Call for Entries Deadline:

This program is now closed.

Learn more about current programs here.

Communicating on behalf of a health care organization, whether it’s a medical facility, a device maker or a nonprofit, is complicated. How do you distill complex information into stories that are informative and accessible to your audience? What tools help you address a public health crisis? Which patient stories fit your communication needs?

We want to know about the interesting and influential ways health care organizations, and the agencies that represent them, are communicating today.

Learn more about what makes a winning entry by checking out past winners like the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, GlaxoSmithKline, New York- Presbyterian, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and more. 

CATEGORIES

CAMPAIGNS

 Community Outreach Campaign

Did you take a grassroots approach to educating your community about health issues? Share the public health issues that were affecting your community. Tell us how you sought to raise awareness about these problems. What creative strategies did you use to spread the word? We want to know what organizations you may have collaborated with and what effect your campaign had on the wellness of your community. What was the goal of your outreach project and how did you achieve it?

 Crisis or Issues Management Campaign

Did your work tackle an important health issue at the forefront of public consciousness or confront a brand reputation crisis? How did you overcome the potential PR pitfalls of a public issue? Tell us how you communicated the problem with executive spokespeople or unique storytelling. Share the results of your work and any media coverage you received.

 *NEW!* Influencer Marketing Campaign

Did you partner with an influencer who lives with a health issue, health-related cause or disability in order to raise awareness? Tell us how you chose your influencer, what you wanted him or her to promote and what channels you used. What resources did you provide to help your influencer educate your audience? Tell us about the goals of your partnership and the results.

 Internal Communications

You appreciate the tirelessly dedicated doctors, nurses, staff and administrators who make your health care institution run smoothly, but how do you communicate that? How do you make sure that staffers who are constantly on the go, solving high-stakes problems, know what’s going on in your organization? Do you use the intranet, meetings, a mobile app or digital signage to get your message across? Tell us how you keep employees informed and motivated.

 Marketing Campaign

Tell us how you created a marketing campaign for your wellness initiative, health care institution, health-related cause or study. How did you build awareness around the great work you’re doing? We want to see comprehensive marketing campaigns and innovative ideas. Share your strategy for targeting your audience across multiple channels. Don’t forget to share your results.

 PR or Media Relations Campaign

You’re in the business of building buzz, and your campaign has everyone talking. Share the public relations or media relations campaigns that got your health-related organization, product or executive noticed. Did you arrange an on-camera interview with your local news station to highlight the work your organization is doing? Did you partner with influencers to help drive your message to your target audience? Tell us your innovative idea and share the results.

 Social Media Campaign

Social media is one of the most powerful ways to connect with your audience. How did you build a campaign that strengthened this connection and increased brand awareness? Share cohesive campaigns that saw success across multiple platforms. We want to see great content that drove big results.

 *NEW!* Thought Leadership Campaign

In order to position your hospital, medical facility or organization as the best in the business, you created a thought leadership campaign. Tell us how you selected your thought leader(s). Was he or she a successful orthopedic surgeon, a hospital executive with a passion for public speaking or a nonprofit leader with a personal connection to the organization’s mission? How did you build your campaign around this person’s strengths? What differentiated them from others in the field? Don’t forget to share results.

MEDIA

 Article

Share the compelling story of a patient’s experience at your hospital, an educational take on studies and scientific breakthroughs or how you shared important information about your organization. Submit op-eds, print or digital feature stories or blog posts. We want to see content that was well written and widely shared.

 Blog

Why is your organization’s blog a go-to place for information about your industry? Does it tell the stories of your employees, executives and patients? Tell us about your blog’s reach and how you’ve established a reputation as a trusted authority in the health care industry. Share links to at least three blog posts and include blog metrics.

 Content Marketing and Brand Journalism

Tell us your big-picture storytelling strategy and how you executed it. We want to see how you crafted content that told your organization’s story with subtlety. How did you create social media content, articles, video and more that provided valuable information to your audience while also branding your organization as a leading health care provider? What were the goals of your campaign or project? What were the results? Don’t forget to include a link to and screenshots of your work.

 Mobile App

Has your app made managing health information easier or made wellness goals easier to track? Is your app used to keep employees up to date about what’s happening at your hospital? Or is it an app that makes hospital stays, appointments and complicated health information easier for patients to understand and keep up with? No matter the goals of your health-related mobile app, we want to know how you made it the best in the industry. Do you share relevant content via the app, promote services or engage with users in new ways? We want to see its design and features, as well as testimonials about how great and addictive your app is.

 Digital Publication

What digital publication did you edit or create that was the total PR package? How did your content and design stay ahead of your competitors? How did your digital design draw in readers? Tell us about your digital publications, either in file format or hosted online. Let us know your goals, strategy, execution and results. Your publication can be internal or external to qualify.

 Patient-Focused Content

Consumer stories are incredibly important for understanding where your organization’s reputation stands. When patients are your consumers, you have a great opportunity to tell incredible stories. What opportunities do patients have to share about their experience under your care? How have they helped to build credibility around your mission, staff and history? Share the method you used to gather this information, your vehicles of choice to showcase the story and show us the results.

 *NEW!* Podcast

How did you use audio to share important health information? Do your hosts discuss health-related news stories? Internal news and updates for employees? Do they interview experts in the health and wellness industry? Tell us why your podcast is the perfect vehicle for any and all of these topics. Don’t forget to include results.

 Print Publication

Is your corporate magazine the Vogue of the health care world? Share it with us. We want to see a stunning display of creative images and informative, engaging content. Do you have a brochure, pamphlet or printed report to show off? Submit those as well. Show and tell us what makes them so great, and be sure to include results and feedback. Your qualifying publication can be distributed internally or externally.

 Visual Design

Infographics, slide decks, digital signage and photos are some of the most compelling ways to share health-related stories. Did your design break down the complex details of a groundbreaking study? Did your photo essay share the harrowing story of a patient in your organization’s care? Tell us what you hoped to communicate and send us your incredible design. Let us how know what results or feedback you received.

 Video

Did you use video to appeal to your audience? Share your digital and TV ads, content marketing videos, testimonials, media reels, facility tours, interviews and more. Tell us the story behind the video and what you hoped to accomplish with its creation. Don’t forget to share metrics.

 Website Launch or Relaunch

Did you revamp your web presence? We want to see how you improved your website to create something that’s user-friendly, well-designed and filled with great content. Was this your original launch or were you unveiling something new and improved? Before-and-after screenshots will help sell your case, along with some good old-fashioned metrics, too.

GRAND PRIZE

 Health Care PR and Marketing Campaign of the Year

Tell us about your impressive PR and marketing campaign. What did you create on behalf of your hospital, client or agency? What were your objectives for this campaign and how did you exceed them? Our judges will look at everything from your mission and goals to your strategy and tactics. Tell us. Show us. We want to see aspirations, intentions and results.

 Health Care Agency or In-house Team of the Year

We extend this distinction to the agency or team that goes above and beyond for every campaign and project. This is about more than just one achievement. It’s about your reputation as an organization. Tell us why the services of your agency or in-house team are in high demand.

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
10 S. LaSalle St., Suite 310
Chicago, IL 60603

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 May 24, 2019, inclusive.

ENTRY FEES

The fee for this program is $295 per entry.

Entry fee for either Grand Prize category is $395.

Early bird submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. Central time on May 10, 2019 to receive the $50 discount.

A late fee of $100 per entry will be added to all entries after 11:59 p.m. Central time, May 24, 2019.

W-9 Form / Tax ID Number Request

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
Campaigns must have been executed within 18 months prior to the date we begin accepting submissions for a given program.
Why are some deadlines extended?
We extend deadlines based on applicant needs and upcoming promotional opportunities.
Who are the judges?
We currently work exclusively with an external judging partner. We are not looking for new judges for our programs at this time.
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

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

Sponsorship Opportunities

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.