BOCSI and SCOTY 2024 Rules and Regulations

The Best of Canada’s Sign Industry (BOCSI) awards honour the top work of sign companies and related organizations across the country with winners selected by an expert panel of independent judges. The awards program is jointly managed by Sign Media Canada and the Sign Association of Canada (SAC-ACE).

Eligibility for project awards
Projects must be installed between April 1, 2023 and April 30, 2024. Projects cannot have been entered in the 2023 National Sign Competition from Sign Media Canada.

Sign Company of the Year Award:
The Sign Company of the Year (SCOTY) award recognizes a company which has stood out over the year.

Eligibility
The competition is open to the Canadian sign industry. Only one submission per company is accepted. To apply for this award, you must also submit at least one sign project.

Judging Criteria*:
Company details 1-10 points
Community and industry involvement 1-10 points
Employee training 1-10 points

*A company’s total score is based on a combination of its highest scoring project entry and the SCOTY entry score.

Sign project winners will be honoured in the following categories, regardless of their specific manufacturing/fabrication method:

Categories
Building Signs	All building identification signs, including awnings and canopies.
Digital Signage	Categories of digital signage include 3D robotic and liquid crystal displays (LCDs), light-emitting diode (LED), or organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens, and dynamic projections.
Soft Signage	Banners, fabric graphics, and inflatables are all examples of soft signage.
Stand-alone Signs	Signs not attached to a building. For example, one placed on a highway exit or at the entrance to a business complex. Some types of stand-alone signs include, monuments, pylons, and posts.
Illuminated Signage	Signs that are neon, light-emitting diode (LED), or fluorescent.
Out-of-home Advertising	Signs and advertisements on billboards, posters, and transit.
Sign Systems*	Signs used for environmental, accessibility, safety, wayfinding, and commercial systems (comprising of at least three signs).
Unique Signs	Special projects outside the other categories, which are unusual or unique.
Vehicle Graphics	Projects involving vehicle wraps, decals, and pinstriping.

*Consider submitting multiple photos to demonstrate the functionality of how the sign system works.

How to enter your project

Visit bocsi.ca/enter.
Click the “new entry” button.
Select a category and name your entry.
Provide the required information.
Upload two images.
Click submit.

For each submission, you will need to complete an entry form and provide two or more photos of the sign project taken at different distances and angles. There is no charge and you may enter multiple projects in the competition. All materials submitted become the property of both Sign Media Canada and SAC-ACE, including rights for reproduction.

Photo requirements
Digital images must be a minimum of 300 dpi in resolution, large enough for layout (minimum 4 x 6 inches or 1200 x 1800 pixels) and formatted as .jpg or .png files. Vertically oriented photos that are at least 9 x 12 inches may be considered for cover use in Sign Media Canada. No low-resolution files will be accepted.

Judging and awards
Competition entries will be judged by a panel of industry experts jointly appointed by Sign Media Canada and SAC-ACE. They collectively determine first, second, and third place winners for all categories based on their respective merits. The highest score overall will win a special “Best in Show” award irrespective of category. The winners will be announced at the evening gala at Sign Expo Canada on September 23, 2022, and be featured in the November 2022 issue of Sign Media Canada.

Judging Criteria includes:
Originality 1-10 points
Creativity 1-10 points
Materials 1-10 points
Appearance 1-10 points
Design Suitability 1-10 points

Maximum Score:
50 points

Deadline for entries: June 30, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).