Excellence in Communications Awards Program

AACOM’s Excellence in Communications (EIC) Awards Program is designed to recognize the important role communications plays in advancing osteopathic medical education and the profession. It also seeks to inspire higher levels of performance among our members.

Each year, entries are reviewed and award winners are chosen by an expert panel of judges—consisting of AACOM's Marketing and Communications team, AACOM senior staff members and guest judges who specialize in all areas of communication—based on creativity and effectiveness in achieving the project's stated objective related to the mission of the submitting osteopathic medical school. 

See the EIC Submission Guidelines below.

Questions?

Email eicawards@aacom.org

EIC Submission Guidelines

The AACOM Excellence in Communications Awards program recognizes the important role that marketing and communication play in advancing osteopathic medical education and the profession. It also seeks to inspire higher levels of performance among our members.

Award winners will be individually notified in early April after judging takes place. First-place winners will be recognized during Educating Leaders 2024, the AACOM Annual Conference, to be held April 17-19. All winners will be recognized at the Marketing and Communications Advisory Council (MAC) spring meeting.

Submission Deadline

Submissions will close at 11:59 PM ET on Wednesday, March 6, 2024.

Eligibility

College or university-based marketing and communications departments engaged in the management and operations of the marketing and communications program at an AACOM member college are eligible to submit entries.

Performance Period

Work accomplished between January 1 and December 31, 2023, will be considered.

Entry Categories & Submission Requirements

All entry submissions are entirely digital. Submittal requirements may vary depending on the category. Read individual category descriptions below for requirement details. Entries that fail to follow submittal requirements will be penalized in judging.

Click each category below for submission information.

Entry Submission Questions 

The questions below accompany each submission you enter online. For a more streamlined experience, please prepare your answers prior to logging into the online submission portal.

1. State your strategic marketing objectives and goals or intended outcomes.  (1,500 characters)
   Jurors will be looking for a clear marketing strategy and specific goals and benchmarks.
2. Explain the planning and thought process used to make your piece or program stand out from other communications aimed at your target audience. (1,500 characters)
   Jurors will be looking for methodology for collecting and evaluating results, target market and specific tactics and strategies that support the overall goals and objectives of the project. They will also evaluate projects on whether they exhibit an innovative approach or breakthrough idea.
3. What is the intended messaging of this entry?  (1,500 characters)
   Jurors will be looking for a clear marketing message that is consistent with the intended goals, that the piece or program reflects the COM’s strategic direction, that the marketing approach is compelling for the target audience and that the writing is coherent and error-free.
4. Describe how the entry conforms to the overall branding of the school or initiative. (1,500 characters)
   Jurors will be looking for how design, graphics, typography and other branding elements are effectively leveraged to create interest, engagement or otherwise meet the objectives of the project.
5. What actions did the target audience/s take after receiving your materials? Did you achieve your intended goals and outcomes? What were the overall results?  (1,500 characters)
   Jurors will be looking for statistics, measurable outcomes and any supporting testimonials or feedback. Explain how the piece met its goals and benchmarks or how you pivoted the strategy to emerging information.

Judging

Awardees will be notified in early April. The panel of judges will be composed of volunteers submitted by applicants, as well as AACOM staff. Judging scorecards will not be made public.

Submissions will be adjudicated by the panel using a point system. The judging panel will review and assess each submission using a 10-point rating scale. Submissions will be judged on the following criteria: Objectives, Planning, Messaging, Branding, Deliverables and Results.

Judge Recommendations

This year AACOM is providing the judges for the awards. However, if you would like to nominate a judge, please include them in the online application or contact eicawards@aacom.org.

Judges must be:

• Unbiased (does not work for any college of osteopathic medicine)
• A professional in marketing, communications, publishing, design, journalism or a related field
• Available to serve as a judge if selected. Judging will be virtual and judging will take place in March.

Submitting Your Entries

Each entry must include the following to be considered for judging:

1. Completed online entry form.
   You will need to create an account. We recommend preparing answers to the questions in advance.
2. All submission requirements.
3. $50 submission fee payment per entry.

Payment can be made online through the AACOM online store (Visa, MasterCard and American Express).

To pay online by credit card (MasterCard, Visa, American Express): Go to AACOM’s online bookstore, fill out an order form and then select ‘Add to Cart.’

If you are purchasing multiple submissions, add the first submission by clicking "Add to Cart" and, in the shopping cart screen, adjust the quantity to the number of submissions you wish to purchase. Be sure to keep your payment confirmation number, as it is required on the digital submissions form.