• GOLD   
  As the Communicators Forum’s highest honor, four Gold Awards are given for the best single entry into each of the Writing, Multimedia, Print, and Campaign/Series categories.
  
  
• MAROON
  Maroon Awards are given to entries deemed by the judges to be of exceptional merit, up to one for each subcategory.
  
  
• GREEN
  One Green Award will be awarded for initiative in creating communications that reduce environmental impact and make strong statements of leadership in this area. Entries should outline steps taken in reduction (such as printing alternatives, reducing quantities and overages, etc.) and/or production (such as statements of recycled paper, soy inks, etc.)
  
  
• MARGO  
  One MARGO Award is bestowed for the most elegant solution within the means available (the most bang for your buck). The department responsible for producing the winning entry receives $500 for professional development of communications staff, along with a framed certificate.
  
  
• MIKE  
  One MIKE Award is chosen by popular vote at the Communicators Forum annual conference. The winner is announced during the closing session of the conference. The traveling trophy is engraved and presented for display in the department’s offices for one year.
  
  

MIKE Award

The MIKE Award is an Astatic Golden Eagle D104 microphone reissued in 1976 in limited commemorative editions by the Astatic Microphone Company. Like the word bubble icon, this trophy represents communication but on an amplified level, as appropriate for the people's choice award. The D104 model was first manufactured in 1933, the year the company was incorporated. The first crystal microphone, it was known for high sensitivity to ambient sound. Want to know more? Go to astatic.com.