For all you awards junkies out there, a new prize – The Outdoor Awards – is being launched by the Outdoor Media Association of Australia (OMA).

The recent resurgence in the creative use of outdoor as an advertising medium has prompted the OMA to organise this award to reward the best examples of OOH from across Australia.

The HBO Voyeur campaign in the US, the McDonald‘s Sundial from Canada and the Exploding Billboard in New Zealand are a few examples the OMA has cited as great examples of this resurgence.

“Both here and internationally, creative teams are realising that outdoor media can be turned into something that creates both impact and engagement. Outdoor advertising at its best is truly an event which draws an audience,” says OMA chief executive Helen Willoughby.

In addition to a new first prize of a Golden Pigeon statue, which will be given to the best outdoor concept, there will be a financial incentive worth $10,000 for the winning creative team.

To prepare for the event, the OMA has set up its own OOH campaign for the awards – a billboard truck is being driven over 10,000km around Australia with ‘The Outdoor Awards Are Coming’ plastered on it.

The truck will be on the road for 40 days and encompass Broome, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne before its return to Sydney at the end of November.

Entries are open already but the final deadline will be the end of April 2009. Creative that has appeared on an outdoor format in Australia between 1 January 2008 and 30 April 2009 will be eligible for entry.