Rules & Regulations

  • Entries must have been created and produced in India.
  • Entries must have been published in an Indian newspaper, which is a member of Indian Newspaper Society.
  • Entries which have been published solely on Online (non-Print) format are not eligible.
  • Entries must have run between 1st January 2014 and 31st March 2015.
  • Entry must be in one of languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India.
  • All non-English entries must be accompanied by an English translation. Wherever required, a word play or local, social, cultural or political references and nuances must be explained.
  • There should be no reference to your agency or organization anywhere in your submission material.
  • Entries for sub-categories marked ‘National’ should have been published in different editions of the same newspaper or different newspapers in at least 5 states or union territories within a period of one week. Entries for sub-categories marked ‘Regional’ should have appeared in at least 3 states or union territories in a region. Regions are divided as follows:
    • East: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Sikkim, Tripura, West Bengal.
    • North: Chandigarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh.
    • West: Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra.
    • South: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu.
  • Entries for sub-categories marked ‘Local’ should have appeared in one state or union territory.
  • A ‘Campaign’ consists of a minimum of 2 and maximum of 5 advertisements.
  • An advertisement can be entered in as many categories as applicable. Each entry should be accompanied by separate entry fee..
  • Advertisements can be entered as both single advertisements and as part of a campaign.
  • All entries should be submitted before 5th July 2015.

Judging Process

INK is judged by an independent panel of highly acclaimed thought leaders in the newspaper advertising ecosystem-creative directors and top managers from advertising agencies, senior professionals from media planning and buying agencies and marketers with direct control over many of the largest advertising budgets.

Intense scrutiny during the judging process ensures that winning submissions truly reflect the best in newspaper advertising and reward the creative and brands successfully using innovation and creativity to push newspaper medium to new levels. With two intensive phases of judging by some of the most demanding executives, winning an INK is going to be one of the most sought after honours in advertising.

Phase One
The screening committee comprised of senior advertising, media and marketing professions- individually evaluates and scores each submission. Every entry is evaluated by multiple committee members to ensure an accurate, thorough review. The five entries with the highest scores became the finalists for each category.

Phase Two
An independent panel of highly acclaimed representatives of the advertising ecosystem- advertising agency experts, brand owners and major media company executives- convene in Mumbai for a day of intense debate with the goal of selecting the most creative and successful work in each category. The winners will be announced on the Gala Awards Night in Mumbai.

  • The award-winning entries are selected by a jury appointed by exchange4media.
  • The shortlist is decided by a first round of online judging. The final list of Gold, Silver and Bronze awards is decided on the basis for the juries' discussions and voting.
  • At all judging stages, a judge’s vote will not be counted for any entry submitted by his or her own company(ies).
  • The decision of the jury in all matters relating to awards will be final and binding.

Material Requirements

  • Creative of the entry in the following format:
    • Jpeg, 300 dpi, RGB
    Size: the longest size must be approximately 420 mm
    Digital images must be uploaded online (maximum 10 MB) when making your entries.
    Please name all images with the title of the entry.
  • Scanned Copy of Actual newspaper(s) containing the ad(s)
    • Jpeg, 300 dpi, RGB
    Size: the longest size must be approximately 420 mm
    Digital images must be uploaded online (maximum 10 MB) when making your entries.
    Please name all images with the title of the entry.
  • Details of the entry in PPT format
    • The presentation should have no more than 10 slides (excluding first and last slides)
    Your presentation should mandatorily have the following slides:

    Objective: Brief introduction to the what the client was expecting to achieve
    Idea and Execution: Explanation on what the idea was and how it was executed (Do NOT use a general approach. Include facts and figures)
    Result: Make sure that the results are not generalised. Include stats to support your case.
  • The digital image of entry, scanned copy of actual newspaper and information for the entry must be uploaded on Google Drive ( Upload Here ) and the URL needs to be provided in the online Entry Form.
  • · An entry will be considered accepted only upon realization of the payment for the respective entry through online mode or through cheque or demand draft payable in New Delhi.

Terms & Conditions

  • All material is to be submitted in accordance with standard specifications and material deadlines.
  • The entrant agrees that Adsert Web Solutions will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions in any reproduction.

  • The entry fee is as follows:
    One entry                                         Rs. 7,500
    5-10 entries                                   10% Discount
    11-20 entries                                15% Discount
    21-50 entries                                 20% Discount
    More than 50 entries                    25% Discount

  • All cheques or demand drafts should be payable in New Delhi and be made in favour of 'Adsert Web Solutions Private Limited' and reach our Delhi NCR office at B-20, Sector 57, Noida - 201301 by the last date of acceptance of entries. This should to be accompanied by the cover letter mentioning the Dainik Bhaskar INK Awards and unique codes generated at the time of submission of entry online.

    • The entrant assigns copyright of any entry to Adsert Web Solutions (The exchange4media Group) to publish the entry at such times as it deems appropriate. Under no circumstances shall the entrant or anyone through or acting on behalf of the entrant, require the payment of any royalty by Adsert Web Solutions in respect of the use by it of such entries or material for any purpose.