“Bringing Home the Trophy”Tips on How to Enter the SPRF Lantern Awards
Presented by: Amy Nolan, APR, PRAL State PresidentPublic Relations Association of Louisiana New Orleans Chapter
June 12, 2012
About the SPRF Lantern Awards• Sponsored by Southern Public Relations
Federation (our parent organization)• Regional competition
– Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida• Recognizes excellence in public relations
– Best of Show, Judges’ Awards, Lanterns, Award of Excellence, Award of Merit
• Public Relations Programs/Campaigns – 11 categories
• Public Relations Projects – 14 categories• Work completed between May 1, 2011 and April
30, 2012• Winners announced at SPRF conference, October
7-9, 2012, Destin
Awards Program• Winners announced at SPRF Conference—
October 7-9, 2012, Destin, Florida• Lantern Awards Banquet – PR’s “Oscar Night”• SPRF and PRAL will promote winners to local
media• Encourage winners to do own promotion too• Some winners enter projects/campaigns in other
competitions (such as PRSA Silver Anvil Awards)
Why Enter the SPRF Lantern Awards?
• Training/Professional Growth– Test the strength of your PR processes– Explore weakness for continual improvement– Internal development/training opportunity for new hires and staff
• Group and Individual Recognition– Well-recognized program among PR professionals in our region– Opportunity for “internal PR” in your organization– Affirmation of your contributions to your organization
• Educate Your Employer About PR Profession– Overcome any stereotypes: Showcase the “management” side of PR– Demonstrate the ROI of PR
To Enter or Not to Enter?• Review work and identify projects or campaigns that
showcase best work and show evidence of the PR Process (Research, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation)
• Enter as many submissions as you want• Review list of categories at www.sprflanterns.org• Categories – decide which categories your work fits into• Not sure? Ask!
– Judges sometimes move entries to another category if they deem appropriate
TIP: No categories for Social Media – enter in Web, Interactive Media or Potpourri
What Should I Enter?• Start With a Team Meeting to Evaluate
– Establish an entry-creation process with deadlines and responsibilities
– Consider time and budget
• Eureka Moment! New, Different or Lasting?– Involve a new way of looking at a problem– Exceptionally creative PR approach or tactics– Results changed something – lasting or significant
impact on organization
What Should I Enter?• “Textbook” Case Study
– Clear measurable objectives– Refined, detailed communications plan– More than one type of research utilized to determine course of
action– Evaluation measures clearly demonstrate accomplishment of
objectives
• Still Not Sure?– Give it a try!– Judges’ comments can help you learn for next time– You can’t win if you don’t enter!
Judging Process• Entries are judged by professionals outside of our region
(Fort Worth PRSA Chapter)• Each entry is judged on its own merit (not in comparison
with other entries)• Points assigned in each category determine winners• Judges award a Best of Show and up to two Judges’ Awards• Not every category has a Lantern winner; some may have
more than one
TIP: Judges are instructed to look for evidence of the four-step PR process (Research, Planning, Implementation,
Evaluation)
How to Enter: Getting Started• www.SPRFLanterns.org• Step 1: Register – the person registering must be member
of PRAL (paid dues, good standing). But you can enter any work on behalf of your organization or clients (even if the PRAL member didn’t handle that project personally).
• Click on Enter and complete form• Click on New Entry• Step 2: Complete online submission
– **Recommend composing in Word doc first, then paste into blanks
– Can come back and edit before final submission• Pay attention to the word count limits for the narrative
How to Enter (continued)• File 1, File 2, File 3 – this is NOT for uploading
your actual work– You may choose to upload a company logo or small
graphic that MAY be used later in the awards presentation if you are a winner
• Award Label fields – what you want engraved on your trophy– Example:
• Line 1: Amy Nolan, APR• Line 2: Louisiana Public Health Institute• Line 3: LPHI Annual Report
How to Enter (continued)
• Step 3: Complete a binder with supporting materials
• Step 4: Print copy of online submission to include in binder
• Step 5: Ship completed binder and payment– Can pay online via Paypal or send check– Send to address on sprflanterns.org Web site– Entry deadline: July 2, 2012 ($55 per entry)– Late entries accepted July 3-13, 2012 ($10 increase
per entry to $65)
• Read all instructions thoroughly before you start. Don’t disqualify yourself on a technicality.
• Follow the instructions on labeling your binder, how many copies of the entry form to include, and where to put them in the binder.
• Review any judges’ notes from the previous year.• Write a first draft, following the instructions closely.
– A well-written summary will catch the eye of the judges very quickly.
Follow the Rules
TIP: Give yourself plenty of time to work on your entry.
• Research & Planning Documents– Timelines/Calendars– Budgets– Research, survey instruments and results– Correspondence with client and/or media
• Letters, e-mails, text messages
Getting Organized: Gather Documents
Implementation Documents:• Project samples: flyers, brochures, videos, letters• Posters, table tents, banners and flyers• Ads• Brochures, newsletters• Letters and e-mail messages• Press releases, media kits, other media materials• Photos from events or photos showing signage, décor, etc.• Client speaking points/speeches• Web pages, printouts of Facebook pages and Twitter feeds, blogs, etc.
Gather Campaign Materials
• Evaluation Documents:– Media clips/coverage reports– Comments and thank-you letters– Post-campaign survey results
• Take photos of people using your samples … it helps to tell the story.
Gathering Your Documentation
Tip: Save every item of a campaign, no matter how small, and keep in a folder or
box. This will save time when putting together your entry.
Make Your Entry Stand Out
• Allow your entry to tell a story• Use images, quotes, graphics, photos in visually
interesting ways• Work with a graphic designer if you can
• In media clips, highlight your name so the
judges do not have to read the entire clip to find you
• Use page protectors
Thinking Ahead for Next Year
• Whenever you are asked to produce a special event, brand a product, launch a new program, etc.—write a basic communications plan.
• Going through this process helps make sure all bases are covered.
• If you enter the project in an awards program later, include the written plan — Lantern Award judges in particular like to see one.
• If you plan your work with this in mind throughout the year, most of the hard work will be DONE by the time Call for Entries goes out. The plan BECOMES your Lantern entry (with supporting documentation, of course).
Planning for Future Lantern Entries• Put the PR process into action now for the future.• Give “project champions” record-keeping responsibilities.• Create computer and hard copy folders to archive all pieces
immediately during the process– Communications plans– Copies of research results or online articles, background– Electronic files of news coverage, web videos, screen shots– Etc.
• A planning tip on research: Some things you just “know.” The bank of knowledge about your industry … plus your own intellectual equity. Keep a file to archive research tidbits you run into during the course of your day. You can call upon them when you need show research to “back it up.”
