Simon Collings, chief executive of IFC organiser Resource Alliance, said: "The Gold Star Award will be a truly international competition as we will have hundreds of people from more than 50 countries adjudicating."
The award is sponsored by WWAV Rapp Collins and the shortlist will be selected by five judges, including Ian Haworth, Graham Page and Bryan Miller from WWAV.
The other judges are Amanda Seller, head of fundraising and communications at animal welfare charity WSPA and Tim Hunter, deputy director of fundraising at the NSPCC.
Haworth, WWAV's global chief creative officer, said: "Today, DRTV has the potential to deliver large numbers of profitable donors, yet it is one of the most difficult channels to get right."
To be eligible, a DRTV ad must have aired since June 2006. Shortlisting criteria include the objectives of the campaign, the strategy behind it (for instance, the target audience and choice of media), results, and a short testimony arguing how it exemplifies best-in-class DRTV fundraising.
An application form can be downloaded from Resource Alliance's .