A Literary Brand, Not a Corporate One
Designed a classical, literary aesthetic, First Folio typography, engraved portraits and a parchment palette, so the Parr Shakespeare Prize felt like an established institution from its first day online.
Launching a Literary Prize That Needed to Feel Like It Had Always Existed
The Parr Shakespeare Prize had no digital presence and six weeks before its public launch. We designed, built, and delivered a brand-ready website that positioned the prize as a serious, enduring institution from day one.
55 → 57
Teacher Applicants (Year 1 → 2)
6 wks
Brief to Public Launch
2
Secure Judging Portals
$10K
Award for Teaching Excellence
Project Summary
The Parr Shakespeare Prize at a glance
A launch-ready literary WordPress platform, public application site, secure screener and judge portals, and Brevo email, live in six weeks for the prize's inaugural year.
- Client
- The Parr Shakespeare Prize
- Industry
- Arts & Culture
- Services
- Website Design & Build
- Status
- 6 Weeks
- Year
- 2024
01
The Challenge
A brand-new prize that needed to look established
The Parr Shakespeare Prize was a well-funded, credibility-backed new award.
The brief was clear: build something that felt like the prize had existed for decades.
-
01No existing brand assets for the webThe prize had a name and a concept but no logo system, colour palette, or digital design language to work from.
-
02Hard deadline with no flexibilityThe launch date was set around a public announcement tied to external stakeholders. Six weeks was the window, no extensions.
-
03Entry process needed to be frictionlessWriters needed to submit entries easily on any device. Complexity in the submission flow would reduce quality entries.
-
04Dual audience: entrants and judgesThe site needed to serve two very different user types, writers looking to enter, and judges and press looking for institutional credibility.
02
The Approach
How We Built It
Everything a new, credibility-backed award needs to run its first cycle, a brand that feels established, a clear way for teachers to apply, private portals to judge them, and the tools for the team to run it all themselves.
Public Application & Nomination Site
Built the public WordPress site where teachers are nominated and submit their application, a resume, a lesson plan and a letter of support, with an entry flow designed for educators, not administrators.
Secure Screener & Judge Portals
Delivered two private portals behind the scenes: a screener portal to review and shortlist applications, and a judge portal to score finalists, with role-based access that keeps applicant and nominee data protected.
Brevo Email Integration
Integrated Brevo directly with the site so the prize captures contacts and sends applicant communications and announcements from one platform, without manual exports.
Client-Managed WordPress Admin
A complete WordPress admin, built with ACF, so the non-technical Parr team can manage pages, applicants, winners and content independently every prize cycle.
Six Weeks, Brief to Launch
From the initial brief to public launch in six weeks, brand, site, portals and email all delivered on deadline, ready for the inaugural application window.
Platform Walkthrough
A Look Inside What We Built
The public, literary face of the prize, how teachers learn the criteria, apply, and see the winners. (The screener and judge portals stay private to protect applicant data.)
03
The Results
What We Delivered
A literary brand and a working platform, live for the inaugural year and run entirely by the Parr team, which returned and grew into a second cycle.
55
Applicants in Year One
57
Applicants in Year Two
returned & grew
6
wk
Brief to Live Site
on deadline
2
Secure Portals (Screener + Judge)
Digital Presence
None
Full literary site
Applications
Manual
Online + Brevo email
Judging
Ad-hoc
Screener + judge portals
The Process
Six Weeks, Brief to Launch
A focused build, brand first, then the public site, the private portals, email, and launch.
01
Brand & Brief
Week 1
02
Literary Design
Week 1–2
03
Public Application Site
Week 2–4
04
Screener & Judge Portals
Week 3–5
05
Brevo + WordPress Admin
Week 5
06
Public Launch
Week 6
Tech Stack
Technologies & Tools
A classical front end on a WordPress core, ACF and Elementor build the pages and the application and nomination flows, Brevo handles email, and two private portals (screener and judge) sit behind role-based access. Fast, accessible, and managed entirely by the Parr team.
WordPress
ACF
Elementor
Custom Post Types
Screener Portal
Judge Portal
Brevo
Role-Based Access
Yoast SEO
Nginx Cache
WebP Images
XML Sitemap
Managed WordPress
SSL / HTTPS
Daily Backups
“
Working with Mr. Samowal and his team at Devvista to develop the website has been productive and a pleasure. The quality of work delivered is everything I am accustomed to in my Wall Street career, first-rate, professional, and highly responsive.
Gary Parr
Senior Managing Director, Apollo Global Management
FAQ
Questions about this project
Straight answers to what buyers ask before a project like The Parr Shakespeare Prize.
Still have a question?Send it over and we will answer personally.Send a Message
The Parr Shakespeare Prize is an annual award recognising excellence in teaching Shakespeare, with a $10,000 prize. Teachers are nominated and then apply with a resume, a lesson plan and a letter of support, and a panel of judges selects the winners. Devvista designed and built the website and the judging platform behind it.
Devvista delivered the complete digital platform: the public WordPress site and teacher application flow, two secure judging portals (a screener portal and a judge portal), Brevo email integration, and a client-managed WordPress admin, all built and launched in six weeks for the prize's inaugural year.
Through the Application page on the site. Nominated teachers submit a current resume or CV, a single lesson plan (up to 10 pages) and one letter of support. The entry flow was designed for educators, so applying is straightforward rather than administrative.
Behind the scenes, a screener portal is used to review and shortlist applications, and a separate judge portal lets judges score the finalists against the published criteria. Access is role-based so applicant and nominee data stays secure, these portals are private and not public-facing.
Six weeks, from the initial brief to public launch. In that window Devvista delivered the literary brand, the public application site, the two private judging portals and the Brevo email integration, on deadline, ready for the first application window.
Yes. It is a custom WordPress build using ACF and Elementor, with a classical literary design, Brevo for email and a full admin, so the Parr team can manage pages, applicants and winners themselves each cycle without a developer.
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is integrated directly with the website, so the prize captures contacts and sends applicant communications and announcements from a single platform, no manual list exports or disconnected tools.
Yes. After a successful inaugural year the Parr Shakespeare Prize returned for a second cycle, with teacher applicants growing from 55 in year one to 57 in year two, and it hosted its first Awards Weekend in January 2026.
Let's talk
Launching something that needs to feel established?
We build brand-led websites, application and judging portals, and the admin to run them, fast. Book a call to scope your launch.
- 30-minute consultation
- No commitment required
- Response within 24 hours
- Book a call30 minutes, no pitch. Tell us what you want to build.
- Get a straight answerHonest feedback on fit, scope and timeline.
- Decide with no pressureMove ahead only if it feels right. No commitment required.
