This year, our Employee Communications Awards and Intranet Awards have joined forces to create the premiere awards program for internal communicators.
Ragan’s Employee Communications Awards shines a light on the pivotal but often unrecognized internal communicators, teams, programs and campaigns that excelled in engaging and informing employees, boosting collaboration and fostering innovative and accepting workplace cultures.
Was your intranet instrumental in keeping employees connected and up to date with the latest organization news? Did you create a killer campaign that excited and engaged your workforce? Was a video the perfect vehicle for delivering information to employees? We want to hear it all.
This year’s program offers more than 50 categories covering digital and print publications, videos, intranets, employee communications and more. Enter more than one category to increase your chances of winning—and save on multiple submissions of the same campaign or project.
Check out last year’s winners to see what award-worthy work looks like.
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 Jan. 1, 2018, and Oct. 4, 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
PLUS: Grand Prize winners receive all of the above, as well as a complimentary one-year membership to Ragan Training, our premier portal featuring hundreds of high-quality streaming videos that can be browsed by topic area, keywords or speakers
CATEGORIES
CONTENT AND COMMUNICATIONS
Benefits Communication
*NEW!* Change Communication
Digital Signage
Executive Communication
*NEW!* Hot-Button Communication
Mobile App
Podcast
Rebranding Campaign
Recruitment Campaign
*NEW!* Reputation Management
Use of Social Media
Speechwriting
EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE
*NEW* Amazing Workplaces
Brand Ambassador Program
Corporate Social Responsibility Program
*NEW!* Diversity and Inclusion
Employee Education Program
Employee Engagement
Internal Event Strategy
Wellness Program
PUBLICATIONS (ELECTRONIC AND PRINT)
Annual Report
Article Series
Blog
*NEW!* Data-Based Storytelling
*NEW!* Internal Email Campaign
Feature Article (print) (digital)
Interview or Profile
Magazine (print) (digital)
Most Improved Design (print) (digital)
Newsletter (print) (digital)
Visual Communication (print) (digital)
VIDEO
Humorous Video
Informational Video
*NEW!* Leadership Video
Training or Orientation Video
Recruitment Video
INTRANET CONTENT
Instructional or Educational Content
Interactive Content
Video
Visual Storytelling
INTRANET COLLABORATION AND INNOVATION
Employee Engagement
Employee Recognition
Gamification
Internal Social Network
Launch or Relaunch
Mobile Integration
Use for Human Resources
Value to Employees
INTRANET DESIGN
Design
Intranet Usability
Personalized Experience
GRAND PRIZE
Employee Communication Campaign of the Year
*NEW!* Employee Communications Team of the Year
Best Overall Intranet
How To Enter
On the entry form, be sure to include a thorough synopsis explaining the purpose and scope of your project. We ask that the synopsis be at least 1,000 words (max: 1,250 words) and 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. 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:
Brendan Gannon
Ragan Communications
316 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 400
Chicago, IL 60601
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, free training at a Ragan conference of your choice, a custom write-up about your campaign and a trophy.Who can enter?
Entries may be submitted by organizations worldwide. The only requirement is that entries be submitted in English. Most programs are open to in-house, agency and independent communication practitioners in the private, corporate, nonprofit and government sectors. Our Nonprofit PR Awards are reserved for nonprofit organizations.What does it take to be a winner?
Although each award program is unique, 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.What are the entry requirements?
The entry form requires that you submit a synopsis explaining the purpose and scope of your project. The synopsis—1,000 to 1,250 words, please—should include the following sub-headings (when applicable):- Goals
- Strategy and tactics
- Execution
- Evaluation: success, results or ROI
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.
About Our Sponsor
To measure and improve internal Outlook email broadcasts to employees, corporate communicators send PoliteMail. The PoliteMail platform adds email analytics, responsive HTML design, and list management tools to the enterprise email program you already know how to use, Microsoft Outlook and Exchange. PoliteMail makes it easy to create impressive, highly readable corporate communications, with advanced analytics to enable you to discover the email employees actually read, with key metrics to help you improve results over time.
If you are interested in sponsoring one of Ragan Communications’ award programs, please contact Hannah Lavelle at 312-960-4628 or email hannahl@ragan.com.