Time is winding down to submit nominations for the 2006 Pensions & Investments/Workforce Management Eddy Awards. The deadline for entries is Friday Oct. 14.
The annual competition recognize corporate, public and union defined contribution plan sponsors for the best and most effective investment education programs in five categories. The competition is open to all participant-directed DC plans. Entries will be accepted from plan sponsors only, although the educational materials may have been developed with the help of outside suppliers.
No PowerPoint presentations are acceptable.
Winners will be announced at P&I's 15th Annual Defined Contribution/401(k) East Coast Conference, to be held Feb. 26-28 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Entrants should complete a separate entry form and submit at least one example of the educational materials for each category. Entry forms are available online at www.pionline.com/eddy. There is no charge to enter.
The materials submitted should have a close identification with the sponsoring company. More important, the materials should provide information and guidance for all plan participants, from new employees to high-balance midcareer participants.
Awards will be presented in these categories:
•Train the trainer — a new category that can encompass printed materials and/or videos and/or new media such as the Internet. As the title suggests, this category showcases plan sponsors' most creative efforts at educating the employees who provide investment education to plan participants.
•Printed materials-initial education — includes brochures and booklets that introduce existing employees to the investment options of a new or modified plan, or to introduce new employees to the investment options of an existing plan. Materials must focus on the investment process.
•Printed materials-ongoing education — this category is for printed materials designed to reinforce all or part of earlier investment education efforts, or to change participant investment behavior.
•Special projects-print — allows plan sponsors to showcase special investment education and communication campaigns during the past year. Such efforts could include, for example, launching new investment options within an existing plan, trying to increase the amount of money participants contribute to the plan, or trying to educate participants to more broadly diversify their asset allocations.
•Other media — includes videos and use of the intranet, Internet, e-mail and any other new technologies to communicate any of the following to plan participants: initial investment education; enrollment information to introduce new employees to an ongoing plan or to boost participation; or ongoing investment education. When applicable, the plan sponsor must provide judges with web access to the information in the form of a temporary user ID and/or password that would be valid Oct. 14 through Dec. 31. Please also provide two printed copies of some highlights of your campaign, including the home page.
