Epica Awards – final deadline extension until Nov.16th

Cristina Blanaru Creativity, Festivals & Awards

The Epica Awards are giving agencies more time to enter and compete for big prizes like the Responsibility Grand Prix. Amidst a warm response from agencies despite the difficult circumstances, Epica has announced a deadline extension to November 16.

Epica’s editorial director and jury host Mark Tungate said: “It’s gratifying to note that many agencies have already entered work this year and we want to warmly thank them for their support, which is much appreciated.”

But he added that some agencies had asked for more time to enter – while others were finalizing seasonal campaigns that Epica hoped to show the jury. “We want to give agencies and ourselves enough leeway to ensure that the year’s best work is represented.”

One of the big prizes up for grabs is the Responsibility Grand Prix, sponsored for the third year running by ACT Responsible. ACT stands for Advertising Community Together. Its mission is to share good practices and inspire and unite the advertising industry around social responsibility and sustainable development.

The Grand Prix will be chosen from the winners of the Public Interest categories, including the new Covid-19 Communications category. While there has been some debate around pandemic-related entries, Mark Tungate recently commented: “Ignoring an entire chapter of advertising history is exactly the opposite of what our jury of journalists is here for.”

He noted that many journalists on the jury had requested a Covid-19 category in the early days of the pandemic. “They want to reward the work that has genuinely helped communities during this period.”

The Responsibility Grand Prix will be awarded on December 17 during the virtual Epica Awards ceremony, along with the Grand Prix for Film, Print, Design, Digital and PR.

Epica is the only global awards show judged by journalists. This year’s jury includes newcomers such as Entrepreneur and Forbes (for business categories) as well as Communicate (UAE), alongside regular participants Adweek, Campaign (UK and India), Creative Review, Shots and many of their equivalents around the world.