This is why the Convrt Award was created.

While most retail industry and retailer awards are ‘popularity contests,’ the Convrt Award is different.

It is:

• Open and Fair – no membership, no conference, and no magazine subscription required. It doesn’t require you to know anyone. There’s no table to buy, travel fees to pay, or ads to purchase. It’s independent and focused solely on the quality and creativity of your work.
• Focused on Innovation – it’s all about how your design, technology, or experience has moved (or has the potential to move) retail and commerce forward.
• Not just about flashy projects and big installations – startups and solution providers can submit their software/products, and innovation comes in all sizes.

The Convrt Award for retail innovation and technology offers you an opportunity to showcase and promote your work, skills, and expertize to potential clients and to others within the industry.

Sound too good to be true?

It actually isn’t. 

There’s a major gap in the retail innovation awards sector, and Convrt was designed to fill it for a very specific set of reasons—mostly out of a desire to reward innovators who have a true heart and passion for retail technology.

Up-and-coming innovators deserve recognition for their achievements. 

If this sounds like you, then please keep reading. 

Here’s everything you need to know…

How To Prepare For An International Retail Awards Competition

So, you’re thinking about submitting your incredible retail innovation or project for an award? 

Awesome!

There’s just one problem… 

You’ve never entered an awards competition before, and you’re not sure where to start. 

Hey, that’s totally understandable.

This ‘awards’ stuff can be super confusing.

But the first thing to know is that if you’re an innovator in the retail world in any capacity—then you’re exactly the type of person Convrt was designed for. 

It’s a digitally native award showcase for experienced industry pros and the newest up-and-comers in the industry. 

It was designed to give a platform to people with wild new ideas, who are pushing the boundaries of retail forward on a day-to-day basis. 

If this sounds anything like you and your team, then you are exactly the type of group or business that should be seriously thinking about entering. 

It’s time for you to make your mark. With that being said, let’s talk about exactly what you can do today to help you prepare for an event like Convrt.

Why Submit Your Work to Convrt?

Some of the primary motivations for innovators who want to submit their work to retail awards and retail workers award competitions are:

• To promote their company
• Spread awareness of their innovation to a national and international audience
• And raise a buzz surrounding their latest innovation or project

If this is the direction that your motivations are pointed in, then you’re absolutely on the right track. 

In fact, this is only part of the larger picture of what this award showcase can help you to achieve.

People who submit projects and innovations also stand to gain:

• Increased status and recognition in their field
• Better client perception
• Networking opportunities
• Global promotion via Convrt’s Hall of Fame and social media boosting (which can increase your company’s fan base and your social following by a significant margin)

… and of course, let’s not forget about the Convrt Statuette, the Finalists Certificates, and the official Convrt Seal! 

(You’ll learn more about these perks in a moment.)

What Should I Be Thinking About As I Submit?

First of all, you want to think about what your team has been doing. 

What awesome projects have you collaborated on?

You want to think about what aspect of your work might stand out as something cool or interesting—that brings real transformation to the industry. 

One of the main things to understand about the award is that your innovation doesn’t have to be a big or flashy project to qualify, get promoted, and win. 

The Judges are looking for projects at any level of the game, big or small. 

You might be a startup that’s launching something new—or you may be an existing provider who’s updated a former product or solution and implemented it in a new and exciting fashion—to really take it to the next stage or next level.

You may be working on a collaboration that’s just really going to knock it out of the park!

All of these things are valid. 

So think about:

• What you’d like to promote 
• What you want the industry (or potential buyers) to know about your project or innovation
• How you can best describe your innovation/idea/creation/project to people who may not immediately recognize the benefits

Do you have any photos or videos of your solution, innovation, or new technology that could help you to communicate its benefits? 

Do you have data, comps, and/or metrics that you could share? 

These are excellent places to start. 

In short, you want to be focused on your strengths and on the transformative power of your unique retail technology solution or innovation.

What About Categories?

You’re going to want to make sure that you select the proper category. 

Choosing a category is simple for some innovations, and more difficult for others.

You’re going to learn more about this topic in greater detail further on in this article. 

However, some of the more immediate questions to ask yourself will include the following:

• Is my innovation or technology focused on the ‘design and building’ sector of retail, the ‘technology and digital’ sector of retail, or the ‘customer experience’ sector of retail?
• Which part of the retail experience does my particular innovation fit best into?
• At what part of the customer journey and/or the back-end retail process does my particular project or solution become the most relevant?

As you begin to answer these questions about your particular innovation, you’ll start to get a better idea of exactly which categories it might fit best into.

Plus, one of the great things about the Convrt system is that if you’re entering a project or implementation, you’ll be asked to choose up to 3 categories.

(For a product or service innovation, you’ll just choose 1 category.)

This means that especially for a project or implementation, you get quite a bit of ‘creative room’ to allow for the judges’ interpretation of how your particular innovation may impact the retail sector and industry as a whole.  

What Are Judges Looking For In Retail Innovation Competitions?

Convrt brings authentic industry recognition to the retail awards and retail systems awards scene. 

In other words, you don’t need to join any kind of specific club, be a member of some secret elite group, or be known by the right people to be accepted, acknowledged, considered, and/or to win. 

With that being said, a lot of people are skeptical about this—and reasonably so. 

Unfortunately, the general retail awards scene is full of events that don’t necessarily feel ‘completely open’ to everyone. 

It can also be difficult to determine exactly what judges are looking for in these types of award events. 

So let’s break it all down, do away with the ‘mystery,’ and focus on the ‘strategy’ of exactly what needs to be accomplished when you submit your innovation, new inspired technology, or project to the Convrt Awards.

Firstly—Who Are The Judges?

Convrt prides itself on maintaining an independent panel of judges who care about one thing and one thing only—the quality and innovation of your work. 

The judging Council is highly selective, and strategically comprised of top-notch retailers and influencers with incredible experience in the industry. 

These are people who actually get it.

They’re curious, they care about innovation, they care about great experiences, and they want retail to succeed. 

In other words, they DO carry an appreciation for the appropriate use of technology and design, and DO NOT care about who you may know, how much money you may have, how big your team is, who your investors are, etc.

What Do The Judges Want To See?

Depending on your specific category, your innovation or project will be scored based on 4 very simple criteria.

1. Experiential Design Capability

How well does your project or solution impact the experiential and/or user end of the retail experience?

This can apply to environmental factors, physical factors, digital factors, and UX. 

(For purely technical innovations, judges will weigh how well you’ve solved a real-world problem instead.)

2. A Productive Application of Technology

The Judges are incredibly interested in how retail innovators are using applied technology to tackle challenges and find solutions. 

If your solution uses an appropriate level or function of technology to help solve a complex or technical problem, they’ll definitely want to see it and evaluate it on a case-by-case basis.

3. New Ideas That Solve a Real-World Problem

One of the hallmark signatures of expert design and engineering comes from the concept’s inherent ability to provide a solution to a real-world problem. 

If you can clearly convey the problem or opportunity that your work is addressing, and

then demonstrate that your ideas are helping real people in real retail scenarios—then you’ll most definitely pique the judges’ interest! 

4. Creative Solutions That Innovate the Industry

Innovation is what drives industry forward. 

And the retail industry is no exception to this. 

The Judges (who also happen to be the jury in this case) are deeply interested in wholesale and incremental advancements at the industry level. 

They want to see innovations and projects that are bringing something unique, new, or interesting to the retail landscape. 

They’re also intensely interested in ideas that borrow from other industries and cleverly integrate with retail to make things easier for either the consumer or the retailer. 

If you can demonstrate how your project, end product, or service innovation is driving or expanding the industry in a creative way, you’ve definitely got a chance to get noticed. 

What Will Make Your Entry Stand Out?

Entries and profiles that maximize the potential of all 4 of the above-mentioned criteria when judged in their respective categories will stand much better chances of winning an award.

However, there are also a number of things that you can do to help make your entry stand out even more. 

For example:

• You can include real-world data on how your implementation or solution has impacted business or other KPIs and metrics. 
• You can include photographs and images that help to demonstrate how your particular idea has succeeded in advancing retail technology. 
• You could even include a link to a video describing your achievement.

There are some specific parameters for images and videos, of course.

(In fact, you’ll get a deeper dive into the specifics of these parameters in the next section.)

But here’s where the rubber meets the road. 

If your innovation or project is truly groundbreaking and succeeding in a major way, then the best way to get it to stand out at Convrt is to put your best foot forward in making this as evident as possible in all of the relevant submission materials at your disposal.

This is the ‘building strategy’ part of the process that can really help your team to get more judging engagement and lead to having your entry discovered for the genius that it is. 

In other words, make the genius of your creative design as obvious as possible as you submit your entry and describe what you’ve been working on. 

This is your time to shine—so make sure that, as applicants, you include everything the judges need to know to make a fair and accurate assessment of your innovation or project. 

What DON’T The Judges Want To See?

While Convrt is all about individuality and freedom of expression within the creative retail space, there are some limits to what the judges will consider as conducive to Convrt’s standards, values, ethics, and principles. 

Here are some reminders of things that you should NOT include with your submission portfolio:

• Any work that wasn’t completed within the last 18 months
• Any work that you don’t own as the primary vendor
• A project that was spec-only, that wasn’t executed to solve real-world problems for real-life clients
• Any unacceptable material (material that is pornographic, that propagates “hate” messages, that makes defamatory statements, or that could otherwise be construed as offensive)
• Any work that isn’t your own intellectual property

A Note About Ineligible Countries

While Convrt is a global online retail awards showcase, there are (unfortunately) a handful of countries that are considered ‘ineligible for participation’ at this time due to international sanctions. 

Here’s a current list of these countries:

• Belarus
• Cuba
• Eritrea
• Iran
• North Korea
• Syria
• Venezuela
• Iraq
• Afghanistan
• The Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Haiti
• Libya
• Vietnam
• Somalia
• Sri Lanka
• Liberia
• Cyprus
• Zimbabwe
• Lebanon
• The Central African Republic

What About Personal Taste? 

In these types of award showcases, there can sometimes be concerns about how much the personalization of tastes, preferences, and viewpoints of the judges will influence the outcome.

Here’s the truth of the matter. 

The Convrt judging Council is independent and made up of top retailers and influencers who have had deep, thorough, and exhaustive experience in the retail industry. 

They are thoroughly vetted and care deeply about innovation and great experiences within the retail space. 

They also care about your team’s core competencies and want to reward excellence. 

So rest assured that every possible care and concern has been taken into account to make this the fairest retail award competition not just in the world, but literally in history. 

• No membership is required. 
• You don’t need to attend any conferences to get your creation, idea, or innovation seen by the judges and given a fair assessment. 
• It’s not affiliated with any specific conference, event, trade group, or media publication.
• You don’t need to buy a table at an event in order to compete. 

The entire focus is on discovering innovation—and on keeping the competition open and fair to the people who are truly focused on ‘moving the needle’ in the retail world.

How To Best Present Your Work To Retail Awards Contests Like Convrt

“What do I need to be aware of when submitting my work? Which details are the most important to keep in mind?”

Hey, this is a great question! Submitting your work to be presented in an award showcase like Convrt can be a little bit confusing—especially at first. 

So in this section, you’re going to learn exactly what you can expect (and what is required) during the submission process. 

What’s On The Convrt Submission Form?

The first thing that’s required on the entry form is to identify your work as either a Project or a Solution.

Categories

If you’re entering a project or implementation, you’ll be asked to choose up to 3 categories.

For a product or service innovation, you’ll just choose 1 category.

Title

You’ll be asked to name your project. 

A Description

You’ll be asked for a brief description, where you’ll want to answer the “who/what/why/where/when” of your particular submission. 

How Is It Addressing A Real World Problem?

You’ll want to fill this out as completely and as thoroughly as possible with a detailed answer to the question. 

This part is really important because this is actually a judging/voting criterion! 

The theme here is simple:

It’s an opportunity to let those creative flags fly. 

For example—if your submission helped to get real world results, and/or if you have some analytics, data, or testimonials that support your case, you can (and should) confidentially include them in the submission. 

Partners Or Vendors

Feel free to mention if you have any partners or vendors who are currently either benefitting from your innovation, and/or who are on board with the technology and using it to positive effect. 

Visuals

You’ll be provided with an opportunity to share both images and video—and we recommend that you make the most of both. 

Here are the nitty gritty details about visual submissions. 

Image Specifications

You can supply at least 1 image, though we encourage you to share up to 3. 

Images must be 10mb or less each, and must be delivered in jpeg or png format. They must also be at least 1,000 pixels wide. 

Make sure to remove any logos, watermarks, and other identifying information from photos.

Only share images that Convrt is free to use on both the official website and social media if your submission wins. The social media team is going to want to post it if it wins!

Video Specifications

You can additionally (and are encouraged to) include a link to a video describing your innovation or project.

Videos must be less than 5 minutes long, and must be publicly accessible to the Judges.

It’s recommended that you use an online video platform like YouTube or Vimeo. You can also use Google Drive or Dropbox.

Pay Your Entry Fee

Since Convrt is industry independent, it’s funded by application fees. 

(You’ll learn more about the specifics of this in a moment.)  

What Are Typical Retail Award Categories You Can Submit To?

The Convrt Awards are unlike any other retail or e-commerce competition in the world. 

There are a wide range of categories that innovations and projects can be submitted into. 

This broad range of categories helps to cover the full, wide, rich breadth of the entire retail industry. 

So as long as your innovation or project falls under the realm of at least one of the following categories, you should definitely consider submitting your work. 

Here are the categories covered by the competition. 

There’s a winner selected in each category! So choosing the proper, relevant categories for your project is important.  

Design & Build

• Display Fixture
• Experience Destination / Flagship
• Signage & Graphics
• Small Format / Popup Store
• Store Design
• Store within a Store
• Visual Merchandising
• Wayfinding
• Window Display

Technology & Digital

• AI Integration
• Analytics & Intelligence
• App (consumer facing or business tool)
• AR / VR
• Automation & Robotics
• Blockchain
• Digital Menu Boards
• Digital Signage & Content
• Ecommerce
• Interactive Display/Kiosk
• Inventory / Supply Chain Management
• Payment System Implementation
• Voice Integration

Customer Experience

• Brand Engagement/Interactive Experience
• Customer Experience Initiative
• Customer Mobile Experience
• Customer Service
• Loyalty Program
• Omni-Channel Innovations / Multichannel Experience
• Personalized Shopping Experience
• Retail Advertising / Promotional Campaigns
• Shareable Moments
• Social Shopping Integration

Note that if you’ve created something new or updated an existing offering that really helps to bring new life and progress to the retail space, it may not be tailored to fit specifically into one of the categories listed above. So if you have amazing standout work for a category you’re not seeing here, let Convrt know by getting in touch.

Who Competes In Online Retail Challenges?

So—are you wondering if you’re the ‘type of business’ in the ‘type of field’ who often ‘competes’ in retail award showcases?

Well, it’s time to put your mind at ease. 

Convrt was founded to facilitate the independent recognition of innovation within the retail space. 

So if you’re in retail, and you happen to:

• Make stuff happen
• Design stuff
• Move stuff
• Create stuff
• Build stuff
• Sell stuff
• Disrupt the old-style industry with the newest, most recent ideas
• And/or contribute to the forward progress of the retail and e-commerce industries in any other fashion, either by providing/selling/sending/shipping/delivering stuff to anyone anywhere, or by doing something else that’s important, in any way or capacity…

Then yes… you are ABSOLUTELY the kind of company or team that competes in retail award showcases like Convrt. 

Here are just a few of the different categories of entities that often make appearances in these types of award competitions: 

• Retailers & Retail Brands
• Architects & Store Designers
• Visual Merchandisers
• Industrial & Digital Designers
• Customer Experience Professionals
• In-store & Brand Marketers
• Ecommerce Design & Development Pros
• Technology Integrators
• Fabrication & Fixture Aficionados
• Marketing, Payments & Automation Gurus
• Logistics & Support Services
• Retail Startups

Note: Not sure if the project you’ve built is a good fit? Take this handy entry quiz to find out if you’re an ideal candidate! Who knows—you may be included in next year’s ‘retail thought leader’ or ‘gods of the retail industry’ list! If your project is the best of the best and is accomplishing big things—Convrt wants to know about it! 

You should also check out the About Page to get an even better idea of exactly the types of innovators who would be perfect candidates for the Convrt Awards.  

Can Teams Compete For The Convrt Award In Multiple Categories Representing the Entire Retail Business?

If you’re a part of a business, shop, store, or some other similar entity, and wish to submit an innovation or project on behalf of your business, then you may be wondering…

“Can we do this? And if we do, can we still compete for awards in various different categories while representing the same business?” 

The short answer is ‘yes.’ 

There are no limitations on the number of entries, but there are some guidelines around categories.  

If you’re entering a project or implementation, your submission can be entered into up to 3 categories.  

For a product or service innovation, you’ll choose just 1 category.

A look at traditional retail awards from around the world

How do the Convrt Awards compare to other similar awarding competitions in the retail space around the world?

Well, that’s a great question. 

There are a lot of prestigious and well-known retail award shows—some of which have an international platform. Some of them are held in a physical venue, while others are strictly online. 

And there are many different types of awards available in the industry as a whole. 

Some of these include:

• Retail jewellery (or retail jeweller)
• Retail sales 
• Drinks retailing 
• Retail marketing 
• Retail tech 
• Charity retail
• Retail banking (and retail banker international)
• Retail display 
• Retail advertising 
• Retail architecture 
• Retail store design 
• Ecommmerce and online retail 
• Tailoring 
• Mobile application 

But part of what makes Convrt unique is that it’s not affiliated, run, funded, or owned by any sort of global trade association, trade magazine, tradeshow, consultancy, conference, brand, or solutions provider. 

It’s not just another way to strategize a marketing effort for a big industry player, or to increase sales for specific online initiatives, etc. 

It is literally a council of designers, visionaries, engineers, and innovators—just like you! 

And it exists to push the industry forward. 

Unfortunately, in this world, it’s all-too-common to see pay-to-play schemes, outside influences, industry biases, nepotism, and/or just general ‘old world sketchiness’ strategizing and deciding who won and lost.  

But this showcase is unique in that it’s 100% zero-strings-attached when it comes to all of this stuff. 

The Convrt Council is a completely independent body—proudly dedicated to shining a bright spotlight on the absolute best in today’s retail and e-commerce innovation.  

It was founded to cast a super-wide net by encompassing traditional retail and e-commerce—along with a broad range of categories that encapsulate the entire stratus of the industry.

In other words—the scope is much broader than normal.

So, in this respect, it’s actually quite radically different from the vast majority of the retail award competitions put on around the world. 

With that being said—here are a few other big names in the industry that you may have heard of. 

Retail Competitions USA

NRF (National Retail Federation) Awards

Owned/Organized By: The NRF

The NRF Award is organized by the National Retail Foundation. They’re the world’s largest membership retail trade association, and include a diverse community of thousands of leading industry professionals dedicated to modernizing retail for shoppers everywhere. 

The NRF retail system awards were founded to give  awards for retail industry excellence, and to shine a light on those who battle for outstanding service, asset protection, remarkable innovation, and Congressional support. 

Retailer Excellence Awards

Owned/Organized By: Gifts & Decorative Accessories

The Retailer Excellence Awards are retail technology awards organized by Gifts & Decorative Accessories—which is a monthly magazine that was founded in 1917. The magazine covers news and stories in retail, manufacturing, vending, and the overarching gift product market. 

The Retailer Excellence Awards have been going on for over 70 years. It got its start back in 1951, honors retail nominees, and selects retail winners in 7 different categories, including: Social media outreach, store design, store events, visual merchandising, multiple locations, specialty store, online incentives, and socially responsible. 

The Shop! Awards

Owned/Organized By: The Shop! Association

The Shop Awards competition (which also administrates the Shop Design Awards) was founded to recognize the best new designs in retail environments and experiences. They’re comprised of 3 different specific awards: The OMA Awards, the Global Awards, and the Design Awards. 

Shop! Is a global trade association dedicated to enhancing retail environments and experiences. It was established in 1956 with 38 charter members, and has gone through several name changes as it has grown. 

Other notable award showcases in the U.S. include The Retail Design Institute Awards, and The Internet Retailer Excellence Awards (this was a top internet retailer awards showcase in 2016). 

Retail Competitions Canada

Excellence In Retailing Awards

Owned/Organized By: Retail Council Of Canada

The Excellence in Retailing Awards Gala recognizes retail leadership, innovation, and creativity in Canada’s retail industry. 

It’s basically a premier retail awards dinner organized by RCC, which is a non-profit trade association in Canada that focuses on representing retail companies, advocating for members, and communicating and educating on behalf of member companies.  

Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards

Owned/Organized By: Retail Council Of Canada

The Canadian Gran Prix New Product Awards is an awards Gala designed to recognize the best in new product innovation from private label enterprises, consumer habits innovation,  packages and displays, and new products that have been launched in the Canadian market. 

It’s Another Award Gala that’s owned and organized by the RCC. 

RCC’s Awards of Distinction

Owned/Organized By: Retail Council Of Canada

The Awards of Distinction, another series of awards that are given out by the Retail Council of Canada on a yearly basis, is broken up into 4 different individual retail awards categories: The Distinguished Canadian Retailer of the Year Awards, the Independent Retail Ambassador of the Year, the Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Canadian Retail Hall of Fame. 

Retail Competitions UK

The Creative Retail Awards

Owned/Organized By: The Shop & Display Association (SDEA) and Retail Focus

Where retail awards UK are concerned, The Creative Retail Awards (not to be confused with the Scottish Independent Retail Awards) are an annual event designed to recognize and reward both innovation and excellence in retail design and experience. It’s an event that’s intended to bring the entire industry together, blending networking with an informal party atmosphere to celebrate diversity in the retail industry. 

It’s organized by the SDEA, which is a retail membership association—and Retail Focus, which is a retail news and events publication.  

A similar award event (but held in Ireland) is The Retail Excellence Ireland Awards. 

The Retail Industry Awards

Owned/Organized By: EMAP

The Retail Industry Awards are one of several different award events put on by EMAP. They’re held to celebrate the industry’s successes and introduce new networks together to help generate connections within the retail industry. 

EMAP is a business-to-business multi-platform media group. Their vision is to “create long-term profitable futures for the fantastic range of B2B brands” they own. 

National Grocery Retail Awards

Owned/Organized By: Checkout

The National Grocery Retail Awards is actually the joining together of two different Irish awards—the Checkout Best in Fresh Awards, and the National Supplier Awards. The resulting amalgamation seeks to be “the largest and most prestigious awards for the industry in Ireland.” 

These Awards are facilitated and organized by Checkout—a successful magazine and sister publication to the leading pan-European retail magazine European Supermarket Magazine. 

Other notable awards showcases in the UK include the World Brand Retail Design Awards UK and The Internet Retailing Awards. 

Retail Competitions Europe

Cee Retail Awards

Owned/Organized By: EuropaProperty

The Cee Retail Awards were known as the premier modern retail awards 2021 show in Central and Eastern Europe. They’re dedicated to “today’s new look networking environment,” and seek to deliver a professional platform for deal-making, relationship building, and discussion within the retail industry. 

The event is organized by EuropaProperty—Central and Southern Eastern Europe’s leading online commercial real estate publisher and events organizers. 

Best Retail Cases Awards

Owned/Organized By: The Location Based Marketing Association

The Best Retail Cases Awards are intended to bring attention to the very best installations and shopfitting solutions not only in national retail, but also on the international stage. This award is given in Europe and in North America. 

It’s organized by the LBMA, a group dedicated to the fostering of community and interests surrounding all avenues of advertising and marketing.  

World Retail Awards

Owned/Organized By: Ascential

The World Retail Awards were launched in 2007, and were created to recognize the very best retailers and new initiatives in a wide range of different retail categories. 

In 2018, the World Retail Awards became a part of Ascential—which is basically a specialist information, data, and analytics company. This company works to help the world’s most ambitious businesses to win in the modern digital age economy. 

Retail Competitions Middle East

Images RetailME Awards

Owned/Organized By: Images RetailME

The Retail ME Awards were designed to honor retailers and recognize the top performers across a range of different categories in the Middle East. 

This event is organized and facilitated by RetailMe, which is the foremost retail business awards and intelligence platform in the Middle East. Their website covers a range of retail topics and gets over 30,000 unique visitors weekly—and they also publish an e-magazine. 

Retail Congress MENA Awards

Owned/Organized By: MECS+R

The MENA Shopping Centre and Retailers Awards 2022 were founded to identify and honor the shopping centres, retailers, and individuals who have shown a spectacular ability to succeed in the retail space while also maintaining high standards of excellence, seamless innovation, and creativity. 

The Retail Congress MENA is an event that brings the region’s leading retail and shopping businesses together for a conference. This conference is actually administrated by the MECS+R, which is the pre-eminent trade body representing the shopping centre and retail industry in North Africa. 

Retail Competitions Asia

Retail Asia Awards

Owned/Organized By: Retail Asia

The Retail Asia Awards is an exciting and prestigious retail hosting event that gathers the region’s best retailers, recognizing outstanding retail initiatives and celebrating retail excellence awards in Asia.

The event is organized and administrated by Retail Asia—which is a retail industry-serving magazine in Asia. 

Asia Hospitality and Retail Design Awards

Owned/Organized By: Informa Markets and PRC Magazine

The Asia Hospitality and Retail Design Awards 2022 recognized and celebrated the most innovative, user-friendly, and sustainable retail designs across multiple categories. They cover categories in resorts, restaurants, hotels, shopping malls, retail stores, and more. 

It’s hosted by Informa Markets (a British publishing, business intelligence, and exhibitions group) and PRC Magazine (Pacific Rim Construction – the flagship publication of a company called ROF Media, which is one of the largest multi-disciplinary building sector publications in the Asia Pacific locale). 

Other notable award showcases in Asia include the Indian Retail Awards, which is the premier showcase for retail awards in India. Another retail awards showcase in India is the Star Retailer Awards.

Retail Competitions Australia

The National Retail Awards

Owned/Organized By: The National Retail Association

The National Retail Awards are basically Australia’s premier gala event in the retail space (they’re also a big retail awards event for Queensland).

It’s held every year with the intention of honoring and acknowledging the most outstanding individuals, disciplines, and businesses in Australia’s retail sector. 

Not to be confused with the retail awards qld or the retail awards nsw, The National Retail Awards is an showcase owned and organized by The National Retail Association—a membership not-for-profit organization dedicated to representing the interests of retails in and across Australia. 

Another similar events include The Australian Interior Design Awards (a retail design awards showcase in Australia) and The WiBF National Industry Awards (an Australian retail banking awards competition). 

Australia Post Online Retail Industry Awards (ORIAS)

Owned/Organized By: Online Retailer

The Australia Post Online Retail Industry Awards is an Austrailian retail awards event that celebrates the good and inspiring things happening among top performers in the retail awards Australia e-commerce space. 

They’re organized and administrated by Online Retailer, which is the largest e-commerce and online retailer awards conference in Australia. They’re another general retail industry award in 2022. 

Other notable Australian events include The Retailers Retailer Awards.  

Retail Competitions NZ

The RED Awards

Owned/Organized By: The Retail Interiors Association

The RED Awards are a premier awards event designed to celebrate New Zealand retail design. They’re said to be a national, self-funding, not-for-profit program. They’re actually run by the Retail Interiors Association, which is an association dedicated to facilitating networking opportunities and relationship-building for shop fitters, designers, and suppliers in the retail space. 

MSAANZ Retail Recognition Awards

Owned/Organized By: Museum Shops Association of Australia & New Zealand

The MSAANZ Retail Recognition Awards were founded to celebrate the best of cultural commerce in Australia and New Zealand. They currently give two different awards every year—the Best New Bespoke Product or Range, and the Peoples Choice Award. 

The Museum Shops Association of Australia is a professional organization dedicated to cultural retail management in Australasia. They’re a nonprofit, voluntary membership organization with goals to enhance communication between members, achieve excellence in retail, and more. 

What Do Retail Award Winners And Finalists Receive?

One of the reasons for why people are planning to enter general retail award competitions in 2022 is for the benefits bestowed upon the winners and finalists for their award winning retail designs. 

Now, every retail award competition is different. 

As you read in the section above, there are many different award competitions held all around the world each and every year. 

But typically, when you win a retail award, you’re getting one or more of a number of different valuables in return for your contribution, hard work, and achievement. 

Such valuables may include things like:

• Trophies
• Certificates
• Cash prizes
• Recognition within the retail community
• Social media promos
• Networking opportunities
• A chance to work with well-known industry leaders and industry experts
• More fans and followers in the industry

What Do You Win In The Convrt Award Competition? 

The Convrt Statuette

The coveted Convrt Statuette isn’t just another basic corporate crystal trophy. 

It’s actually a beautifully handcrafted piece of art, made of bold and brilliant wood and metal. 

It’s as unique and showstopping as the work you’re doing in retail—and it’s a one-of-a-kind piece that’s actually custom created in New York City by the same designers behind the Emmy® and MTV awards. 

The single highest scoring, highest voted selection in each category receives one of these statuettes, provided the judging committee determines that the baseline standards of quality were met. 

There is only one winner awarded per category—so the statuette is a coveted first-place take-home trophy. 

The Finalists Certificate

Entries that come in 2nd place (and sometimes 3rd) in each category receive customized, professionally printed certificates recognizing their incredible achievement at the Convrt Awards. 

Those who win certificates are bestowed with the title of finalists. 

The Official Convrt Seal

Winners and finalists will also get to share their achievements with the world through their own shareable digital badge kit.

These badges are perfect for use on your website, in your email signature, or anywhere else where you want to showcase your position as a finalist or winner of the Convrt Awards online contest (and raise brand awareness at the same time).

Global Social Media Promotion

Not only do you get featured in Convrt’s Hall of Fame when you become a winner or finalist, but you (and your project) will also get tagged and boosted on Instagram and LinkedIn. 

Plus, you’ll be provided with shareable graphics that are custom designed to help you showcase your achievements while tagging your team.

Convrt Asks For Zero Winner’s Fees

You might be shocked to realize that in many retail award competitions, the winners actually have to pay for their trophies, certificates, and prizes. 

Of course, the council believes that this is nonsense!

This is why Convrt guarantees zero winner fees for the innovators who win in each of the categories.

All of the benefits of winning an award are included with your submission fee. 

These ‘winner pays more’ setups that go on in so much of the retail award world aren’t what this showcase is about—which is why there’s a strong, intentional motivation to pivot away from such schemes on this team.
In fact, this is just one more example of the many reasons for why Convrt has decided to step up and become a truly innovative force for good in the retail industry.

FAQs

How can I pay for my entry?

Currently, entry fees can be paid using Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. 

One really exciting development that’s currently being worked on is being able to accept Solana cryptocurrency as well! This feature isn’t available yet—but it’s on the way!

How many categories can I submit to?

There are no limitations on the number of entries you can submit, but there are some restrictions around categories.  

Most importantly—if you’re entering a project or implementation, you can enter your submission in up to 3 categories.  

However, for a product or service innovation, you’ll just enter it into 1 category.

Is there a discount if I submit to multiple categories?

The entry fee is $249 to enter a piece for the first time. You can also enter it into subsequent/additional categories for $199. 

There is, however, an early bird entry fee available if you enter before the deadline in September. This fee is a reduced rate of $149. 

After entries close, how long is it until competition results are announced?

Virtual winners and finalists are announced 1 month after the submission closing date. The exact details of the announcement of this information is left up to Convrt’s discretion.

How will I find out the competition results?

Entering, judging, and promoting all happen online—and ‘winning’ is no different! 

Entrants will be alerted and made aware that the votes are in via an email campaign the moment the results are tallied and available online.

You’ll also be able to see the results on the official Convrt page, as well as via social media.

What are the copyright rules when I submit my work?

There are a few different copyright/intellectual property rules to keep in mind. 

First off, when it comes to intellectual property—Convrt assumes that all entries are original, and that the entrant either owns the work or has permission from the appropriate party to enter it into the competition. 

If an entrant without such rights submits an entry, it will not be eligible for the competition.

Next, when it comes to ownership—you must have been a primary vendor behind any project entered, and/or the primary company behind any solution or innovation.

There are also a few additional terms and conditions of entry and usage to keep in mind. 

Along with the materials submitted as a part of your entry (including images and video), by submitting said materials, you acknowledge and agree that Convrt has the right and permission to use said materials for exhibition, promotion, and publication purposes in any medium and in any method they may deem necessary and/or appropriate.

In other words—don’t submit images or videos that you don’t want Convrt to utilize if you end up winning the competition at the great finale. 

Conclusion

Guess what?

That’s a wrap. 

Now you’re an expert on the Convrt Retail Awards, and know everything there is to know about submitting an entry.

If retail innovation is your painter’s canvas—then greatness awaits. 

See you on the other side.

Best of luck!

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