What to Enter

Any project—interface design, educational and entertainment program, interactive product display or application—created for digital distribution on Desktop, interactive installation, handheld device, online service or the World Wide Web is eligible. There is no eligibility period due to the rapidly-changing nature of interactive media. Submission of an entry acknowledges the right of Communication Arts to use it for exhibition and publication.

Interactive Competition Categories
These categories are judged by the Interactive jury and will appear in the Interactive Annual. For a list of fees, please download the category PDF:

Websites/Microsites: websites used for any purpose (including advertising, news, e-commerce, education and entertainment that utilize browser-based technologies).
Social: social network applications, extensions and games designed for social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.
Desktop: apps, widgets, branded experiences and games designed to run locally on Mac or PC desktops/laptops.
Mobile: apps, mobile-optimized websites, games and location-aware services designed for iPhone, Android, Windows, etc.
Tablets/Handheld Devices: apps, games, e-books, digital publishing and interactive sales presentations designed for tablets and handheld devises other than mobile phones.
Environmental: interactive installations, kiosks, tables, in-store/window displays, out-of-home experiences, tradeshow and museum exhibits, corporate showrooms, etc.
Other Interactive Media: any projects not covered in previous categories where interactivity is integral to the user experience.
Student Work: any interactive projects created for school assignments.

Late Fees
Entries must be registered through our online competition system no later than Midnight (Pacific Standard Time), October 5, 2018. Entries registered after that date require a late fee of $10 per entry. No entries can be registered after October 19, 2018.

How to Enter

All competition entries are processed through our online competition system.

Before you begin the process of entering a competition, please have the following information and materials ready. This will make the process go quickly.

• Your contact information for registration and notification.
• Title and basic credits for each project.
• URLs, video files or app links of work you want to submit.

Please submit only one version of each entry. Entries can be submitted in the following formats:

Video Entries: Must be in MOV, MP4 or MPG format, with a maximum file size of 1 GB. Include 4 seconds of black, no slates or bars, at the beginning of each piece and 2 seconds at the end. The video must convey the look and feel of the interactive project only and be no longer than five minutes in duration. No campaign overviews please.

Web-Based Entries: All web-based entries must be viewable in a common web browser and accessible via the Internet for three months after the competition deadline. If the entry is not publicly accessible, please include the user name and password to your secured server. Web-based video demonstrations must be a direct link to the project and be no longer than five minutes in duration. No splash page or campaign overviews please.

Downloadable Apps: Apple App Store or Google Play URL only. All other applications must be submitted as a demonstration video either as a disk or web-based entry.

We do not accept any printed entries or digital images for this competition.

No entries will be returned. NO EXCEPTIONS. CA is not responsible for damage or loss of any entry. All entrants grant Communication Arts the right to reproduce work selected in the Interactive Competition on the Communication Arts website and in materials used to promote the magazine, the competition and/or future related promotions.

Preparation of Packages
All pieces sent in physical form must have an entry form taped to the disk case. Non-United States contestants should mark each package “Materials for Contest Entry. No Commercial Value.” No provision will be made by CA for U.S. Customs or airport pickup. International entries should be sent by international courier. All entries must be received by the final deadline date.

Forms and Entry Fees
Once you have completed the registration process, a PDF with a receipt or invoice and entry forms for disk submissions will be generated. You must print, trim and attach the entry forms to the back of your physical entries. Entries on disk require an entry form taped to the outside of each disk case. Do not send any entries without entry forms attached.

We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and PayPal through our online competition system. Charges for your entry fees will appear on your statement as (“Commarts”). We also accept checks, international money orders and wire transfers. Make checks payable to Communication Arts. Non-United States contestants wishing to pay by check must send a check in U.S. funds drafted on a U.S. bank. Please include the check or money order with your entries if you are delivering them via mail/courier. If your payment is being sent under a separate cover, please include a note with your entries indicating that the check or money order is coming under separate cover. If you submit all of your entries online, please send a copy of the invoice you print out at the end of the entry process with the check or money order. Please note on wire transfers: We require an additional fee of $25 (U.S.) to cover fees charged by the banks to process the transfer.

Refund Policy
All entry submissions are final and entry fees are nonrefundable.

Mail entries to:
Communication Arts Interactive Competition
110 Constitution Drive
Menlo Park, CA 94025-1107
USA

(Via United States Mail, FedEx, UPS, etc. Entrants submitting from outside the U.S. please use an international courier.)

Notification of Acceptance
Only accepted entrants will be notified within three months after the final deadline date due to the number of entries we receive. Complete credits and any necessary material for the best possible reproduction in the Annual will be requested at that time.

Questions
If you have any other questions, you can reach us at:

Email: competition@commarts.com
Phone: (650) 326-6040
Fax: (650) 326-1648

FAQs

What is the eligibility period for the Interactive Competition?
There is no eligibility period due to the rapidly-changing nature of interactive media.

I’ve done a major upgrade of an existing project that I’ve entered in a previous competition. Can I re-enter it?
Yes, if the project is substantially different and has not appeared in the Interactive Annual before.

Can I get an extension on the deadline?
After the October 5, 2018 deadline we will accept entries for two weeks, but a late fee of $10 per entry is required. No entries can be registered after October 19, 2018.

Do you offer a cash prize?
We do not offer a cash prize. The winners are featured in one of our annuals distributed worldwide, in both print and digital editions, and on commarts.com, assuring important exposure to the creators of this outstanding work. Each winning entrant will also receive one personalized Award of Excellence, milled from solid aluminum, and printed award certificates for all creative contributors.

How do I edit an entry that has already been submitted?
​If you need to change anything about your entry, please contact us at competition@commarts.com and include your entry set number.

Can I submit my work via e-mail and just include a credit card number with it?
No, we do not accept entries via e-mail. All entries must be registered using our online competition system.

How do I enter a website?
Simply include the URL when registering online. The website must be viewable in a common web browser and accessible via the internet for three months after the competition deadline. If the entry is not publicly accessible, please include the user name and password to your secured server.

Where do I submit banner ads and online videos?
Banner ads, online videos and other forms of online advertising that have limited interactivity should be entered in the Advertising Competition.

My entry is an integrated campaign or branding program that includes interactive components. How do I get the whole campaign judged?
Integrated campaigns should be entered in the Advertising Competition. Integrated branding programs should be entered in the Design Competition.

My project is a downloadable application. Can I submit it as a web-based entry?
We are only able to support iOS, Android, OS X and Windows 7. Entries on all other platforms must be submitted as a demonstration video on disk or viewable on the web.

My project is a downloadable e-book for the Kindle Fire. Can I submit it as a web-based entry?
Only if it is a demonstration video viewable in a common web browser and accessible via the Internet for three months after the competition deadline. We are only able to support iOS, Android, OS X and Windows 7. Entries on all other platforms must be submitted as a demonstration video on disk or viewable on the web.

Can I send screen dumps alone?
No. Because this is an interactive competition, it is important that the judges view your project in its interactive form. Entries must be either a stand-alone application or be viewable in a web browser. Entries that cannot be presented this way should be submitted as a demonstration video. “Stand-alone” means no additional software will be needed other than what you have submitted.

I have separate applications that together make up my project, will they all be viewed?
The project must be viewable from one main application. Enter the project in the category that best describes the main application.

Can I send compressed files?
We accept SIT and ZIP files sent on disk. We do not accept compressed files that we must download from a supplied web link.

Will my project be presented with stereo sound?
Yes. If your project takes advantage of CD-quality stereo sound, it will be presented to the judges with the appropriate hardware.

Where do we put creative credits?
We only need basic credit information during the judging process. If the piece is selected as a winner, we will ask for a full list of credits at that time.

When will we know if our entry was chosen?
If your entry is chosen we will notify you within three months after the deadline date. Because of the number of entries we receive, we can only notify entrants whose work is accepted.

Will you supply a receipt for my entry fees?
Yes. Once you have selected a payment method for your entries, you will be able to download your receipt or invoice and entry forms (if applicable). If you need to access the receipt at a later date, sign-in to our competition system and click on “View My Entry Sets”. You will be able to download and print receipts from any of our competitions you have previously entered.

Student Category FAQs

What can be entered in the Student Work category?
Any project created for a school assignment. Personal work must be entered in the other categories.

The work must be completely original and not utilize content owned by another copyright holder unless the entrant has been granted specific usage rights. If a student project is selected and documentation of specific usage rights cannot be supplied, the project will be disqualified. Communication Arts is not liable for any copyright infringement on the part of the entrant, and will not become involved in copyright disputes.

Is there a discount for student entries?
Yes, there is a substantial discount for student entries completed as a school assignment. However, if work is entered after the initial deadline, a late fee of $10 per entry will be added.

Can I enter one project into multiple categories?
If the work is entered in the Student Work category, it cannot be entered in other categories.

Questions about what to enter, how to enter and other frequently asked questions can be found in the Interactive Competition FAQs.