5900-34 Partner of the Year Award

2010 ENERGY STAR® Awards
General Instructions for All Applicants
What you need to submit online:
• A 300-word executive summary highlighting the main elements of your application.
• An electronic copy (Word or WordPerfect) of your narrative.
• Optional supplemental material such as photos, pamphlets, copies of advertisements,
videos, audio files, etc., can be uploaded with your application as PDF files (each file
must be less than 12 MB). It is strongly recommended to consolidate supplemental print
files into one or two PDF files.
• Retailers only: See special instructions in the Retailer application, under the Partner of
the Year category.
When you need to submit it:
• A complete electronic application must be uploaded by midnight, EST on December
4, 2009. We will not accept any applications or materials uploaded after this date.
How you need to submit:
• All Partner applications must be electronically submitted through your “My ENERGY
STAR Account” (www.energystar.gov/mesa). The electronic system will be available
November 1, 2009.
• If you do not have an ENERGY STAR account, call the ENERGY STAR Hotline at
888-782-7937 to have one created.
• We will only accept applications submitted via this online system.
What to expect after you submit:
• Confirmation of Receipt: You will get an email within 48 hours confirming receipt of
materials you submitted electronically. It will be sent to the Primary and Communications
contact in the award application. If you do not receive confirmation within this timeframe,
contact ENERGY STAR Awards Coordinator Hewan Tomlinson at (202) 343-9082 or
[email protected].
• Notification: You will be notified no later than February 5, 2010 on the status of your
application.

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Additional information:
• The ENERGY STAR Awards Ceremony will be held on April 13, 2010 in Washington,
DC.
•

Organizations may apply for more than one award if they meet the eligibility
requirements. In such cases, a complete award application package must be submitted
for each award.

•

There are two broad categories of ENERGY STAR awards that you can apply for:
Partner of the Year and Excellence Awards.

•

The Sustained Excellence Award, our highest honor, is selected by EPA to recognize
organizations that have won Partner of the Year for several years and their
achievements continue to surpass those of the previous year. There is no separate
application for Sustained Excellence.

•

Where applicable, quantify your activities and the results (e.g., percent improvement,
number of marketing pieces produced, number of people reached), and include
electronic copies of documentation that support claims made (e.g., photos of
promotional materials, samples of advertisements with the ENERGY STAR mark, copies
of training materials used, etc.).

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2010 ENERGY STAR® Award Application
Excellence – ENERGY STAR Promotion
Eligibility:

All ENERGY STAR partner retailers, manufacturers, Energy Efficiency Program
Sponsors, or other organizations, who planned and executed a successful promotion or
consumer education campaign around an ENERGY STAR qualified product category,
series of products, or ENERGY STAR at large.
Applying for Another Award? You may include your promotion or consumer awareness
campaign within the application for that award rather than submitting two applications.
+ While it is unlikely that two awards will be issued to the same organization, the award
committees will evaluate your application for both awards assuming you have clearly and
fully addressed the award criteria for both.
+ Retailers, manufacturers, and/or energy efficiency program sponsors who team up on a
promotion/campaign are encouraged to apply as a group.

Description: This award recognizes specific, exemplary ENERGY STAR promotions or consumer
awareness campaign activities (vs. ongoing efficiency programs) that took place
during calendar year 2009. Promotions and educational campaigns may have
leveraged the national “Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR” campaign to
promote specific ENERGY STAR product(s) or may focus on other energy-efficient
products or practices (for example, computer and monitor power management).
Examples might include an advertising campaign, media event, community event, multitiered educational campaign, or combinations of these as they tie into one
comprehensive promotional strategy.
Criteria:

To be considered, promotions, consumer awareness or social marketing campaigns
should clearly work in support of any or all of the following goals:
• Increase consumer understanding of ENERGY STAR – visual recognition of blue
label, what it stands for, who’s behind it, individual and collective benefits of choosing
ENERGY STAR
• Increase consumer participation in ENERGY STAR national campaign activity (i.e.,
increase visits to the ENERGY STAR Web site, pledge driver activities, drive
attendance at educational events, etc.)
• Increase sales of ENERGY STAR qualified products in a sustainable manner (i.e.,
any price incentives are complemented with educational materials conveying product
benefits and value, etc.)
• Effect sustained behavior change around energy efficiency – move consumers from
‘knowing’ to ‘doing’
• Increase presence of ENERGY STAR in media (TV, newspapers, consumer
publications, Web content, trade publications, radio, etc.)

Narrative:

Your narrative description should be no more than five pages, but may be accompanied
by electronic samples of your campaign, advertisements, media kit materials, or other
collateral associated with the ENERGY STAR marketing or consumer awareness activity
for which you’re applying. These supplemental materials will not count toward the fivepage limit.

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•

Executive Summary (300 words or less)—-Please provide a brief overview of
your organization and the highlights of key accomplishments that make you eligible
for this ENERGY STAR award. In the event that you are chosen to receive an award,
this text will be the basis used in preparing a summary of your organization's
achievements. The Executive Summary will not count toward the five-page limit.

•

Accomplishments—Organizations applying for this award should provide a
detailed description of your 2009 accomplishments demonstrating how you have
met the following required criteria.

•

Cumulative Accomplishments—When highlighting cumulative accomplishments,
please ensure that you include a timeframe (e.g., saved $3 million in 2009 and more
than $10 million since 2001).

Award Evaluation Criteria
Reviewers will look for the following, as appropriate to your activity:
1. Leveraging of the national ENERGY STAR “Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR”
campaign for ENERGY STAR product or “practices” messaging
2. Use of ‘ENERGY STAR blue’ label – used properly and to convey understanding of its
purpose/meaning
3. Definition of ENERGY STAR as government-backed, associated with energy efficiency and
environmental protection/preservation
4. Visual examples of how a nationally consistent ‘tone’ was used to convey ENERGY STAR
(see ENERGY STAR Identity Guidelines for guidance on this)
5. Tactics that work to create repeat sales and, ultimately, influence market share (vs. solely
marketing a discounted price on a qualified product or giving a product away without a tie-in
to retail to help drive consumers to purchase the next one)
6. Evidence of retail sales staff training
7. Media activities that enhance relevant consumer understanding of ENERGY STAR
Candidates must include the following in their narrative, as appropriate to your activity:
• Brief description of the promotion/campaign: its title/name, goals and tactics (e.g.,
advertising, events, Web, direct mail, sales person training, in-store promotion) and medium
(e.g., TV, radio, publication, in-store)
• Intended audience for the promotion/campaign (e.g., demographics, internal, external,
international, or domestic)
• Dates and location of activity(ies)
• Brief description of any partnering or cooperative aspects
• Imagery may be incorporated into the narrative or attached electronically as supplemental
materials
• Bulleted list of qualitative and/or quantitative results of your efforts. For example:
¾ List of consumer education materials produced and number disseminated
¾ Media impressions (e.g., circulation, hits, reach, and frequency) of the promotional
activity by medium (e.g., print ads, brochures, Web, etc.) and in total
¾ Sales numbers: Sales of ENERGY STAR qualified product during the promotion,
rebate redemption numbers, shipping data, or percentage increase in sales over
same time last year. NOTE: data submitted as confidential will not be shared beyond
the internal awards evaluation team
¾ Number of sales associates trained or increase in salesperson/contractor knowledge

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¾ Anecdotal or other customer/community feedback
Candidates are encouraged to substantiate their activities and results with additional
documentation. A list of possible documentation is provided here, but is not intended to be
exhaustive nor prescriptive:
•
Example(s) of use of ENERGY STAR national campaign marketing or media kit materials
(whether used to build partner materials or used as-is)
•
Electronic examples of
¾ Consumer education materials (should correspond to the bulleted list mentioned
above)
¾ Electronic copies of placed print, radio and/or TV advertisements
¾ Copies of magazine or newspaper articles
¾ Screen captures of relevant Web page/content
¾ Photos of in-store displays/other promotional or campaign activities
¾ Photos of media events and/or samples of press materials that place activity in
context of national initiative
•
Other electronic documentation to support claims made in application

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