Judges tips

The PAGE award judging panel have put together a list of tips and judging criteria for your submissions and categories.

  • Download a nomination form here
  • Get your entries into Dacre at Spicers in Fyshwick

    ATTN: Dacre
    8 Albany St
    Fyshwick, ACT 2609
    (02) 6280 7811
  • Start early
    (entries will be accepted before open date)
  • Choose only your best work
  • Prepare a small paragraph for each entry
    It may be useful to outline the entry as follows:
    • Brief/Problem
      The clients brief, requirements or purpose of the entry.
    • Solution
      How the entry addressed the clients criteria both visually and technically to the benefit of the end product. Was there innovation or collaboration?
    • Outcome
      What impact did the entry have for the client and/or their customers.
    This will help put your entry in-context and  enable more accurate judging.
  • Use 1 nomination form for each entry
    (if for example 1 entry form is used for 3 different printed products 1 really good entry may be disadvantaged by 2 average entries as the 3 different products are judged as 1)
  • Submit actual printed (and only the most pristine) samples.
    Judges are assessing design and print excellence equally.
    Where a printed sample is unavailable (i.e. large format printing), technical information and photographs must be submitted.
  • Submit live URL's. Projects must be accessible online where possible. It will be assessed as a holistic user experience.

Product related categories

Categories 1-12

For product related categories the judges place the major emphasis on the final quality of the product, its conformity with extremely high technical standards and its use of design to visually communicate.

Specifically the judges look for:

Customer focus

  • Development
  • Response
  • Interpretation of brief

Design

  • Typography
  • Layout
  • Colour
  • Use and selection of media elements
  • Paper selection

Technical new media

  • Image resolution choice and quality
  • Media elements
  • Usability
  • Accessibility
  • Download times
  • navigation techniques.

Technical digitally printed products

  • Image resolution, colour correction, grey balance, gradation and quality
  • Image banding in vignettes
  • Consistency of colour across the print (especially in solids), and in colour panels (eg header) repeated within a publication.
  • Lack of debris or imperfections (scratches, scuffing or other marks)
  • Perfect dot reproduction
  • Absence of digital printing operation faults
    In addition production and/or in line print finishing faults such as poor guillotining, uneven binding, incorrect page order, or damage during collation are checked.

Technical printed products

  • Image resolution, colour correction, grey balance, gradation and quality
  • Perfect register(by far the most common failing)
  • Consistency of colour across the print (especially in solids)
  • Lack of debris or imperfections (hickeys, scratches, scuffing or other marks)
  • Perfect dot reproduction (no slur, doubling or hollow dots)
  • Absence of printing operation faults, such as damper marks, scum or tinting
  • In addition production faults such as poor guillotining, uneven binding, incorrect page order, or damage during collation are checked, as these aspects may come into play when two or more entries are of equal excellence as far as print is concerned, and separation is necessary.

Commercial

Has the final product met requirements of customer/audience/end user.

Innovation

Evidence of innovative production techniques/collaboration.

Non product related categories

Categories 13-14

  • Young achiever award
  • Service to Industry award

The judges make their decision by comparing the content of the written nomination to the award criteria.

For the categories related to personal achievement judges look for:

  • Background (qualifications and experience)
  • Achievement (description of type and level of achievement)
  • Other (Interests, other contributions to community etc.)