Silver InSpire Awards 

How to Prepare Your Silver (Campaign) Entry 

The Silver InSpire Awards recognize the highest level of achievement in public relations—honoring programs that demonstrate strategic insight, exceptional execution, and measurable impact. These awards are reserved for professionals whose work doesn’t just succeed—it sets the standard for excellence in our field.

This is your opportunity to showcase your most distinguished campaigns—programs that addressed real-world challenges with professionalism, creativity, and results grounded in best practices.

Eligibility & Requirements

All entries must be submitted electronically and include the following:

  • A 100-word program description (used at the awards ceremony)
  • A two-page executive summary addressing research, planning, execution, and evaluation
  • Clearly labeled supporting materials referenced within the summary
  • Entry fee, paid at the time of submission
  • All components combined into a single PDF file

Only complete and properly formatted entries will be considered for judging.

Two-Page Executive Summary

Your executive summary is the most important part of your entry—it’s where your strategy, creativity, and results come together. It should clearly and concisely address the four judging criteria:

  • Research – Define the problem or opportunity and explain the insights that informed your strategy
  • Planning – Outline your objectives, audiences, overall strategy, tactics, and budget
  • Execution – Describe how your plan came to life, including timeline, partners, key messages, and challenges overcome
  • Evaluation – Demonstrate outcomes and impact, clearly connecting results to your stated objectives

Begin with a concise situation analysis. All content must be typed using a minimum 10-point font and one-inch margins.

Award Categories

Select the category that best reflects your program’s purpose and impact:

S1. Community Relations
 Campaigns designed to build, strengthen, or restore relationships with a community by addressing its needs, concerns, or shared goals.

S2. Reputation/Brand Management
 Strategic programs focused on shaping, enhancing, or protecting an organization’s reputation and brand identity over time.

S3. Crisis Communications
 Rapid-response efforts that address unexpected events, providing clarity, leadership, and trust when it matters most.

S4. Content Marketing (including Influencer Marketing)
 Programs that leverage branded content—across platforms and voices—to inform, engage, and drive audience action, including influencer collaborations.

S5. Integrated Communications
 Fully coordinated campaigns that strategically combine public relations, advertising, and marketing to deliver a unified message and impact.

S6. Public Affairs
 Campaigns focused on public policy, advocacy, or engagement with government entities and stakeholders.

S7. Public Service
 Initiatives created to raise awareness, influence behavior, and create positive change for the public good.

S8. Multicultural Public Relations
 Campaigns that authentically engage and resonate with specific cultural or identity-based communities through insight-driven strategy.

S9. Global Communications
 Programs executed across multiple countries, demonstrating cultural awareness and strategic consistency on an international scale.

S10. Financial Communications
 Communications targeting investors, analysts, and financial stakeholders, emphasizing transparency, credibility, and trust.

S11. Internal Communications
 Campaigns designed to inform, engage, and align employees and internal stakeholders around organizational goals and culture.

S12. Issues Management
 Strategic efforts to identify, address, and manage emerging issues that could impact long-term organizational success.

S13. Budget-Specific Categories
 Campaigns recognized for delivering exceptional results with defined resources, including:
 • Most Effective Campaign on a $5,000–$10,000 Budget
 • Most Effective Campaign on a Shoestring Budget ($5,000 or less)

S14. Environmental & Corporate Social Responsibility
 Campaigns focused on sustainability, climate action, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and broader corporate citizenship efforts that create meaningful societal impact.

Additional categories require separate entry forms and fees.

Final Submission Checklist

☐ Confirmation email from the online entry form
☐ Payment processed online
☐ 100-word program description
☐ Two-page executive summary
☐ Supporting documents, clearly labeled
☐ All materials combined into one (1) PDF file
☐ Entry title matches the PDF file name

Recognition of Excellence

Silver InSpire Award recipients will be honored at the annual awards ceremony and featured in official PRSA-NC communications. These winning entries reflect the highest standards of the profession and serve as benchmarks for what effective, ethical public relations can achieve.

Submit your entry, share your story, and help define the future of our profession.