The Gong Show and Singapore Media Awards, which laud the finest in Singapore's creative and media scene respectively, will be held back to back this year as a combined Awards week.

The Gong Show, also known as the Creative Circle Awards (CCA), did not take place in 2009 due to the somber economic landscape. The Gong Show returned this year, with changes made to the entry kit in order to reflect the changes in the creative landscape. One such example was the introduction of more sub-categories in field of digital advertising, to acknowledge the widening possibilities of using this medium for creative work.

Commenting on the overall standard, CCA 2010 international judge Marcos Medeiros, Art Director from AlmapBBDO Sao Paolo, Brazil, said, "It's so nice to see how such a small country can produce so many great works. I've been following a lot of international awards like Clio and Cannes, and all the time Singapore has a lot of good work. In Brazil, we have 109 million people living there and for such a small country you can still produce - you are always showing to the rest of the world inspiring work, so it is a pleasure to share in these experiences, and to be able to judge this is an honour, it really is."

SMA 2010 also made changes to its categories this year, with the addition of two campaign categories, “Best Use of Search” and “Best Use of Mobile”. Connie Chan, Chairman of SMA 2010 said, “The digital sphere is continually evolving with a plethora of digital media platforms. The new categories level the playing field, allowing recognition be given to outstanding strategies within mobile and search which might otherwise find it hard to stand against the rest of the digital entries.”

An inaugural Special Achievement Award category called “Marketer of the Year” was also rolled out. This award seeks to recognise marketing professional who possess unflagging passion for their brand, coupled with an astuteness and propensity to challenge the norm that has made their brand an outstanding success.

The Gong Show and the SMA Awards Show will be held on 2 & 3 September 2010 respectively, at the Shangri-La Hotel. Tickets are available at S$150 per pax for both shows. For ticketing information, please visit www.creativecircle.com.sg or www.sma.com.sg