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PRSA-LA PRism Awards: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I apply?
The PRSA-LA PRism Award submission process is 100% online. We recommend that you prepare and save your entry materials offline and use the online system when you are ready to submit those materials for consideration.
Please review the 2022 PRism Award Call for Entries thoroughly as it contains all the information needed to prepare and submit entries. If after reviewing the Call for Entries you still have questions, you may find the answer below.
We will continue updating this FAQ periodically as other questions arise. If your question is not addressed here, please contact Melissa England, 2022 Recognition Committee Chair, at melissa.england@wonderful.com
Who can enter?
The PRism Awards are open to all public relations practitioners who work in the Greater Los Angeles County area, Ventura County and Santa Barbara County or who have completed work for clients based in those areas. For campaigs and tactics entries, work must have been completed between July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023. For awards that honor individuals and teams, PRSA-LA membership is required for nomination and award receipt.
Where can I find the Entry Forms?
2023 PRism Award Entry Forms are only accessible online. PRism Awards entries may only be submitted online via our electronic entry system. Click here for online entry.
How can I pay for my Award entries?
Payments for entries are encouraged via the online entry system. It is a PayPal-based system. To be invoiced and pay by check, please contact the PRSA-LA Executive Director at executive.director@prsala.org.
How do I pick the proper category?
Your work may be eligible for consideration in more than one award category. For the best chance at success, pick the category or categories that you feel best represents your campaign, program or tactic. PRSA-LA and volunteer judges are not required to assign or re-assign entry categories.
May I enter the same work in multiple categories?
You may submit entries in as many categories as you wish, however a separate entry fee must be paid for each submission. Submitting the same work in multiple categories may increase your chance of winning a PRism Award or Award of Excellence, but only if your entry is competitive in the categories you enter. It is a common practice for PRism Award entrants to submit one entry for Strategic Campaigns and Programs, and multiple entries for Tactical Programs related to that same PR campaign. If you do this, it is important that entry language be customized to both purposes. Judges strongly disfavor "copy and paste" entries not relevant to the category to which they are submitted.
Why are there separate category sections for Campaigns and Tactics?
Extensive time and thought has gone into category definitions. PRism Awards categories resemble, but do not precisely mirror, the award categories for PRSA Bronze Anvil and Silver Anvil Awards. A successful Campaign entry will incorporate several tactical elements together. Tactics entries look only at specific executions. A tactics entry is generally easier to prepare than a campaign entry, and judged accordingly.
What is the difference between a PRism Award and an Award of Excellence?
PRism Award trophies are given to honor the best entry in each of the contest categories (Strategic Campaigns and Tactical Programs). Judges may also bestow Award of Excellence to runner-up entries within that category.
Can an individual or team self-nominate for Special Awards?
There is no rule against self-nominating for Communications Professional of the Year, Communications Team of the Year, or Joseph Roos Community Service Awards. That said, the judging panel will know when the entry submitter and proposed honoree are the same. While all Special Awards entries will receive equal consideration, third-party endorsements are a strength of any application.
I registered through the online system last year, do I need to register again?
Yes. If you used the system to submit an entry in a previous year, you must register again for this year’s awards. For your convenience, our system optionally allows you to register using your Facebook, LinkedIn or Google+ account.
Why does it appear that the awards categories are different from past years?
This year, the awards categories are unchanged from 2018. The PRSA-LA board and PRism Awards committee periodically review categories to make sure they are consistent, current and applicable to the PR work being executed by our community. PRism Awards categories resemble, but do not precisely mirror, the award categories for PRSA Bronze Anvil and Silver Anvil Awards.
Why are there Early and Regular Entry Deadlines?
We want to give you every opportunity to prepare your entry in a way that meets your high standards. We also want to give you the opportunity to save money on entry fees if you get your entry in early. Entries not received by the end of the Early deadline will be processed at the Regular entry price.
Do we need permission from my client or employer to submit an entry?
PRSA-LA recommends that you secure approval from your client and/or employer prior to submitting an entry. PRSA-LA accepts all award entries as if permission has been granted. Refunds will not be given and entries will not be disqualified if there is a complaint that an entry was submitted without authorization. Disagreements involving clients, employers and submitters must be addressed by the parties. PRSA-LA will not mediate.
Does submitting an entry guarantee we’ll win an award?
No. The PRism Awards are highly competitive, and there is no guarantee of recognition if you enter. PRism Awards are only granted when the judges deem an entry worthy of this honor. The same is true for Awards of Excellence. From time to time, no awards will be granted in a category where there were no meritorious entries.
How can I improve our team's chance of winning?
The easiest way to improve your chance of winning is to submit only your highest quality work, in highly relevant categories. Volunteer judges, who depend exclusively on your submission materials to evaluate your efforts, will penalize any entries that are incomplete or fail to make a compelling case for excellence. Generally speaking, most entries that are penalized in this fashion underestimate the importance of research or measurable objectives. Accordingly, attention to these categories can be a competitive advantage.
What kind of supplemental material should I attach?
When applicable, the Call for Entries will spell out specific items that are to be attached to your entry. Generally speaking, you are encouraged to attach files that will help judges easily comprehend your results and success. Examples include: client presentations, metrics & measurements, work samples, annotated hyperlinks, etc.
Will we be notified of a winning entry?
Successful entrants will be notified of their finalist status, but not whether they have won a PRism or an Award of Excellence. Finalists will be notified of thier status in late August or early September. All awards will be presented at the 2022 PRism Award Show in October.
What do we win?
If you are named a finalist, you are assured of public recognition for your work at the PRism Award Show. PRism Award winners will receive a personalized crystal trophy at this event; Award of Excellence winners receive a personalized acrylic trophy.
What information is needed for each entry?
For campaigns and tactics entries, please provide the following information in your submission: 100-Word Overview; Names of Key Contributors; Research; Objectives; Target Audiences; Execution/Implementation; Budget; Measurement/Evaluation; and Results. While these sections are broken out on the electronic form, we recommend that all told the information be covered in less than two pages, if it were submitted in hard copy.
What are the qualifications of the judges?
Judges are selected by another PRSA Chapter. In 2023, judges are selected by the PRSA Rochester Chapter. The judges group comprises senior PR practitioners with many collective years of experience. We seek to have as many judges as possible with APR or Fellow status. PRSA-LA provides judges our criteria and score sheets, along with training on our standards and best practices.
What criteria will the judges use to score the entries?
Entries will be scored on the following items:
Research: use of research (10%)
Planning: program outline, audience and budget (10%)
Execution: implementation, quality of work, creativity and budget allocation (50%)
Results: overall success of the program; quantifiable results will earn higher scores (30%)
What if our entry must remain confidential?
The nature of the PRism Award process cannot preserve confidentiality. If you have confidential work that cannot be shared, it should not be submitted. Award entries become the public property of PRSA-LA and may be used in promotional endeavors or for educational purposes.
Does PRSA-LA release program budgets?
No. Budget information is used only in comparing entries against one another for overall effectiveness. PRSA-LA does not release specific budget information. Failure to disclose budget information in your entry is not disqualifying. If confidentiality prevents the release of budget information, specifying a non-specific budget range is acceptable.
Will entrants receive the judges’ score sheets?
No, the judges’ scoring and supporting remarks are the property of PRSA-LA.
Is there a dispute process?
No. The PRism Awards is a volunteer-driven program. Judging is based on criteria set out in the Call for Entries and all scores and decisions are final.
How can I become involved in the PRism process?
PRSA-LA encourages volunteers to participate in the PRism Awards. In fact we love it! If you are interested in volunteering to serve on the PRism Awards Committee, which manages the Call For Entries and Judging process, or volunteering for the PRism Awards Show, send an email to executive.director@prsala.org.
Who should I call with questions?
Please review the Call for Entries Forms and these FAQs for answers to your questions. If you have additional questions, please email Melissa England, 2023 Recognition Committee Chair, at melissa.england@wonderful.com We will email you a response and/or post the updated Q&A on this FAQ document for others.
Our agency is based in Orange County. Can we submit an entry for the PRSA-LA PRism Awards?
Yes, as long as the project or service was performed for clients based in the Greater Los Angeles Area.
Can we submit a campaign that started in March 2022 and ended in June 2023? The campaign began before the award time period (July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023), but it was completed during that time.
The start date for your campaign does not affect eligibility. What matters is that the end date occurs during the award time period. The eligibility requirements state “work must have been completed between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023.” However, you may submit a component of that campaign under a category in the “Tactical Programs and Campaigns” section if it has been completed during the eligible period.
Is there a maximum word count for the entry form fields, or maximum number of documents that can be uploaded?
Yes, there are word counts, generally 300 words in any one field. Submitting a very lengthy entry will not increase your chances of winning, so you should endeavor to submit approximately two typed pages of entry text, in addition to supporting material.
An entrant may upload from 0-5 files as supporting documents, and each file must be less than 50Mb in size. File types allowed are PDF, DOC, JPG, MPEG and most other common types. If you have larger files, please post them to an accessible location such as YouTube or Dropbox and include a link in the text of your entry. Make sure to test your links! For externally hosted files, also make sure your access permissions allow outside judges to review your material.
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