
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, February 26, 1995                   TAG: 9502240048
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: F-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

THE ADDY AWARDS

The competition: The annual events are sponsored by the American Advertising Federation of Washington, D.C., and its local chapters in about 200 U.S. markets. The awards are intended to recognize creative excellence in advertising. The contest is considered the largest of creative advertising in the country. It attracts about 60,000 entries each year.

History: Addy awards first were presented in 1960 and the program presented its first national awards in 1969.

The competition is a progressive program, meaning success on one level qualifies an entrant to compete on the next level. There are three levels of Addy competition. Winners in the Roanoke Valley competition, for instance, are eligible to compete with work entered by 18 advertising clubs in Virginia and the Carolinas, one of 14 multistate district programs. Winners of the district contest, to be announced April 8 in Charlotte, N.C., will compete for national Addy awards, to be announced in June at the AAF convention in Tampa, Fla.

Criteria: The program is designed to reward outstanding creativity. Judges are asked to evaluate an ad's effectiveness in terms of its impact, relevance to its audience, focus, whether it differentiates its client's product or service from others and whether it asks for a sale.

Proceeds: Money raised from entry fees and related events goes to federation education and public service advertising.

Sources: American Advertising Federation, Advertising Federation of the Roanoke Valley

by CNB