New categories for “PR Impact Awards 2024”: looking for bold and community-engaging projects
The PR Impact Awards 2024 are open for entries until 6 May. This year, entrants are invited to compete in 20 categories: 16 of them are related to specific areas of communication, while another 4 will recognise the best projects from individual sectors – public, state or municipally-owned companies, businesses and NGOs. Two new categories are “Courage in Communication” and “Community Engagement / Development”.
Traditionally, anyone working in the field of communication in Lithuania or anywhere in the world is invited to apply: business and public sector companies, communication agencies, freelancers and their teams, NGOs, etc.
Unusual solutions and uncomfortable topics
Dr. Lina Jakučionienė, Chair of the International “PR Impact Awards” Jury, Ambassador of the European Association of Communication Directors for Lithuania, Lecturer at the Faculty of Communication of Vilnius University, explained the motives for the new categories.
She shares that when evaluating applications submitted to European or global communication competitions, she often compares them with our country’s communication examples and notices that the bold, unconventional and unique ideas of Lithuanian communication professionals are not inferior to, and sometimes even surpass, the communication solutions of global corporations.
“That is why this year I proposed to the organisers of the “PR Impact Awards” to give organisations the opportunity to bring such projects into the light of day. The category “Courage in Communication” will reward projects or campaigns that are the most courageous departures from the typical communication path of the organisation, and which use unusual communication solutions and are not afraid to encourage talking about uncomfortable topics,” L. Jakučionienė introduces the category.
Organisations would not exist without communities
Another new category, “Community Engagement / Development”, is for all organisations that create an internal or external community loyal to their organisation or brand and encourage their engagement online or live.
“Organisations in all countries are focusing on meeting the needs and expectations of communities. In Lithuania, there are many good examples of cooperation between organisations and communities, which is why this year’s theme has been highlighted with its own category. Communities are also one of the most important stakeholders in an organisation’s reputation and have a significant impact on the organisation,” says the communications expert.
Without the support of communities, organisations would cease to exist, she continues: “This is evident from the phenomena of ‘cancel culture’, the support for or opposition to various infrastructural and political decisions, and the public’s demand for business to take a civic stance.” According to Jakučionienė, when an organisation fails to meet the needs of communities, they lose their trust and can mobilise other communities to unite against the organisation’s activities.
“Conversely, when organisations build close, trusting relationships with communities and involve them in the organisation’s activities, they build strong relationships and loyalty,” notes the Chair of the International Commission. The expert adds that the community is not just a passive spectator, so this category welcomes applications that focus on building internal or external communities by encouraging their active involvement in the organisation’s activities, either live or virtually.
The first to apply will save
The 18 other competition categories remain the same as last year. Traditionally, the Agency of the Year will be the agency that wins the most awards. The communication project with the most support will be awarded the People’s Voice nomination at the “PR Impact Awards 2024” conference on 7 June. The winners of the “Communicator of the Year”, “Opinion Leader” and “Publicity Challenge” nominations will also be announced.
The organisers of the competition invite you to take advantage of the opportunity to submit your application at a lower price (€120) by 17 April at 23:59, the early submission will cost €150 per application during the standard submission (until 28 April), and the late submission will take place until 6 May at a price of €200 per application.
“Crises happen on Fridays: the role of communication in a world of uncertainty”
The “PR Impact Awards 2024”, which will take place on 7th of June in Vilnius, will traditionally consist of three parts: conference presentations and discussions, the presentation of the best communication projects and the evening awards.
This year’s theme is “Crises happen on Fridays: the role of communication in a world of uncertainty”. The conference will bring together experts from a wide range of fields to discuss the year’s highlights, the importance of trust and reputation in a world of crises, the changing role of the communicator, and how new technologies and tools are transforming communication.
Entries are now open on the “PR Impact Awards” website. Entries for the Communicator of the Year Awards are also open until 2 May. Tickets for the event are now available on the PR Impact Awards website.
The conference and the “PR Impact Awards” are organised for the 11th time by the Lithuanian Communication Association (LTKA) together with the Communication Industry Association (KIA). The partners of the event are the media analysis company “Mediaskopas”, the marketing and communication news portal “M360” and the sociological research company “Spinter tyrimai”. For more information visit www.primpactawards.com.