Lantern Entries are Now Open!!
The Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF) recognizes outstanding work in the field of public relations through its annual Lantern Awards program. Awards, including Certificates of Merit, Awards of Excellence and Lantern Awards, are given in 25 categories. From those, the judges also select the Best of Show Award and two Judges’ Choice Awards.
The deadline for entries in the 2012 Lantern Awards program is July 2, and the extended deadline is July 13. Entry fees are $55 per entry (May 1-July 2) and go up to $65 per entry (July 3-13). There will be no additional extended deadline after July 13. For more information or to submit your entries, visit the entry website. Winners will be announced during the SPRF conference Oct. 7-9, 2012, in Destin, Fla.
SPRF Senior Practitioner Nominations are due June 8th!
The senior practitioner designation was established to honor SPRF members who are recognized by their peers as veteran public relations professionals with high ethical standing. Nomination and selection is made by local chapter based on criteria set by the Federation. To receive the designation “senior practitioner,” a recipient must qualify in three of the following four criteria:
- 15 years of full-time public relations experience
- Accreditation by a UAB member organization
- Officer or board member at chapter, state or SPRF level
- Recognition of professionalism as evidenced by such awards as Practitioner of the Year, Lantern Award or similar honor
Please complete the following form and return it to NAPRCA VP Projects Sarah Collison, sarah.collison@crestwoodmedcenter.com. The deadline is Friday, June 8, 2012.
UPDATE: The Medallions deadline is now past — good luck everyone!
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If you haven’t get put your 2012 PRCA Medallion Awards entries together, now is the time. Deadline is January 27 for postmarked entries. Of course, earning recognition from your peers is a career-enhancing step, but here’s another good reason to enter. This year’s conference will be hosted by North Alabama (find PR:RECHARGE conference information here) — we need lots of local members to enter and support the chapter!
Enter online at www.prcamedallions.com. For more information about the Medallion competition, contact 2012 Medallion Chair Nia Johnson at niamjohnson@gmail.com. For more information on the 2012 PRCA State conference, check out the PR:RECHARGE blog pages.
What a great time of the year to recap the chapters accomplishments! Here is a recap from our November meeting, specifically Sonia Robinson’s State of the Chapter address:
NAPRCA placed Second Overall in the SPRF Chapter of Distinction Awards by placing in all eight categories:
- First Place, Accreditation, Chapter Management, and Membership
- Second Place, Communications and Public Service
- Third Place, Programs, Projects, and PR Education
NAPRCA also placed in five categories for the PRCA Chapter of the Year Awards:
- First Place, Membership
- Second Place, Communications
- Third Place, Accreditation, Chapter Management, and PR Education
Three members earned Professional recognitions from PRCA this year:
- Professional Achievement Award (NAPRCA Chapter nomination) - Lori Miller
- Educator of the Year (NAPRCA Chapter nomination) - Beth Garfrerick, Ph.D.
- Grover Smith Lifetime Achievement (PRCA State Level honor) – George Winters, APR
Two members earned professional recognitions from SPRF: Lori Miller and Kristina Hendrix, APR, were honored as SPRF Senior Practitioners.
A big congratulations to the our three newest accredited members: Sonia Robinson, APR (June), Abby Guasti, APR (Sept), and Deana Nunley, APR (Nov).
A great year for NAPRCA. And don’t forget! The PRCA State Conference PR:Recharge is April 15-17, 2012 at the Embassy Suites in Huntsville, Al. More good things to come in 2012!
NAPRCA Wins 2nd Place at SPRF Chapter of Distinction Awards for 2nd Year
For the second year in a row, NAPRCA earned 2nd place overall in the SPRF Chapter of Distinction Awards held during the Southern Public Relations Federation annual conference in Point Clear, October 2-4, 2011.
NAPRCA beat out competing chapters across four states with three 1st place finishes, including Chapter Management for the second consecutive year. The awards, which are announced at the annual SPRF Conference, are for the following categories:
- Accreditation – 1st
- Chapter Management – 1st (tie with Mobile chapter)
- Membership – 1st
- Communication – 2nd
- Public Service – 2nd
- Programs – 3rd
- Projects – 3rd
- PR Education – 3rd
Each chapter may compete in up to eight categories: Accreditation, Chapter Management, Membership, Communication, Public Service, Programs, Projects, & PR Education. The submissions are evaluated by SPRF’s Senior Leadership Council based on four criteria (situation analysis, goals/objectives, execution, and evaluation). The full guidelines for each category can be found on the SPRF website.
The SPRF Chapter of Distinction awards were created in 2009 and the NAPRCA chapter took 1st place for Programs that first year. In 2010, NAPRCA increased its stature with four 1st place finishes (PR Education, Projects, Chapter Management, and Communication) and two 2nd places (Programs and Membership), which earned a second place standing overall within SPRF.
The chapter’s honors are small steps toward even greater success
SPRF honors the chapter that excels in the most categories by awarding the Jamie Palmer Chapter of Distinction Award. For three years, that distinction has gone to the Mobile Alabama Chapter.
Kudos to all who contributed to the chapter’s success!
Part of the North Alabama legacy is a history of award-winning professional activity. Our chapter has won the Sharon Heflin “Chapter of the Year” Award six times.
Ten North Alabama members have received the state-wide organization’s highest honor, the Philip R. Forrest Practitioner of the Year Award.
Nineteen North Alabama members have been named Senior Practitioners.
Nearly every year, our members bring home Medallion Awards bestowed by their peers in the state.
Every year, the North Alabama Chapter awards $2,000 scholarship to a deserving undergraduate student majoring in public relations or public relations-related fields of study. The application process for the 2011 award closed March 26. The winner will be announced in the next two months.
In 1974 a scholarship fund was established by the North Alabama Public Relations Council of Alabama (NAPRCA) in honor of a very special member, Michael K. Simmons. Funds for this effort are raised through special community projects and the generosity of council members. Each and every year since the fund was established, a deserving Public Relations or Communications student, has been the recipient of this scholarship.
The scholarship, typically awarded in the spring, is open to undergraduate students majoring in public relations or public relations-related fields of study such as marketing, mass communications, journalism, or English. Students must have completed at least one semester of coursework and can be full or part time.
Any student attending a college or university in North Alabama as an undergrad may apply. You can also apply if you're attending a college or University in the state of Alabama, so long as North Alabama is home.
More eligibility:
- Student must have completed at least one semester of coursework
- Must be enrolled in a communications-related field of study
- Must submit an essay along with application answering the following: “What are your Communications/PR career goals and reasons for choosing the Communications/PR profession.”
- Must have a 3.0 (on a 4.0 grade scale) or a 2.0 (on a 3.0 grade scale) grade point average
- Please include a copy of your transcript (official or unofficial)
- Must submit an academic letter of recommendation
- Student enrollment status – either full time or part time
For more information, please contact Beth Garfrerick, NAPRCA Student Advisor at bagarfrerick@una.edu.