You thought awards season was over? Not a chance. While Toronto commercial folk pretty themselves up for the Bessies on May 24, residents of Calgary are set to go completely glam once again for their commercial event.

You probably won’t find John Mastromonaco, Bill Irish or Randy Diplock on the short list for these awards though. The Eddies, as they are known, are brought to you by your friends at Calgary’s Big Rock Brewery, makers of Big Rock beer, and will be held May 16.

The nice thing about the Eddies, says Big Rock marketing co-ordinator Brit Petersen, is you don’t have to be a pro to take home a prize. In fact, being a professional spot-maker, either on the creative or production side, could be a hindrance. As Petersen says, ‘Big Rock doesn’t judge on professionalism. We judge on originality, fun and creativity.’

The Eddies, named after Big Rock founder Ed McNally, are open to literally any and all would-be filmmakers looking to shoot a commercial for the brewery. The criteria for entry is simply make a 60-seond spot about Big Rock beer.

The first-place winner will walk out of the May 16 ceremony $5,000 richer. There are additional prizes for first place, as well as cash awards for second and third place.

‘It’s become Calgary’s biggest event of the year,’ says Petersen. ‘On the night, people come out dressed very similarly to the Hollywood clan. We have limousines driving up to a red carpet and paparazzi, which are really photography students, taking pictures. The people that come out of the limos are the VIP guests and the producers of the various videos. They come in and there is a big party.’

With all proceeds from the event going to charity, Big Rock supplies unlimited beer for the evening, while several of Calgary’s finest restaurants provide the food.

According to Petersen, the constantly growing Eddies receive between 200 and 300 entries each year. The entries are narrowed down to 24 by a judging panel comprised of Big Rock employees. The final 24 are screened at the awards show, after a panel of industry folk and local celebrities (Alberta-based DJs, news anchors, etc.) have narrowed the field down to the top three.

Petersen, serving her second year with the Eddies, says the entries range from truly brilliant to truly absurd.

‘The commercials are hilarious,’ says Petersen. ‘They are pretty fun, considering they are unprofessionally done by anybody who is an aspiring director or just wants to win the cash prize.’

Last year’s first-prize winner, ‘The Hunt,’ was an animated spot featuring opportunistic rabbits chitchatting in a tree. When a man comes by, drinking a Big Rock, the bunnies declare him a hunter. He is then swarmed by a number of woodland creatures and the conniving hares run off with the beer.

(A favorite around these parts involves a large, drooling pig, which can be viewed on the Eddies website.)

Back to the awards though. There is a prize for the most popular spot among the crowd, determined by the loudest ovation following the showing of the ad on the night of the show. There is also an online prize of $1,000, to be awarded after the Eddies gala. All 24 spots will be available for viewing on the Web, and the most popular among surfers will be announced at a later date.

All spots submitted to the Eddies become the property of Big Rock after the show, which is strange, as Big Rock has yet to advertise on television.

‘Although we have never made a TV commercial, we have thousands of ideas in our storage if we ever had to do one,’ says Petersen.

The charitable organizations benefiting from the Eddies this year are Calgary theatre troupe One Yellow Rabbit (which is providing entertainment during the show) and the Calgary Emergency Women’s Shelter. *

-www.bigrockbeer.com/eddies