2026 BEST SOCIAL & NON-PROFIT EVENT
Official Rules and Regulations
SUBMISSIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY:
August 6th, 2026 by 11:59 pm
WHAT ARE THE ARIZONA NACEy AWARDS:
The awards are designed to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts, performance and outstanding contributions of NACE members and future members in the special events industry. Winners will be recognized at our Awards Gala on Sunday, September 20th, 2026.
WHO CAN ENTER:
Any NACE member or future NACE Member.
WHO JUDGES THE AWARDS:
In order to maintain fairness in the judging, the awards are submitted anonymously. They are judged by a NACE Chapter with no affiliations to our Phoenix Chapter. Scores are returned to Phoenix NACE and totaled to determine winners in each award category.
HOW DO I ENTER:
All entries are submitted through the Phoenix NACE website. Be sure to follow all of the rules and submit your entry by the noted deadline. All entries must be for events that occurred between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026.
AWARDS SUBMISSION RULES:
Follow the step-by-step instructions and category-specific guidelines for your entry to be valid. The event must be from July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026. The event entry cannot be from other organizations in the same industry. Please complete all fields, including collateral attachments, and must not include the company name, website or logo to keep anonymity and remove any judging bias.
WHAT IS THE COST:
Submission fees:
$100.00 for members *email joann@aproposcreations.com for your $50.00 discount code
$150.00 for future members.
WHO DO I REACH OUT TO IF I HAVE QUESTIONS?
You can reach out to Joy Edwards, our Awards Committee Co- Chair at joy@aproposcreations.com
WHO CAN ENTER:
Event planners, producers, and coordinators
Meeting planners
Wedding consultants and party planners
Facility and venue managers
Institutions (educational, cultural, and non-profit)
Best Social & Non-Profit Event (100 Points Total)
The Best Social and Non-Profit Event award recognizes outstanding planning and execution for social events, like Mitzvahs, birthdays, retirement party, etc. Please do not include names of individuals in your submission. Title the event award submission based on the event, not the celebrant. Please do not include individual names in your submission. Title the submission based on the event name or theme, not the company or individual.
Overview: (30 Points Each)
- Event Summary, Client Goals & Objectives (30 points) Describe the overall social event and the planning services you provided. What were the client’s goals for their event experience? What were your service objectives, and how were they achieved? Up to 500-1000 word limit
- Event Management & Production Process (30 points) Detail the scope of coordination and production management. Describe the degree of difficulty and how challenges or obstacles were overcome. Explain your approach through all phases: development, pre-production, production, and post-production. Up to 500-1000 word limit
WOW Factor: (20 Points)
- Creative Direction & Design Execution (20 points) What was the client’s vision, and how did design, logistics, and planning reflect their personality, traditions, and values? How did the event location and its unique features contribute to décor, entertainment, culinary elements, and overall cohesion of the event experience? Up to 500-1000 word limit
Materials (20 points) – all materials must be submitted to receive full credit for this portion of the submission
- Upload the overall event planning timeline and timeline for the day of the event.
- Upload examples of the printed materials (invitations, programs, signage escort cards, menu cards).
- Upload the budget 5-6 high quality photos of the event to show your work. Examples include food displays, beverage displays, menu items, floor plan/diagram, room shots, table presentations, décor, print materials, invitations, marketing materials.
- Optionally, submit one video segment. Must be a maximum of two minutes in length and must be submitted through a link such as Vimeo or YouTube.
