December 7 will represent my ninth PRWeek Awards judging day. It is truly one of my favorite gatherings of the year. Why? Because it's the point of confluence where the very best campaign submissions in 30-plus categories come together under one roof with the 70-plus individuals who have generously given of their time to judge each entry.
Those judges are a key reason why a PRWeek Award has become such a highly sought accolade. A typical judging group will include heads of agencies, comms leaders from some of the top corporations in the world, and the most highly respected members of PR academia. And these individuals are coming from all parts of the country to take part, so our panel possesses not only a diversity of expertise, but of geographic perspective as well.
As someone who has moderated judging tables for nearly a decade, I can assure you that no question is left unasked and no detail is left unscrutinized. Moreover, these judges represent organizations that enter to win awards themselves, so they take the process very seriously indeed.
It is my task to be the person who coordinates the pool of judges each year. I am currently in the very last stages of finalizing that group for the 2010 Awards. Some stalwarts of the judging process will be taking part again, while a bevy of new judges will be joining us. The enthusiasm with which these extraordinarily busy people accepted my invitation is a testament to the respect our Awards program has attained over the past decade.
The October 9 deadline is fast approaching to submit entries for PRWeek Awards 2010. I know that everyone who enters for an award might wonder about how the final decision is ascertained. In truth, that answer varies depending upon the category. But the one constant is the judges. These are truly the best of the best, much like the Awards finalists and eventual winners. Submit an entry for a PRWeek Award and know that it could not be reviewed by a more extraordinary group of individuals.
