1 Categorize Creatively.
Your work is likely eligible for consideration in more than one PRism Awards category. To ensure your entry stands out, tailor your category choice to specific aspects of your campaign, program or tactic. Fair warning — some categories, such Events & Observances and Media Relations, receive a lot of interest. Entering in different categories, or breaking a larger campaign into multiple tactical entries, can be to an applicant’s advantage.
2 Organize Obviously.
Volunteer judges from PRSA’s Bluegrass Chapter will review every PRism entry in detail. Organizing your entry and supporting materials according to the judging criteria will make your entry easier to evaluate. Judges will score each entry on Research (worth 10% of total points), Planning (10%), Execution (50%) and Results (30%). Stick to this scheme, and your entry will stand out against competing entries that aren’t as organized.
3 Reveal Research.
Failure to disclose the research (primary or secondary) that guided your decisions is the easiest way to lose points during judging. So even for a tactics entry, take time to explain how research informed your choice of target audiences, key messages, communication techniques, etc. For a larger campaign or if primary research was conducted, consider attaching a sample survey instrument, focus group guide, or summary of findings in your supplemental materials.
4 Hyperlink Helpfully.
Carefully curated hyperlinks are a useful way to show the results of your effort… just don’t overuse them. Consider linking to short videos, audio streams, photo galleries and other media too cumbersome to include as attachments. If you include hyperlinks in the text of your entry, consolidate and label them so they are easy for judges to reference. Also, make sure the links work and avoid sending judges to stories behind paywalls!
5 Recruit References.
There is no rule against self-nominating for special awards, including Communications Professional of the Year, Communications Team of the Year, or the Joseph Roos Community Service Award. That said, the PRSA-LA judging panel will know when the entry submitter and proposed honoree are the same. While all Special Awards entries will receive equal consideration, third-party endorsements are a strength of any application.
Ready to start your application?
