DEADLINES & ELIGIBILITY:
Q2: Please explain the eligibility period in a bit more detail.
A: Of course. If you festival / event / program etc. occurred between June 27, 2024 and June 25, 2025 – it is eligible to be entered into the Pinnacle Competition.
However, note that the eligibility period also states that the item being entered (for an event/program/merchandise/print/website etc.) must have been produced and / or used for the first time between those dates. What does that mean? It means if your event took/takes place slightly outside of the eligibility period (before June 24, 2024 or after June 25, 2025) – but the item being entered (for an event/ program/ merchandise/ print/ website etc.) was used to promote the event within the eligibility window, then it is eligible, even if the actual event was slightly outside the eligibility window.
Additionally, we understand that events which occur close to the eligibility deadlines have a limited window to enter their event into the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Competition before the final entry deadline. If your event occurred just prior the start of the 2025 Pinnacle eligibility period (June 27, 2024 to June 25, 2025) and you DID NOT enter your event into the 2024 Pinnacle Competition, please contact Nia Hovde, CFEE at nia@ifea.com to enquire if your event may be eligible to be entered into the 2025 Competition.
If you have questions on this, please contact Nia Hovde, CFEE at nia@ifea.com
Q3: My event was cancelled, can I still enter?
A: Yes. The eligibility requirements state that entries must have been produced and / or used for the first time between June 27, 2024 and June 25, 2025. If you created promotional materials for your event that was used during that time, or you had social media, merchandise, brochures, or critical component programming that you created in preparation for your event, but then your event was cancelled, you can still enter the materials that were created. If they were created and used to promote your event, they can be entered. It would be helpful however, to indicate that the event did not eventually take place, just for the curiosity of the judges.
Q4: Are we able to enter the same event into multiple categories?
A: YES – of course you can! Just make sure you check the different requirements you're entering for the different categories. Not all categories have the same requirements, so remember to change things up. Also, remember that each will be a separate entry and require a separate entry fee and entry form for each.
Q6: Why are categories split into different budget categories, and what are those categories?
When entering your Pinnacle Entries, in addition to entries being split into separate categories, entries are also split into the below separate budget categories. This is so like size Festivals/Events/Organizations are being judged against each other. To determine which budget you should enter for your festival/event, you would enter based on your Organizations Event Expense Budget. (See question 9 for additional details.)
Budget #1: Under $50,000
Budget #2: $50,000 to $500,000
Budget #3: $500,000 to $1.5 Million
Budget #4: Over $1.5 Million
Note: Judges may combine budget categories within a specific entry, if
the number of entries warrants it.
Q7: How do I know what budget level to enter my festival/event?
A: That is a very popular question. The budget levels are based on the organizations event expense budget. If you are a large Festival/Event that occurs only once during the year (but perhaps has many smaller events within the same larger event) you would enter your entries based on what the event budget it for that overall larger event. The Pinnacle budget level in this case most likely would be the same for each of your entries. If you are an organization that has many events throughout the year, each separate from the other, you would enter your entries base on what the event budget is for each individual event. The Pinnacle budget level in this case would vary for each event that you enter.