What are the judges for the PRmoment Awards looking for?

We are often asked about what the PRmoment Awards judges are looking for, so below is an insight into how to make your entry a winning one.

The first entry deadline is 14 December 2018 and here is a link to the awards categories.

I will be looking for creative, original and cost-effective ideas that have generated genuine earned coverage. News editorial always impresses as does a story that runs across a variety of media formats, including social.

Graham Biggs
Communications Director, BMW Group

An award-winning entry isn't just about hitting KPIs, it's about pushing our industry forward, breaking new ground and building new things. There are plenty of successful campaigns around, but it's the significant ones that have the lasting impact.

Alex Myers
Founder & CEO, Manifest

“I’m looking for an idea that makes me so pissed off it wasn’t mine I have no alternative but to go home and nail a bottle of Drambuie.”

Joe Sinclair
Founder, Creative Director, The Romans

I feel like a stuck record but if your results are outputs not outcomes and aren’t linked to your original objectives, it just can’t win, however creative. Think about how you could go for some of the less mainstream categories – competition is really stiff for the headliners. Campaigns where the core idea is so simple but so creative that it makes your spine tingle – that’s what I’m looking for. When it comes to coverage, remember that simply listing how much or how prestigious the pile was isn’t the same as delivering measurable change.

Ali Gee
Deputy CEO & Senior Partner, FleishmanHillard Fishburn

Personally, a winning entry is all about the idea.  So I like to see clear evidence of where the creative spark originated from and then how it was then built into a communications platform.  And then of course, how it played out for the brand and moved the dial.  The perfect award entry will do all that for me in a clear, concise and interesting way.

Graham Goodkind
Founder and Chairman, FRANK

Award winning campaigns should be about storytelling. Make your entry stand out by grabbing the attention of the judges. Measurement is paramount and shouldn't be an afterthought. Focus on outcomes, not outputs, and ensure these are linked to the campaign objectives. Compel the judges to wish they came up with that idea or wish they worked with you. That's a winning entry.

Claire Foster
Deputy Head of News, Direct Line Group

An entry really only ‘sings’ when the programme objectives and results are intertwined. In most categories a successful programme doesn’t have to be mind bogglingly strategic, wildly creative or executed to perfection. The bar is much higher than that: it has to deliver the results it promised.

Richard Fogg
CEO, CCGroup

First and foremost the evaluation has to clearly demonstrate that the campaign objectives were met. After that I’m looking for innovative approaches and the application of relevant creativity. I’m also partial to a tactical programme that is structured and simple.

Richard Houghton
Agency Doctor

A real winning entry needs cut-through created from a human truth or insight. Nirvana is a truly integrated campaign – that means a 360 PESO approach. Proof of engagement is key. The holy grail is evidence of an uplift in sales or an uplift in brand search or brand love. I’d award that!

Daisy Hawker Wallace
Head of PR, Virgin Trains

As a judge the key things I look for in a winning entry is outstanding creativity combined with clever, strategic thinking.  Most importantly I like to see how a campaign has delivered - or ideally smashed - the objectives and what it did commercially for a brand or organisation. For me, a winner does more than just deliver lots of coverage - whether it’s long term perception change for a brand, significant brand awareness uplift or sales increases – I look for more than just coverage numbers. 

Mandy Sharp, Founder
Tin Man