We are pleased to announce the 2009 Excel Dashboard Competition:

The Competition

Like last year, the competition is for real world solutions, we are not providing a sample data set, and we’re looking forward to seeing some great examples of reports, charts and dashboards.

The dashboards are judged on the clarity and effectiveness of their design, particularly

• Clean and clear organization
• Effective table and chart design
• A single-screen display, properly designed for the web, screen or print outs

We’ll also consider technical aspects of the dashboard, did it use effective  techniques for

• The Dashboard layout
• Data management, data logic and calculation : YTD figures, variances, etc….
• Dashboard delivery: Sharing the dashboard via PDF, the web or as an Excel Workbook

There will be prizes for the top 3 entries, with the winner having first choice of prize from:

• 1st Prize: Amazon gift certificate for $100
• 2nd Prize: Stephen Few’s New Book “Now You see it”
• 3rd Prize: Edward Tufte’s classical Book “The Visual Display of Quantitative Information”

The Rules
We’ve kept the rules simple:

• The solution must be in Excel 2000 or more recent, and not require additional software other than Excel and Chart Tamer , MicroCharts and XLCubed.

• Entries can use any combination of tables, Excel charts,  bullet graphs and MicroCharts (sparklines). Each have their strengths and role to play in an effective dashboard

• We will publish the top 3 dashboards on our website, so please ensure this is not problematic for any of your submissions.

• Please change names and data as appropriate in the dashboards to protect the innocent.

• If you are not an existing MicroCharts or Chart Tamer user, you can download your 30 day trial version at http://www.bonavistasystems.com/DownloadMicroCharts.html

• Final Entries by 19 July 2009, Judges decision final!

To get inspired have a look at last years winning entries.

Please send your entries to ExcelDashCompetition@XLCubed.com