Judging Criteria, Rules, and Boundary Map
PURPOSE
The District recognizes the importance of holiday shoppers to the District businesses and wants to encourage holiday decorating in the District. Holiday decorations are a great way to drive holiday shoppers to our District area, increase a sense of community during the holidays, and reinforce the brand of the District area.
IMPLEMENTATION
In order to encourage holiday decorating, the District has created a Holiday Decorating Contest. The contest will take place in December leading up to the holidays and be judged by a judging committee of 3 community members as selected by the Marketing and Business Relations Committee and the Board of Directors.
Anyone can use the nomination form on line to nominate a business. We want businesses to register, so that the judging committee is aware of the businesses that are participating in the contest. Businesses may also nominate themselves.
FEES
There will be no entry fee for registration. We will require registration only as a means to track participation.
ELIGIBLE BUSINESSES
All Businesses within the District boundaries are eligible for participation. Boundary maps are provided on the District Website. The business must be open to the public and have regular business hours.
Only businesses that have submitted a registration form either online or delivered to the District office will be included in the judging.
JUDGING CRITERIA
Judging criteria include:
- Creativity and Originality
- Best Expression of Theme
- Best Use of Lighting
- Best Use of Available Space
- Overall Design Quality and Presentation
JUDGING PROCESS
The judging will take place over three days in mid-December to allow for time to visit each business. Judges will receive business names and addresses and will be supplied with judging forms that include business name, criteria ranking, and date judged. The forms must be signed and submitted back to the District staff.
Each person on the judging committee will judge each business. The criteria ratings from each business will be combined and averaged per judge then all three averages from each judge will be combined and averaged to give an overall score. For ties, the winner will be determined by the most 5’s given on the criteria. If there is still a tie, the judges must discuss the winners and make a determination amongst the judging committee.
Most creative will be determined by a vote for most creative by each judge. In the event of a tie, the judges must discuss the winner and make a determination amongst the judging committee.
PRIZES
To increase the incentive to participate in the Holiday Decorating Contest, the District will give out 3 levels of prizes to the winning businesses. All winning businesses will receive plaques commemorating their participation and winning of the Holiday Decorating Contest.
- Most Creative – $150
- 2nd Prize – $250
- Grand Prize – $500
BENEFITS OF PROGRAM
This program is aimed at benefiting several parties: the businesses, the community, and the District as a whole.
The Businesses – The businesses will benefit from the increased traffic of holiday shoppers to the District. The Holiday Decorating Contest will be publicized through all available channels in order to drive shoppers to the area.
The Community – The community is always a benefactor of positive programs and having a holiday decorating program shows a sense of community and togetherness for the businesses. The community members get to experience a festive environment throughout the holidays.
The District – As in all successful Districts, a program like the Holiday Decorating Contest drives the District brand and increases recognition for the area. As the Holiday Decorating Contest develops over several years, the District will gain a reputation for holiday decorations, creating a place of interest for the holidays and this in turn, brings more patrons to the area businesses.
