USA TODAY Launches Print Advertising Competition

$1M in media to go to the most creative print ad submitted

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Oct 01, 2012, 08:00 ET

MCLEAN, Va., Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- USA TODAY announces the launch of the 2012 USA TODAY Print Advertising Competition. Advertising agencies, marketers, and non-profits are encouraged to submit their most creative print ad to be eligible to win up to $1 million in full-page print advertising in USA TODAY.

Ads can be part of a new or existing campaign. Judging will be based on three criteria: creativity and originality of advertisement, visual storytelling and clarity of writing. Ads will be judged by industry executives including: Andrew Essex, CEO, Droga5; Chip Kidd, designer/writer, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group; Sean McLaughlin, creative director, Wieden + Kennedy; Chuck Porter, chairman, Crispin Porter + Bogusky; Ty Montague, co-founder and co-CEO, Co Collective and Michael Wolff, media columnist, USA TODAY. Larry Kramer, president and publisher of USA TODAY and Maryam Banikarim, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Gannett Co., Inc. are the executive sponsors of the competition.

"It takes great creativity to produce a print ad that tells an advertiser's story in a meaningful way and compels consumers to act. USA TODAY has always been a leader in visual storytelling and we want to help our advertisers tell their stories. We know the power of print in telling a story that gets noticed by consumers," said Larry Kramer.

Maryam Banikarim said of the panel of judges, "We are thrilled to have some of the greatest minds in the advertising, design and media communities judging this competition. They each bring their own unique depth of experience and perspectives. As a group, they will be outstanding at determining what really makes a great ad – the cleverness, wit, and ability of an ad to make an argument, tell a story and in general, leave a long lasting impression and move a client's business."

Entries will be accepted from October 8 – November 26. The Grand Prize Winner and two Runners-Up will be announced in January 2013 and the winning ad will appear in USA TODAY in 2013. For information on how to submit an entry and complete details, go to www.usatoday.com/printcompetition.

USA TODAY is a multi-platform news and information media company. Founded in 1982, USA TODAY's mission is to serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation. Through its unique visual storytelling, USA TODAY delivers high-quality and engaging content across print, digital, social and video platforms. An innovator of news and information, USA TODAY reflects the pulse of the nation and serves as the host of the American conversation – today, tomorrow and for decades to follow. USA TODAY, the nation's number one newspaper in print circulation with an average of nearly 1.8 million daily, and USATODAY.com, an award-winning newspaper website launched in 1995, reach a combined 6.6 million readers daily. USA TODAY is a leader in mobile applications with more than 15 million downloads on mobile devices. USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI).

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SOURCE USA TODAY