The 2003 Radio-Mercury Awards Entry Deadline Extended To March 21st, 2003.

The 2003 Radio-Mercury Awards entry deadline has been extended two weeks to Friday, March 21st, 2003, in response to an overwhelming demand from advertisers, agencies, Radio stations and colleges.

Each year, the Radio-Mercury Awards recognizes excellence in Radio creative with over $150,000 in cash prizes, including the coveted $100,000 Grand Prize. A total of eleven $5000 cash awards are presented to nine winners from the General Category and to winners of the Spanish-Lanquage and the Station-Produced Categories. Finalists from these three categories are eligible to compete for the Grand Prize.

As announced earlier, the brand new Radio-Mercury College Award will debut this year, awarding $2500 to the winning college or university, along with a matching $2500 award from Y&R. The Public Service Announcement (PSA) Category has also been enhanced, awarding a $2500 donation to a charity selected by the PSA winner. Every Mercury Award winner receives the spectacular Radio-Mercury Awards trophy.

The late-entry fee to the Radio-Mercury Awards is $130 per commercial. The entry fee for both the PSA and College Award is $30 per commercial. Criteria for eligibility and more information on the Radio-Mercury Awards is available online at www.radiomercuryawards.com, by e-mail at me*****@*ab.com or by phone at 212-681-7207.

This year’s exclusive, invitation-only Radio-Mercury Awards luncheon and ceremony takes place Thursday, June 19th in the Starlight Roof Room of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

The Radio-Mercury Awards were established in 1992 to encourage and reward the development of effective and creative Radio commercials. Approximately 11,000 commercials have competed for over $2.1 million in prizes. The Radio-Mercury Awards are governed by the Radio Creative Fund, a non-profit corporation funded by the Radio industry.