Recognizing the Most Innovative Digital PR Campaigns & Social Media Programs

ENTRY DEADLINE: October 11, 2024 | LATE DEADLINE: October 18, 2024

The rules of PR and Comms are changing in realtime as the industry’s top PR clients and agencies lean into digital engagement and social media like never before. Come… get the recognition your team, your agency and your audiences deserve by entering your campaigns into the industry’s most elite recognition program for digital PR, the PRNEWS Digital Awards.

From platform-specific social media campaigns to influencer-driven content, social crisis response and so much more. Enter your digital and social media campaigns spanning all areas of PR across more than 50 categories.

CATEGORIES

Campaigns & Content

    • Accessibility
      Spotlights the most effective efforts by an organization to increase accessibility across its digital channels and social media platforms for both internal and external stakeholders.
      Blog
      Honors the best use of a blog to address stakeholders directly and regularly.
      Brand Ambassador Campaign
      Awarded to the communications strategy that most effectively mobilized an organization’s fans and customers.
      Branding Campaign
      Recognizing a highly effective campaign in which a brand is enthusiastically received by its target audiences, where the essence of the product or purpose of the company is effectively conveyed via the brand campaign.
      Brand Partnership
      Honors the most creative and effective arrangement between two or more brands to promote a campaign across digital channels.  
      Brand Voice
      Awarded to the most effective creation or reinvention of a brand’s voice across its digital and social media platforms
      Cause-Related Campaign
      Spotlights the most effective digital campaign whose primary focus is promoting a social cause or the advancement of a company’s reputation as a corporate citizen.
      Celebrity Partnership
      Awarded to the digital campaign that best leveraged a celebrity (who became known outside of social media) to successfully spread a message or create awareness.
      Community Engagement
      Goes to a standout campaign or program that generated interest of community members. 
      Content Marketing Campaign
      Recognizes the campaign that best utilized content marketing across digital and social channels.
      Contest/Giveaway
      Honors the best use of digital to engage with stakeholders through a contest or giveaway.
      Crisis Response Campaign
      Spotlights the best use of digital channels and social media to communicate to various stakeholders surrounding a crisis.
      Cross-Platform/Multichannel Campaign
      Awarded to the best integration across a variety of digital and social components to increase awareness of a particular product or service.
      Digital Marketing Campaign ($250k+)
      Recognizes the best marketing campaign, with a budget of more than $250k, that used digital channels to drive measurable results.
      Digital Marketing Campaign ($250k and Under)
      Recognizes the best marketing campaign, with a budget of less than $250k, that used digital channels to drive measurable results.
      Digital Newsroom
      Honors the best example of an online newsroom that provides the most relevant and timely information.
      Digital PR Campaign
      Honors the best PR campaign that effectively uses digital strategies to drive brand awareness and measurable results. 
      Employee Engagement
      Spotlighting a superior campaign that targeted the internal workforce of the organization with the purpose of improving communication among stakeholders and/or awareness of a company’s initiatives.
      Event Marketing Campaign
      Goes to the best use of digital and social media to plan and organize an event, either physical or virtual.
      Experiential Campaign
      Awarded to the most creative and effective campaign or event that originates on social media and offers an immersive element. Metaverse experiences can be entered into this category.
      Fundraising Campaign
      Recognizes a superb digital campaign whose purpose was to drive donations for a specific cause.
      Game Changer Campaign
      Recognizes a visionary campaign that employed digital platforms in a way that challenges the traditional conventions of media.
      Global Campaign
      Honors a top-notch digital PR campaign that was international in scope and required special efforts to reach the broad geographic diversity of the target audience.
      Launch Campaign
      Awarded to a standout digital campaign that effectively launched a product, service, or organization.
      Live Video
      Honors a campaign that most creatively uses live video. 
      Local Campaign
      Honors a digital campaign that focused on a specific locality or region and required special efforts to understand the nuances of the target audience.
    • Long Form Video
      Celebrates a campaign that used the power of sight, sound and motion, in long-form, most effectively.
      Macro Influencer Campaign
      Awarded to a social media campaign that best leveraged micro-influencers (500,000-1M followers) to successfully spread a message or create awareness.
      Media Relations Campaign
      This award honors a successful digital campaign whose primary objective was to sway the media. Campaigns may include individual components eligible in other categories, but are representative of a complete campaign using a variety of tactics to reach the press.
      Mega Influencer Campaign
      Recognizes a social media campaign that best leveraged micro-influencers (1M+ followers) to successfully spread a message or create awareness.
      Micro Influencer Campaign
      Spotlights a social media campaign that best leveraged micro-influencers (5,000-100,000 followers) to successfully spread a message or create awareness.
      Mid-Tier Influencer Campaign
      Honors a social media campaign that best leveraged micro-influencers (100,000-500,000 followers) to successfully spread a message or create awareness.
      NIL (Name/Image/Likeness) Campaign
      Celebrates a social media campaign that best leveraged student athletes as influencers
      On a Shoestring Campaign
      Awarded to the most creative and effective campaign executed on a negligible budget.
      Podcast
      Recognizing excellence in a single episode or series of podcasts.
      Public Service Announcement
      Celebrates a campaign that makes the best use of a public service announcement on a digital platform.
      Product Collaboration
      Spotlights a creative brand collaboration that most effectively launched a new product or service. 
      Rebrand Campaign
      Honors a digital campaign that focused on an organization’s efforts to reinvent itself, a product or a service.
      Repurposed Content
      Spotlights the best re-use or editing of content from another medium to effectively engage audiences on social media. 
      Search Marketing Campaign
      Awarded to a campaign that most effectively used SEO and SEM tactics for audience growth and engagement.
      Short Form Video
      Awarded to a campaign that used the power of sight, sound and motion, in bite-sized pieces, most effectively.
      Site Launch
      Awarded to the best new website.  
      Site Redesign
      Recognizes a company’s efforts to effectively overhaul of an existing website.
      Social Listening Campaign
      Honors the campaign that best utilizes social listening as a tactic to frame the message
      Social Media Takeover
      Celebrates the best use of an influencer or other stakeholder posting content on behalf of an organization.
      Sponsored/Paid Content
      Honors the most effective use of marketing and advertising dollars to amplify a campaign’s message.
      Use of Artificial Intelligence

      Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the PR landscape, offering innovative ways to enhance communication, strategy, and efficiency.

      This category highlights the creative use of artificial intelligence technology—from content creation, predictive analysis, social listening, real-time insights, and brand reputation monitoring—to deliver on campaign objectives. Programs will be judged on innovation, execution and measurable results.

      Use of Generated Content
      Spotlights the best use of content that is originally generated by consumers rather than the brand.
      Video Ad
      Honors the most creative and effective video developed for paid placement on a social platform.
      Video Series
      Spotlights the most creative use of a multi video campaign to get your message across.
      Visual Storytelling Campaign
      Recognizes the best use of images or videos in a digital campaign to get the message across.

    • Platform Presence

    Recognizes brand presence on a particular social platform, including efforts to grow community engagement and follower count.

    • Facebook
      Recognizes brand presence on Facebook, including efforts to grow community engagement and follower count.
      Instagram
      Recognizes brand presence on Instagram, including efforts to grow community engagement and follower count.
      LinkedIn
      Recognizes brand presence on LinkedIn, including efforts to grow community engagement and follower count.
      Pinterest
      Recognizes brand presence on Pinterest, including efforts to grow community engagement and follower count.
    • Reddit
      Recognizes brand presence on Reddit, including efforts to grow community engagement and follower count.
      TikTok
      Recognizes brand presence on TikTok, including efforts to grow community engagement and follower count.
      Twitter
      Recognizes brand presence on Twitter, including efforts to grow community engagement and follower count.
      YouTube
      Recognizes brand presence on YouTube, including efforts to grow community engagement and follower count.

    • Entry Guidelines

    EARLY DEADLINE
    October 11, 2024

    EXTENDED DEADLINE
    October 18, 2024

    All entries must be submitted by October 18, 2024. Finalists will be notified in Spring 2025.

    Who's Eligible?

    The Digital Awards are open to all agencies, corporations, nonprofits/associations, and government organizations. National and international entries are accepted. 

    Entry Fees

    The price of each primary entry is $450. Each additional entry after the initial entry is $299.  A late fee of $199 will be applied to entries submitted between October 11 and October 18. Payment in full must accompany the entry. Entry fees are not refundable.

    Submission Requirements

    Campaigns

    All campaigns entered will be required to submit a synopsis describing campaign content including all of the following areas:*

    • What was the goal of the campaign?

    • What metrics set the stage for the work your campaign sought out to do?

    • What was the thinking and the strategic approach behind your work?

    • What actions did your campaign take or how was your campaign implemented?

    • How was success measured for this campaign? What metrics show that this campaign performed well and met its goals?

    • Supporting Materials can include anything that best represents the success of your work. Examples include:

      • Websites
      • ROI Stats
      • Media Coverage
      • Press Materials
      • Testimonials
      • Research Documents
      • Videos
      • Photos

    *NOTE: Each section of the application has a 300 word limit

    Platform Prescence

    This group of categories recognizes a brand’s use of, activation, and presence on a specific social platform. All submissions will require the following:*

    • Outline the objectives or goals set forth for this platform.

    • Your strategy should explain the thinking and the strategic approach behind your work.

    • How was your strategy implemented to create your unique platform presence? How was it unique or successful?

    • Show how you measured your platform presence as a success. Include any metrics or research-based evidence to support the success.

    • Supporting materials can include anything that best represents the success of your work. Examples include:

      • Websites
      • ROI Stats
      • Media Coverage
      • Press materials
      • Testimonials
      • Research Documents
      • Videos
      • Photos

    *NOTE: Each section of the application has a 300 word limit

    FAQs

    • The PRNEWS Digital Awards are open to all individuals and teams worldwide at for-profit and non-profit organizations including corporations, PR agencies, public affairs and IR agencies, publicity firms, associations, government, and NGO teams, and sole practitioners.

    • We evaluate your entry based on creativity, innovation, sound planning implementation, results as well as proven impact on the communities targeted. Judges will be looking for strategic initiatives that push the boundaries of digital innovation and will evaluate campaigns on the execution and idea as well as the impressiveness of the results.

    • To be eligible, the campaign or initiative must have taken place (either in part or in full) between October 2023 and October 2024. Some of the work must have occurred during this time, but it’s not necessary for it to be completed during the eligibility period.

    • Emphasize the goals of your campaign, as well as your campaign’s achievements in your synopsis. Provide as many concrete and specific examples of success as possible, and explain clearly and succinctly your research, planning, implementation and measurement of the campaign.

    More Awards Programs

    • AGENCY ELITE TOP 100
      AGENCY ELITE TOP 100
    • Impact Communications Awards
      PR IMPACT AWARDS
    • NONPROFIT AWARDS
      NONPROFIT AWARDS
    • TOP WOMEN IN PR AWARDS
      TOP WOMEN IN PR AWARDS
    • Platinum PR Awards
      PLATINUM AWARDS
    • PEOPLE OF THE YEAR AWARDS
      PEOPLE OF THE YEAR AWARDS

    Questions

    Submission Questions

    For questions about the Digital Awards,
    contact:

    Mary-Lou French
    PRNEWS
    [email protected]

    Sponsorship and Advertising Questions

    If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please contact:

    Dara Brooks
    PRNEWS
    [email protected]