The Patrick Jackson Award

The award was established in 1988 designed to recognize a professional who is not in the public relations field but nonetheless successfully uses public relations principles to benefit his or her organization and society. The purpose of the Patrick Jackson Award is to recognize excellence in the practice of public relations and demonstrate a track record of building relationships which earn trust.

In light of the fact that an organization’s success in relationship management often is a result of a team, the award may recognize the head of an organization or movement, or, if appropriate, an organization (for-profit or not-for-profit) which exemplifies the principle of sound public relations.

Click here for complete Jackson Award – Criteria, Description, Previous Recipients and Nomination Form (pdf)

Award Criteria
Nominees must have a proven record in at least one of the following areas:

• Building relationships that earn trust which contributes to organizations effectiveness or
• Demonstrating leadership in a crisis by using public relations principles, or
• Bringing about changes in society by finding accommodation with public needs, or
• Showing concern for the common good, not just concern for the success of the movement or organization

The nominee (individual, or in the case of an organization, its CEO, or functional organizational head) must agree to be present at the award presentation. The nominee should be based in the Yankee Chapter PRSA service area of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

The Summit Award

About the Award
The annual Yankee Chapter PRSA Summit Award recognizes excellence in a specific area of focus, which will vary year-to-year, based on trends, behaviors, and new technologies in the public relations field.

The 2011 Summit Award –

“It’s a PR Miracle!”

The NHHEAF Network Organizations, based in Concord, NH, earned the PRSA Yankee Chapter’s Summit Award in recognition of the nonprofit organization’s excellence in educating and engaging the public during a time of dramatic change in the student loan industry.

The NHHEAF Network utilized a variety of tools, including print and the web, to build support for modifications to proposed federal legislation that could have had a dramatic, and negative, impact on its ability to continue to be an effective college planning resource.

The campaign was successful, and today the network’s organizations continue to serve more than 30 thousand New Hampshire students and parents with college planning resources.

The NHHEAF Network Organizations includes: New Hampshire Higher Education Assistance Foundation (NHHEAF); Granite State Management & Resources; and, the New Hampshire Higher Education Loan Corporation.

The 2010 Summit Award

The inaugural Summit Award, in 2010, recognized excellence in the use of social media as the primary tool utilized in a public relations campaign. The award winner was the Kelliher Samets Volk agency, of Burlington, Vermont. The firm utilized an array of social media tools, including Twitter and Facebook, to effectively support the business goals of Stowe Mountain Resort.