PRSA Awards Judging

PRSA awards honor outstanding contributions to the public relations profession. Every year, PRSA chapters are matched to judge and be judged by another chapter. Each entry submitted will be independently evaluated by at least two experienced public relations professionals from outside of the Philadelphia market with a preference to have a senior practitioner (10+ years) or APR accredited member judge each entry category. 

The entry’s final score will be an average of the scores. If there is a 15-point (or more) discrepancy between the initial scores, the entry will go through another round of discrepancy judging. In these cases, the final score will be an average of the closest scores.

There may be multiple winners in each category or no winners at all. No awards are given in categories for which judges determine entries do not merit them. While an individual chapter's rubric may vary slightly, all PRSA awards focus on the core criteria of research, planning, execution and evaluation.

Presentation (10 points)

• Overall appearance, organization, and completeness of entry
• No grammatical or spelling errors
• Effective overview of the campaign or tactic
• Supporting materials effectively support the entry
  

Research (20 points)

• Identify quality of primary or secondary research
• Clearly supports campaign or tactic
• Effectively identifies the challenges or opportunities and the approaches likely to be successful to achieve the desired results

Planning (20 points)

• Depicts the breadth of preparation and strategy, including identification of target audiences and measurable objectives
• Relationship of the program plan to the research and objectives is cohesive
• Originality was applied in selecting strategies, tactics, techniques and deliverables
• Budget (dollar amount or staff time and/or resources)

Execution (25 points)

• How the plan was implemented, including appropriateness of steps taken to meet objectives and reach the audience
• In-progress adjustments were made and effective (if needed)
• Resources were allocated effectively
• Appropriate materials and channels used to reach intended audiences

Evaluation (25 points)

• Relays to what degree the program or tactic met its objectives
• Measurement of intended effect — to what degree the program met its objectives
• Evidence of success measured against objective 

Special Awards

Best in Show

The highest average scoring entry in the Campaigns and Tactics categories will receive the additional recognition of being named Best in Show.

Individual Awards

The winners of the chapter individual awards are selected by a small committee made up of PRSA Chapter Leadership. Nominations are welcome for all individual awards except the President's Award.