Ragan's and PR Daily's Communicators of the Year Awards and Rising Star Awards
What makes a communicator of the year?
These impressive professionals, teams and agencies are quick on their feet, cool under pressure and thrive when the spotlight is on them. They know how to get the job done, and their work and dedication surpasses their organization’s or client’s expectations.
Ragan and PR Daily’s Communicators of the Year Awards is your chance to showcase your particular expertise—or your team’s success.
We’re also including the “Rising Star of the Year” category to spotlight the up-and-coming communications professionals poised to make their mark on the comms world.
We’re looking for the individual communications professionals who deliver results, and the teams and agencies that create killer work and know how to knock their organization’s or client’s campaigns out of the park.
We’re featuring more than 40 categories, covering individual contributions and work completed by communications teams and agencies both large and small.
The program is open to all communicators at corporations, nonprofits and agencies.
You may nominate a colleague, client, yourself or your team (in-house or agency).
See a full list of categories and eligibility requirements, and read how to enter below.
Eligibility Requirements
These awards are open to in-house, agency and independent communication practitioners in the private, corporate, nonprofit and government sectors. Enter your work, the work of your organization or submit entries on behalf of your client.
Companies from around the world are welcome to enter as long as the entry is submitted in English.
Contact Brendan Gannon to find the perfect category for your campaign or project. You can reach him at 312-960-4407 or brendang@ragan.com.
This year’s program is open to any work executed between Oct. 1, 2018, and Oct. 18, 2019, inclusive.
Recognition
Each category winner will receive:
- A featured write-up in a Special Edition of Ragan.com
- An elegant trophy
- Fifteen percent off registration to as many conferences as you’d like within one year of the winner announcement
The winners of the Grand Prize categories also will receive a one-year membership to Ragan Training —a premium online training library featuring hundreds of hours of the very best content from Ragan events. Find out more about the site here: https://ragantraining.com/
CATEGORIES
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
*NEW* Blogger of the Year
*NEW* Content Marketer of the Year
Copywriter of the Year
CSR Professional of the Year
Digital Communicator of the Year
Editor of the Year
Event Marketer of the Year
*NEW* External Communicator of the Year
*NEW* Financial Communicator of the Year
Government Communicator of the Year
*NEW* Hall of Fame
Healthcare Communicator of the Year
Internal Communicator of the Year
Intranet Expert of the Year
Marketer of the Year
*NEW* Measurement Professional of the Year
Media Relations Professional of the Year
Nonprofit Communicator of the Year
*NEW* PR Professional of the Year—Agency
*NEW* PR Professional of the Year—Corporate
*NEW* PR Professional of the Year—Nonprofit
*NEW* PR Team Leader
*NEW* Publicist of the Year
*NEW* Public Affairs Professional of the Year
*NEW* Rising Star of the Year (30 years old and under)
Social Media Professional of the Year
*NEW* Spokesperson of the Year
TEAM AWARDS (IN-HOUSE OR AGENCY)
*NEW* Communications Team of the Year (1–9 people)
*NEW* Communications Team of the Year (10–24 people)
*NEW* Communications Team of the Year (25 people or more)
Editorial Team of the Year (1–9 people)
Editorial Team of the Year (10–24 people)
Editorial Team of the Year (25 people or more)
Internal Communications Team of the Year (1–9 people)
Internal Communications Team of the Year (10–24 people)
Internal Communications Team of the Year (25 people or more)
Marketing Team of the Year (1–9 people)
Marketing Team of the Year (10–24 people)
Marketing Team of the Year (25 people or more)
Public Relations Team of the Year (1–9 people)
Public Relations Team of the Year (10–24 people)
Public Relations Team of the Year (25 people or more)
Social Media Team of the Year (1–9 people)
Social Media Team of the Year (10–24 people)
Social Media Team of the Year (25 people or more)
Video Team of the Year (1–9 people)
Video Team of the Year (10–24 people)
Video Team of the Year (25 people or more)
How To Enter
On the entry form, be sure to include a thorough synopsis explaining what makes you, your nominee or your team (in-house or agency) exceptional. We ask that the synopsis be at least 500 words (max: 1,250 words).
You'll also be asked to describe two projects the nominee or team was involved in or led. Please include the following sub-headings (when applicable):
- Goals
- Strategy and tactics
- Execution
- Evaluation: success, results or ROI
Be sure to follow the guidelines laid out in the category descriptions, as the judges will look for those elements when they select the winners.
You will be able to upload up to five additional documents to your submission, per project. We encourage you to include press releases, design concepts, videos, analytics, testimonials and anything else you feel will give us a better sense of your project. Proprietary or internal information can also be attached and will not be shared with the public.
Supporting documents that can’t be uploaded to the system should be mailed to:
*NEW ADDRESS*
Brendan Gannon
Ragan Communications
10 S. LaSalle St., Suite 310
Chicago, IL 60603
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should you apply?
Our award programs help you measure the success of your work and prove the value of your contributions to your organization. You can set yourself apart in the industry as an expert, which will open doors throughout your career. As a winner, you’ll earn publicity for your brand across our websites and social media audiences, discounted training at Ragan conferences, a custom write-up about your campaign and a trophy.Who can enter?
Entries may be submitted by individual communications professionals, organizations or agencies worldwide. The only requirement is that entries be submitted in English. This program is open to in-house, agency, independent communication practitioners and vendors in the private, corporate, nonprofit and government sectors.What does it take to be a winner?
We look for top-quality work that shows clear, bold and creative ideas that benefit your business or client. Please provide metrics or media coverage that back up your claims, and share creative collateral such as videos, visual design or websites that were a part of your project. Please look at our past award winners to see what gets recognized and rewarded. We encourage you to submit the same campaign to multiple categories, if you feel they are relevant. Doing so increases your chances of winning.Why are some deadlines extended?
We extend deadlines based on applicant needs and upcoming promotional opportunities.When will I find out results?
We try to announce a list of finalists six to eight weeks after the close of the program. The announcement of the winners comes about three to four weeks after the announcement of the finalists. Each announcement will be made with a headline on our website, in our daily email newsletter and on our social media platforms. Emails notify entrants in advance of these announcements. As deadlines are extended, so are expected announcement dates.Additional Questions
If you have any questions about the program or problems submitting your entry, please call Brendan Gannon at 312-960-4407 or email him at brendang@ragan.com.
Sponsorship Opportunities
If you are interested in sponsoring one of Ragan Communications’ award programs, please contact Hannah Lavelle at hannahl@ragan.com.