An incredible amount of effort was put into finding the most appropriate and experienced judges for the various Bookmarks categories. With Deirdre Ingpen, 24.com's head of commercial, judging the publishers’ category judges, we caught up with three of its members to find out what we can expect from this year’s results…

Ingpen revealed last week that entries into the publishers’ category are not only about a redesign or relaunch of a site – they also include innovation, whether in storytelling or finding new ways to engage users.

Cobbledick, MacLeod, Fairweather, Malan and Pampalone

Claire Cobbledick, head of marketing for Gumtree; Lisa MacLeod, head of digital at Times Media Group; Alistair Fairweather, chief technology officer of Publicis Machine; Annel Malan, GM: e.tv Online; and independent writer and editor, Tanya Pampalone, are just five of the nine-strong publishers’ jury panel. Here, they exclusively share their insights into judging this category of digital work…

1. What are you most looking forward to from this year’s IAB Digital Summit & Bookmark Awards?

Cobbledick: It’s always exciting to review great ideas and innovation. I am particularly interested in seeing the shift from 2014 to 2015; I think we have moved significantly forward in these 12 months.

MacLeod: It’s always good to see local talent being rewarded, and these awards are a celebration of just that.

Fairweather: The part I love most about the judging process is getting to see the great work being done out there in the industry. A lot of entries are average, but the gems are often extremely brilliant. We have world-class talent in South Africa and it’s great to see it on show. I also love the face-to-face part of the judging process, where I get to hear my fellow judges’ opinions and insights. I always learn more about the industry and my craft.

Malan: I’m most looking forward to seeing what innovation we’ve come up with over the last year, as well as how South Africans are interpreting international digital trends and bringing it home in a way that makes sense and benefits our local communities.

Pampalone: I love seeing what the industry is up to – how people are using new storytelling technologies in fresh ways that make sense in journalism, how they are experimenting across platforms. I get really excited about this stuff.

2. Share some pointers on your personal judging process and what you’re looking for from entrants in your category.

Cobbledick: The explanation of the entry is key. Understand what makes an entry unique and focus on that. Some entries feel like they are padded with information, but never actually make a potent case for the piece of work. Also be sure to be specific in terms of results. I favour entries that detail the specifics – even if they’re not as impressive as they could have been – over entries that quote broad success in percentages.

MacLeod: I was looking for originality, clever ideas and meticulous execution. Many entries were of an incredibly high standard, and the judging was great fun.

Fairweather: I work a lot from my gut. If an entry feels flimsy or cut-and-pasted, I tend not to give it as much attention. Innovation and difference for their own sakes is pretty boring to me. Rather show me how you did something really, really well than that you simply used a new toy or tool to do it.

Malan: Most importantly, I look for innovation and clear proof that the goals people set out to meet were achieved.

Pampalone: It's a bit of arts and crafts – beauty and innovation in storytelling meets structure, depth and sensibility. But I suppose it comes down to a gut feel. I know it when I see it!

3. Elaborate on the overall standard of digital work in SA. Where do we shine and what’s still lacking?

Cobbledick: I believe there’s room for improvement all round. Although there are areas of particular opportunity for an emerging market such as ours, for example in mobile, I don’t think we’re yet pushing the boundaries as far as we could.

MacLeod: I’ve always thought the standard of advertising and marketing work in SA is exceptional. After suffering through dismal British ads for 13 years, it’s great to be back here and see that standard again on online platforms. While editorially there is a dearth of good, innovative digital work, that’s simply a lack of skill and a lack of resource – not a lack of will or experience.

Fairweather: We still focus on the flashy, insubstantial stuff and ignore the plumbing that makes a campaign or a piece of editorial work really hum. We make great looking and sounding work, but we don’t always give that work the strong foundation it needs to really make a deeper impact.

Malan: We really strong on quality of content. We have some excellent digital journalists at the moment. It is a field that was totally underdeveloped a few years ago. I think as South Africans we are still lacking when it comes to using apps as tools to better people’s everyday lives. As connectivity becomes more pervasive and we see more females developers rise, I’m hoping we’ll see this change in the near future.

Pampalone: There really are some pockets of serious, world-class excellence. I get a little depressed, though, when I see so much average work because the talent is obviously here – we're just not harnessing it properly.

Exciting times! If you’re eager to delve in deeper into digital, click through to this podcast interview with Josephine Buys, CEO of IAB South Africa, to find out more about the highly anticipated IAB Digital Summit &Bookmark Awards 2016, taking place at Turbine Hall in Johannesburg on 3 March 2016. Click here for the full list of Bookmarks 2016 judges and here for the full list of finalists and watch for our in-depth coverage.