SEE THE OMA AWARDS 2024 WINNERS
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QUESTIONS ABOUT THE OMA AWARDS? CLICK HERE
The 2023 Shop! Outstanding Merchandising Achievement (OMA) Awards, now in their 65th year, are the Marketing at Retail Industry’s most prestigious, largest and longest-running awards contest. It recognizes and honors excellent displays that set the merchandising and design precedents of today to become the standards of tomorrow.
Any form of marketing at retail may be entered. Entries need to have been placed in an at-retail location between Jan. 1, 2023 and Dec. 31, 2023. Minimum runs for each division are listed below.
The OMA contest is open to all producers, suppliers and purchasers of point-of-purchase materials, consumer products and services companies and retailers. This includes Shop! members and non-members in North America and overseas.
Some entries are collaborations between two companies. Those entries are entered as “co-entries.” Each of the two companies will be listed on the entry form. Each company will receive an award if its entry wins. Additional fee per display for a co-entry is $215.
To receive the discounted Shop! member pricing, your membership must be up to date and paid, or the non-member rates will be invoiced. If you’re interested in becoming a member or need to check your status contact info@shopassociation.org.
Entry Deadline
11:59 P.M. EST Feb. 2, 2024
On-site Entry Setup
Monday, April 8, 2024
On-site Judging
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Awards Celebration
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Teardown
Thursday, April 11, 2024
Shop! MarketPlace, Duke Energy Center, Cincinnati, OH
shop-marketplace.com
Fees help cover the costs of contest software, publicity, awards statuettes and more. Entry fees will not be refunded if displays are disqualified at any stage of the judging process.
All fees must be paid before Feb. 2, 2024. If you are interested in exhibiting at Shop! Marketplace, please visit shop-marketplace.com.
Regular Entry
Shop! Member Exhibiting: $750/entry
Shop! Member: $949/entry
Non-member: $1,449/entry
Other Fees
Co-Entry Fee: $215/entry
110V Electric at Shop! MarketPlace: $250/entry
220V Electrical at Shop! MarketPlace: $330/entry
Extra 8 square feet of exhibit space at MarketPlace (above 16 square feet): $480
Extra 16 square feet of exhibit space at MarketPlace (above 16 square feet): $960 (More than 32 square feet? Email omaawards@shopassociation.org).
Tall Displays & Signs Hanging from Ceiling
If your display is more than 8 feet tall or requires a sign to hang from the ceiling, contact omaawards@shopassociation.org. Height and ceiling hangings are governed by the Duke Energy Center. Unusually tall displays and those requiring ceiling hangings may not be allowed or may incur additional fees from the center or decorating company.
Trash Fee: $215/entry
(This will be applied if you are not shipping your entry back to your company and/or not donating the product on your display.)
Requests made on-site during setup: $225/request
(If you do not note electrical, trash, space in your entry form and need the aforementioned, you will be charged per request in addition to the fees above.)
Entry fees will not be refunded if display is disqualified at any stage of the judging process. No refunds will be given for displays that do not make it to the show floor due to issues beyond Shop!’s control. Entrants are solely responsible for ensuring their entry makes it to and is set up on the display floor by judging time at MarketPlace.
Nov. 1, 2023 is the first day to submit your entry. It is not necessary to wait until all your submissions are ready; you may complete a single entry or submit in batches. Entries must be complete and paid for by 11:59 p.m. EST Feb. 2, 2024.
A complete entry includes the following:
After your entries are completed and submitted, changes cannot be made after the submission deadline unless Shop!, the OMA committee and/or judges see fit.
Retail-Based Categories
The OMA competition Case History questions allow the entrant to focus on what they feel are the most unique and informative for the judges. Each question has a 250-word limit.
This is the information shown by your display on the OMA floor at Shop! MarketPlace. The objective has a 250-word limit.
Two images are required; however, you may submit up to five. The images should depict the entire entry. Since images are used during the judging of Shop!’s OMA contest, it is advantageous to use high-quality color digital images: 300 dpi and 4” x 6” minimum in dimensions. Acceptable file types: .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .svg, .tif, .tiff
Do not include the producer name in the naming of the images or in the images themselves.
The use of photo-realistic renderings is allowable, provided that they are produced with professional-quality 3D rendering software. Shop! reserves the right to reject any image that does not meet acceptable standards.
The first image should represent the display only and showcase the display in its best most typical fashion. This will be the image used at the awards celebration and all other promotional activities.
The second image should represent the unit in the retail environment where it may generally be placed. This is a mandatory requirement.
The third and additional images should depict the display’s versatility, multiple uses in various environments or special features.
Entries will be considered incomplete if they do not contain three images.
Shop! reserves the right to reject any image that does not meet acceptable standards.
You are strongly encouraged to submit a 45-second video showing a unique 360-degree of your display. Videos should have no sound. Please adhere to the following video guidelines:
Displays cannot be set up on the show floor unless an entrant has paid in full. Setup and teardown are the full responsibility of the entrant, not Shop!. You must comply with safety, fire and health ordinances regarding installation and operation of equipment.
If an entrant is unavailable for setup and teardown they may contact Freeman Decorating at (888) 508-5054 for these services.
Setup: April 8, 2024
Teardown: April 11, 2024
You may ship your entry or entries to the Duke Energy Events Center a number of different ways, including advance warehouse shipping (Freeman) or direct-to-dock delivery. Detailed shipping instructions will be posted on shopawards.org/oma closer to the show.
Do not pack or ship entries until you receive your Shop! Shipping Kit, which will contain complete shipping information. Shipping kits and preliminary floor plans will be available in mid-March.
The awards area is designed for the purpose of judging and displaying the contest entries. The area is NOT to be used by employees or representatives of contest entrants for solicitation or promotion. Any entrant whose company, employees or representatives are observed using Shop!’s awards area for promotional or solicitation activities are in violation of contest rules and regulations. The entrant’s display(s) will be removed from the show floor and disqualified from the contest without refund.
Individualized entrant-supplied corporate identifying labels, signs, emblems and stickers are not to be affixed to any entry while on display in the awards area. Entries with such identifying marks will be removed and disqualified, and fees will not be refunded. Shop! will provide you with a uniform identifying Fact Card during setup.
All entrants are responsible for the security of their entries and products. Plan to protect your property throughout the show, especially through the tear down period of the entry’s outbound shipment from the exhibit hall. Do not give or ‘trade’ displays or products unless you first procure and sign a release form from the show management office to sign over the displays or products.
All property shipped to or from the exhibit is at the sole risk of the entrant. Each entrant shall obtain insurance on their own behalf, as they deem necessary, to protect against loss or damage. You must agree to indemnify Shop! against and hold it harmless from any liability whatsoever resulting from participation in the exhibit by the entrant or any person thereon with the consent of the entrant, whether or not caused by the negligence or fault of Shop! or any of its agents. Shop! urges contest entrants to use ‘dummy’ product on displays.
While guards will be on the premises and every reasonable precaution will be taken to protect persons and property during installation, exhibit period and removal, neither the association, management, service contractors, the management of the exhibit facility nor any of the officers, staff, members or directors of any of the same are responsible for loss or damage to an entrant’s property through theft, fire, accident or any other cause or for any injury that might occur to show visitors, entrants or their agents, employees, or others.
All competition entries are set up and displayed at MarketPlace. Having an entry in the competition permits access to the trade show floor during setup and teardown days of the trade show. Access to the trade show floor, however, during show days is regulated by MarketPlace admission policies and procedures. To register for admission into MarketPlace, visit shop-marketplace.com. Participation in the OMA contest does not include admission to MarketPlace during show days.
There are two judging phases; one online reviewing written entries and photos/videos, and one in person in the MarketPlace OMA area. The latter will be used to confirm scores, notes and that the display resembles the electronic submissions.
Shop! employs a 10-point category scoring scale with a total of 100 possible points.
The judges will review the answers to the case history questions, then view the entries on-site, to choose their final score. The Case History questions are as follows:
Gold, silver and bronze winners are awarded in each category according to each division (permanent and temporary) based on the following requirements:
While the composite scoring system can award up to one gold, one silver and two bronze, that does not guarantee that all categories/divisions will have the maximum number of award winners. In some cases, there may not be a gold, or even any awards in a category, if the scoring does not meet the minimum standards.
This award is the most prestigious award of the OMAs and the highest recognition in the in-store marketing industry. One Display of the Year Award is presented in each division (permanent and temporary) and they are chosen from the gold award winners.
All winners are announced at the Shop! Awards Celebration on April 10, 2024 at Shop MarketPlace in Cincinnati, OH. A list of winners will be published on shopassociation.org and shopawards.org the following day. An online gallery at shopawards.org will be promoted shortly thereafter, and winners may be featured in VMSD magazine.
Trophies are all shipped directly to the winners six to eight weeks following MarketPlace.
Winners are presented with two trophies, one with the entrant’s name first; one with the client’s name first. Winning entries with a Co-Entrant receive a third trophy, with the Co-Entrant’s company name first.
Yes! You may order duplicate trophies AFTER you have received your trophies. Duplicate trophies cost $250 plus shipping and may be ordered directly from the trophy supplier’s website: societyawards.com/shopassociation.
Should you wish to order additional trophies, you may do so after winners have been announced at a cost of $235 each directly from the website of Society Awards: https://societyawards.com/shopassociation/
Shop! does not make individual scores available.
For specific questions about the OMAs, contact omaawards@shopassociation.org.
Entries vie for gold, silver and bronze honors in their respective categories and divisions. In addition, all gold winners are eligible for the “Display of the Year,” which represents the highest recognition the industry can bestow upon an at-retail display.
Questions about the OMA Awards?
Email omaawards@shopassociation.org.
To verify your membership status, contact
Dina Meindl, dina@shopassociation.org.
SEE THE OMA AWARDS 2024 WINNERS
DOWNLOAD THE OMA AWARDS WINNERS LIST
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