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WATT HUNTLEY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Know someone who has made lasting and meaningful contributions to the field of public relations over the course of a career? Nominate them for RPRS’s highest honor.

PLATINUM AWARDS

PR Professional of the Year

Nominate the best communicator within your organization who extolls the qualities of a modern day communicator and business leader. All levels and job titles are eligible for this program. Must emphasize initiatives and successes over the past 12 months. Nominate someone today.

Team of the Year

Share with us what makes your communications team great! List all team members who should be recognized and provide 5 examples of outstanding initiatives that moved the needle for your brand or organization in the past year. Nominate a team today.

SIR WALTER RALEIGH AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNICATIONS

Submit award nominations online today.

PUBLICATIONS

Annual Report

We’ll award the annual report that demonstrates the best and most efficient communication of a company’s financial results and overall positioning. Design, crafting of messages from the CEO and effective presentation of company messages will be included in judging criteria. Please include a copy of the report with your submission.

Blog

Recognizing an outstanding, influential business-related blog or online journal written by a representative of the organization with the goal of espousing the brand or a certain brand message, and done so with flair and personality.

External Publication (print or online)

Any publication produced for stakeholders outside your organization is eligible for entry in this category. Please include the publication in your final PDF.

Internal Publication (print or online)

Entrants in this category should be publications targeted at your internal employee stakeholders. Please include the publication in your final submitted PDF.

Opinion/Feature Piece

Entries may be part of a larger campaign submitted in another category, however, this will require a separate entry submission and fee. Please include the audience demographics. Winning entries will demonstrate the most effective use of the written word to achieve the entry’s stated objective.

Press Release

The best-written press releases employing effective storytelling techniques, leveraging multimedia where applicable, and resulting in a return on investment. Will be judged on measurement results and ROI.

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.

Branding (Company or Product)

Recognizing a highly effective campaign in which a corporate brand or product is enthusiastically received by its target audiences, where the essence of the product or purpose of the company is effectively conveyed via the brand campaign. This category also recognizes a company’s efforts to effectively reinvent a brand, applying the same principles of an outstanding PR campaign in which the brand becomes highly recognized and well received.

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.

Corporate Social Responsibility

This category recognizes a communications strategy with your organization’s “Go Green” efforts as its focus. Along with your entry form, provide an explanation of your company’s green practices as well as a synopsis of the campaign or ongoing communications initiatives.

Diversity Campaign

Innovative campaigns that have furthered the advancement of diversity and inclusion. Agencies that have developed diversity campaigns on behalf of clients as well as communications and HR teams at corporations, government associations, academic institutions and nonprofit organizations that have developed successful diversity campaigns in-house are eligible to enter.

Education Program

Recognizing university programs showcasing outside communications curriculum and student outcomes. Graduate and undergraduate programs will be judged separately.

Employee Relations

This category recognizes outstanding communications to your most important stakeholders—your organization’s employees. Any PR campaign actively targeting the workforce is eligible.

Special Events

Any event designed to entertain or influence the audience for which it was intended. May or may not be a component of a larger communication plan.

Organizational Identity/Promotion

Any campaign to promote or distinguish your organization or company in the eye of the public, a specific audience or prospective clients.

Political

Any campaign to promote a political issue, grassroots campaign or candidate for office.

Word of Mouth / Viral

We’ll honor viral marketing campaigns that touch a nerve and create major buzz among your customers. Leveraging best practices in word of mouth marketing, the winners will exemplify the hard work that goes into making something go viral.

GENERAL

 

Crisis Management

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

Event Marketing

Event marketing entries should include PR conducted at an industry event (a marketing communications effort conducted at an industry trade show, for example) or through an event or series of events conceived and implemented by your organization (for instance, a multi-city tour promoting a product or awareness of an issue).

Financial / Investor Relations

This category recognizes campaigns conducted to support your organization’s financial messages, whether targeted to investors or other audiences.

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.

Student

This division honors public relations programs developed by communications students. A copy of a current student identification card must be included with each entry.

DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS

 

Live Streaming

Either one live stream using Facebook Live or Periscope or similar app, or an organization’s overall use of live streaming apps will be considered. Entrants should include clear organizational objectives for live streaming, specific measurement tactics and PR used to build an audience for live streaming.

Social Media Campaign

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

Video / Podcast / Videocast Program

Video or film must be of a public relations nature, communicating an issue or idea that supports the organization’s goals and objectives. Please submit actual files via Dropbox or Google Drive to: awards@rprs.org.

Website Marketing

Recognizing a campaign conducted primarily via a Website, landing page or microsite, to promote a particular service, product, message or initiative.