The most hotly contested categories are

• Social media for public relations (best use of social platforms to lead a programme)
• Launch of a new service, product or category
• Public relations on a shoestring

"We are delighted at the strong support we have had from the industry from around the country for this year's Awards," says Prism champion, Kevin Welman. "Entries have been submitted from a broad range of practitioners - from the larger consultancies and corporates, through to smaller and recently-established PR companies."

He is also excited about the mix of entries for this year's awards. "There has been a definite shift towards better integration of social media, digital media and content marketing into public relations campaigns. Public relations practitioners are realising that they ignore non-traditional media at their own peril. Incorporating them into campaigns can be transformational."

Introduction of new categories

Response to the new categories introduced this year has also surpassed the expectations of the Prism team. The newly introduced Campaign of the Year and Best Consultancy of the Year categories have received good support.

Over 30 judges have been selected to adjudicate the entries. First-time judges this year include Saul Kropman, director of GS Industries, Joanna Oosthuizen, MD of Ogilvy Public Relations and Ruben Platt, corporate affairs manager at Sasol Shared Services.

A separate panel will judge the Campaign of the Year from a shortlist of five noteworthy campaigns. The finalists will present, with their client, to judges - another "first" for the awards.

The awards ceremony is on 6 April at The Maslow Hotel in Sandton. Sponsors include Blue Apple, DM Events, Innovative glass, Paper Packaging Place, Pear Factor, Sun International, The Maslow Hotel, The Organic Planet, Virtual Productions and Zoom Photography.

For more information, call Susan Richardson on +27 (0) 11 326 1262 or e-mail az.oc.asirp@ofni.