Entries are judged at random and independently, so they are not compared directly to other entries in their categories. There is no preset number of winners in a category. There are no lengthy essays to persuade the judges, so all work is evaluated solely on its own quality, creativity, and resourcefulness. Judges base their decisions on learned perceptions of creative excellence rather than an entrant’s explanation of an entry’s value.
Since there can be a tremendous variance of resources from one entrant to another, and from one piece to another, the perceived budget is taken into consideration in the judging. Based on their work experiences, judges have an expectation for each individual entry. For example, a student-produced project is not held to the same expectation as a piece produced by a Madison Avenue agency for a Fortune 500 company.