Have you ever wondered how the APA staff judge Annual Chapter Contest entries? Well, you’re in luck! Today, we’re giving you an inside look at some of the judging criteria for each chapter contest, as well as elements from the 2017 winning entries that really impressed us.
For the chapter pictorial contest, the judges first ensure that submissions meet the pictorial guidelines.
After reviewing these criteria, judges fill out a ballot with comments based on the creativity of the presentation and then choose their top three winners. All the ballots are correlated into points for each chapter, which are then added to determine the final winners.
A slide from the 2017 1st Place Chapter Pictorial Contest winner:
San Francisco Bay Area Chapter.
In response to the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter’s pictorial entry, one judge wrote, “I enjoy that they had more functions and more people participating in their chapter meetings. They also have the same theme as Congress this year. I really enjoyed their presentation.”
Have fun with this contest by showcasing your chapter’s personality in a creative PowerPoint pictorial.
For this contest, the judges will review the questionnaire answers and the chapter website, then rate various criteria on a scale from 1-10. Below are five important points they consider when judging the website entries:
- Does the chapter promote membership in APA National and APA National events?
- Is the website easy to navigate through?
- Is the site laid out in a logical manner?
- Are the links to chapter-related information useful?
- Is the site reflective of the chapter’s geographic area or location?
While the visual aspects of a chapter website are important, the judges focus on the effectiveness and practicality of the site for visitors. The questionnaire provides an opportunity to describe how the chapter website has benefitted officers and members. Take, for example, this quote from the 1st place entry of 2017, submitted by the Western Pennsylvania Chapter:
“Our board members use the website to communicate and manage the Chapter more efficiently. We send out a newsletter after Chapter meetings and have a members section that allows us to share the links that our payroll professionals need as well as videos of our Chapter meetings.”
Best Statewide or Regional Meeting Contest
As the judges review questionnaire answers for this contest, they assign points for each of the four sections: planning/marketing, conference theme, recognition, and education. Gain more points for your chapter by keeping your information organized, providing detail, and including lots of pictures from your event! Here are some example pages from the 1st place entry of 2017, featuring the Texas Payroll Conference: 
If your chapter is determined to take the lead and win an award at the 36th Annual Congress, keep these guidelines and examples in mind as you polish up your entries for submission. For more tips on specific contests, check out our past blog posts on the Chapter Pictorial, Best Website, and Best Statewide or Regional Meeting contests.
Once you are ready to submit, click here to upload your contest entry.
Have a question about the Chapter Contests? Ask in the comments below!
