Radio Mercury Awards Call For Entries.

The 2002 Radio-Mercury Awards call for entries kicks off on January 1 for the chance to win 12 cash prizes, worth over $150,000, in recognition of creative excellence in Radio commercials.

Creators of the best Radio commercials of 2001 will compete for the coveted $100,000 Grand Prize and 11 cash awards of $5000 each, 9 from the General Category and one each from the Hispanic and Station-Produced Categories. Every cash prize also comes with a Radio-Mercury Awards trophy. In addition, a trophy will be presented in recognition of the year’s best Public Service Announcement.

This year marks several firsts for the Radio-Mercury Awards, not the least exciting of which is the acceptance of entries via MP3 files. Multiple entries may now also be submitted on a single CD, DAT or cassette. In addition, the Radio-Mercury Awards will accept credit cards for entry fee payment.

The Radio-Mercury Awards are awarded annually to encourage, recognize and reward excellence in Radio creative. The Luncheon and Awards Ceremony, to be held in New York City in June of 2002, attracts luminaries from the creative community as well as high-ranking Radio industry executives.

DDB Chicago was the winner of the 2001 $100,000 Grand Prize for “Mr. Pickled Pigs Feet Eater,” part of the “Heroes” campaign developed for Anheuser-Busch brand Bud Light.

The 2001 Hispanic Category prize was awarded to Bromley Communications of San Antonio for a Showtime Networks, Inc. commercial. The Station-Produced Award recipient was WZRS-FM/Next Media, Crystal Lake, IL for a spot created for their client, Pirro Brothers Pizza.

Entry fee for the 2002 Radio-Mercury Awards is $100 per commercial; PSA’s are $30 each. All entries must be received by March 1, 2002 and must have aired for the first time during the 2001 calendar year on a commercially licensed US Radio station. The late entry deadline is March 8th, with a late entry fee of $130. PSA’s remain at $30.

Entry forms will be available to download after January 1, 2002 at the Radio-Mercury Awards’ official website, http://www.radiomercuryawards.com. To contact the Radio-Mercury Awards email me*****@ra*.com or call (212) 681-7216.

The Radio-Mercury Awards were established in 1992 to encourage and reward the development of effective and creative Radio commercials. Close to 10,000 commercials have competed for nearly $2 million in prizes. The Radio-Mercury Awards are governed by the Radio Creative Fund, a non-profit corporation funded by the Radio industry.