Housing and health charities, public sector bodies and retailers among winners at the Awards for Excellence in Public Relations 2022
The Awards for Excellence in Public Relations were presented today (Friday 24 June) in The Mansion House, Dublin.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) won two communication awards: Best Internal Communications Campaign for employee communications during Covid-19 and the cyber-attack and Best In-House Communication Team.
The Central Bank won the award for Best Corporate Communications for its work on the Mortgage Measures Framework Review which was conducted to ensure that the measures introduced in 2015 remained fit for purpose.
Dublin Port won a Consumer Public Relations Award for its Water Safety Campaign.
Edelman won the large PRCA Agency of the Year Award for the third year in a row. Hanover won the smaller PRCA Agency of the Year Award. The Agency of the Year award is sponsored by Onclusive.
Nicola Halloran from Teneo won Young Communication Professional of the Year and also collected a trophy for work on the Best Digital PR campaign, a podcast by Chadwicks.
The Irish Wheelchair Association won the Award for Best Issues-Led Campaign for its campaign ‘Think Ahead, Think Housing.’ The campaign was designed to support people with disabilities apply to local authorities so that they can be included in social housing planning and delivery. This award is sponsored by Ruepoint.
Other winners included Threshold (The Housing Agency), St Patrick’s Mental Health Service, An Post, the National Concert Hall, the Irish Wheelchair Association, Irish Water and Breast Cancer Ireland.
The Awards for Excellence are hosted by the Public Relations Consultants Association Ireland (PRCA) and the Public Relations Institute of Ireland (PRII) and recognise best practice in Irish public relations, public affairs and internal communication across the public and private sectors.
The 25 winners were selected from over 150 entries. One fifth of the entries came from in-house communication teams including those working in the public sector, charities, and the civil service.
Organisations entered communication campaigns undertaken in the twelve months since March 2021 including: health information; economic and social inequalities; food and drink; sports sponsorships; entertainment events and infrastructure projects; travel; and work safety.
The Awards were presented by Dearbhail McDonald who was the MC for the event.
Speaking at the Awards, Dr Martina Byrne, CEO, PRCA and PRII, said “the range of work shortlisted shows the contribution of the public relations profession to economic, social and cultural life in Ireland.”
Owen Cullen, Chair of the Public Relations Consultants Association, said “the quality and diversity of this year’s Awards show how agencies continue to evolve, developing new skills and finding different ways to connect with target audiences. Behind every successful brand and organisation is a trusted public relations agency.”
Padraig McKeon, President of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland, told attendees that showcasing the value of professional communications and public relations is at the heart of the work of the Public Relations Institute. “Days like today where the true value of our work is showcased are vital to the development and growth of what we do because they demonstrate our contribution to society, to the delivery of public service, and to success in business.”
Two In-House Team Awards, sponsored by Fennell Photography, went to the Aldi and the HSE Press Office.
The winner of the Young Communications Professional 2022 is Nicola Halloran, Associate Director, Teneo Strategy. Nicola has seven years’ experience in public relations and has built a solid reputation for delivering results for clients and her employer. Nicola also blogs about food as ‘The Wonky Spatula’. She has published her own cookbook and launched an app focusing on healthy food.
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