We look forward to opening our 2020 Sir Walter Raleigh Awards for Excellence in Communication and Watt Huntley Award for Lifetime Achievement!

Submissions will be accepted in the following categories for work produced January 1, 2019, through July 30, 2020.

More details to come on submission format! In the meantime, please review our submission categories below and start gathering your supporting materials (digitally) for when we open submissions in August.

Organizational

PR Give Back of the Year

Share a paid or non-paid project aimed at supporting non-profit initiatives. This is the only award that is voted on by RPRS active members! (Only one submission per submitting organization allowed so put your best foot forward.)

No submission fee required.
Submit Your Nomination

Watt Huntley Lifetime Achievement Award

The Watt Huntley Award for Lifetime Achievement is the highest honor given by the Raleigh Public Relations Society. It is presented to an individual who has made lasting and meaningful contributions to the field of public relations over the course of a career.

No submission fee required.
Learn More & Submit

Campaigns

Bang for the Buck

PR efforts that achieve the stated objectives on a small budget. Please include a project budget with all expenditures including staff time, in-kind, and/or donated services. Entries in this category MAY NOT be entered in any other division.

Community Relations

This category comprises campaigns whose primary focus is promoting a social cause, but which may also include promotion of your product and/or services and the advancement of your reputation as a corporate citizen.

Crisis Communications

Communications surrounding any crisis, from product recalls to executive malfeasance to social media gaffes are eligible in this category.

Sustainability/Corporate Social Responsibility

A sustainability or corporate social responsibility campaign.

Integrated Communications

Exhibits both modern and traditional marketing strategies to optimize the communication of a consistent message conveying a company’s brand to stakeholders.

Media Event

Media events are those events, from press conferences to media tours, which are built around in-person interaction between your company and the press. Entries should exhibit creativity in planning and implementing the event, drawing the media to it and engaging them at the event.

Organizational or Branding

Any campaign to promote or distinguish your organization or company in the eye of the public, a specific audience or prospective clients. This could include internal communications or external branding efforts. This category also recognizes a company’s efforts to effectively reinvent a brand.

Public Affairs, Education & Government Relations

Any campaign to promote a political issue, grassroots campaign, candidate for office, K-12 and higher ed public education.

Social Media

Social media campaigns driving leads, sales, and/or brand engagement.

Special Events

Marketing and production of events that range in length from one to five days.

Student

Must be developed by an individual or team of students. Can be submitted by a teacher or advisor.

Tactics

Graphic Design

A piece of work that was solely dedicated to graphic design which could include a logo, advertisement, printed piece for distribution, or other works.

Magazines

A traditional print or digitally-published collection in magazine format developed for internal or external distribution.

Media Kits

News releases, photographs and other background information compiled for an organization, product or issue.

Media Relations

Tactics, programs and events driven entirely by media relations. Submit press releases, media advisories, pitch letters, requests for coverage, etc., along with the one-page summary that includes measurable objectives and results.

Multimedia – Streaming or Podcast

Programs streamed or downloaded from the web as part of a campaign.

Publication – External or Internal

Any publication produced for stakeholders inside your organization, outside your organization, or for a mixed group of recipients (ie: annual report) is eligible for entry in this category. Please include the publication in your final submission.

Research/Evaluation

All successful public relations activities start with good research. This project category asks you to take the research component you have done for a campaign or project and present it as a stand-alone project.

Social Media

These are individual social media tactics used in larger campaigns that connect people and allow them to be integrated into a product or company. Social media tactics leverage platforms ranging from Facebook to Twitter, from Snapchat to Instagram, from online forums and message boards to video and virtual reality.

Videos – Broadcast/Web Commercial

Commercials and other video up to 60 seconds used for broadcast, web or both.

Videos – Long-Form Productions

Any purpose video longer than 60 seconds.

Websites

Use of a website as part of a public relations program. Include screen grabs or copies of key pages to support your one-page summary. Additionally, include the website URL for external sites. Websites for external audiences or intranet websites for internal audiences are both acceptable.

Writing – Blog or Feature

This category may include web-based journals, or blogs, that communicated either a corporate, public service or industry position. The one-page summary should include rationale for blogging strategy, target audiences and statistics, or other means of quantifiable measurement. Feature articles, hard news, columns, or opinions that have been written by a practitioner, and submitted and published through his/her efforts are also accepted in this category. For both styles, submit text of writing, as well as documentation of publication.

Writing – News Releases

Must include proof of production or publication.

Writing – Op/Ed

Must show proof of publication.