Categories
Gold Circle Awards (GCA) recognizes extraordinary association programs in the Marketing, Membership, and Communications fields.
Below, find brief descriptions of all ASAE Gold Circle Award categories. Click “Read More” to explore full in-depth descriptions of the categories and the criteria upon which they are evaluated.
Advocacy
Recognizes an outstanding legislative, regulatory, PAC or grassroots advocacy campaign. Campaign must have been active during the 2025 calendar year.
Convention/Meetings Marketing
Recognizes an outstanding campaign designed to promote an association convention/meeting. Campaign must have been active during the 2025 calendar year. Campaign elements may include convention/meeting web pages/micro-sites, print and digital promotional pieces, social media, video, apps, and other supporting materials.
Publications
Recognizes an outstanding publication that provides valuable information to members, prospective members, or staff. Entries may include magazines, blogs, or other periodicals in print or digital format (or both)—with the exception of email newsletters, which have a separate category; see E-Newsletters. Publications must be published at least two times a year and must have been active during the 2025 calendar year.
E-Newsletter
Recognizes an outstanding e-newsletter campaign designed to provide valuable information to members, prospective members, and staff. The e-newsletter must include some original content from the organization. E-newsletter must have been active during the 2025 calendar year.
Media/Public Relations
Recognizes an outstanding overall media/public relations campaign designed around the association or one of its initiatives, programs, products/services, or special events. Campaign could also be designed to promote the association’s profession/industry or be crisis communications outreach. This campaign should not include conference or advocacy efforts, as there is a separate category. Campaign must have been active during the 2025 calendar year.
Member Retention
Recognizes an outstanding membership retention campaign designed to retain individuals and/or organizations as members of the association. Campaign must have been active during the 2025 calendar year.
Membership Recruitment
Recognizes an outstanding membership recruitment campaign designed to encourage organizations and/or individuals to join (or re-join) the association as a member. Campaign must have been active during the 2025 calendar year.
Member/Volunteer Engagement
Recognizes an outstanding campaign designed to encourage members, volunteer leaders, and the industry to engage and participate with the association. Campaign must have been active during the 2025 calendar year. Engagement activities can include member participation in committees, training, special projects, online discussion forums, social media, blogs, fundraising, and other programs.
Mobile App
Recognizes an outstanding association/nonprofit organization mobile app campaign targeted at the public, the association membership, or another stakeholder group (s). This can include a general association app, meeting app, advocacy app, fundraising app, and any other mobile app utilized by your organization. Campaign must have been active during the 2025 calendar year. Success metrics can include analytics measured against stated goals, evidence of member and stakeholder engagement, measured results for a call to action, etc.
New Product/Service Launch
Recognizes an outstanding new product/service launch campaign or substantial repositioning of an existing product/service (i.e., repackaging or bundling). Campaign must have been active during the 2025 calendar year. Campaign elements may include web pages/micro-sites, print and digital promotion pieces, social media, video, apps, and other supporting materials for the new product or service launch.
Podcast
Recognizes an outstanding association/nonprofit organization podcast campaign targeted at the public, the association membership, or another stakeholder group (s). Campaign must have been active during the 2025 calendar year.
Rebranding
Recognizes an outstanding rebranding campaign. Far from just a visual identity change, it should be the creation of a new name, symbol, design, or a combination of these elements. This is aimed at repositioning the brand to communicate a new message for the association. Rebrand must have been launched during the 2025 calendar year.
Sponsorship/Exhibits/Advertising Promotion
Recognizes an outstanding program or campaign designed to generate non-dues revenue through sponsorship programs, exhibits, and/or advertising. These can include integrated campaigns covering these areas or campaigns designed for one of these areas. Campaign must have been active during the 2025 calendar year.
Video
Recognizes an outstanding original promotional or informative video produced by an association. Video recordings of live events, such as sessions at association meetings, are not appropriate for this category. Entries should be less than 5 minutes in length. Campaign must have been active during the 2025 calendar year.
Website
Recognizes an outstanding association/nonprofit organization’s website targeted at the public, the association membership, or other stakeholder group(s). This category includes association general websites, issue-specific sites, public education/campaign sites, event sites, policy related sites or any other website created by the association. Websites must have been active during the 2025 calendar year.