PRSA Judges Needed!!!!

Judges Needed! Classics Committee Announces New Judging Partner, Judging Dates
Get a leg up on awards season this year by judging Utah PRSA’s Golden Spike Awards. Minnesota PRSA is partnering with a new chapter this year, and because of the timing of Utah’s awards program, we will judge their entries in September. Our awards program cannot continue without judges, so we need your help!

Plan to come and bring a colleague. Judging provides new ideas and further insight into developing your awards and planning for 2009, and the sessions are a great networking opportunity. All judges will receive special recognition at the Minnesota PRSA Classics banquet in March 2009.

Opportunities to participate

Time: Friday, September 12, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. *
Where: Weber Shandwick, 8000 Norman Center Drive, Suite 400, Bloomington, MN, 55437
*Breakfast will be served and parking is free

Time: Thursday, September 18, 12 - 4 p.m. *
Where: Exponent, 400 1st Avenue North, Suite 700, Minneapolis MN 55401
* Lunch will be served. Hourly-fee parking is available in Ramp B or C, or on the street.

Please RSVP to Rachel Studinger (RStudinger@oco.com) or Amy Smith (ASmith@stdavids.net) indicating the date/location you are available. A one hour minimum commitment is preferred.

Minnesota PRSA Classics Awards Honor Top PR Achievements from 2007

Erbert & Gerbert’s with Exponent Public Relations wins Best of Show for “Taking a Bite Out of the Saturated Sub Category” campaign

The Minnesota chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), celebrated the best public relations campaigns of 2007 during the 30th annual Minnesota PRSA Classics Awards, held at Graves 601 Hotel in downtown Minneapolis on Thursday night.

The awards banquet, emceed by Leah McLean, evening news anchor of KSTP-TV and Rose McKinney, president of Risdall McKinney Public Relations and Minnesota PRSA immediate past president, attracted nearly 300 communications professionals from agencies, corporations and nonprofit organizations. The awards honored public relations campaigns and tactics that, in the judgment of their peers, successfully addressed communications challenges with exemplary skill, creativity and resourcefulness.

“The public relations industry in Minnesota is thriving, as evidenced by the high-quality, high-impact work showcased during this year's Classics Awards,” said Anna Lovely, APR, president of Minnesota PRSA. “Practitioners across the profession, from nonprofits to agencies and corporate teams, continue to demonstrate the importance and ever-growing value of strategic public relations to businesses and industries through their hard work, creativity and dedication to the profession.”

The Classics Awards are divided into two categories: elements and programs. Classics Element Awards honor the best program tactics, while Classics Program Awards honor the best overall public relations campaigns.

Winners in the Program Awards category were eligible for the top honor of the evening –Best of Show. The award for Best of Show was presented to Erbert & Gerbert’s and public relations agency Exponent Public Relations for their campaign titled “Taking a Bite Out of the Saturated Sub Category.” The campaign helped Erbert & Gerbert’s share its unique brand essence by leveraging the power of nontraditional marketing into national and global buzz, multiple new franchisee stores, and the achievement of double-digit growth in a declining category.

Savvy Students
Minnesota PRSA also bestowed its 6th Annual PRSA Student Classics awards for the best in student public relations among Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin undergraduate students. Awards were presented in four categories for projects completed for class work, Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter activities, internship projects and volunteer work.

Five recipients of this year’s Dr. Willard Thompson Scholarships also were recognized for their excellence in the study of public relations and communications. Sarah Ryder of the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities was awarded Best of PRSSA and a $2,000 scholarship. Laura Wightman (University of Minnesota – Twin Cities) won a $1,000 award, and Alyssa Atkins (University of Minnesota – Twin Cities), Bridget Jewell (University of St. Thomas) and Marit Karbowski (Augustana College) each won $500 awards.

In addition, four recipients of the President’s Award also were recognized for scoring the highest among applicants from their PRSSA chapter within the communications experience section of the scholarship entry. Those honored include: Sarah Ryder, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities; Bridget Jewell, University of St. Thomas; Jessica Mongeon, University of North Dakota; and Marit Karbowski, Augustana College.

A total of 50 Classics Awards were presented during the evening to corporations, public relations agencies, nonprofit organizations and students from the metro and outstate areas. Here is a list of all the winners, which also can be found on the Minnesota PRSA Web site.

MINNESOTA PRSA TO HONOR EXCELLENCE IN PUBLIC RELATIONS AT THE 30TH ANNUAL MINNESOTA PRSA CLASSICS AWARDS

WHAT:The 30th Annual Minnesota PRSA Classics Awards, which will recognize the best in Minnesota public relations from the past year, will be held on Thursday, March 27 at the Graves 601 Hotel in Minneapolis. Each year, the Minnesota chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) presents these awards to public relations practitioners who, in the judgment of their peers, have successfully addressed a communications challenge with exemplary professional skill, creativity and resourcefulness. In addition, area college students will showcase their work during the 6th annual PRSA Student Classics, held during the ceremony.

WHEN: Thursday, March 27, 2008
Program: 5:30 p.m.

WHERE: Graves 601 Hotel
601 First Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55403

REGISTRATION:
Registration is $80 for PRSA members, $100 for non-members, and free for PRSSA Student Award finalists. Tables of 10 are still available and can be purchased for $800. The cost of admission includes dinner.

To register, visit www.mnprsa.com or call the Minnesota PRSA office at 651.917.6244.

Deadline for Classics Quickly Approaching

Classics Awards Entries Due Dec. 14

Entries are now being accepted for the 30th Annual Minnesota PRSA Classics Awards, which will be held March 27, 2008, at the Graves 601 Hotel, 601 First Avenue North, in downtown Minneapolis.

All Minnesota communications professionals are eligible to enter; you do not need to be a PRSA member. The deadline for receipt of entries is noon, Dec. 14. Each entry must be submitted according to the "How to Submit Your PRSA Classics Entry" instructions located at www.mnprsa.com or it will be disqualified without a refund. There will be no deadline extensions.

The majority of an entry's work must be completed between Oct. 1, 2006 and Nov. 30, 2007. Programs tend to have a better chance of winning when they're near completion and they can be better evaluated against their initial objectives.

For more information and to register, go to www.mnprsa.com or call the Minnesota PRSA office at 651-917-6244.

Minnesota PRSA Classics Awards: Call for Entries

Entries are now being accepted for the 30th Annual Minnesota PRSA Classics Awards. All Minnesota communications professionals are eligible to enter; you do not need to be a PRSA member.

DEADLINE
Deadline for receipt of entries is noon, Friday, December 14, 2007. Each entry must be submitted according to the "How to Submit Your PRSA Classics Entry" instructions located at www.mnprsa.com or it will be disqualified without a refund. There are no deadline extensions.

ELIGIBILITY
The majority of an entry's work must be completed between October 1, 2006 and November 30, 2007. Programs tend to have a better chance of winning when they're near completion and they can be better evaluated against their initial objectives.

The morning after...

Sometimes the morning after a big awards ceremony, like lastnight's Minnesota PRSA Classics, people can wake-up with a headache. It may be due to the heavy drinking, but more than likely it is also related to the feelings of disappointment from not winning an award.

Earlier this week, fellow PR bloggers, The Same Rowdy Crowd talked about how PR agencies often debate who is the best PR shop in Minnesota. I think this debate is heightened after an awards show. Here is an excerpt from the article:

This strikes me as a totally meaningless debate. Any given client’s experience with an agency is based on their experience with individuals, not the institution. There are top-notch practitioners at institutions with lousy reputations, and wholly incompetent airheads at agencies with impeccable reputations. So, I submit the agency is largely a non-factor.

So, as you are sitting around the office today, whether you are feeling great about the awards you won or like a "wholly incompetent airhead" because you went home empty handed, remember there is always next year...ugh, I think I am going to be sick. I was robbed of my awards :-)

Also, why do we always debate who's the best agency? What about the corporations involved? Why don't we ever debate who is the best PR practitioner? Or who is the best client to work for?

Results from Classics

Last night the Minnesota chapter, Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), celebrated the best public relations campaigns of 2006 during the 29th annual Minnesota PRSA Classics Awards, held at Solera in downtown Minneapolis.

The awards banquet, emceed by Sven Sundgaard, celebrated a record turnout, attracting more than 280 communications professionals from area boutique and large-scale agencies, corporations and non-profit organizations. The awards honored public relations campaigns and tactics that, in the judgment of their peers, successfully addressed communications challenges with exemplary skill, creativity and resourcefulness.

“As a whole, the public relations industry in Minnesota is thriving, as evidenced by the high-quality, high-impact work showcased during this year's Classics Awards,” said Rose McKinney, APR, president of Minnesota PRSA. “Practitioners across the profession, from nonprofits to agencies and corporate teams, continue to demonstrate the importance and ever-growing value of strategic public relations to businesses and industries through their hard work, creativity and dedication to the profession.”

The Classics Awards are divided into two categories: elements and programs. Classics Element Awards honor the best program tactics, while Classics Program Awards honor the best overall public relations campaigns.

Winners in the Program Awards category were eligible for the top honor of the evening –Best of Show. The award for Best of Show was presented to Minneapolis-based Exponent Public Relations for its work on behalf of client Novartis Animal Health. The campaign, titled “The Power of Pet-ometers on the Path to Play More,” teamed the creation of a patented, first-of-its- kind pet pedometer with grassroots, media relations and education initiatives to promote playtime for all dogs, especially arthritic dogs that need to exercise to fight age-related health problems.

Savvy Students

Minnesota PRSA also bestowed its 5th Annual PRSA Student Classics awards for the best in student public relations among Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin undergraduate students. Awards were presented in five categories for projects completed for class work, Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter activities, internship projects and volunteer work.

Six recipients of this year’s Dr. Willard Thompson Scholarships also were recognized for their excellence in the study of public relations and communications. Meghan Stafford of the University of Minnesota was awarded Best of PRSSA and a $2,000 scholarship. Sarah Ryder (University of Minnesota – Twin Cities) won a $1,000 award, and Sarah Kathryn Rydland (University of Minnesota – Twin Cities), Maria Fedorova (St. Cloud State University), Jessica Mongeon (University of North Dakota) and William P. Brozak (Minnesota State University, Mankato) each won $500 awards.

A total of 47 Classics Awards were presented during the evening to public relations agencies, corporations, non-profit organizations and students from the metro and out-state areas. Attached is a list of all winners, which also can be found on the Minnesota PRSA Web site (www.mnprsa.com).

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BEST OF SHOW

The Power of Pet-ometers on the Path to Play More
Novartis Animal Health with Exponent Public Relations

ELEMENTS

Brochures (up to two colors)
Graffiti Brochure
Communications Department, City of Minneapolis

Brochures (three or more colors)
Community United for the Better
Cub Foods with Padilla Speer Beardsley, Inc.

Special Purpose Publications
Follow Your Heart - Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation
Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation with Risdall McKinney Public
Relations

Video (Programs)
Forward: Living Life After Transplant
National Marrow Donor Program with Weber Shandwick

Video (Public Service Announcements - PSA)
There's No Place Like Home: Giving Hope to Homeowners
Homeownership Preservation Foundation with Exponent Public Relations

Audio (Public Service Announcements - PSA)
Raising the Foreclosure Flag for Homeowners
Homeownership Preservation Foundation with Exponent Public Relations

Annual Reports (Business/Industry)
2006 Annual Report
St. Jude Medical, Inc.

Annual Reports (Government/Nonprofit)
The Butterfly Effect: 2006 CCRF Annual Report
Children's Cancer Research Fund with Greer and Associates

Media Kits (Products)
Through the Power of Scratch
Minnesota State Lottery with Exponent Public Relations

Media Kits (Services)
Fast-Due: Sharing the Foreclosure Message with Media
Homeownership Preservation Foundation with Exponent Public Relations

Media Kits (Events)
Sunflower Market: Sowing the Seeds of Awareness. OLSON with Sunflower Market.

Media Kits (Other)
Museum Adventure Presented by Macy's
Macy's and MELSA with Padilla Speer Beardsley, Inc.

Newsletters (Three or more colors)
Opus Building Beyond Newsletter
The Opus Group with Weber Shandwick

Magazines (Internal)
Cooperative Profiles: Business Consulting at Your Doorstep
CHS-Land O Lakes with Exponent Public Relations

Magazines (External)
Latitude
BASF Professional Vegetation Management with Padilla Speer Beardsley,
Inc.

Media Relations (Business/Industry - Budget less than $25,000)
Museum Adventure Pass
Macy's and MELSA with Padilla Speer Beardsley, Inc.

Media Relations (Business/Industry - Budget greater than $25,000)
A Star is Born
Macy's with Padilla Speer Beardsley, Inc.

Media Relations (Government/Nonprofit)
Pour on the Olive Oil, and On and On and On
North American Olive Oil Association with Exponent Public Relations

Feature Writing
We All Scream for RFID on Ice Cream
Rockwell Automation with Padilla Speer Beardsley, Inc.

Technical Writing
ASV Makes Big Impact by Treading Lightly
ASV with Carmichael Lynch Spong

New Media/Technology (Websites - Internet or Intranet)
Chevy AVEO Livin Large Campus Challenge
Chevy AVEO with Weber Shandwick

New Media/Technology (Other)
My Face on MySpace
Aveda with Exponent Public Relations

Creative Tactics
Takin' Names and Raisin' Help
Gold'n Plump Poultry with Gabriel deGrood Bendt

Research
Research Gives Donaldsons the Air of Authority
Donaldson with Strother Communications Group

Evaluation
Adjusting the Mix
TOLD Development with Fast Horse, Inc.


PROGRAMS

Community Relations (Business/Industry)
Museum Adventure Pass Presented by Macy's
Macy's and MELSA with Padilla Speer Beardsley, Inc.

Institutional Programs (Business/Industry)
A Star is Born: America's First National Department Store
Macy's with Padilla Speer Beardsley

Special Events/Observances - Less than Seven Days (Business/Industry)
VALUT Motobowling: A Strike Against the Competition
The Coca-Cola Company with Fast Horse, Inc.

Special Events/Observances - Less than Seven Days
(Government/Nonprofit)
2006 Minneapolis MOSAIC: Many Worlds. One Weekend.
Minneapolis MOSAIC with Padilla Speer Beardsley, Inc.

Special Events/Observances - More than Seven Days (Business/Industry)
Nordic Ware's 60th Anniversary Campaign
Nordic Ware with Kohnstamm Communications

Special Events/Observances - More than Seven Days
(Government/Nonprofit)
K-12 Classrooms Go to the Dogs
Go North! with Strother Communications Group

Public Service (Government/Nonprofit)
Close the Gap Campaign
Itasca Project with Padilla Speer Beardsley, Inc.

Public Affairs (Government/Nonprofit)
Tides of Change: Rochester Coalition Influences Election Results in
Minnesota's First Congressional District
Rochester Coalition with Weber Shandwick

Marketing Services (Established) Budget greater than $25,000
Live the Moment
TOLD Development with Fast Horse, Inc.

Marketing Products (New) Budget less than $25,000
West Monitor Suite
Thomson West

Marketing Products (New) Budget greater than $25,000
A Strike Against the Competition
The Coca-Cola Company with Fast Horse, Inc.

Marketing Products (Established) Budget less than $25,000
Taking a Bite out of HoneyCrisp Season
Pepin Heights Orchard with Fast Horse, Inc.

Marketing Products (Established) Budget greater than $25,000
72,000 Reasons to Scratch Big
Minnesota State Lottery with Exponent Public Relations

Internal Communications
Movin' on Up - to Downtown
Colle + McVoy/Exponent Public Relations

Integrated Communications (Products)
The Power of Pet-ometers on the Path to Play More
Novartis Animal Health U.S. Inc. with Exponent Public Relations

Integrated Communications (Services)
Live the Moment
TOLD Development with Fast Horse, Inc.


5th ANNUAL MN PRSA STUDENT CLASSICS AWARDS

Special Purpose Publication
PRSSA Brochure
Sarah Ryder, University of Minnesota

News/Feature Writing
Moonlight Over Menomin
Sarah Ryder, University of Minnesota

Community Relations/Special Events
Sioux Empire Adopt
Kelly Nyberg, Augustana College

New Media/Technology
University of Minnesota School of Journalism Web site
Sarah McQuilkin, University of Minnesota

Public Relations Planning
Public Relations Campaign for Kuwait News Agency
Manaf Bashir, St. Cloud State University

Exponent wins at Classics

Exponent won best in show tonight. Congrats!

29th Annual Minnesota PRSA Classics Awards

I will be at the Classics Awards tonight. Hope to see you there!

Tune in here, for a complete list of winners.

PRSA accepting nominations for the Padilla Community Classic Award

Minnesota PRSA accepting nominations for the Donald G. Padilla Community Classic Award through Jan. 15, 2007

The Donald G. Padilla Community Classic Award honors an individual who has demonstrated a long-term commitment to strengthening the community by sharing his or her expertise and knowledge of public relations with nonprofit organizations.

We invite you to nominate a person who has consistently demonstrated volunteer commitment to our community through outstanding communications. Entries will be judged by a board-appointed subcommittee of senior practitioners on depth of volunteer commitment and on results achieved. The recipient will be recognized at the Classics awards banquet on March 15, 2007.

Entries must be received by 5 p.m., Monday, January 15, 2007. For more information, contact Jan Hennings, APR, at 651-662-6139.

The Nomination Form
Click here for a printable version of the guidelines and nomination form. Forms must be filled out and returned to Minnesota PRSA by 5 p.m., Monday, January 15, 2007.