I REMEMBER walking into an office and seeing on a tall shelf, spanning a whole wall, an impressive array of its many awards garnered through the years. Most, if not all of us, will proudly ensconce our trophies, citations and medals in special places of honor in our offices and/or homes.
They rightfully represent the hard work and excellence that went into making the achievement possible. They symbolize what can be achieved despite difficulties, and inspire us to continually strive and raise the bar. Receiving congratulatory letters lifts our spirits and recognizes all the efforts for us and for our teams and institutions.
I gratefully credit my mentors who introduced me way back as a junior writer to the many award programs, asking me to draft the entries. Since then, I was totally engaged, now full circle: from awareness of the award programs, to being an entry writer, a non-winner but still learning from the experience, a winner, a committee member for the awards program, a judge/evaluator, and an advocate of such recognition programs.
These experiences enabled me to later conceive and manage a new award program with a nationwide search, from 2005 to 2010, a partnership between my company and my university that honored outstanding leadership and public service. It also moved me to help begin a national student communication award program in 2012, to start and chair a national student PR competition in 2015, and to champion the digitalization of a national award program in 2018, all three of which I’m glad continue to this day. Then in 2021, the calling was to chair an international awards program that continues to dazzle with best works from all over the world. To-date, I mentor for various award programs, score entries, and help committees manage it.
I cannot forget those eureka moments, standing at the podium to address an audience of 1,000 on several awards nights, with the attendees’ winning energy pulsating in the hall.
The captains of industry, the best and brightest of the communication and PR teams and professionals from various sectors—multinationals, groups of companies, public utilities, PR and communication agencies, foundations, government departments and agencies, educational institutions, media, start-ups and entrepreneurs—who were all achievers, were there to receive their trophies.
These were awardees who not only took on challenges, even against all odds, to reach targets and stakeholders and enable a desired action. In that hall, as I had a full view of the jampacked audience from the stage, were the changemakers! Attending the awarding rites annually, you will see just how consistently winning certain institutions and companies are. Truly very inspiring!
I would get tapped on the shoulder to be greeted by former students who were there to receive recognition as professionals. This for me, is a valuable investment in excellence, planting the seed from students to professionals, and in time, to being the decision makers.
And so I posed the question during my talk, which I find myself posing more frequently: Beyond the trophy, what has positively and sustainably changed for the better for as many as possible because of what we accomplished? What has our win and our recognition brought about not only for ourselves, the institution we represent or the advocacy we espouse, but most importantly and significantly, for the greater good? Are we ready to work together for the cohorts, beneficiaries, recipients, stakeholders who we say will benefit or have benefited most from the excellent work we did and will do?
With the annual award programs we have nationally, regionally and globally, communicators and PR professionals take center stage to be recognized for exceptional works as coveted awards are conferred on deserving and impactful programs, projects and tools.
The International Public Relations Association (IPRA) annually mounts the IPRA Golden World Awards (GWA). “Established in 1990, (GWA) recognizes excellence in public relations practice worldwide in a variety of categories. Recipients of the award take particular pride in the recognition granted to their entry as meeting international standards of excellence in public relations. The Global Contribution Award recognizes a campaign with an objective of meeting one of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The overall IPRA Grand Prix for Excellence is presented to the entry judged as representing the highest standards that year.”
Fellow IPRAns have been very active in communication and award bodies as entrants, judges/evaluators, award committee chairs, advisers, and members. IPRA Philippines members have judged for the IPRA GWA: Edd Fuentes, Joy Buensalido, Richard Burgos and this writer.
This first quarter 2024 alone, we will have award program rites organized by national associations and global bodies where Philippine communication professionals are movers of the program.
By January 23, 2024, the Philippine Quill and Philippine Student Quill Awards ceremonies of the International Association of Business Communicators Philippines will be held. By January 31, 2024, the Anvil Awards of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines will be given.
And for a sense of national pride, by March, our country will be one of the global Blue Ribbon Panels or BRP of the Gold Quill Awards of the International Association of Business Communicators. The Philippines will be a hub for Asia chaired by this writer with co-chair, fellow IPRAn Kane Errol Choa, to review and score international entries by a multicountry panel of distinguished professionals who are trained evaluators invited by IABC. This year, there will be professionals from the Philippines, Australia, Canada, Okinawa, Singapore and India. Further, winners of the Gold Quill are honored by IABC APAC with a Silver Quill Award.
What is encouraging is that award program criteria are increasingly putting much weight on impacts and results for positive change, for an even more meaningful depth and breadth, with outputs as starters, and outcomes more valued.
Fellow IPRAn and judge/evaluator Kane Errol Choa, says: “Communication has the power to enrich and transform lives” and that awards “inspire communicators to develop meaningful programs and connections.”
He cites, as IABC APAC Chair, that “The annual Silver Quill Awards of IABC Asia Pacific, celebrates and honors excellence in strategic communication as a testament to the brilliance, creativity, and ingenuity of communication professionals in the region, that also puts the spotlight on communication professionals who embrace their roles as catalysts of change. Filipinos have been recognized for their communication leadership as well in the IABC APAC Communicator of the Year Awards.”
Communication excellence advocate and fellow evaluator Belle Tiongco shares: “With great power comes great responsibility. When you’ve achieved the level of excellence, you’re expected to keep it there, or aim it even higher. And that takes a lot of work and commitment.”
“Awardees receive a great responsibility that will permeate every aspect of their work and person. It’s a life changer, a gift that’s worth all the work. Winners bring something new to the table and most of the time, it’s something good for mankind. It could be an innovation or just a new way of looking at life and the world. Bottom line, it is still elevating for all of us. So winners allow us to stand on their shoulders and see beyond the horizon. Thank you, winners!” continues IABC Philippines President Belle.
Leah Huang, 2024 Anvil Awards Chair, says, “The campaigns we celebrate at our local PR Awards competitions show the increasing power of Public Relations to creatively and innovatively cut through our cluttered media landscape and create change.”
“They show how, through earned attention and influence, earned-first ideas wield the power to be change or culture catalysts that help safeguard reputation and solve problems; that help reposition a brand, advocate for good, encourage support for change and to generally make life better for individuals, corporations and communities. And the great thing is that for the strategic communicator, and especially for our award-winning PR professionals, this skill extends into their daily lives,” Leah stresses.
Fellow IPRAn Abi Ho Torres, and two-term Philippine Quill and Philippine Student Awards Chair recalls, “As we saw during the pandemic, when the world was forced to shut down and we all had to isolate ourselves, communication played a pivotal role in driving vaccine awareness and acceptance, in ensuring health and safety amid uncertainties, in keeping the world hopeful. Communication’s role in society is so immense that we need to exert effort to ensure that it is done right and done well.”
With the rich harvest of outstanding works, it is inspiring and encouraging, and prepares us for the next challenge, one perhaps to last a lifetime. With winning catalysts synergized, bigger, sustainable positive change can happen.
Our profession today asks us all for impact and results that we can integrate. I salute and congratulate all our communication and PR awardees! Together let’s make positive change happen together, far beyond the trophies.
PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of IPRA Philippines, the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association, the world’s premier association for senior communications professionals around the world. Ritzi Villarico-Ronquillo, APR, IABC Fellow is a Consultant, Coach and Speaker on Business Communication and Strategic Public Relations with 43 years of experience in leading internal and external communication and PR in corporate, communities, academe and associations.
We are devoting a special column each month to answer the reader’s questions about public relations. Please send your comments and questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.