ELIGIBILITY
The competition is open to all public relations and marketing professionals employed by New England healthcare institutions, Health plans and agencies.  Eligible entries must have been produced and/or completed – including measured results, between October 1, 2008 and January 31, 2010.

DEADLINES
Deadline: Friday, January 29, 2010, 5 pm
Late Deadline: Friday, February 5, 2010, 5 pm with accompanying late fee of $25 per entry
Final Late Deadline: Friday, February 12, 2010, 5 pm with accompanying late fee of $50 per entry.
The competition will close on Friday, February 12 at 5pm with no exceptions. All entries must be completed electronically through the NESHCo Lamplighters system by that time. Late entries will be accepted until Friday, February 12, 2010 with the late entry fee.

COST/PAYMENT
NESHCo members:  $75.00 per entry / Non-NESHCo members: $100.00 per entry
Late fees: additional $25 for each late entry
Final deadline late fee: additional $50 per entry
Payment is expected at the time of entry. Online, secure credit card processing is available and you may pay for al your entries in one payment. NESHCO does accept checks and checks must be mailed with your summary of entries email receipt within one week of the deadline date. Checks not received may result in disqualification.

PRODUCED IN HOUSE VS. AGENCY PRODUCED
Any entry that an advertising, design or PR agency either collaborated on or produced the materials in part or as a whole, should be considered an AGENCY PRODUCED entry. Entries that were produced in house but that may have used freelance staffers is considered PRODUCED IN HOUSE.

MEMBER VS. NON MEMBER RATE
Multiple people from the same organization may create a profile HOWEVER, only the actual member will receive the member rate, unless your organization is a corporate member. Other members of the organization that create a user profile will be charged the non member rate. NESHCo reserves the right to bill any non member who paid only the member rate. If you are questioning your membership status, please contact us at 978-948-8600 or kwoodsum@neshco.org

MAILING LARGE ITEMS
There are several categories that do allow for mailing pieces of your entry. Please refer to the category descriptions to determine if the category is eligible for mailed items. You MUST send TWO copies of the item if you have something that needs to be sent. The remainder of the entry must be finalized online and the oversized item must arrive in the NESHCo office within one week of the entry submission.

Note: NESHCo is not responsible for items that are not shipped via a trackable carrier i.e. USPS Express Mail, FedEx, UPS. YOU MUST PRINT an entry label and an entry form from the system and attach them to your items before shipping. Only items sent for specifically marked categories will be accepted.

ENTRY COMPLETION
You must finalize your entry before it is considered accepted. Follow the step-by-step guidelines carefully and be sure to SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY FOR JUDGING by the deadline as your final step. Entries that are not submitted for judging are not accepted. In addition, any entry that is not submitted for judging on time may result in a charge for late fees.

NESHCo is not responsible for incomplete entries. We are not able to add supporting materials to your entry after you finalize your entry. The only exception is when large materials are being mailed, however, the entry still must be finalized in the system. After the deadline, all DRAFT entries will be deleted.

QUESTIONS? 

Call the NESHCo Office, 978-948-8600, or kwoodsum@neshco.org