The 2023 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Competition Wants to Hear from YOU!

Are you constantly telling everyone your festival or event is the best ever? Should everyone be taking a page out of your Volunteer Program? Is your Sponsorship Program a shining example of perfect partnerships? Do you have the Best Parade on the block? What about your Ad Series – did it exceed expectations to increase attendance? Perhaps you've captured the perfect award-winning Photo of your event? Did your Merchandise Program bring in great profits this year? Were your Social Media Campaign analytics through the roof? Do you have a Radio or TV promo that captured your audience and drew them in? Or did you try a new form of Multi-Media this year?

Whatever you did at your event, we know you've worked hard to put everything in place and make your event the best it can be. Well, why not take a moment and receive a little recognition for all your hard work! With the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Competition, you can receive just that . . and more! For just a small entry fee per entry, you could walk away saying your event has been recognized by your peers on an international level!

With 70 categories on the Awards Entry List - events large or small, cities, festivals, chambers, universities, parks & recreation, vendors & suppliers, and everything in between, will find many categories that suit their organization! From best event poster, T-shirt, hat, promotional brochure, website, social media, TV promotion and more to Event Programming ranging from Sponsorship, Children's activities, Accessibility, Volunteers, Entertainment, Parades, F&B, Community Outreach and much more - there's a place for almost every element of your event to be recognized in front of your peers in the 2023 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Competition!

It's been a year since the last Pinnacle Awards were handed out - many great festivals & events have happened since then that deserve to be recognized for their success! Don't let your achievements go unnoticed!

ALL ENTRIES SUBMITTED ONLINE

All IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Award Entries will once again be submitted online only, saving you not only financial resources but much needed time.

To get started, just create digital versions of all your entries, enter them through our online entry form, and pay for them all at one time!* (*If wishing to pay for your Pinnacle Entries by Check or need to be invoiced, please contact Nia Hovde, CFEE, BEFORE you start your entry process.) For more details on specific format types accepted, how to name the file names of your entries and how to submit online, see complete details in the Pinnacle Brochure.

So, what are you waiting for? Start creating your entries TODAY! Complete the online entry form, upload or provide a link to your entries and then click SUBMIT, so they can be judged against the best of the best, in the festivals and events industry. Then get ready to hear your organization’s name announced at the next Annual IFEA Convention, Expo & Retreat when we once again get to say . . . “And the winners are . . . !”

IFEA MEMBERS ENTER HERE

Entering the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Competition is an IFEA Member Benefit. IFEA Members, log in below to access the Online Pinnacle Entry Page.

LOG IN HERE TO SUBMIT ENTRIES ONLINE

2023 PINNACLE ENTRY BROCHURE

BEFORE you start getting your entries ready, be sure to download and thoroughly read through the 2023 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Entry Brochure to view complete entry details and requirements for each Pinnacle Category.

DOWNLOAD PINNACLE ENTRY BROCHURE HERE

2023 Pinnacle Entry Deadlines

EARLY BIRD ENTRY DEADLINE: 11:55 p.m. (MST), WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 2023

Entries received on or prior to 5:00 p.m. (MST), Wednesday, March 1, 2023 will receive the Early Bird rate of $35 per entry or $125 per Grand Pinnacle Entry.

2nd EARLY BIRD DEADLINE: 11:55 p.m. (MDT), WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 2023

Entries received between Thursday, March 2, 2023 and 11:55 p.m. (MDT), Wednesday, May 3, 2023 will receive the 2nd Early Bird entry rate of $40 per entry or $150 per Grand Pinnacle Entry.

FINAL ENTRY DEADLINE: 5:00 p.m. (MDT), MONDAY, JUNE 21, 2023

Entries received between Thursday, May 4, 2023 and 11:55 p.m. (MDT), Wednesday, June 21, 2023 will receive the Final Entry rate of $45 per entry or $200 per Grand Pinnacle Entry.

Eligibility Period

June 28, 2022 – June 21, 2023

Entries must have been produced and / or used for the first time between June 28, 2022 and June 21, 2023.

Questions?

For questions on any of the IFEA Awards Programs, contact: Nia Hovde, CFEE, Vice President/Director of Marketing & Communications, at Email: nia@ifea.com.

Additional Details

Additional Resources

2023 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Budget Categories Include:

All Pinnacle entries are not only separated in to 70 individual categories, but also into four individual budget categories within each category. This is to ensure that like size festivals & events compete against like sized festivals and events. A Gold, Silver and Bronze winner is then awarded within each budget category within each specific entry category. Therefore, there could ultimately be four Gold winners, four Silver winners and four Bronze winners within an individual Pinnacle Category. Judges may combine budget categories within a specific entry, if the number of entries warrants it.

The specific budget category you enter is based on your organization's event expense budget. Budget categories are as follows:

Budget #1: Under $100,000
Budget #2: $100,000 to $750,000

Budget #3: $750,000 to $2 Million
Budget #4: Over $2 Million

2023 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Entry Categories Include:

Complete descriptions for each category along with requirements, judging criteria and instructions on how to submit your entry for each category can be found in the 2023 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Brochure.

BEFORE you start getting your entries ready, be sure to download and thoroughly read through the 2023 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Entry Brochure! There have been a lot of updates and changes to all of the categories, in addition to adding quite a few new ones!
DOWNLOAD PINNACLE ENTRY BROCHURE HERE

1. Grand Pinnacle
2. Best TV Promotion
3. Best Full-Length TV Program
4. Best Video Promotion
5. Best Radio Promotion
6. Best Mobile Application
7. Best Multimedia Component
8. Best Event Website
9. Best Organization Website
10. Best Facebook Site
11. Best Instagram Site
12. Best Single Digital/Social Ad
13. Best Digital/Social Ad Series
14. Best Event / Organization E-Newsletter
15. Best Event Program
16. Best Newspaper Insert / Supplement
17. Best Promotional Brochure
18. Best Printed Materials (Multiple Page)
19. Best Printed Materials (Single Page)
20. Best Cover Design
21. Best Single Newspaper Display Ad
22. Best Single Magazine Display Ad
23. Best Ad Series
24. Best Promotional Poster

25. Best Commemorative Poster
26. Best Promotional Photograph
27. Best Outdoor Billboard
28. Best Invitation
29. Best Street Banner
30. Best On-Site Décor
31. Best T-Shirt Design
32. Best Pin or Button
33. Best Hat
34. Best Festival / Event Merchandise
35. Best Sponsor Gift
36. Best Give-Away Item
37. Best Overall Merchandising Program
38. Best Targeted Sponsor Solicitation Proposal
39. Best Individual Sponsor Follow-Up Report
40. Best Sponsor Partner
41. Best Sponsor Activation
42. Best Sponsorship Program for Individual Sponsor
43. Best Overall Sponsorship Program
44. Best Volunteer Program
45. Best Green Program
46. Best Parade
47. Best Educational Program
48. Best Accessibility Program
49. Best Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Plan

50. Best Children’s Programming
51. Best Overall Entertainment Program
52. Best Community Outreach Program
53. Best Event / Program Within an Event to Benefit A Cause
54. Best Event (Within an Existing Festival)
55. Best Emergency Preparedness & Risk Management Plan
56. Best Health & Safety Plan
57. Best Food & Beverage Program
58. Best New Festival or Event
59. Best New Promotion Activity
60. Best Festival / Event Adaptation
61. Best Press / Media Kit
62. Most Creative / Effective News Stunt
63. Best Media Relations Campaign
64. Best Social Media Campaign
65. Best Event Management Certification Program
66. Best Online Event Management Training Program
67. Best Event Management Associate Degree
68. Best Event Management Bachelor’s Degree
69. Best Festival & Event Management Master’s Degree
70. Best Festival & Event Management PhD Program

About the Winners

For all entries, each winning festival/event receiving a Gold, Silver or Bronze award is selected from those festivals and events who enter the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Competition and are judged on the overall excellence of a festival / event based on the specific criteria and requirements of the specific category(ies) being entered, within each of the four separate budget categories. Festivals / Events recognized as an “IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Award Winner”, are entitled to use that specific language in sharing the news about a Pinnacle win, for the specific category(ies) won. Language declaring a Festival / Event / Parade / Program etc., as the “Best in the World by the IFEA”, is not correct or in line with the nature of the competition and will not be supported or endorsed by the IFEA.

Sponsor of the IFEA Pinnacle Awards

Haas & Wilkerson Insurance has proudly supported the IFEA and festivals and events industry for nearly three decades. As the presenting sponsor of the Annual IFEA Convention, Expo & Retreat, and the title sponsor of the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Program, they have helped to raise the quality and standards of excellence for festivals and events around the globe.

With over 80 years of entertainment industry experience behind them, they provide insurance programs designed for each event’s specific needs and have a long list of clients that includes festivals, fairs, parades, carnivals and more. Learn more about them at www.hwins.com.