2019 Excellence in Marketing Awards (EMMAs)

Memorable Moments. Memorable Marketing.

Ferris Bueller got it right. “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” As our schedules fill up and projects come and go, everything becomes an “I’m so busy” blur.

If, as our friend Ferris suggests, you take a break from the busy blur to look around, what stands out? In your fast-paced marketing life, what are those memorable moments that make you sit back, sigh with delight, and think, “Yea, that was pretty great.”

Take a moment to share those stand-out stories and projects with your fellow marketers by participating in the 2019 Excellence in Marketing Awards (EMMAs). The EMMAs are AMACVA’s annual signature competition and awards gala to recognize the work of marketing professionals in the Central Virginia region.

2019 Award Categories

• Campaign
• Experiential Graphic Design
• Logo Design
• Marketer of the Year
• Print Collateral
• Social Media Marketing
• Video
• Website

Congratulations to our 2019 Winners

Read about the 2019 winners >>

Meet the Judges

Virginia Case is the CEO of Strategic Tactical Marketing, StraTac, where she and her team work with DC-Metro clients on improving User Experience Design (UXD) as it relates to improving business outcomes and generating sales lift. Ms. Case’s expertise is the result of numerous years of study and practice in sundry industry verticals. Unrestricted by medium or channel, Ms. Case approaches marketing holistically looking for opportunities to apply creativity, encourage impact, and generate action. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, Ms. Case also received her master’s degree from George Mason University. She is an active member of the Tysons community and serves on the Tysons Chamber Board of Directors. She and her husband work to strengthen and support various animal welfare organizations as well as those affiliated with the US Marine Corps.

Amy Ostroth is an educational communications professional with experience at both the secondary and higher education levels. During her 20-year career, she learned that every story at an institution—student, alumni, faculty, and staff—is important and helps drive the institution forward. Ms. Ostroth is currently the director of communications at Sweet Briar College, where she tells stories about exactly how fierce the College’s alumnae, students, faculty and staff are. Before Sweet Briar, she told stories about the impact of giving at Cushing Academy in Massachusetts, where she wrote proposals and managed the annual fund, and at Virginia Tech, where she wrote campaign case statements and edited the giving newsletter. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Mary Washington and a master’s degree in English from Virginia Tech.

Dr. Tim Schauer is an entrepreneur and business professor/department chair at Sweet Briar College. Before academia, Dr. Timothy L. Schauer worked full-time within the marketing and advertising industry for over 25 years.  He led the marketing efforts for a number of regional retailers and operated his own Advertising Agency, developing and implementing marketing strategies for a variety of corporations. Clients include The National Guard, Campbell's Soups, Turkey Hill Dairies, Harley-Davidson, Palmer Chocolate, and The Special Olympics. Throughout his career, he has developed numerous marketing campaigns, led several marketing and sales teams, managed budgets exceeding 6 million dollars, and negotiated with countless stakeholders. 

Entry Instructions

1. Download the Materials

• 2019 Instructions and Judging Rubric (PDF)
• 2019 Entry Cover Page (PDF)
• 2019 Entrant Summary Form (PDF)
• Entry Write-up Template (DOCX)

2. Submit Your Entries by Monday, April 8

Package up your submission(s) and submit it via the following means:

Online – Send a ZIP file to [email protected] via email or WeTransfer.com

In Person – Drop-off your package at one of the designated locations during working business hours.

Mail – Mail your package to The Ivy Group (attn: Julia Prince), 1001 East Market Street, Suite 202, Charlottesville, VA 22902. Entries must be received by the deadline.

3. Register for the Awards Gala

The EMMAs Gala will be held on Thursday, May 9 in Charlottesville. View event page

Awards entrants will receive two free event tickets.

Want to get involved? Volunteer on the EMMAs Planning Committee! Contact Julia Prince at [email protected].

Sponsorship Opportunities

The EMMAs Awards offers three sponsorship levels to promote your business, make connections, and increase brand recognition across the Central Virginia region. Sponsoring the EMMAs Awards is your opportunity to connect with our community of Central Virginia marketing professionals. We value the relationships built between sponsors and our AMA members and event attendees—get in touch to discuss how to connect our two communities. Contact Dan Fellows at [email protected].