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Even Fido Votes! (If he's a member, of course.)

Even Fido Votes! (If he's a member, of course.)

Don't forget about the Members' Choice award! It's the only gold medal where every member of SPD gets to vote. The creative directors, art directors, designers, photo editors, terriers, spaniels, sheepdogs: All vote. It's another $35 SPD gives you as a member. So choose your fave, burn it on a disc, and don't forget to add it to your package! Download entry form here.
Member vs Non Member

Member vs Non Member

Question: If I were entering PUB 44 (and I am)--would I want to pay for my entries as a non member, or get smart and save lots of $$ as a member?

I think we all know the answer to this one!
This is the community in which we work and which we are, believe it or not, members. So why not recognize this, save ourselves $10 on every entry and become a member? A few benefits to keep in mind: Get a copy of the annual FREE ($55 value); Save $5 on every speaker event (and there are quite a few); get the News & Notes and be part of the news yourself; save $200 at the Gala; be part of the Members' Choice (both entering and voting); get to know your peers; spread and hear the word of mouth; and GET INVOLVED--shape your own destiny, really.

Sign up as a member while submitting your entry form which can be downloaded here.
Throw A Dog A Bone

Throw A Dog A Bone

Beside this year's competition being a special one (new categories, eliminated circulation rule, free mag of the year entry,) and in lieu of our canine Best in Show theme, we're also giving back to the companion animal.
By submitting for one of our new categories (creature feature,) the entry fee will be donated to Bidewee.org, one of the oldest humane organizations in the United States. Download entry form here. 
Read more about the organization after the jump
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We are the world...

We are the world...

Oh but competition 44 is for your magazine
As with my own experience meeting folks last month from the publishing industry in Denmark and Norway, and from all those amazing mags in the Berlin Shop of Heaven our SPD Pres Scott Dadich posted about, we see there's some fantastic work from all over the globe that can be rewarded and shown off in the published annual, so keep note that this an international competition. Download entry form here!

SPD Competition Alert: Magazine of the Year is now FREE

My no-frills headline lacks puns, humor and cleverness in general, but what it lacks in frills, it more than makes up in cash and a shiny blue ribbon. That is, cash left in your budget (or pocket) and the head-spinning possibility of SPD's highest honor.

This is a dog whistle everyone can hear: The moment you enter your magazine in any of our other 54 categories(!) you're eligible to enter Magazine of the Year at NO additional cost. Hear that? … MORE

NEW Categories!? MORE Categories!? WHAT?

Here's the deal with this year's bow-wow competition 44: No more circulation categories, but focus on content. Shazaam. Like goes with like, and the unsung (non-celebrity work, service, etc.) are DEFINITELY getting a medal at the Gala. Whaaat!?! Yeah, no joke. It's time to keep the groups together, like pooches at the Westminster Dog Show. Download entry form here.

(Photo courtesy of Hulton Collective/Getty Images)

PUB 44 CALL FOR ENTRIES: Best In Show!

PUB 44 CALL FOR ENTRIES: Best In Show!

Best in Show: A competition whereby dogs designs are judged as to which one is considered to be the most closely conformed to its written breed standard of excellence.
It's time to take off your muzzles and unleash your inner design top dog. That's right, SPD's 44th annual publication design competition is going to reveal our industry's primo publications.

In other words, all of you dogged design handlers should download the call for entries and be sure to send in your editorial purebreds by January 9, 2009. This year, the competition is chock full of new rules and categories so be sure to read the forms carefully.

So start sending in those tearsheets and show us what you've got!
PUB 44 CAPTAINS and JUDGES Announced

PUB 44 CAPTAINS and JUDGES Announced

The Pub 44 BEST IN SHOW POSTERS were mailed out this week, so it's time to finally unleash our feisty list of captains and judges that will bark over all your tearsheets this coming January.

Co-Chairs
Nathalie Kirsheh, AD, W
Judith Puckett-Rinella, Senior PE, T

MOY Chair
Bruce Ramsay, Director of Covers, Newsweek

Online Chair
Jeremy LaCroix, Chow.com / CBS Interactive

Captains and judges after the jump...
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Three Dog Night

Now that it's starting to get chilly out, it's a reminder that the 44th competition will be here before we know it. Be sure to join (or renew) as a member to ensure the discount on entries! We've got some great changes in this year's competition rules, so keep a lookout in your mailbox within the next two weeks for the official announcements and list of judges!
Grrrrr...

Grrrrr...

Pub 44. It's coming. Soon.
So stay tuned for sneak peeks behind the curtain as the competition develops. The judge and jury list is almost set, so keep your eyes on this blog for the first of many big announcements. And don't forget, members in good standing get a sizable entry discount, so make sure your memberships are current and your entries are trimmed and taped.

If I were you (and I am), I'd get a head start on thinking about tear sheets for submission because time's FLYING by. Oh, and no excuses about how your dog ate your homework. You won't want to miss this one!

Your Rockin' Co-Chairs,
Nathalie + Judith