Radio-Mercuary Awards Finalists.

Finalists for the 11th annual Radio-Mercury Awards were announced, with a total of 64 entries in this year’s competition, the largest number of finalists ever, reflecting the increase in the total number of entries submitted for this year’s competition. A total of fifty-nine finalists from the General, Hispanic and Station-produced categories will compete for the $100,000 Grand Prize.

In the General category, Cliff Freeman & Partners, a previous Mercury Award $100,000 Grand Prize Winner, has six entries in this year’s final round. Five entries from Arnold Worldwide are in the final running. Last year, Arnold won one of the General category awards and the PSA trophy. DDB Chicago and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, both two-time Grand Prize Winners, made it into the finals with four entries each. Casanova Pendrill and WZSR-FM/Next Media, 2001 winners in the Hispanic and Radio-Station produced categories, respectively, are finalists again with one entry each.

Some returning 2001 General winners are Black Rocket, San Francisco and Copper, Kalamazoo, MI, each with two entries. Other previous winners in this year’s finalist round include 1992 Grand Prize winner The Richards Group, Dallas, TX with two entries and Hill Holliday Connors Cosmopulos, Boston with one entry.

Other agencies in the finalist pool this year include Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Miami, FL; Hampel Stefanides, NY; Deutsch NY; and Sedgwick Road, Seattle, WA, all with two entries each; and Adworks, Washington, D.C. with one entry. The Zimmer Radio Group of Joplin, MO, which won the Station-produced category Mercury Award in 1999, is a finalist again this year.

The 2002 Radio-Mercury Awards will be held at an exclusive, invitation-only luncheon ceremony on Thursday, June 6th in the Starlight Roof Room at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. William (Bill) J. Ludwig, Vice Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Campbell-Ewald, is this year’s Chief Judge.

A total of 13 prizes, including the coveted $100,000 Grand Prize, will be presented for the best Radio commercials of 2001. Finalists from all categories except the Public Service Announcement are eligible for the Grand Prize. Cash prizes and Mercury trophies will also be awarded for the top nine commercials in the General category and for the best spot from the Hispanic and the station-produced categories. A trophy will be given for the best Public Service announcement. A complete and detailed list of all finalists accompanies this release.

Since the first Radio-Mercury Awards ceremony in 1992, close to $2 million has been awarded to honor the writers and producers of the finest Radio commercials in America. The Radio industry wants to recognize the incredible talent behind the spots that stimulate Radio listeners every hour of every day, in every conceivable location. Over the last 11 years, the quality of Radio creative has advanced right along with increased Radio advertising revenues.

The Radio-Mercury Awards began as the brainchild of Jim Thompson, then President of Group W Radio and today the co-chair of the Mercury awards and President of Craven-Thompson Communications. Thanks to Jim’s foresight and the Radio industry’s dedicated commitment, the Mercury Awards have been able to work closely with the agency creative community to spotlight the awesome power of Radio’s unique “pictures”—the vivid sights, sounds and emotions that listeners conjure up upon hearing great Radio ads.

In addition to the annual competition, the Radio-Mercury Awards promotes and markets Radio creative throughout the year and distributes the annual Radio-Mercury Awards CD of Winners and Finalists.

To view finalist CLICK above on ‘More Images’.