1. How to write an award-winning submission
Scott Anderson CMO, Sitecore
Hey there- thanks for watching this short video about our 2016 Sitecore Experience Awards. I’m Scott Anderson, CMO of Sitecore, and today I’m going to give to a quick overview of this year’s Experience Awards;

2. New submissions process How to write a winning submission
Categories and awards
Dates for your diary
New submissions process
How to write a winning submission
…Specifically this year’s categories, important dates for your diary, the submissions process and finally our advice on how to write a winning submission.

3. Firstly, this year’s awards program is global!
What does this mean? It means that for the first time ever our awards program has been launched, will close and winners will be announced at the same time, across the globe. We also have two global awards, which can be won by any entrant, regardless of your region!

4. Secondly, we’ve completed revamped our awards and categories.
Whether you’re a partner or a customer, winning an Experience Award is proof that, through a combination of leading edge technology, creativity, team work and marketing nous, you’ve built a truly customer-centric online experience.
So, to really highlight this, our 2016 awards and categories hone in on the elements that are crucial to creating exceptional experiences. We have three category pillars:

5. Content Management

6. Omnichannel automation

7. and Contextual intelligence
and Contextual intelligence. Then, within each of those pillars, we have two specific awards:

8. Best content strategy and Marketing agility

9. Real-time engagement and Best e-commerce experience

10. And Digital Innovation and Best Data-Driven website

11. We then have two overarching global awards: Global People’s Choice…

12. …and the Ultimate Experience
…and the Ultimate Experience. Our Global People’s Choice award finalists will be chosen by the public (based on the highest Facebook likes) and then a winner chosen by Sitecore judges, based on the merit of their entry.
The Ultimate Experience award recognises an overall winner- all submissions, regardless of category, will automatically be entered into this award and a global winner chosen by our judges.

13. Dates for your diary Entries close: Tues January 31, 2017
People’s Choice voting: Tues February 7 - Thurs February 16, 2017
Regional & Global winners announced: Tues March 7, 2017
Now, here are the dates to get in your diary!
Hopefully you’re already aware that our awards are OPEN! So the next big one to be aware of is our closing deadline, which is January 31, While these are global awards, the cut off time for entries will be 4pm in your region – just to make things a little easier for everyone.
Our Global People’s Choice voting will occur between the 7th and 16th of Feb 2017, and we’ll announce the full list of winners in early March 2017.

14. Simplified submissions
sitecore.net/sitecore-experience-awards

15. #1 Start early!

16. #2 Every word counts

17. #3 Make it visual

18. #4 One size does not fit all

19. #5 Problem, solution, outcomes, future

20. #6 Show us the money (or conversions…)

21. #7 …but be honest!

22. #8 Two heads are better than one

23. Good luck! ExperienceAwards@sitecore.net
Sitecore.net/sitecore-experience-awards
If you missed any of that, there’s an accompanying blog post, summarising our 8 tips to writing a winning Experience Award submission, in the link below this video.
Best of luck to all our 2016 Sitecore Experience Award entrants—and remember, the deadline for submissions is January 31, 2017, so get started on your submission today!
Good luck!