Ace Your Image Awards Submission
By Gabriela Sabo, FPRA Orlando Intern
FPRA Orlando’s recent Image Awards Workshop hosted by Cynthia Lambert, APR, and Holly Boldrin, APR, CPRC, provided us some helpful tips on preparing and showcasing a successful campaign. They shared success stories, common mistakes and provided tools for getting started on an award-winning submission.
Both hosts agreed that the hardest part is getting started, but the process is worth it. Participating in the Image Awards is beneficial to any professional. While it provides a space to showcase past achievements, having plans to enter the Image Awards has been shown to help professionals think more strategically about future projects and how they can ensure they set themselves up for success.
When choosing your submission, it’s important to think about each part of the campaign strategically using the RPIE process (Research, Planning, Implementation and Evaluation). The speakers noted the most heavily entered categories were Crisis Communications, News Releases and Special Events. This isn’t to say these categories shouldn’t be entered; it just stresses the importance of finding the category that fits your campaign best.
It’s important to remember that each project is judged by your own objectives and how successful you were in reaching them, allowing each campaign to stand on its own. It is also possible to submit an entire campaign or select small pieces or tools used within a campaign that were successful.
The “R” in RPIE — Research — is the foundation of any project. It gives the judges an overview of the situation that led you to initiate your project. A common mistake is assuming the judges know who you are and what you do. This is where you can explain your purpose, mission statement and why the project was important.
The rest of RPIE has to do with establishing SMART goals. This stands for “Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Specific.” It’s essential to make your overall goal broad, but keep your objectives SMART.
The speakers shared the award-winning example of Circtacular, a virtual fundraising event to support educational programs developed and executed by the Guadalupe Center. This event drew more than 100 paid registrations and $1 million to support the cause. Their goals and objectives were specific, using numbers and dates as a reference point to look back on during Evaluation. Their Evaluation was successful in mirroring the objectives stated during Implementation. They clearly showed what the goal was and how it was achieved.
As far as the judging process goes, the most common feedback centered on misunderstanding the project — an indicator you may have to refine your entry. Be as clear as possible when it comes to distinguishing your audience demographics and psychographics, and give detail about your budget. Sometimes award-winning campaigns don’t score well at the local level but still go on to be successful, so it is important to take feedback and use it to your advantage.
The final advice was to just get started and don’t be afraid to ask for help from colleagues and fellow FPRA members who have gone through the process before. There are many resources available on the FPRA website, including past award-winning submissions. Finally, get familiar with the judging rubric. This can be used as a checklist to ensure your submission meets the necessary criteria to be successful.
Overall, the process is time consuming, but it is extremely beneficial because it allows you to showcase the hard work you’ve put into your campaigns and draw inspiration from other successful professionals.
Remember that FPRA Orlando Image Award submissions are due Feb. 28. Visit our Chapter Awards page for more information.
