The PRSK Awards for Excellence are guided by the below principles:
1. Create a platform to honor and recognize outstanding contributions in the public relations and communication management industry in Kenya.
2. Honoring leadership, service, knowledge and practice in public relations and communication management.
3. Promoting the good name, image and reputation of PRSK through open communication about the awards, the selection criteria and judging process.

Activity
Date
1
Award Entry Submission Deadline
12th November 2022
2
Judges Awards Review
13th – 16th November 2022
3
PRSK Awards for Excellence Ceremony
18th November 2022

All award entries must be submitted to PRSK through its online portal. Entries must be public relations campaigns that were conducted between 1st September 2021 and 30th September 2022 by an entrant based in Kenya. An entrant may submit an unlimited number of entries.

This award recognizes the most effective and outstanding campaign that supported the marketing of consumer products or services using public relations and communication. Judges will look at evidence of research, clear objectives, execution, the specific role and overall contribution played by PR in the success of the campaign, evidence-based results of sales or usage, how did the campaign generate awareness of the product through the use of strategic PR planning and execution.
The campaign must demonstrate the following:

• What did the campaign set out to achieve?
• Clearly identify target audience/publics as well as budget
• Clearly identify tactics and strategies implemented and why? Was the choice of strategy and tactics influenced by research and analysis?
• Explain the strategy behind the launch and customer reaction – how did your competitor, media and other audiences react to the launch?
• Explain the tactics and strategy behind the exceptional results.
• How was success of the campaign evaluated. Did the campaign meet set objectives? How did PR efforts tie into underlying organization objectives?
• How was evaluation/measurement factored at the various stages? Include metrics used as well as measurement tools. Were there any lessons learned?
• How the campaign overcame barriers? What tactics were used and why? Explain your execution on content development and client communication.
• What did you do differently to set yourself apart? Did you try something new, or take any risks?

2. CRISIS AND REPUTATION MANAGEMENT
This award recognizes the most effective issues, crisis or reputational management work by an agency or corporate PR team, or a combination of both. Judges will look at the effective communication in the context of an issue, crisis or reputational management. The objectives, research and strategy as well as implantation of tactics and how negative impacts were avoided, positive achieved and improvements made.

3. CORPORATE PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR
This award recognizes corporate publications produced by or on behalf of an organization, printed or electronically produced that showcase excellence in communication. It may be targeting an external audience or internal stakeholders to meet specific PR objectives. Details of systematic planning and budgets should include a breakdown of all relevant stakeholders and audiences.

4. FINANCIAL COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGN
This award recognizes the most effective on-going campaign or one-off project in the financial sector primarily targeting investors or other financial industry audiences. Winning entries will have to demonstrate effective PR engagement and efficient sharing of financial information, making meaningful and measurable contribution to an organization’s bottom-line hence reducing uncertainty and building market confidence.

5. INTERNAL COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR
This award recognizes an outstanding internal communication campaign that has engaged internal stakeholders such as communicating a merger, change management, rebranding, restructuring, or other issues/problems of an internal communications nature. Judges will recognize excellence in engagement that inspires action and drives the employee experience forward through on-going strategic relations to promote organizational objectives.

The campaign must demonstrate the following:

• What outcomes of engagement reach, satisfaction, adoption are evident? The outcomes should be supported with evidence
• SMART campaign objectives – were the campaign objectives properly linked to the overall organizational objectives, core values and culture. How was each objective measured?
• Evidence of inputs and outputs applied for employee engagement, employee satisfaction and reach were used.
• How effective were the channels used for internal communication strategy?
• How effective was the content used within the channels during the internal communication process?
• What was the overall impact of the campaign on the organization?
• Which internal communication models/frameworks were used to manage and measure the campaign?

6. MEDIA RELATIONS CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR
This award recognizes the most effective and successful use of media relations in a wider public relations context that meets client and/or campaign objectives. Judges will be looking for clear evidence of strategy and tactics, including creativity and innovation and how it influences and changes behaviour among the target audiences. Entries must display how the campaign met the projects objectives.
Does the campaign deliver stories of hope, inspiration and success to the community? With a simple communications strategy what crafted heartfelt stories would stick with consumers long past the initial release date. Did the media stories have an effect on the bottom line? What impact did the media strategy have on the overall organization? How well does the media strategy use communication on highlighting partners and key stakeholder needs, interests and concerns. Can the audience get a sense of the touch and feel of the media strategy?

7. NOT FOR PROFIT CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR
This award recognizes the most effective work for or by a charity, voluntary or non-profit organization for fundraising, or in changing/enlisting political, public, or corporate opinion. Judges will be looking out for clear campaign objectives, budget, audience insight, innovative and inventive execution and evidence based results. Particularly, attention should be paid to the impact and cost effectiveness of the campaign, and in the case of fundraising activities to the monies received set target.
8. NEW MEDIA PR CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR
This award recognizes the most successful campaign in creation of omni-channel digital content across different digital platforms and devices, which enhances meaningful target audience engagement. Judges will look for the best use of digital platforms to execute/support PR campaign across multiple channels or in one particular channel where the campaign excelled. Judges will also look at a clear research, approach and execution with tangible results of digital strategies across platforms, the campaign must provide evidence of analytics.

9. PARTNERSHIP ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR
This award recognizes public sector agencies – government ministries, departments, parastatals and local authorities – for collaborating across skills and geographies to create tangible success for a campaign/project. Judges will be looking at a campaign that successfully integrates a number of public sector organizations working in partnership to achieve a joint goal.

10. PUBLIC AFFAIRS CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR
This award recognizes the most effective use of PR to change/enlist political and/or public opinion utilizing public affairs tactics. Judges will be looking for evidence of work in research, media relations, grassroots
community activity, lobbying and the distinct role and evidence-based results of public affairs and lobbying. The campaign must demonstrate the following:

• Evidence of tactics of how the campaign handled core issues and interacted with government, legislators and interest groups
• Did the campaign bring about a significant change in communications and government engagement strategy?
• How did the campaign advance new legislation, policy development or public education?
• Was the campaign publicized across the widest spectrum of audiences including government, media and public?
• Were partnerships developed with a state owned news agency and what was the impact of these partnerships?

11. PUBLIC SECTOR CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR
This award recognizes the successful use of PR by public sector agencies – government ministries, departments, parastatals and local authorities. This award will be given for the most effective campaign or communications programme on a single topic e.g. health, road safety, crime etc. Judges will be looking for evidence of work in research, clear objectives, show innovative ideas and execution and evidence based results and evaluation.

12. PR EVENT OF THE YEAR
This award recognizes the most effective and innovative PR/communication strategies, striking PR event of the year. Judges will look at the campaign effectiveness including messaging, target audience, event size, event activities, cost breakdown, and whether it was part of a campaign or a stand alone project. The campaign must demonstrate the following:

• Did the event create a positive and refreshing brand image?
• How did the event create stakeholder engagement? What aspects of stakeholder communication were used to drive stakeholder engagement?
• What was the event tagline and what special experience did the event offer guests?
• How was content curated and shared within social media platforms for the event?
• Was there significant media exposure and an increase of engagement and followers?
• What did you do differently to set yourself apart? Did you try something new or take any risks?

13. SOCIAL INVESTMENT CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR
This award recognizes a campaign or project that utilizes or integrates a social responsibility to promote or enhance corporate reputation, employee retention and customer loyalty. The judges will look for evidence of  research leading to CSR campaign, clear objectives, execution and evidence-based tangible benefits to the society.