KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Public Relations Awards (MPRA) this year will honour award recipients in eight categories in recognition of successful brand campaigns and public relations (PR) work.
Themed "The Art of…", the awards aim to highlight the creativity, expression and innovation involved in the field of communications and public relations with multiple awards up for grabs on Dec 1.
MPRA organiser and Public Relations and Communication Association of Malaysia (PRCA Malaysia) president Professor Hj Mohd Said Bani C.M. Din said the awards were aimed at bringing practitioners and communicators out of the shadows, and into the forefront.
"MPRA intends to stress the importance of recognising the use of communicators as an important key player in an organisation.
"MPRA 2023 is dedicated to unveiling the 'unsung heroes', showcasing them as the architects of impact and influencers of perception in this transformative era. Let us bring these individuals out of the shadows and acknowledge them as the artisans who craft significant changes in the art of communication," he said.
"By adopting this theme, we focus on the artistic nature of our work and acknowledge the meticulous craftsmanship and aesthetic appeal involved in developing effective communication strategies."
In line with the awards theme, Said Bani said, MPRA returned to acknowledge, appreciate and honour the tireless efforts of communicators.
"With an expanded array of award categories, we aim to spotlight the best in our industry. It's time to recognise those who consistently deliver outstanding performance, employing innovative approaches in the midst of challenges."
He added that MPRA underwent continuous evolution to remain pertinent, mirroring the dynamic roles, perceptions and methodologies of communications, and reflecting the shifting consumption habits and expectations of diverse audiences.
"In 2023, we embraced the growing interest from in-house teams by adding more categories for their submissions and introducing the In-House Campaign of the Year award for the first time.
"To encourage more participation, we conducted two complimentary workshops on crafting winning entries, which led to a threefold increase in in-house submissions."
Entries for awards this year saw a significant increase from PR agencies with a record 65 qualifying submissions.
Judges were faced with tough decisions as the submission quality of entries this year has been outstanding. Scores, ranging from the high 70s to the 80s, with one remarkable entry achieving a near-perfect score of 91, were given to shortlisted entries.
"We are proud to award 18 Gold, 19 Silver, and 16 Bronze awards, in addition to a Campaign of the Year award for both agency and in-house categories," said the awards chief judge and PRCA honorary secretary, Stefanie Braukmann.
"We are communicators, but we are also consultants, be it from external agencies or in-house, and a PR campaign entry needs to reflect both of these aspects.
"First, it needs to draw us in by telling a compelling story, but to really stand out and win an award, we seek entries whose stories include how the campaign contributed to business growth and brand transformation and which demonstrate adaptability in a rapidly changing and challenging landscape."
PRCA Malaysia has been organising the MPRA annually since 2007. Through the awards, PRCA Malaysia said it had been committed to fostering public relations excellence, recognising successful campaigns of organisations and PR consultancies that defined the cutting-edge work in public relations.
Its hope for members is to come together for one common goal — to improve the standards of the PR and communications industry in Malaysia and advocate for better recognition and appreciation. By Hazween Hassan