Now, in the advertising industry, winning awards like the Cannes Lions is fiercely competitive, right? Of course, there's a PR category too, but you often hear complaints like, "Even so, large-scale PR campaigns like those done overseas are tough to pull off domestically. It's hard to use them as references." If that's the case, let's find examples we can easily reference domestically! With that in mind, we'd like to introduce the "PR Award Grand Prix," held annually by the Japan Public Relations Association (hereafter, Japan PR Association). So, what's the reality of this award?
Spotlighting ideas and ingenuity, regardless of campaign scale
Now in its 16th year, the Japan PR Association's "PR Award Grand Prix" recognizes outstanding PR cases from both association members and non-members, not just PR and advertising agencies but also general companies, aiming to share best practices within the industry. This year, expanding from last year's four categories, submissions are being accepted across five categories: Corporate Communication, Marketing Communication, Social Communication, Internal Communication, and Research & Development.
Indeed, since 2009, major international awards have successively added PR categories, attracting numerous entries from Japan, many of which have won. But we can't let people forget about our own domestic awards! That's why it seems a major transformation has been made this year.
According to Takuhiko Chikami, Director of the Japan Public Relations Association:
"The PR Award Grand Prix honors outstanding PR cases. Driven by our desire to create an award that points to 'the present and future of PR,' this year we are pursuing 'judging by professionals for professionals.' We have significantly revised the panel composition and judging process to achieve fair and impartial evaluation. We've also simplified the entry form to make it easier to apply. We hope this judging will spotlight ideas and ingenuity, regardless of a campaign's scale. We look forward to even more active entries than last year."
That's what they said.
I believe last year saw a total of 57 entries, but considering the number of submissions to international awards, shouldn't the number of entries here also increase significantly? Until last year, preparing materials like videos and proposals required a lot of effort, but this year, proposals and videos are no longer required. You just need to fill out the designated form, which seems to have significantly reduced the hassle.
The judge is Koichiro Shima, Co-CEO of Hakuhodo Kettle!
So, who exactly is this PR pro judging? Well, serving as this year's judging committee chair is the familiar face of Koichiro Shima, Co-CEO of Hakuhodo Kettle. We immediately asked him about his enthusiasm for the role.
"Honestly, I believe there are many hidden gems in Japan's PR industry. PR professionals often embrace the virtue of staying behind the scenes, so some may not have entered awards like this before. But to showcase the true capabilities of Japan's PR industry, I strongly encourage everyone to apply. It's not about budget size or project scale—we warmly welcome even small projects where the idea truly shines. Through this judging process, I want to highlight work that points to the future of Japan's PR industry."
Wow, this judging process is going to be pretty intense, isn't it? Plus, this year, the judging panel—selected from the PR industry and academia, including Mr. Shima—will be cross-departmental. I'm really curious about how that judging process will work. By the way, each category will award Gold, Silver, and Bronze prizes, just like international awards. What do you say, everyone? Why not submit your daily work with a spirit of testing your skills? Plus, the final judging includes live presentations. Even those who tend to focus only on overseas work will surely be impressed by the high quality of domestic PR cases when they see this!
Huh? You're asking if I'm judging? Well, I'm a bit swamped writing columns... (just kidding). Of course, I'll be covering the results of this "PR Award Grand Prix" right here in this column too. See you next time!
■Schedule
• Submission Deadline: Monday, October 31, 5:30 PM (must arrive by this time)
• Selection of Grand Prix Candidates & Notification of Results: Mid- to late November
• Grand Prize Selection Judging & Awards Ceremony: Wednesday, December 7
※For details, check the Japan Public Relations Association website!
Shinmeikai "Strategic PR" [40]
