Judging begins for Goafest

Organisers working hard to ensure lack of glitches

Attention in the advertising sector is currently here, with judging for the ninth edition of the Goafest, the advertising festival held annually in the west Indian state, having begun silently. The first round of judging for the Media Abbies, one of the key awards held before the popular Creative Abbies, has been completed, with jurors poring over work in the print and direct marketing categories over the weekend.

Media entries are said to number 619. Creative and digital ones together ensure a little over 2,000 entries, a third less than the number last year. Totally, the number of entries in this year's Goafest is estimated to be about 2,700, lower than the 3,000-entry-benchmark the organising committee had set, said persons in the know.

Despite these setbacks, the organising committee is pushing hard to ensure the show goes off without a hitch. The plan is to take each category, shortlist work in the first round and then put it up (on the Advertising Club of Bombay website) for feedback and comments (from the sector) for 10 days before the second and final round of judging commences. All this is expected to be completed by May 22, so that the awards can be given on May 29, 30 and 31, said persons in the know.

While Goafest is yet to announce the juror names, sources say Agnello Dias, chairman and chief creative officer, Taproot, is the jury head of the coveted film category. And, that Prasoon Joshi, president, South Asia, McCann Worldgroup, is the jury head of the integrated segment, another important award at the Creative Abbies. McCann has not entered work in this year's Creative Abbies, while Dias is also a judge at the rival D&AD Awards, whose judging will be on between Tuesday and Saturday here.

Ravi Rao, leader, South Asia, Mindshare, is the chairman of the Media Abby Awards this year, replacing Ashish Bhasin, chairman & chief executive, South Asia Dentsu Aegis Network, who was heading these awards last year. Srinivasan Swamy, chairman of the 2014 Goafest organising committee, said, "There has been this over-emphasis on awards during Goafest over the years, which I think has taken away from the core purpose of organising this festival. There are multiple things that happen at Goafest, as at Cannes. It is time some attention is also devoted to the conclaves, seminars and knowledge sessions that happen at Goafest."

'AD'ING ON

619 No. of media entries
2,000 Approximate no. of creative and digital entries
2,700 No. of entries this year
May 22 Day the judgement processes are expected to be completed
May 29, 30 and 31 Likely dates of presentation of the awards