Who Can Enter?

  • Competition is open to PRIVATE AND INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS WORLDWIDE AS WELL AS BUSINESSES SUCH AS AGENCIES, DESIGNERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS, WEB DEVELOPERS, WRITERS, PRINTERS, ASSOCIATIONS, ETC that work with private schools and are submitting for their clients. (Exception is Category #9 which can ONLY be submitted by the school and must be created in-house without any outside professional help at all.)
  • Schools must serve students in any grade Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 or PG. Entries are welcome from private schools located anywhere in the world, as well as online-only schools.
  • Judges can enter for their school or business but must recuse themselves from voting on their own submissions.
  • The judges only know what school the entry is for, not who submitted the entry.

What Are The Entry Fees?

Entries fees are $29 per entry during the Super Saver (ends 9/19/25 midnight Eastern). Then fees are $59 per entry until competition closes. Payable by credit card. Entry fees are not refundable.

What Is The Timeline?

Awards Open                   
Friday, September 5, 2025

Super Saver Rates             
September 5-19, 2025, midnight Eastern

Deadline for Entries   
Friday, October 17, 2025, midnight Eastern

Deadline for Materials  
Wednesday, October 22, 2025, midnight Eastern

Winners Announced       
January 2026

What Can Be Entered?

  • Entries may have been produced at any time, but the specific entry may not have already won an InspirED Brilliance Award. (Example: Acme School Magazine, Spring 2023 issue, won an award, but it's permissible to enter the Fall 2024 issue.)
  • There is no limit to the number of entries that can be submitted by any one school or business.
  • It is acceptable if both a school and a business submit the same entry under the same category. If the entry wins, both the school and the business win.
  • Any item can be submitted in multiple categories in the same year provided a separate entry fee is submitted for each.

Can My Entry Be Disqualified?

Entries will be disqualified if:

Anyone submits an abstract.

Agencies/companies submit entries with their company name or logo on the entry.

Other circumstances at the discretion of the award hosts.

What Are The Criteria?

  • There must be at least 5 entries in a category to judge. In the event that there aren't sufficient or awardable entries in any one category, the category will not be judged. We anticipate there will be a Gold, Silver, and Bronze award for each category. Minimum score applies for winners. No refunds. Each entry will be judged by a panel of experts in private school marketing who are representatives from schools and/or businesses.
  • Judges will recuse themselves from judging entries created by their own school or company.
  • The judges will not be told if the agency submitted the entry. They will only know the name of the school.
  • Entries are scored on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest using the criteria below. Criteria exceptions are noted in the next section.

    1. Originality: Is it new, different, unlike the others? Consider concept, presentation, and individual components in deciding how fresh it feels.

    2. Persuasiveness: Does the entry accomplish what it sets out to do? Would it persuade you to act (inquire/apply, for an enrollment piece; give, for a fundraising piece; feel proud or connected, for a magazine)?

    3. Copy/Script/Dialog: Does it make a positive impact? Does it convey its message clearly? Is it enjoyable to read or, for videos and podcasts, listen to? Is it interesting, well-written, well-edited, and error-free? If it tells a story, does it have a clear arc and point? Is it creative, fresh, and compelling? Is it effective in achieving the purpose of the piece?

    4. Visual Elements: Depending on the piece, these could include photography, video, graphics, typography, graphic design, and/or artwork. Are they appropriate to the piece? Compelling, fresh, and interesting? Are photos/video of high quality in terms of composition, lighting, and other technical aspects? Do they contribute to the overall effect and story

    5. Execution: Does the piece excel in the effective use of design, color, typography, graphic elements, audio, digital elements, layout, navigation, user-experience? Is it readable, understandable, clear, compelling? Is it creative and modern? Is it technically excellent?

    6. Overall Appeal: What's your gut feeling about this project? Do you like it?

Are There Exceptions To The Criteria?

All categories will be judged on criteria 1-6 with the following exceptions:

PHOTOGRAPHY: These categories will be judged on criteria 1,2,5,6
9. & 10. Still Photography

DESIGN: These categories will be judged on criteria 1,2,4,5,6
13. Website Homepage Redesign
16. & 17. Magazine Overall Design
20. & 21. Magazine Cover Design

COPY: These categories will be judged on criteria 1,2,3,6
18. & 19. Magazine Writing

IDENTITY: These categories will be judged on criteria 1,4,5,6
14. Logo
15. Graphic Identity Redesign

Categories where entries can be “any format” will require the judges to use their best judgment in applying the criteria.

If I Don't Win, Can I See The Judges Comments Anyway?

No. InspirED realizes the judges' comments may be helpful in improving your school's marketing and communications, but the Brilliance Awards is a competition not an audit, and the judges are commenting on the entries with that purpose in mind.

So unfortunately, we don't share judges' comments except for those that appear with the winners on the website.