Each Awards of Excellence submission must be accompanied by a non-refundable $200. entry fee + HST. Payment can be made by cheque, payable to Canadian Public Relations Society, or credit card (Visa, Mastercard, or American Express).Note: Fees are used to administer the program e.g. couriers, webinars, conference calls, etc. Jury Co-ordinators, Judges and Presiding Chairs are fellow CPRS members who volunteer their time for this program.

Deadline
March 30, 2012 5 p.m. ET

Entry
Submissions can be in English or French and must be sent in hard copy format. Do NOT submit in electronic (soft copy) format as e-submissions will NOT be accepted.  A communications project or program can only be entered in a maximum of two categories. To be valid, each submission must include the following:

1. Entry Form
   Each entry form should be properly completed. Read the instructions thoroughly to ensure your entry is in the correct category. Forms are available through the CPRS National office or the website cprs.ca.
   Awards of Excellence Entry Form
   
   
2. Submission Summary
   Each entry form must include a maximum two page summary with a minimum type size of 10 point. Using the RACE formula as your outline, your summary should include a brief description of the following areas: :
   • Research
   • Planning, strategy, analysis
   • Communication, execution and production
   • Evaluation
   The summary adds clarity to the submission and allows the judges to quickly see the rationale and degree of organization behind each entry as well as its impact. It is the storyline that explains why and how you achieved your goals. 
   
   
   Submitters must cover the RACE formula in their work. Good public relations practice requires a strategic approach. All submissions should outline what research was undertaken and how the research informed the strategy, communications approach and tactics taken. The budget must be mentioned in the two page summary, however, more detailed information can be provided in an appendix. The evaluation must be linked back to the original communication objectives whether through quantitative and/or qualitative means. Judges use scoring tools for all Awards of Excellence submissions.
   
   

   Note: Marks will be deducted for those who do not provide details of budget and/or human resources allocation.

   Note: The use of CPRS’ Media Relations Rating Points (MRP)®  system for the evaluation of media relations activities is encouraged. Programs that do not use the MRP® system should include an evaluation in addition to total stories generated, such as story tone and/or delivery of key messages and/or evaluation against program objectives.

3. Supporting Information
   All supporting information should be included in either a three-ring 1" binder. The entry form and summary should be followed by the detailed supporting information, organized by the aforementioned areas.
   
   
4. Associated Materials
   Bulky materials such as CDs, posters, and photographs should be clearly labeled and safely affixed to the three-ring binder in some way. We accept only the following formats:
   • CD
   • Video clips: DVD
   • Posters/Photographs
   • Promotional items as produced

Note: (1)   The onus is on CPRS members to ensure all elements of any entry meet the standards set out in the CPRS Code of Professional Standards.  (2) All submissions and supporting documents become the property of CPRS and will not be returned.