness Program – a 30-60 day sustained wellness campaign created by a Retail Dietitian in support of a promotion month using at least two forms of digital communication, print communication and/or in-store or online execution. Submission should include a summary of your objectives, tactics and results and examples of consumer communications, event photos, screenshots or other visual or audio items.
• Private Brand Campaign – a sustained campaign promoting a private brand(s) during the promotion period utilizing at least two forms of digital or print communications or in-store execution. Submission should include examples of ads, display photos, screenshots or other visual or audio items. *Not applicable to the Ice Cream promotion.
• Overall Marketing Campaign – a sustained marketing campaign utilizing at least four forms of advertising, digital communication, print communication or in-store execution. Submission should include examples of ads, display photos, screenshots or other visual or audio items.
  Subcategories include:
  – Retailer
  – Wholesaler
  – Manufacturer
  – Sales Agent
  – Local Association
• Top Marketer Awards – A special group of awards recognizing the Best of the Best! The highest scoring entry in each of the Overall Marketing Campaign sub-categories will be named the Top Marketer.

Submitting Your Entry

• Go to the entry site.
• Create an Account so you can return and edit your entry later.
• Choose a Category from the drop down menu.
• Fill out the four required questions regarding your goals, plan, results and the size of your company.
• Upload files related to your entry. We recommend organizing your photos, screenshots, etc. in a PowerPoint or PDF file.
• To enter another category, use the Submit Another Entry button after completing your first entry.

Judging

Judging will be done by a panel of marketing professionals who will determine the category winners based on creativity, clarity and the effectiveness of each program/promotion entered. Entries will be judged on their own merit taking into consideration organization size and/or program budget. The Top Marketer Awards will be determined by the highest scoring entry in each of the Overall Marketing Campaign subcategories.

What the Judges Are Looking For

• Were the program’s sales goals clearly stated? (When applicable, a measurable number such as expected dollar amount, unit sales or percentage of sales increase will score higher.)
• Were elements and implementation of the program clearly described?
• Were program sales results clearly stated? (When applicable, a measurable number such as actual dollar amount, unit sales or percentage of sales increase will score higher.)
• How well do program examples reflect the goals, description and a good use of budget?
• How well does the program tie into the promotion, including use of the promotion logo?
• Does the program show a creative approach?
• Are the sales results achieved reasonable based on the information and examples provided?

Questions

Contact Julie Henderson at 717-657-8601 or julie@nfraweb.org for any questions regarding judging criteria or preparing your entry.

Criteria subject to changes.