The PRCA and PRWeek have launched the PR Internships Awards 2018, to celebrate excellence in both PR internships and interns.
The PR Internships Awards 2018 are now open for entries, the latest step in the PRCA and PRWeek’s broader campaign to improve standards and recognise quality internships. There are two categories: Best Internship Programme, and Best Intern. You can find out more here.
The awards conclude the joint PRWeek/PRCA PR Internships For All (PRIFA) initiative, which was launched in 2014 to lead a concerted drive to bring more young people from diverse backgrounds into the PR profession. All the organisations that have participated in the 2017/18 PRIFA initiative may now enter the awards for free; for organisations that have not participated in the campaign there is a charge of £70 + VAT per entry.
Francis Ingham MPRCA, PRCA Director General, said: “Diversity continues to be an important issue for the industry and the PRCA will continue its work to improve diversity across the PR and communications industry. These awards play an important role in our campaign and we are delighted to launch them again.
“This year we are only accepting entries from organisations and interns that are paid the Living Wage or the London Living Wage. The PRCA became a Living Wage Employer in 2017 and since then we have recommended that all interns in the industry are paid the living wage regardless of their age and statutory requirements.
“Recruiting young people from diverse socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds should be a key priority for the industry. The good news is that many organisations recognise this and we want to take this opportunity to showcase these employers and reward the best young talent in the industry.”
The deadline for entries is on Friday 25th May and the shortlist will be announced on Thursday 31st May. Those shortlisted will be interviewed by a panel in June and the winner will be announced at a ceremony in London on Thursday 5th July.
How to enter
Entries must be sent to Internshipsawards@prca.org.uk by 17:00 Friday 25th May. Organisations that currently take part in the PRIFA scheme do not have to pay – check here to see if your organisation is involved. If you do not take part in PRIFA, there is a charge of £70 + VAT per entry, and this can be organised over email.
Best Internship Programme
Both PR agencies and in-house teams may enter by providing an outline of their internship programme, which should be no more than 600 words in length. This will be judged based on the following criteria:
- Programme planning and structure
- Support and activities the interns have engaged in
- Diversity of interns
- Number of interns
- Retention and evaluation
- Remember: all internships must pay the Living Wage or London Living Wage in order to be entered for this award
Best Intern
To enter an intern for this category, the intern must complete an outline of their internship, which should be no more than 600 words in length. The intern’s line manager is also required to complete a 300-word endorsement. Entries are open to anyone who interned between 1st May 2017 to 30th April 2018, and they do not need to currently be an intern. Entries will be judged based on the following criteria:
- Enthusiasm and dedication
- Innovative and creative approach to their role
- Contribution to team morale and ethos
- Ownership of projects
- Remember: all interns must be paid the Living Wage or London Living Wage in order to be entered for this award
