‘Perfect’ ten for Scots entries in UK-wide PR awards shortlist

TEN Scottish entries have made it to the shortlist of annual, UK-wide awards celebrating the best of public relations.

Platform PR, Edinburgh City Council, VisitScotland and Stripe Communications are joined by six other Scottish shortlisted entries in this year’s Excellence Awards organised by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

The Scots nominees, their campaigns and the categories they have been shortlisted in are as follows:

* The Royal Bank of Scotland: The Listening Campaign – Driving Engagement in RBS Corporate Banking (Internal communications)

* Business Stream: Rolling out the wheel (Internal communications)

* The Co-operative Group: Plan Bee (Public sector)

* VisitScotland: Homecoming Scotland 2009 (two categories – Integrated campaigns and Global public relations)

* Fleishman-Hillard UK Ltd: Work = Life + Balance (Corporate and business communications)

* Scottish Water: The Big Freeze (Crisis communications)

* Platform PR Group Limited: Bake-Off – The Search for Britain’s Perfect Scone (Best campaign £10K or Under)

* The City of Edinburgh Council: Scottish Youth Parliament Elections in Edinburgh (Best campaign £10K or Under)

* Stripe Communications (Outstanding public relations consultancy)

Says chair of the CIPR Scotland committee, Emma Diamond: “It’s great to see such recognition for the strength of PR practice in Scotland. We know that there are many outstanding professionals and organisations, but it’s always nice to have success marked out by your peers.”

Shortlisted entrants will be invited for interview next month by a panel of judges comprising senior PR practitioners and experts from the business, media, marketing and advertising communities.

Adds Diamond: “Of course, this is only the first phase of judging, and I wish all the Scottish contenders the very best in demonstrating that they are worthy winners.”

There were 37 entries from Scotland this year. Five of the shortlisted ones were in some of the most popular categories, including Integrated Campaigns (53 entries), Best Campaign £10k or under (51 entries) and Internal Communications (42 entries).

The awards ceremony is taking place in London, in June.