Adobe MAX 2007

Overview

To be selected for a MAX award, applicants must demonstrate effective execution of projects that take business processes or customer engagement to new levels. We would like to see how you pioneered a new technology or used existing technologies in new ways — in either case, we are interested in projects that redefine traditional approaches to work. We want to see positive return on investment, but we also want to see how your project changed your business and provided a real competitive advantage.

Judging Process

2007 MAX Award recipients will be determined by a series of seven MAX Awards Judging Councils, one for each category. Each Council consists of a team of Adobe executives with comprehensive knowledge of the category.

Winners will be selected based on project attributes as well as on the information submitted in the online application entry form. Entrants are encouraged to include detailed information about projects as they answer questions on the application.

Each entry will be compared to all other entries submitted for that category. Two finalists and two honorable mentions will be selected in each category. Finalists and honorable mentions in various categories are not ranked and selection results are not made public.

Criteria

To be selected for a MAX Award, you must demonstrate excellence in overall innovation, achievement, application of technology, and brand building.

Submissions for the 2007 MAX Awards will be judged on the following five criteria:

Innovation — We are looking for pioneering uses of new technologies or for innovative uses of existing technologies that address new business opportunities. Approaches that raise the standard of collaboration, interactivity, and customer engagement are all priorities.
Achievement — Applications need to show proven, measured benefits that demonstrate real returns to organizations and to customers using the solution. Also important is highlighting how an application or project delivers a competitive advantage and brings new value to business processes. Does the application change business for the better?
Application of Technology — An engaging experience often starts with design. Ideally, a project will leverage multiple Adobe solutions to create a rich, interactive application should engage people with processes, information, or entertainment in new ways. Project basics are important, streamlined elements and the ability to function in multiple browsers and download quickly. We're looking for a positive user experience that begins with a great interface and has intuitive navigation throughout. Not only does it look good, but it works well too.
Brand Building — The engagement factor is critical. A website, application, resource, or project that engages customers and other participants and enable them to efficiently accomplish their goals, while encouraging repeated interactions. We want to see projects that succeed in creating intimate, long-term customer relationships. The creation of deeper, more meaningful and lasting connections between a company and its customer is essential. This opens the door for more profitable, ongoing dialogues and interactions with customers. New content, engaging activities, and helpful resources all play an important role.
Overall — Does this project or application have a "wow" factor? Is it inspiring and exciting? Does it showcase a new way of doing business or make doing business better? Projects will be judged on their overall applicability, repeatability, and impactfulness in creating an engaging experience for employees, partners, constituents, customers, and more.

Each application will be first reviewed by members of the MAX Awards team. This team will rate each entry on a scale of 1 to 20 for each criterion. Applications that receive a total score of 70 or higher (out of a possible 100) enter a second round of evaluation. In the second round, the submissions will be reviewed by the MAX Awards Judging Councils for their category. Council members may be on the Council for more than one category.

Judging Councils will review each submission and rate each with a score of 1 to 10 for each criterion. The finalists will be selected from the two highest scorers in each category, with all scores kept confidential.

Special Awards

At MAX 2007 in Chicago, event attendees will vote for their favorite MAX Awards finalist to determine the recipient of the People's Choice Award. Entrants will also be eligible for additional Special Recognition Awards that honor outstanding achievement, granted at the discretion of the Judging Councils. Adobe reserves the right to not award any Special Recognition Awards.

Finalist Notification

Entries will be judged between August 4, 2007, and August 24, 2007. Fourteen finalists, two in each category, will be notified by e-mail on or before September 1, 2007. Notified finalists will have 4 days (96 hours) from receipt of notification to acknowledge finalist status and confirm attendance at the MAX 2007 event in Chicago, Illinois, USA, by e-mail.

Finalists will be notified that they have been selected as finalists, but category winners will not be revealed until the MAX 2007 event in Chicago. Adobe is not responsible for and shall not be liable for late, lost, misdirected, or unsuccessful efforts to notify winners. If a selected Finalist cannot be contacted, is ineligible, fails to acknowledge status, or fails to comply with any term or condition of the Official Rules, prize may be forfeited and an alternate Finalist may be selected.

Finalists will be required to sign and return a liability release, declaration of eligibility, license agreement, and, where lawful, a publicity consent agreement, all within 10 days of being notified that they have been selected to receive an award.

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