Category of Organization Primarily Responsible for PSA/WWW site (check one)

Description:  Please attach a one-page description of the PSA/WWW site to include the following:

• Objective of the PSA/WWW site, including target audience(s); steps in message development
• Names, titles and organization of all those responsible for the creation and production of the PSA/WWW site
• Video, audio and/or graphic production facilities used.  Explain which production stages were done in house; if from an outsource, name contractor.
• TV/radio stations, dates and approximate time of at least five airings during, or number of WWW site hits in, 1999and/or2000.
• Budget; for in house productions, please estimate what it would have cost to produce the PSA/WWW outside
• Describe how the PSA/WWW site was evaluated and the results of the evaluation

Entry Fee:  $50 per entry: Please make checks payable to the "Health Improvement Institute"

Entry Deadline: Entries and accompanying materials are due by September 1, 2000

Health Improvement Institute
5272 River Road, Suite 650
Bethesda MD 20816-1405
Tel: 301-652-1818 Fax: 301-652-1250

2000 CALL FOR ENTRIES

PURPOSE

The Aesculapius Awards, named for the ancient Greek God of healing, recognize organizations that have provided health information to the public through the use of television or radio public service announcements (PSAs) or world wide web (WWW) sites. They are intended to encourage excellence in health communication and promotion.

DEADLINE

Completed entry forms, fees and cassettes must reach the Health Improvement Institute by: September 1, 2000.

FEE

The entry fee is $50.00 in U.S. currency for each entry submitted.

ELIGIBILITY

Any PSA or WWW site that promotes public awareness, understanding or involvement in health, health care or health policy is eligible. For example, this can include information about healthy lifestyles, illness and injury prevention, medical care/research, or family and social concerns relating to health.

Active WWW sites and PSA's which first aired during the 1999 or 2000 calendar year are eligible. They must have been produced for public service (not commercial) use. PSAs must have aired at least five times. PSAs may be any acceptable broadcast length up to one minute (i.e., 10, 20, 30 or 60 seconds).

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

• All entries must be accompanied by the entry form, a one-page summary of the PSA's objectives and production (including information on the use of outside professionals and the amount of broadcast use); see entry form for list of contents
• Label PSA cassettes with company name, title of PSA, and length.
• Each television entry must be submitted on a separate VHS tape in North American NTSC standard (with ten seconds lead tape or tone-and-bars).
• Each radio entry must be submitted on a separate standard audio cassette (with ten seconds lead tape).
• Each WWW site entry must provide the complete address on the entry form.

Entries may be entered in any language. However, entries in a language other than English must be accompanied by the following:

• One page summary of PSA's objectives and production in English
• Translation of the script in English.

Entry materials will not be returned. Winners will be notified by mail and will be required to assign non-exclusive use rights to the Health Improvement Institute, for use in promoting future Awards programs and other Institute programs.

Categories

PSAs or WWW Sites may be entered in one of the following categories, based on the type of organization principally responsible for design, production and distribution:

• Hospital or Medical Institution
• Educational Organization or Foundation (non- profit)
• Educational Institution (Primary, Secondary or College)
• Community Group (non-profit)
• Government Agency (Local, State or Federal)
• Trade or Professional Association
• Media (Ad Agency, PR Firm, etc)
• Production Company
• Corporate

A highly qualified panel of communications and health professionals will judge entries.

Message Design

• How clear and understandable is the message?
• How creative and appealing is the PSA?
• How appropriate is the message for the target audience?

Production

• How well-produced was the PSA? Did it meet broadcast requirements and professional standards?

Distribution and Reach

• How well was the PSA promoted to stations?
• How often was the PSA aired?
• Did the attended audience see or hear the PSA?

Evaluation

• How well did the PSA accomplish its objective?
• Was the PSA effective in educating, persuading or moving the target audience to action?
• What other evaluation criteria were used?

WWW sites will be judged on the following criteria:

Content and Credibility

Interactivity/User-friendliness

• What browsers does the site support?
• How easy is it to navigate through the WWW site?
• How does it engage web users; does it provide any on-line forums, or forms for comments, questions, etc?
• Visual design/innovation

Creativity

• How creative is the WWW site in combing visual designs, photos, illustrations, and texts effectively?
• How successfully does the WWW site create a strong, unique, and consistent "personality"?

Aesthetics/Readability

• How well can you read the text: do background colors, patterns, designs, etc. enhance the text?
• How interesting and engaging is the site?

Evaluation

• How well does the WWW site meet its objectives? Is there a visitor count?
• Is it effective in educating, persuading or moving the target audience to action?
• How does the site use feedback?
• What other evaluation criteria are used?