The 2021 Circle of Excellence Awards will open for nominations in January 2021.

New for 2020: Save money by entering early!

Cost per entry:

• $105 Early Bird rate for entries submitted on or before Feb. 26, 2020.
• $125 regular rate for entries submitted on or before March 11, 2020.

Please note:

• All fees must be paid online via credit card. CASE does not accept purchase orders or payments via check.

• Entries that have not been paid by the close the nomination period will not be judged.
• Once an entry has been submitted and paid, no refunds will be issued.

Judges may award four levels of recognition:

GRAND GOLD
Entry that is extremely exceptional or "game-changing." A Grand Gold Award is the highest level of recognition in the program. Grand Gold Awards are rare, and only one may be given per category.

GOLD
Entry that meets or exceeds all of the judging criteria; exceptional in nature.

SILVER
Entry that meets or exceeds most of the judging criteria; superior or outstanding in nature.

BRONZE
Entry that meets or exceeds many of the judging criteria; distinguished in nature.

Other considerations

• It is possible to have more than one gold, silver or bronze recipient in a category.
• Judges are not required to issue awards for each category, so not every category will have gold, silver and bronze award recipients.
• There are no "Honorable Mention" designations.

Who can enter

• Any CASE member institution is welcome to submit entries to the Circle of Excellence Awards.
• Nominators must be employed at and on the CASE roster at a CASE member institution.
• External vendors and third parties, including CASE Educational Partners, may not submit entries on behalf of institutions with which they have worked.

Entry criteria

• Unless otherwise noted, entries should have been produced or completed during the 2019 calendar year. In the case of publications such as magazines, the date on the cover/masthead will be used to determine eligibility.
• Although use of external vendors and consultants is allowed, the work should primarily be that of staff at CASE member institutions. 

Entry fees and payment

• All fees must be paid online via credit card. CASE does not accept purchase orders or payment via check.
• Entries that have not been paid by the close the nomination period will not be judged.
• Once an entry has been submitted and paid, no refunds will be issued.

Permissions

By entering the Circle of Excellence, the nominator and affiliated institution give CASE permission to:

• Share relevant contact information with volunteer judges.
• Use any of the materials submitted with the nomination for promotional purposes, including the CASE website, print and promotional publications, and electronic communications.

Entry and category rules

• Once an entry has been submitted and paid, it is considered final.
• Unless otherwise noted, the same entry may be submitted to any categories for which it meets the criteria.
• Unless otherwise noted, institutions may submit more than one entry to the same category.
• Entries that were previously submitted to a CASE District awards competition may also be entered in the Circle of Excellence Awards.
• Entries and related materials become the property of CASE and will not be returned.
• CASE and the judge coordinators reserve the right to disqualify entries that do not meet entry criteria.
• CASE and the judge coordinators reserve the right to move an entry into a more appropriate category, without notice to the nominator.

Mail-in entries

For categories that require materials to be mailed, the nominator is responsible for the timely delivery of materials to the judging site. CASE cannot be responsible for lost or misdirected entry materials. Materials not received in a timely fashion may not be judged, and no refunds will be issued. Materials will not be returned.

You can reach the CASE Awards team at awards@case.org.

Please include in your correspondence the name of the award, and category number and name, if applicable.