Saluting those holding the key to best practices in the CSR arena.

EARLY DEADLINE

October 6, 2017

EXTENDED DEADLINE

October 20, 2017

LUNCHEON EVENT

March 20, 2018 in D.C.

You can still enter your CSR campaigns through this Friday, Oct. 20! 

Enter your sustainability report, social good campaigns, community/nonprofit partnerships and more for some well-deserved recognition. 

PR News' CSR Awards showcases the most inspiring and impactful social responsibility and green initiatives.The winners of the CSR Awards represent the innovative organizations and professionals doing work to improve their communities and the planet. They set new standards of excellence and lead the way for other organizations to follow. 

The finalists and winners of the CSR Awards will be showcased on PR News' site and celebrated at the Spring Awards Luncheon on March 20, 2018 in Washington, D.C. There are over 30 categories to choose from, so if your organization is executing exceptional CSR campaigns submit an entry today!

EARLY DEADLINE

October 6, 2017

FINAL DEADLINE

October 20, 2017

Categories

Campaign Categories

  • Annual Report

    This category recognizes outstanding annual reports for shareholders and other key constituents. (A synopsis is not needed for this category.)

  • Blog

    Recognizing an outstanding, influential business-related weblog or online journal written by a representative of the organization with the goal of espousing the brand or a certain message and written with flair and personality.

  • Cause Branding Campaign

    This category recognizes a particular campaign in which the corporation’s brand is aligned with a cause, resulting in a nonprofit-corporate partnership that benefits the cause and raises awareness among consumers and other stakeholders. Entrants must show tangible results of campaign and year-over-year strategies to improve the cause branding campaign if this is an ongoing program.

  • Community Affairs

    This category encompasses a wide variety of corporate citizenship efforts, from prominent support for local causes to outstanding partnerships with national and international cause-related organizations. Include a synopsis of the initiative with the entry form along with information on any pertinent partnerships.

  • Corporate-Community Partnership

    This category comprises those campaigns whose primary focus is forming/promoting a partnership for a social or community cause, but which may also include promotion of your product and/or services and/or company and the advancement of your reputation as a corporate citizen.

  • Corporation (1,000-10,000 employees)

    Represents an overall leader in CSR practices among corporations with between 1,000 and 10,000 employees.

  • Corporation (10,000-25,000 employees)

    Represents an overall leader in CSR practices among corporations with between 10,000 and 25,000 employees.

  • Corporation (Less than 1,000 Employees)

    Represents an overall leader in CSR practices among corporations with less than 1,000 employees.

  • Corporation (more than 25,000 employees)

    Represents an overall leader in CSR practices among corporations with more than 25,000 employees.

  • CSR on a Shoestring

    Recognizes success of CSR efforts while working with limited funds/budget, whether it’s for a single campaign or for ongoing programs. “Shoestring” is subjective, so the emphasis should be on how more was done with less.

  • Diversity Communications

    The winning communications initiative in this category will reflect an organization’s commitment to racial, ethnic, religious and gender diversity.

  • Employee Relations

    This category recognizes internal communications efforts and honors those organizations that are communicating CR commitments to employees and engaging them in helping to create positive change on important social and environmental issues.

  • Environmental Stewardship

    This category recognizes a communications strategy with your organization’s environmental efforts as its focus. Along with your entry form, provide an explanation of your company’s environmental practices as well as a synopsis of the campaign or ongoing communications initiative.

  • Event CSR/Green Focus

    A live event that succeeds at both promoting a particular CSR/green campaign and enhancing the reputation of the sponsor organization. The event should be creative in its conception and execution, and should weave the particular cause into its structure.

  • Facebook Communications Campaign

    The use of Facebook for a CSR initiative by either a PR firm on behalf of a client or clients or by an in-house organization’s communications team; significant increase in “Likes” should be demonstrated, along with examples of useful comments and content that created engagement, should be included in the entry.

  • Green PR Campaign

    This category recognizes a communications strategy with your organization’s “Go Green” efforts as its focus. Along with your entry form, provide an explanation of your company’s green practices as well as a synopsis of the campaign or ongoing communications initiatives.

  • Hall of Fame

    Enter your organization for its history of CSR communication success, which spans over a lifetime.

  • Human Rights Communications

    The winner in this category will have effectively communicated to its various stakeholders worldwide the social actions it has taken—whether proactively or reactively—to improve human rights and/or advance social justice in the geographic areas where it conducts business.

  • Media Relations

    The winner in this category will have demonstrated outstanding media relations strategies resulting in positive coverage for a CSR program/campaign. Entrants must show measurable results from its media efforts and include samples of coverage that demonstrates consistent messaging and PR’s role in educating the media about the CSR program.

  • Nonprofit/Corporate Partnership

    This category comprises corporations whose primary focus is forming/promoting/leveraging a partnership with a nonprofit, but which may also include promotion of your product and/or services and/or company and the advancement of your reputation as a corporate citizen.

  • Philanthropy Communications

    Recognizing an organization with a successful charitable giving program(s) in which the communications of these efforts has improved the image and standing of the organization in the markets it serves.

  • Pro Bono Campaign

    Recognizing an organization with a successful charitable giving program(s) in which the CSR communications of these efforts has improved the image and standing of the organization in the markets it serves.

  • Product Design/Redesign

    Entries in this category should focus on the PR efforts surrounding a new product design or redesign of an existing product or service, whether in the consumer or business-to-business arena.

  • Recycling Program

    Entries in this category should focus on the PR efforts surrounding a recycling program. The program can be new or an on-going recycling effort and can be in the consumer or business-to-business arena.

  • Social Good

    An agency or corporation that has integrated into its overall business model the desire to improve the common welfare of people (for instance, environment, health and educational issues) beyond immediate stakeholders. Entrants should demonstrate how the organization’s internal and external corporate responsibility efforts are designed to positively affect the bottom line and the larger economic sphere.

  • Social Media Campaign

    These are campaigns that connect people and allow them to be integrated into a product or company. Social media campaigns can include any existing social media application or site (Facebook, Twitter, Vine, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Spapchat, Google+, Tumblr, etc.).

  • Stakeholder Engagement

    The winner in this category will have demonstrated outstanding success in engaging its various stakeholders in the CSR program or campaign. The CSR program will have demonstrated that it heeded the needs of its stakeholders, be it employees, local citizens, investors, etc.

  • Supplier/Vendor Campaign of the Year

    This award recognizes outstanding communications of a vendor offering CSR-related products and services.

  • Sustainability/CSR Report

    This category recognizes outstanding CSR-and-sustainability reports for shareholders and other key constituents. (A synopsis is not needed for this category.)

  • Twitter Communications

    The use of Twitter for a CSR initiative by either a PR firm on behalf of a client or clients or by an in-house organization’s communications team; significant increase in “Likes” should be demonstrated, along with examples of useful comments and content that created engagement, should be included in the entry.

  • Video Initiatives

    Creative use of video to advance a CSR/green campaign. Can be a stand-alone video campaign, or part of a larger effort, and should demonstrate high audience engagement.

  • Volunteer Program

    Either a new or ongoing volunteer program from an organization; entries should be clear in stated aim of program and in number of volunteers involved, as well as results of volunteer efforts.

  • Workplace Innovation

    Recognizing a campaign or ongoing efforts within the organization which furthers achievement of the organization’s CSR goals.

Entry Guidelines

EARLY DEADLINE

October 6, 2017

FINAL DEADLINE

October 20, 2017

All entries must be submitted by October 20, 2017. Finalists will be notified in January 2018 and honored during a luncheon on March 20, 2018 in D.C.

Who's Eligible?

The PR News CSR Awards are open to all agency, corporation, nonprofit/association, and government organizations. To be eligible, the campaigns or PR initiatives you are highlighting must have taken place (either in part or in full) between September 1, 2016, and October 31, 2017. Some of the work must have occurred during this time, but it's not necessary for it to be completed during the eligibility period.

National and international entries are accepted.

Entry Fees

The price of each primary entry is $425. If you are submitting a secondary entry of the same campaign into any additional categories, the price will be $275 for each additional category. Late entry surcharge of $275 per entry for entries submitted between October 7-20, 2017.

Payment in full must accompany the entry. Entry fees are not refundable.

FAQs

Questions

Submission Questions

For questions about the CSR Awards, contact:

Jessica Placencia
[email protected]

Event Registration Questions

For questions about the Spring Awards Luncheon, contact:

Mary Lou French
[email protected]

Sponsorship and Advertising

If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please contact: