Call for Entries Deadline:

This program is now closed.

Learn more about current programs here.

Where would organizations be without impressive communicators?

Short answer: Lost.

Ragan and PR Daily will honor the industry’s most creative, dedicated, innovative—downright remarkable—communications professionals and teams in its annual Communicators of the Year & Rising Star Awards.

Our Communicators of the Year & Rising Star Awards will showcase the storytellers who dreamed up and delivered engaging campaigns, successful projects, impressive initiatives and more for their organizations or clients. We will recognize the people who are behind the scenes of communications success.

Your organization or client(s) have you to thank for their success this past year. Enter Ragan’s and PR Daily’s Communicators of the Year and Rising Star Awards by Oct. 7 to earn the recognition you deserve for your hard work!

CATEGORIES

HALL OF FAME

 Hall of Fame Honorees

The nominee's breadth of work in communications has been crucial to helping the industry grow, and they’ve helped mentor and lead budding professionals throughout an impressive career. They’re a leader who has had a tremendous impact on the organization(s) they’ve worked for and the communications industry as a whole.

COMMUNICATORS OF THE YEAR

 Agency Leader of the Year

The nominee knows how to deliver for their clients. They consistently lead successful campaigns and initiatives for the organizations they communicate on behalf of. We want to hear about their successful work from the past year.

 Account Executive of the Year

 Communications Writer of the Year

Industry experts, customers and potential employees consider the nominee a go-to source for the latest industry insights. When they wrote, people listened. Tell us about the strategy and how it affected traffic and other metrics.

 Corporate Communication Leader of Year

 Crisis Communicator of the Year

The nominee is the calm amid the storm. Did COVID-19 shake up the core of their organization? Did they navigate a reputational crisis? Whatever the crisis, we want to know why the nominee is the one who is called upon to protect your organization.

 CSR/ESG Professional of the Year

The nominee is leading the charge on making the world a better place. How do they champion these causes and enact change within or on behalf of your organization? We’re looking for a leader with vision and the conviction to make things happen. Has their CSR plan increased the pride everyone takes in working for their organization?

 Digital Communicator of the Year

We’re seeking digital communicators who create great content for brands. Share the nominee’s talents with us and show us how their work drove incredible results. Tell us about the creative vision that keeps their work in demand. Share content created for any platform. Proprietary work will not be made public.

 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Communicator of the Year

We’re looking for the communicators who develop communications plans to keep internal and external stakeholders in-the-know about diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives within their organization. The nominee delivers the important, powerful messages. We want to learn more about them.

 Employee Communications Professional of Year

Creating engaging internal content is a challenge. How does the nominee balance being informative and having fun? What tools do they use to inform and inspire employees? How have they taken advantage of multiple channels to engage a diverse, multigenerational or distributed team? Tell us about their great work.

 Editor of the Year

The writers that work with the nominee owe Them. The nominee ensures their copy is clean and compels readers to act. Nothing gets by them, and they pride themselves on that. Share their clear and concise work.

 Global Communicator of the Year

 Government Communicator of the Year

What makes the nominee the best in communications for a local, state or federal agency or department? How did they avoid the inevitable trap of all government communication: Boring people so thoroughly that they give up and robotically do just the bare minimum needed to comply? How did the nominee make crucial information engaging and interesting?

 Health Care Communicator of the Year

Tell us about the nominee’s fresh perspective on health care PR or marketing. How did they communicate an important message or an urgent new idea with passion, integrity and care? Tell us how they told health care stories or created campaigns with a fresh perspective.

 HR Communicator of the Year

 Integrated Marketer of the Year

The nominee told their brand’s story with a compelling narrative that moved readers to act. How did they advocate for their brand, market on multiple channels and increase audience engagement? Tell us how the nominee turned casual consumers into brand loyalists.

 Investor Relations Professional of the Year

The nominee knows how to deliver essential information to investors and potential investors in an engaging and informative way. They understand their organization’s financial strategies and communicate them to interested parties. We want to hear about it.

 Measurement/Data Expert of the Year

The nominee dug into the data and used this crucial information to create incredibly successful campaigns for their organization or clients. Show us how they made metrics work for them and improved their communications efforts as a result. Share the impressive outcomes that were the result of their efforts.

 Media Relations Professional of the Year

Tell us how the nominee built relationships with journalists that resulted in close collaboration between them and reporters on stories about your industry. How did they capitalize on their relationships with reporters to generate interest in their story suggestions, media impressions and increased brand awareness? Share the projects they’re most proud of.

 Nonprofit Communicator of the Year

The nominee knows how to generate conversations, appeal to their target market and establish their client as a leading industry voice. Show us how the nominee wields PR tools, tactics and strategies to make indisputable arguments, repair tattered reputations and stir up buzz about new ideas for clients or brand executives.

 Outstanding Mentor

 Podcast Host of the Year

People are consuming massive amounts of podcast content, and the nominee has successfully tapped into this engaging medium. We want to know how their podcasting abilities have led to success. Share any relevant data—and a clip or two of the show.

 PR/Communications Educator of the Year

The nominee has a wonderful amount of knowledge, and they are willing to pass it along and educate the future communications leaders. Tell us how the nominee has used their knowledge and expertise to help mold up-and-coming communications professionals.

 PR Professional of the Year—Agency

The nominee is the supreme professional when it comes to working with clients and delivering incredibly successful campaigns and projects. They’ve also helped secure new clients and grow their agency. Share the metrics that prove the success of their work.

 PR Professional of the Year—Corporate

We’re looking for communicators who know how to deliver successful campaigns for their organization or brand. How did the nominee help grow awareness for their organization and boost revenue? What beneficial partnerships did they create with outside sources? We want to hear it all.

 PR Professional of the Year—Nonprofit

The nominee excelled in securing donations or media coverage for their nonprofit organization. They’re a leader in nonprofit communications, and we want to hear about the tactics they employed to help raise awareness or money.

 PR Team Leader

We’re looking for the fearless leaders who captained a team of PR professionals and not only delegated work flawlessly, but mentored the communicators on their team. We want to hear about the nominee’s success over the past year.

 Publicist of the Year

We want to hear how the nominee generated incredible awareness for their organization or client. What were their secrets for earning coverage? How did they protect and maintain their organization’s or client’s reputation? Share all the details.

 Public Affairs Professional of the Year

We’re looking for the communicators who know how to deliver their organization’s or client’s message to stakeholders and influence policy. What initiatives did the nominee lead? We want to hear about their successful campaigns.

 Rising Star (Age 30 and under)

Age is only a number, right? Tell us how the nominee burst onto the scene and made waves (in a good way). We’re looking for the innovative young communications professionals who are primed to climb the ranks quickly and achieve outstanding success. What makes the nominee one of the brightest up-and-coming comms pros?

 Social Media Communicator of the Year

We want to hear how the nominee created the perfect strategy to deliver their organization’s message across all social media channels. What work did they do to develop an identifiable brand voice? Tell us why they’re the best social media professional in the industry.

 Speechwriter of the Year

We’re looking for writers behind the powerful messages delivered by those for whom they are penning this impressive prose. Tell us how the nominee’s speechwriting has helped their subject deliver impactful speeches.

AND THERE’S MORE

 Dynamic Doer

They get it done, and then some.

 Meeting Leader

They may not love meetings but you know how to lead them!

 Most Clever and Witty

They make people laugh while getting your point across.

 One-Person Band

You’re a department of one and get it all done.

 Partnership Queen/King

They know how to align and who to align with to make thing happen.

 Public Speaker

They’re great on stage, live or virtual.

 Selfless Team Player

They’re always the first to help out.

 Strategic Thinker

They see around the corners.

 Technologically Savvy

They’re the go-to person for all things tech.

TEAMS OF THE YEAR

 Agency Team of the Year: 1-15 staff

Your agency division, not whole agency; submit for each division.

 Agency Team of the Year: 15+ staff

Your agency division, not whole agency; submit for each division.

 Corporate Comms Team of the Year: 1-15 staff

In-house PR and/or internal comms.

 Corporate Comms Team of the Year: 15+ staff

In-house PR and/or internal comms.

 Nonprofit/Government Comms Team of the Year: 1-15 staff

 Nonprofit/Government Comms Team of the Year: 15+ staff

HOW TO ENTER

Tell us in 300-1,000 words about yours, your nominee’s or the team's accomplishments in the previous 12 months; Hall of Fame entries honor lifetime achievements. The winning list of Communicators of the Year and Teams of the Year will be those who have distinguished themselves among their peers with meaningful achievements. Choose a category that best describes the nominee or team and submit your short essay along with any supporting materials you feel will be helpful to the judges. Ragan’s panel of judges will select multiple winners from each category and reserves the right to place your nominee in the category that best fits her accomplishments.

When applicable, please include the following sub-headings on the entry form:

  • Goals
  • Strategy and tactics
  • Execution
  • Evaluation: success, results or ROI

You will be able to upload additional documents to your submission. We encourage you to include press releases, design concepts, videos, analytics, testimonials and anything else you feel will give us a better sense of your project. Proprietary or internal information can also be attached and will not be shared with the public.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

These awards are open to in-house, agency and independent communication practitioners in the private, corporate, nonprofit and government sectors. Enter your work, the work of your organization or submit entries on behalf of your client.

Companies from around the world are welcome to enter as long as the entry is submitted in English.

Contact Brendan Gannon to find the perfect category for your campaign or project. You can call 312-960-4407 or email brendang@ragan.com.

This year’s program is open to any work executed between Oct. 1, 2021, and Oct. 7, 2022, inclusive.

ENTRY FEES

The price of each entry is $425.

For entries submitted after October 7, there will be a $199 late fee added per entry.

Payment in full must accompany the entry (or an invoice to be paid). All entries are non-returnable and non-refundable.

W-9 Form / Tax ID Number Request

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should you apply?
It is increasingly important to recognize the important role of comms pros within an organization. This awards program allows you to prove your value. A Communicator of the Year reflects on the entire organization. Winners will earn publicity for their brand and their work across our websites and social media audiences, a custom write-up about their work and a trophy.
Who can enter?
Nominations may be submitted on behalf of individuals or teams, worldwide. Self-nominations, as well as nominations on behalf of colleagues or clients are accepted. The only requirement is that entries be submitted in English. This program is open to communication practitioners and teams in the private, corporate, nonprofit and government sectors.
What does it take to be a winner?
We look for clearly articulated submissions that showcase why the nominee is deserving of this honor. Supporting materials, such as testimonials, examples of the nominees’ work are helpful. Please look at our past award winners to see what gets recognized and rewarded. We encourage you to submit the nominees to multiple categories, if you feel they are relevant. Doing so increases your chances of winning.
What are the entry requirements?
The entry form requires that you submit a synopsis of the honoree, including their current role, achievements in the past 12 months, and justification for why they should receive an award from us. Hall of Fame entries reflect lifetime achievements.
Why are some deadlines extended?
We extend deadlines based on applicant needs and upcoming promotional opportunities.
When will I find out results?
We try to announce winners about three to four months after the final deadline. Each announcement will be made with a headline on our website, in our daily email newsletter and on our social media platforms. Emails notify entrants of these announcements. As deadlines are extended, so are expected announcement dates.

Additional Questions

If you have any questions about the program or problems submitting your entry, please call Brendan Gannon at 312-960-4407 or email brendang@ragan.com.

Sponsorship Opportunities

If you are interested in sponsoring one of Ragan Communications’ award programs, please contact Hannah Lavelle at 312-960-4628 or email hannahl@ragan.com.