ENTRY INFORMATION
The PPA Independent Publisher Awards recognise and celebrate individuals and companies within the UK independent publishing sector who have demonstrated excellence in the past 12 months. For the purpose of these awards, an independent publisher is one with a publishing turnover less than £10M per annum.
Entry eligibility period – 1 August 2020 to 31 July 2021
Within each entry you will be asked to detail your success in 500 words, please ensure that you address each individual category criteria point within this written section, as this is what the judges will be scoring against.
We will not accept hard copies of magazines or other materials, but you will have the chance to upload three supporting documents, which can include full editions where space permits (max 40MB per document). If you are providing links to information behind a data/pay wall, please make sure to include login details for our judges. The judges have a lot of entries to work through so please make sure these three documents best showcase the story within your entry.
Important note: when completing the section on your results, financial or otherwise, please make sure to give context by comparing to previous years, business plan, or to the rest of the market. Any results given without context are very hard to judge and weaken the entry.
These awards are open to publishers only with the exception of Industry Partner of the Year which is designed for suppliers to the publishing industry.
All information submitted within an entry will remain confidential and will only be used for the purpose of judging. Our judges will take the effects of the coronavirus pandemic into consideration when adjudicating all entries.
Judges may award both B2B and B2C winners in some categories
- Use the tick boxes to the right of the category name to select multiple categories you would like to enter, then select 'PROCESS'
- You will only be charged for an entry once it is completed - it is free to create an account and look at the entry forms
- Discounts will automatically calculate at payment which is stage 4 of the checkout process
- PPA members get 50% off by using the code: PPAMEMBER21
EXTENDED DEADLINE: MONDAY SEPTEMBER 13
PPA Members get 50% off their entries with the code: PPAMEMBER21
OFFER: 5 ENTRIES FOR THE PRICE OF 3
(Discount automatically applied at checkout)
Best Response to COVID-19
This award recognises media brands or publications that have successfully responded to the challenges of the pandemic.
Business Publication of the Year
This award is for business-to-business publications either print or digital form which are published more than four times a year.
Commercial Partnership of the Year
This award is for collaborations between a publishing business and commercial partner(s) that has promoted a product, service, or brand through any (or multiple) platform(s).
Consumer Publication of the Year
This award is for consumer publications that have had an excellent overall performance in the market.
Content Piece of the Year
This award is for pieces of content which could be anything from a standalone feature piece, report, film, or any other piece of content produced for an audience or community.
Designer of the Year
This award is open to Art Directors or Designers who have worked on the design for a media brand or publication.
Digital Product of the Year
This award recognises media brands and publications that have developed digital products which are content or data services led. Examples include apps, research-based data products, e-newsletters, digital magazine editions, archives or video.
Note: there is a separate category for podcasts
Diversity and Inclusion Award
This award seeks to recognise media brands or publications that are championing Diversity & Inclusion within their business, or to their audience. This may be via a product, campaign, brand extension, magazine, event, or anything which enhances or promotes Diversity and Inclusion across the business and beyond.
Editor of the Year
This award is for editors of a media brand or publication whose consistent brilliance has put their publication at the forefront of the market.
Event of the Year
This award will recognise an outstanding event, either in-person or online, which can be but is not limited to an exhibition, awards, conference, experiential event, festival, celebration or anniversary, community event, or any bespoke event, at which the media brand or publisher brings together its target audience.
The event can either stem from an existing parent brand or be a wholly standalone experience.
Front Cover of the Year
This award is for the standout front covers from the last year that were simply unmissable, and which really captured that magical magazine moment.
Independent Publishing Company of the Year
This award is for the independent publishing companies that have had an excellent overall performance in the market.
Industry Partner of the Year
This award recognises the suppliers to the industry who have really gone the extra mile in their partnerships with independent publishers. Any organisation that supplies a product, platform or service to the industry can enter - from distribution and fulfilment to digital publishing, training, subscription management, printing, marketing, paper, event services and beyond.
Launch / Relaunch of the Year
This award recognises the media brand or publication who has launched or relaunched successfully during the eligibility period.
Media Brand of the Year
This award is for consumer or business media brands that have had an excellent overall performance in the market.
Membership Publication of the Year
For the purpose of this award, a membership publication is a publication published at least twice a year by or on behalf of an organisation to communicate with its membership, be that in print or on a digital platform.
Podcast of the Year
This award is for podcasts which are created in-house to complement existing brands or publications, or to help launch new ones. The podcasts can be produced in-house or using external production support.
Subscriptions Strategy of the Year
This new award looks to recognise a media brand, publication, campaign or portfolio that has maximised revenue through effective implementation of a new or enhanced subscriptions strategy. This can be focused on acquisition, retention, or both.
Sustainability Award
This award looks to recognise and reward how publishers have created long-term value by developing strategies, initiatives, projects or events that positively impact the ecological, social or economic environment.
Team of the Year
This award is for a team or department that has excelled in making a positive and measurable contribution to its company.
Eligible teams include, but are not limited to: Content, Creative, Commercial, Marketing, Production, HR, Operations, Subscriptions, Business Development and Events.
Writer of the Year
This award is open to anyone who writes for a media brand or publication on one platform or across multiple platforms.