Excellence Awards 2024 categories
Click here to read the Rules of entry
This year the categories are divided into ‘Campaign Categories’ and ‘Individual and Team Awards’.
Click here to jump to Individual and Team Awards.
Campaign Categories
Entries must relate to work carried out between January 2023 and February 2024 – judging will be focused on this timeframe.
Entries must consist of no more than 1,000 words and must cover the following criteria:
- Brief, objectives and budget
- The idea, research and planning
- Strategy, creativity and innovation
- Delivery/implementation of tactics
- Measurement, evaluation and impact
Note: The inclusion of AVEs will result in a score of zero for this section of criteria.
Note: Category 22 has it's own criteria, please see below before entering.
What to Include
- Corporate and Business Communications Campaign
PR should be strategic. Judges are looking for PR campaigns which have clearly delivered on an organisation’s business objectives.
- Internal Communications or Employee Engagement Campaign
Engaging people is a critical part of communications. We’re looking for stand-out strategic campaigns which have successfully engaged your internal stakeholders, whatever your sector. To make it to the shortlist, the activity needs to have clearly linked to organisational objectives and show the flair we know is possible with internal communications and employee engagement.
- Consumer Relations Campaign
We’re looking for the stars of consumer PR with this category. Our finalists will have run a successful campaign to promote a product or service to consumers, with impressive results.
- Public Sector Campaign
Public sector communications is a total art form. Whether you’re an in-house team or an agency working with the public sector, we’re looking for the most impactful campaigns for or by a public sector organisation.
- Social Purpose Campaign
Doing things in an ethically and socially-responsible way should be the only way. Until it is, this category will recognise campaigns about any topic or for any industry which have been delivered in a way which is demonstrably ethically and socially-responsible. Tell us about the choices you made to deliver the campaign the right way, and how that contributed to your success. We want to hear about the impact not just of the campaign, but of the choices you made about how to deliver it.
- Public Affairs Campaign
Public affairs can genuinely change the world. If you’ve delivered a campaign, including lobbying activity, which has driven meaningful change at a government level, tell us about your successes in this category.
- Not-for-Profit Campaign
The world needs charity more than ever. If you’ve delivered a successful campaign for a not-for-profit organisation, whether as part of the in-house team or as an agency working for them, we want to hear how you’ve made a difference.
- Healthcare and/or Wellbeing Campaign
You can submit all things healthcare and/or wellbeing into this category. Judges are looking for PR campaigns which support a physical, mental, or wellbeing healthcare issue, produce, service or initiative. We include animal healthcare in this category too.
Note: Lobbying campaigns should be entered into the Public Affairs Campaign category.
- Integrated Campaign
If you got more bang for your buck through integrating a range of tactics within your campaign, here’s your chance to show off your results. We’re looking for successful campaigns creatively delivered through a range of channels and tactics, such as elements of the Paid, Earned, Shared and Owned (PESO) media model, to achieve their objectives.
- Beauty, Fashion and Lifestyle Campaign - NEW
If you’ve delivered a campaign for a zoo, theme park, day out or other organisation in the lifestyle sector, this is the category for you. We’ve also included luxury – which could be high-end fashion, beauty, travel or pretty much anything else with a luxury tag! Judges are expecting to be impressed by your creative campaigns delivering on their objectives.
- Environmental Campaign
With the very real peril our planet faces, environmental campaigns play a critical role in raising awareness and prompting action. The campaign that wins this award will have made a real difference by:
• positively supporting protecting the environment,
• fighting climate change, and/or,
• promoting sustainability.
Judges will expect to see evidence of the campaign’s impact on its target audience(s).
- Low Budget Campaign
If you’ve delivered incredible results on a shoe-string, tell us all about how much bang for the client’s buck you delivered in your entry for this category. Judges are looking for successful campaigns with a budget of less than £15,000 including agency fees and staff time.
- STEM Campaign
You can enter all things STEM into this category. Whether your campaign is for a company in the science, technology, engineering or mathematic sectors, or is promoting a STEM service, product or initiative in any sector, here’s your chance to wow the judges with your results.
- Sport or Entertainment Campaign
We all need a way to spend our downtime. If your campaign is for companies in the sport or entertainment sectors, this is the category for you. You can also enter campaigns promoting sport or entertainment initiatives or products in any sector.
- Travel, Transport or Tourism Campaign
Travel, transport, and tourism have come back with a bang. Impress the judges with your campaign for any company operating in the travel, leisure, or tourism sectors, as well as campaigns which promote travel, leisure, or tourism services, products, or initiatives in any sector.
- Education Campaign
Educate us about your campaign successes in this critical sector. Whether for a company in that sector, or for an education service, product or initiative in any sector, the judges want to hear about your impressive achievements.
- Best Use of Media Relations
Have you used media relations to capture the public’s imagination? How has harnessing the media delivered on organisational and/or campaign objectives? Whether you're in an in-house team or agency, judges are looking for examples of creative and successful use of media relations.
- Best Channel Delivery
However you chose to deliver your campaign, judges want to be impressed by the channel choice and its contribution to successfully delivering on your objectives. Whether you’ve exclusively used social media, created a new website or podcast, or research told you that digital channels were the only way to go, this category will reward those making informed and impressive channel choices to deliver their campaigns.
- Best Long-term Campaign
We know that PR is most successful when it’s sustained and consistent. This new award recognises the extensive effort that goes into maintaining messages over at least three years. Judges are looking for consistency and creativity with measurable results.
- Best Use of Content
We’re looking for original and effective content in a successful PR campaign or project. Whether you’ve created video, images, graphics, GIFs, blogs, podcasts, publications, articles or more, if content has anchored your results, we want to know about it.
- Best Event
Whether live, virtual or hybrid, if you’ve organised an event which delivered against your public relations objectives or as part of a wider PR campaign, tell us all about it in your Best Event entry. Impress us with details of how the event helped achieve what you set out to.
- Best long-term Client Care
Not all great PR work is about the jazz-hands, big-bang moments. Sometimes it’s about quietly and regularly providing advice, insight, and support. If you’re the trusted source of strategic communications guidance which helps a client feel confident talking to their board. If you provide regular over-flow resource to enable your client to get the day job done. If you’re the dependable people your clients turn to, now’s your chance to win an award for that often-overlooked service.
We want to hear:
- How you support your clients day-to-day and strategically
- What makes your approach successful in forming long-term relationships
- The size and scale of your retainers - Note: This section is not scored by the judges
- A summary of a campaign you are particularly proud of, including details of the brief, objectives, strategy, tactics, outputs, outcomes and budget
- Issues, Crisis or Reputation Management
How have you effectively managed an issue, crisis or threat to your or your client’s reputation? Judges are looking for impressive strategies and details of how you successfully managed the situation.
- Best Publication
If there’s a knock-out publication as part of your project or engagement campaign, showcase it here. Whether for internal or external audiences, printed or digital, if the publication meets your PR objectives, judges want to see it.
1. Outstanding Young Communicator of the Year
Our industry will fade to nothing without new talent. We’re looking for the current stars who will be future stalwarts; young people making valuable contributions to their organisation and our industry.
Nominate yourself or anyone aged 30 or under on 29 February 2024, working in a role where the majority of their work is in communications.
Entries must relate to work carried out between
January 2023 and February 2024.
Entries must consist of
no more than 1,000 words and must:
- Demonstrate commitment to professional development and career growth
- Outline work-related achievements over the last two years and how they contribute to the wider industry
- Provide an outline of a work-related challenge you have faced in the last 12 months, including details of what happened, how you overcame it and what you learnt from it
- Provide an outline of a piece of work you have delivered or contributed to in the last 12 months that you are particularly proud of including details of the brief, objectives, strategy, tactics, outputs, outcomes and budget.
What to include
2. Independent PR Practitioner of the Year
Freelancer. Lone ranger. Independent practitioner. However you define yourself, this award is for you if you do it alone. Recognising the huge contribution that individuals make to brilliant PR practice, we’re looking for the solo stars who have produced enviable results for their clients over the last 12 months.
To qualify, you can’t be on a company’s payroll (other than your own) and you can’t have other PR professionals on your payroll either. (Support staff on the payroll are fine). You might work with a team of associates, but as long as you don’t employ them, you’ll qualify for this category.
We’re using this category to give a platform to the achievements, performance and excellent work of an independent PR practitioner over the last 12 months.
Note: This category is open to both CIPR members and non members.
Entries must relate to work carried out between
January 2023 and February 2024.
Entries must consist of
no more than 1,000 words and must give the judges:
- An overview of your experience, your commitment to professional development and how you contribute to the industry
- An outline of your work-related achievements over the last 12 months, including your business objectives and/or plan
- An explanation of a work-related challenge you have faced in the last 12 months, including details of what happened, how you overcame it and what you learnt from it
- Details of a piece of work you have delivered in the last 12 months that you are particularly proud of, including details of the brief, objectives, strategy, tactics, outputs, outcomes and budget.
What to include
3. In-House PR Team of the Year
Are you incredibly proud of your in-house team? Do you deliver brilliant results for your organisation week in, week out? Here’s your chance to get the credit for your commitment and creativity.
Entries must relate to work carried out between
January 2023 and February 2024.
Entries must consist of
no more than 1,000 words and must include:
- Number of employees within the PR team and annual PR budget
Note: This section is not scored by the judges
- Business objectives and analysis of team performance against budget over the last two years
- A brief overview of business / team strategy
- A summary of commitment to CPD and professionalism
- A summary of recent outstanding achievements
- A summary of a campaign you are particularly proud of, including details of the brief, objectives, strategy, tactics, outputs, outcomes and budget.
What to include
4. Specialist PR Consultancy of the Year
If yours is a consultancy with a defined specialism – whether you service just one sector or provide specialist functionality – this is the category for you. We’re looking for outstanding achievements, performance and examples of your excellent work over the last 12 months.
Entries must relate to work carried out between
January 2023 and February 2024.
Entries must consist of
no more than 1,000 words and include:
- Number of employees and annual fee income
Note: This section is not scored by the judges
- Business objectives and analysis of performance against budget over the last two years
- A brief overview of business / team strategy
- A summary of commitment to CPD and professionalism
- A summary of recent outstanding achievements, including client list growth / retention
- A summary of a campaign you are particularly proud of, including details of the brief, objectives, strategy, tactics, outputs, outcomes and budget
What to include
5. Small PR Consultancy of the Year
We’re looking for the small but perfectly-formed PR consultancies to show us what we already know – that bigger isn’t always better. If your PR fee income is under £1m, here’s your chance to show off your achievements from the last 12 months. We’ll expect to see details of performance and your incredible client work.
Entries must relate to work carried out between
January 2023 and February 2024.
Entries must consist of
no more than 1,000 words and include:
- Number of employees and annual fee income
Note: This section is not scored by the judges
- Business objectives and analysis of performance against budget over the last two years
- A brief overview of business / team strategy
- A summary of commitment to CPD and professionalism
- A summary of recent outstanding achievements, including client list growth / retention
- A summary of a campaign you are particularly proud of, including details of the brief, objectives, strategy, tactics, outputs, outcomes and budget
6. PR Consultancy of the Year
One of the industry’s most sought-after awards, this category is for consultancies who have had an incredible year . Tell us about what you’ve achieved over the last 12 months, covering your incredible client campaigns as well as financial performance.
Entries must relate to work carried out between
January 2023 and February 2024.
Entries must consist of
no more than 1,000 words and must include:
- Date of incorporation, number of employees and annual fee income
Note: This section is not scored by the judges
- Business objectives and analysis of performance against budget over the last two years
- A brief overview of business / team strategy
- Your commitment to CPD and professionalism
- Recent outstanding achievements, including client list growth / retention
- A summary of a campaign you are particularly proud of, including details of the brief, objectives, strategy, tactics, outputs, outcomes and budget
What to include
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