Getting ready for PRISM Awards

The PRISM Awards, presented to PR and communication professionals who have successfully incorporated strategy, creativity and professionalism into PR and communication programmes and strategies that highlight a successful PR campaign, closes for entries on 25 January 2013.

Entrants, wishing their entries to stand out, can enhance their chances by following this checklist of tips and suggestions and attend the 'Prepping for the PRISM's half-day session which will take place in Johannesburg and Cape Town in November 2012.

Give yourself enough time to draft the entry and edit it - several times.
Your 100 word opening statement must be clear, concise and have a strong 'sales pitch'. This is your one chance to grab the judges' attention and 'wow' them. Your opening statement should include four elements: the opportunity, the approach, the outcomes and the business results.
Include quantifiable, measurable objectives of the campaign in your entry. For judges, this is a key element in the assessment of entries.
Highlight the key insights generated from research and indicate clearly how those insights informed the strategy adopted, and how this achieved measurable change.
Include strong supporting documentation to validate your claims. Letters of endorsement from clients, media clippings and reports are useful items to include.
Add research and statistics where relevant to support your entry.
Your entry must be visually appealing. Use images, videos, sound bites, graphs, graphics etc. and have it professionally laid out.
Proofread your entry - more than once. Give it to someone else to check too. Make any formatting, grammar and spelling corrections needed.
Do a spell-check. Then check it again...
Check that you have followed PRISM guidelines.