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2016 Communications Awards Program Entry Preparation Webinar
Tips on making your submissions award-worthy
February 23, 2016
American Association of Port Authorities703.684.5700 • www.aapa-ports.org
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Webinar Presenters
• Aaron Ellis, APR, Public Affairs Director, AAPA
• Debra Calhoun, Senior Vice President, Waterways Council Inc.
• Mitch Marovitz, PhD, APR, Chair, PR Program, University of
Maryland University College
• Judy Phair, APR, Fellow PRSA, President and Founder,
PhairAdvantage Communications
• Rich Toth, APR, Fellow PRSA, ABC, Retired Professional Track
Faculty, University of Maryland-College Park
• Robert Udowitz, Principal, RFP Associates
Aaron Ellis, APRRich Toth, APR,
Fellow PRSA, ABCDebra CalhounMitch Marovitz, PhD,
APRRobert Udowitz
Judy Phair, APR,
Fellow PRSA
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Goals for this webinar…
• Describe program, purpose, entry guidelines &
classifications
• Examine write-ups of three recent Award of
Excellence entries (one from each budget category)
• Get useful tips from program judges to help your
submissions win!
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Program Description
• Now in its 50th year, AAPA’s Communications Awards Program offers port
communications professionals opportunities to showcase and receive peer
review of their best work.
• To ensure fairness, each entry is segmented into one of three budget
categories, based on submitting port’s marketing/PR/advertising budget.
• Entries judged by independent panel of senior communications professionals
from Washington, D.C. area.
• Each entry scored on a point-scale basis to be eligible for Excellence,
Distinction and Merit awards.
• New this year: top-scoring entry in each of three budget categories wins an
Overall Excellence trophy.
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Program Purpose
• To recognize excellence in port communications
• To showcase superior communications pieces and programs that produce
quantifiable results, achieves strategic goals of the organization and builds
relationships between ports and their key constituencies
• To receive valuable critique from respected public relations practitioners
and educators
• To win prestigious awards that help validate an entry’s quality and
professionalism
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Entry Guidelines• 15 entry classifications – use proper classification for each submission
• 3 entrant categories – select appropriate category based on your budget
• Fee is $95 per entry
• Each entry must include short summary and answers to all 5 entry questions
• PowerPoint slide from provided template must be emailed for each entry
• Judges score each entry on answers to entry questions; up to 100 points total
• Official entry label must be affixed to front or back of each entry binder and
supplemental materials accompanying the binder
• Complete entry packages, with payment, must be received at AAPA by May 2
• Incomplete entries or those received without payment may be rejected
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Entry Classifications
• Don’t confuse budget Categories with entry Classifications
• The 15 entry classifications cover nearly every conceivable type of PR piece,
program and activity
• Each classification may be used for both print and electronic entries
• Miscellaneous classification is the “catch-all” for unique entries that don’t
seem to fit elsewhere
• If in doubt about a classification “fit,” email Aaron Ellis at AAPA …
aellis@aapa-ports.org.
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Port ofLos Angeles
Lunar New Year Festival
Special Events
v Award of Excellence v
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Notes:• Port of Los Angeles is a large
budget, Category 3 port.
• This entry was in the Special
Events classification.
• Note that the entry information is
all filled in correctly, using a
computer rather than hand-
written, making it easier to read.
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Notes:• Although not required as part
of write-up, images can be
used to illustrate entry & break
up text-heavy pages.
• Brief summary statement gives
judges quick read of project.
Summary may be used to
describe project in AAPA
publications if entry wins.
• Avoid first-person narrative (“I”)
in write-up; may be confusing
to judges.
• Concise explanation of
communications challenge and
opportunities, including internal
and external factors, helps in
understanding the “why” for
this submission.
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Notes:• Subheads help identify which
questions are being answered.
Also helps to number answers.
• Write-up here shows how entry
supports port’s mission, goals
& objectives. Very important.
• Clearly stated goal, as in this
write-up, also very important.
• Identification of primary,
secondary and tertiary
audiences helpful to judges.
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Notes:• Five actionable, measurable
objectives provided here. Helps
set the bar for program results.
• “SMART” objectives are
Specific
Measurable w/measurement
Achievable
Relevant
Time-Oriented
• Explaining the actions taken
and why they were taken helps
judges better understand the
strategic thinking and why
specific tactics were used.
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Notes:• Here, detailed tactics the port
employed helpful to judges.
• Again, use of images in the
write-up helps increase
readability and reduce
eyestrain. Larger versions of
same images may be included
in documentation.
• Notice in this write-up the
sensitivity to key audiences.
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Notes:• Again, images can be used to
break up the text and make it
an easier read for judges.
• Use of bullets helps make
each point more succinct and
readable.
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Notes:• Budget numbers are helpful to
give judges an idea of the
scope of the program. Be sure
to include “internal” costs too,
such as staff time & resources.
• Good idea, as done here, to
list in which media ads were
placed, if any. Using only
earned media doesn’t
guarantee your key messages
will be communicated.
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Notes:• Evaluation of event outcomes
is one of most critical parts of
entry write-up.
• Ideally, outcomes show
quantifiable results, as here.
• A summary statement, such as
the one at the bottom of this
write-up, helps judges realize
the success of the project.
• Judges for this entry cited
“fabulous planning & strategy,”
“creative thinking,” “fun
tactics,” and “measurable
goals” as strengths.
BelledunePort
Authority
Belledune… Unlimited!
Websiteswww.portofbelledune.ca
v Award of Excellence v
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Notes:• Belledune Port Authority, in
New Brunswick, Canada, is a
mid-size budget, Category 2
port.
• This entry was in the Websites
classification.
• Note that all entry information
is filled in correctly, using a
computer for easier readability.
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Notes:
• Brief summary statement
should outline reason for entry.
• Citing the communications
challenges and opportunities
helps detail the “why” of entry
and demonstrates value of
research.
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Notes:
• Goals and objectives shouldn’t
be grouped together, but rather
defined separately.
• Good explanation here of
primary and secondary
audiences.
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Notes:
• Like goals and objectives,
strategies and tactics should
be listed separately.
• For implementation plan,
judges like to see budget
figures, but don’t forget to
include internal costs, such as
cost of staff.
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Notes:
• Impress the judges by paying
close attention to grammar,
spelling, etc.
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Notes:
• A thorough evaluation of the
entry’s success is crucial to
assess effectiveness of the
communications project or
program.
• Judges who reviewed this entry
cited “great job of explaining
project in layman’s terms,”
“good use of evaluation
charts,” and “good strategic
thinking.”
Port ofEverett
HistoricalInterpretive Program
Miscellaneous
v AWARD OF EXCELLENCE v
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Notes:
• Port of Everett, in Washington
State, is a small budget,
Category 1 port.
• This entry was in the “catch-all”
Miscellaneous classification.
• Great use of port branding on
write-up pages.
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Notes:
• Numbering your answers, as in
this entry, helps judges
determine which questions you
are answering.
• Use of port branding in header
and two columns of text, as
with this entry, can be pleasing
to the eye and aid readability.
• Identifying research, as done
here, helps substantiate need
for communications.
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Notes:
• Again, note use of research in
this write-up.
• Also note the easy-to-read,
bulleted program components.
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Notes:
• Program components should
be easy to read, as done here.
• Use of visuals helps break up
text and decrease eyestrain.
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Notes:
• Although visuals may help
illustrate the write-up, they
shouldn’t dominate it.
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Notes:
• Here, visuals dominate write-
up instead of simply enhancing
it. Consider including full size
images and captions in
supplementary material to
reduce length of write-up.
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Notes:
• Same observation as in
previous page regarding use of
images.
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Notes:
• Key illustrations, such as this
with lots of small, hard-to-read
text, should be included in
supplementary material, not in
write-up.
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Notes:
• As done here, actions (outputs)
and results (outcomes) should
be listed separately.
• Good use here of anecdotal
audience feedback as part of
analysis of outcomes.
• Consider obtaining audience
feedback via focus groups and
free survey services, such as
SurveyMonkey.
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Notes:
• Outcomes don’t need to be
from formal research. Here,
entry showcases both
anecdotal feedback and
numbers of views, visitors, etc.
• Entry should end with summary
statement of communication
success and/or planned follow-
up.
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Notes:• Judges for this entry cited,
“extensive, engaging and
comprehensive
communications effort,”
“wonderful, educational and
useful tools to communicate
with the public,” and “well
planned execution.”
• They also cited wanting to see
“the end evaluation of
success,” and a desire to
“know more about how the
program is being promoted via
both traditional and social
media.”
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Final Tips
• Fully answer all five Entry Submission questions; list answers by number.
• Tie organization’s mission or overall communications purpose back to entry.
• Identify goal of the communication entry and measurable objectives.
• Evaluate your communications project/program outcomes. Surveys, audience
feedback, social media visits, re-posts, etc., help assess success.
• Be concise. Include only pertinent documentation in your entry write-up. Too
much information makes it hard to find the most important elements.
• Start now! Quality submissions take time and late submissions may be
disqualified.
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