Archive for the ‘Awards’ Category
2013 Chapter of Distinction Awards
WHO – All 22 Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF) local chapters
o PRCA – Birmingham, East Alabama, Mobile, Montgomery, North Alabama and West Alabama
o PRAM – Central, Golden Triangle, Gulf Coast, Mississippi Beach, Meridian, Northeast, Oxford/Ole Miss, Pine Belt, River City and Starkville/Mississippi State
o PRAL – Acadiana, Baton Rouge, Central, New Orleans and Northwest
o ECPRO
WHAT – Annual Chapter of Distinction Awards (includes work completed between January 1 and December 31, 2012)
WHEN – The entry deadline is Wednesday, July 31, 2013.
WHERE – All entries must be submitted in PDF format via e-mail to jarrod.ravencraft@redcross.org. Awards will be presented at the SPRF Annual Conference.
WHY – This program promotes continuous improvement in our chapters’ function, outreach and benefits to members and communities. SPRF honors the chapter that excels in several specific professional categories by awarding the Jamie Palmer Chapter of Distinction Award. In addition, SPRF will recognize excellence in leadership needed to obtain that award by recognizing the chapter’s leader as President of the Year. This competition allows chapters to use best practices in public relations planning by setting objectives in each area, developing a clear strategy and underlying tactics to achieve those objectives, and measuring success by objective.
HOW – SPRF’s Chapter of Distinction program allows local chapters to particiapte and win awards in eight achievement categories. Each chapter may choose to compete in any or all of the following categories.
o Public Relations Education
o Communication (promoting public relations externally and internally)
o Projects
o Chapter Management
o Membership
o Programs
o Accreditation
o Public Service
Judging criteria is based on the four-step formal PR process: Situation Analysis, Goals/Objectives, Execution (strategies, tactics, methods) and Evaluation (measurement) as well as supporting material (collateral).
First-, second- and third-place winners in each category will receive an award based on place. SPRF will then recognize the most outstanding chapter for overall initiatives aimed at furthering the profession of public relations. This award will be determined by total category points awarded. Therefore, the more categories a chapter enters, the more opportunities that chapter will have to score points toward winning Chapter of Distinction. The President of the Chapter of Distinction during the contest period will be awarded the President of the Year award.
Let’s get to the point about this year’s Lantern Awards. Point Clear, Ala., that is! The Marriott Grand Hotel in Point Clear is the site of this year’s Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF) conference and Lantern Awards program. Enter your work in the Lantern Awards program and join us in Point Clear this fall! You’ve done the work and it’s time for you to get the recognition.
The 2011 Lantern Award program is now open for entry submissions! Visit http://www.sprflanterns.org to enter your outstanding work and hopefully be recognized, with professionals from around SPRF’s four-state region.
Your entries for the SPRF Lanterns must have appeared (published, printed, presented, etc.) between May 1, 2010, and April 30, 2011.
Lantern award entries are $55 per entry or $50 per entry if you are submitting three or more. Pay using PayPal or by check.
All entries must be submitted online by visiting www.sprflanterns.org. The deadline for entries is July 1 (binders must be received on or before this date in Kiln, Miss.)
Don’t forget to register for the conference by visiting www.sprf.org. For more information, please email lanterns@sprf.org or ronbarnes@coastepa.com.
John E. Forde, Ph.D., APR, Fellow PRSA, associate professor and head of the department of communication at Mississippi State University, has been elected to the prestigious College of Fellows of the Public Relations Society of America. He becomes the first Fellow among the 600 members of the Public Relations Association of Mississippi.
A member of the PRAM Starkville/Mississippi State Chapter and its founding president in 1992, Forde served as president of the statewide PRAM organization in 1992 and 1993. He also served as president of the PRAM Golden Triangle Chapter in Columbus in 1991 and coordinated efforts over several years to charter PRAM chapters in Gulfport, Hattiesburg, Meridian and Tupelo. In 1992, he received PRAM’s highest individual honor, the Practitioner of the Year.
He continues to serve in leadership positions for PRAM and the Southern Public Relations Federation. He represents SPRF on the national Universal Accreditation Board, which oversees the Accredited in Public Relations, or APR, credentialing process. He is currently co-chairing the UAB Examination and Preparation Work Group. He served as SPRF president in 1997 and received SPRF’s Professional Achievement Award in 1999, the organization’s highest individual honor.
Forde also reactivated the MSU Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society in 2001, one of only two PRSSA chapters in the state. He continues to co-advise the group.
The 2010 Fellows candidates will be inducted Oct. 16 during a formal ceremony at the PRSA 2010 International Conference in Washington, D.C. A full list of 2010 inductees is available on the PRSA website.
“One of the great duties of the PRSA chair and CEO is to welcome the 2010 inductees into the College of Fellows,” said Gary D. McCormick, APR, Fellow PRSA. “This class represents many of our most dedicated members — leaders and volunteers who have proven their commitment to advancing PRSA and the profession.”
The College of Fellows was founded in 1990 as a way to recognize individuals who have demonstrated superior capabilities as public relations practitioners or educators. According to the PRSA Bylaws, College of Fellows candidates must have 20 years or more of experience in the public relations industry and exhibit exceptional personal and professional qualities, while advancing the state of the profession and communities. This year’s candidates are senior practitioners and educators who have shown strong dedication and made significant contributions to the field of public relations. Fewer than 2 percent of the 22,000 PRSA members hold College of Fellows status. In addition to the honor, members are expected to actively participate in mentoring, education, and selection activities of the college.
“Induction into the PRSA College of Fellows is one of the highest individual honors in our profession,” said Judy Phair, APR, Fellow PRSA, and 2010 College of Fellows chair. “We are proud to welcome these talented men and women into the College — through their accomplishments, they have left a footprint on their profession, their organizations, their communities and PRSA.”
“I am extremely honored and humbled by my selection into the College of Fellows. The support I have received from colleagues across the country has been phenomenal,” Forde said. “The public relations profession has the opportunity to positively impact all aspects of society daily, and I am eager to continue learning from other practitioners.”
Forde earned a doctorate in communication (minor in educational administration) from the University of Southern Mississippi, a master’s degree in public relations (minor in marketing) from USM, a bachelor’s degree from MSU in communication with a public relations concentration, and an associate degree from Jones County Junior College. He is a graduate of Omak High School in Washington state.
Forde and his wife, Connie, have been faculty members at MSU since 1987. He has been department head since 2004, working currently with over 500 majors and 27 faculty. The Fordes have two sons, John David and Daniel, who are MSU students. John is the son of Anne and Dr. Randolph Strickland of Ellisville, Miss.
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The Public Relations Association of Mississippi (PRAM) has announced that University of Mississippi student, Whitney Tarpy, has received its 2009 scholarship.
Tarpy will graduate in May with a degree in journalism. She currently works in the Ole Miss Sports Media Relations office. She is described by her supervisor there as “our most versatile student worker.” Tarpy worked for a year as a senior reporter for the Ole Miss campus daily newspaper. Most notably, she served as a Southeastern Conference media relations volunteer, as well as a student intern for MSNBC in its coverage of the Presidential debate at Ole Miss.
Tarpy has many scholastic honors including membership in the Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society and the Order of Omega. She has been named to the Chancellor’s List and Dean’s List throughout her collegiate career. She is a dedicated volunteer on and off campus. Some of her areas of service include the Catholic Student Association and the Holly Springs Hummingbird Festival.
“Whitney is an outstanding example of the next generation of public relations professionals, and we are pleased that we can support her studies as she pursues a degree in the field,” said Celeste Cade, PRAM state board member-at-large, scholarships. “She is very deserving of this honor.”
PRAM began its scholarship program in 2007. The winner receives $1,000 and is recognized at the organization’s annual awards banquet, which took place April 17, 2009, at the Hilton Hotel and Conference Center in Jackson, Miss. Tarpy attended the banquet, along with her parents and nominating professor, Robin Street, APR.
Public relations practitioners from across Mississippi were honored for outstanding work during the Public Relations Association of Mississippi’s annual PRism Awards Luncheon held April 17 at the Jackson Hilton.
Awards, including Certificates of Merit, Awards of Excellence and PRism Awards, were given in 25 categories. From those, the judges also selected the Best of Show Award and Judges’ Choice Awards.
In addition, the Educator of the Year was named, and the Professional Achievement Award was given to a public relations practitioner and PRAM member whose accomplishments have made a major contribution to the profession. It is PRAM’s top honor and recognizes excellence in the field of public relations. Recipients embody the highest degree of professionalism, serve their communities, are committed to advancing the profession and have outstanding achievements in the practice of public relations.
Coast Electric Power Association received the Best of Show Award for the Long-Term Special Public Relations Program, “Co-op Connections.” Judges’ Choice Awards were given to GodwinGroup, The Mississippi Department of Education and State Farm – Public Education Forum for the public service program, “On the Bus” Dropout Prevention Campaign and to Mississippi College in the Web site development category.
Ocean Springs resident Kristie Aylett, APR, received the state’s Professional Achievement Award. She
amassed a varied repertoire of work in fields including government, health care and big business. Currently she owns a public relations firm, The KARD Group PR/Marketing. She also promotes the public relations field, both by her involvement in a variety of professional communications organizations and by the level of her involvement as a college-level instructor and mentor to others entering the profession.
Robin Street, APR was named PRAM’s Educator of the Year. She is currently a lecturer at the University of Mississippi. Street is devoted to the highest standards of PR professionalism and shares her passion with future practitioners every day. Enrollment in the public relations emphasis has tripled since she started teaching the courses, and she had to add a summer course this year in order to accommodate all the students who wanted to participate. She is also a founding member of her local PRAM chapter and has won numerous PRAM and SPRF awards. Her students admire her so much that she was awarded the Strong Woman Mentor Award given by Baptist Hospital and Lifetime Television after several former students nominated her.
The PRism awards began in 2003 as a way to honor and recognize outstanding work in the field of public relations by professionals within the state of Mississippi. The awards are judged by professionals outside the geographical boundaries of the Southern Public Relations Federation – Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Louisiana. A best of show is awarded as well as a judge’s choice. The highest award honor goes to the PRism winners, followed by Awards of Excellence and Certificates of Merit.
The Public Relations Association of Mississippi (PRAM) is composed of 11 local chapters geographically located throughout the state’s major population centers. There are approximately 600 members from advertising and public relations agencies, corporations, non-profit organizations, government, education, industries and others. PRAM provides numerous professional development opportunities to its members and is a state affiliate organization of the Southern Public Relations Federation.
