The Oct. 15 deadline for the 2008 Pensions & Investments Eddy Awards is approaching.
This year, along with their longstanding recognition of plan sponsors that provide extraordinary investment education to defined contribution plan participants, P&I’s editors added a set of awards only for service providers.
Service providers will be honored in the same categories as their clients, and may enter the same education campaign in the service provider contest that their plan sponsor client entered.
In addition, service providers may enter generic materials — which are banned from the original set of Eddy Awards — and may enter campaigns even if the client doesn’t.
The service provider entry form and rules and regulations are available only on our website, at www.pionline.com/eddyawards.
The original Eddy Awards this year will continue to recognize corporate, public, not-for-profit and union defined contribution plan sponsors for the best and most effective investment education programs. The competition is open to all participant-directed DC plans; there is no fee to enter.
Winners of both sets of Eddy Awards will be announced at P&I’s annual Defined Contribution/
401(k) East Coast conference, to be held March 2-4 at the PGA Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
There are six categories, further divided by number of employees:
cInitial Education-print: This category includes brochures, booklets and other print pieces that introduce existing employees to investment options and plan features of a new or modified plan, or introduce new employees to the investment options of an existing plan. Materials must focus heavily on the investment process.
cOngoing Education-print: This category is designed for printed materials that reinforce all or part of a plan sponsor’s earlier investment education efforts, or to change participant investment behavior.
cSpecial Projects-print: Here’s your chance to showcase special investment education programs that can range from an attention-grabbing postcard to an entire campaign on a wide variety of investment-related topics, including new investment options, diversification or increased deferral rates.
cConversions-print: Last year’s judges created this category to recognize the materials devoted to explaining the transition to a new service provider. However, the entries submitted do not have to contain all of the investment education expected in the initial and ongoing education categories.
cTraining and Advocacy-print: This category is a chance for plan sponsors to show their most creative efforts at educating the employees who provide investment education to participants. This category’s name was tweaked this year to include advocates such as store managers, rather than just human resource training personnel.
cOther media: This category includes all non-print media, such as videos and use of the intranet, Internet, e-mail and any other technology designed to boost participation rates or to communicate initial investment education, enrollment or ongoing investment information. When necessary, the plan sponsor must provide judges with access to websites, e-mail accounts and any other location for the information. Temporary user identification or passwords valid between Oct. 15 and Dec. 31 should accompany the entry. In addition, non-video entries should contain two printed copies of campaign highlights, including the home page.
Entries are judged in three size divisions: fewer than 1,000 employees; 1,000 to 5,000 employees; and more than 5,000 employees.
Winners of the 2007 Eddy Awards may not submit the same materials in the 2008 competition, but new materials are welcome from any or all past winners.
The Eddy Awards judges — plan executives and P&I staff members — will consider the effectiveness and completeness of the investment education program. A letter containing evidence of the effectiveness must accompany the entry.
The materials submitted in the plan sponsor Eddy Awards should have a close identification with the sponsoring company and should provide information and guidance for all plan participants.
Each entry must be submitted with a separate entry form and in its own envelope. Please do not mount entries on boards. Materials will be returned, but only if accompanied by an appropriately sized, self-addressed envelope.
The 2008 Eddy Awards entry forms and rules and regulations for plan sponsors and service providers are available online at www.pionline.com/eddyawards.
