Canadian External Communications Campaign of the Year
Programs geared to improve relationships with the community, influence public attitude and behaviour, to generate greater public understanding of the organization, and/or increase corporate or organizational identity with various audiences. The External Communications categories include:

1. Canadian Communications Management Campaign of the Year
   Communication programs that demonstrate the full range of public relations practitioner's skills and draws on multiple areas of public relations practice (such as media relations, employee relations, branding, crisis management, communication audits, corporate communications) to enhance or determine the effectiveness of an organization's strategic direction. In this category, only one Gold Award of Excellence will be presented in each of the following:

   • Programs with budgets under $50,000;
   • Programs with budgets between $50,000-$150,000;
   • Programs with budgets over $150,000.

   
   

2. Canadian Marketing Communications Campaign of the Year
   Programs that integrate public relations, marketing and advertising strategies to help market products, services or places to external audiences.

3. Canadian Community Relations Campaign of the Year
   Community programs (such as philanthropy, volunteerism, partnerships) that enable an organization to build and maintain positive and sustainable relationships with key individuals, groups or organizations within its communities.
   
   

4. Canadian Advocacy and Social Marketing Campaign of the Year
   Advocacy-based communication programs targeted to multiple audiences that focus on sustainable development and economic, social and environmental issues. May include programs where the primary objective is to address and enhance the long-term well-being of specific communities/and or the environment. Entries may include economic revitalization projects and cause-related issues in cultural preservation, education, literacy, health, poverty reduction, employment and the environment.

5. Canadian Media Relations Campaign of the Year
   Media relations programs should exhibit improvement of an organization’s media profile measured against desired objectives, or the adept management of issues involving media coverage, or the development of a successful media relations campaign. Awards will be presented in the following categories:

   • Media relations campaign – government
   • Media relations campaign – not-for-profit/non-governmental organization
   • Media relations campaign – conducted by an agency for a client
   • Media relations campaign – conducted by a private sector corporation
     
     

6. Canadian Issues/Crisis Management Campaign of the Year
   Communication programs that demonstrate proactive planning and preventative action during an extraordinary event. Also, communication programs that show actions taken to address trends, issues and interest group attitudes with major impact on an organization.

7. Canadian Government Relations Campaign of the Year
   Programs targeted at government bodies and government agencies or programs that recognize the effective use of public affairs to change/enlist public opinion in order to influence government policy and/or regulations.

Canadian Internal Communications Campaign of the Year
Programs focusing on internal audiences, such as employees, members, volunteers or franchisees. Such programs should aim at improving relationships between employees and management; a better understanding of the organization’s strategic plan and the importance of their role therein, or both. Such programs can also aim at rallying personnel around the strategic planning or improving employee/management morale, motivation and interest towards the organization. Finally, these programs should focus on explaining new policies or new projects.