Image Awards Best Practices

| Written by: Lauren Novo

Please note: The two-page summary is worth 70 percent of the total score. Allocate your time accordingly. The summary (and entry as a whole) has specific guidelines in terms of content and formatting – it is extremely important to follow the directions exactly. A simple error or omission will lead to disqualification.

Helpful Hint: If you are an FPRA member, you have access to every winning Golden Image Award entry from the past several years. Log-in to your account online at fpra.org. and you will see where you can download the two-page summaries. These summaries serve as great models and can also inspire strategies/ideas for future projects.

Two Page Summary

  1. Situation Analysis/Research
    1. Must include background – where is the organization coming from? Why has this campaign/project been implemented? What made it seem necessary?
    2. Include specific research (informal/formal) that was done in preparation for this campaign/project. Include the intended audience.
    3. Objectives
      1. The recommended number of objectives is two to four, but more can be included if appropriate.
      2. Simply list the objectives by number so that they can be easily referenced in the evaluation section.
      3. Must be specific and measurable. Include as many who/what/when factors as possible/appropriate.

i.      Example: Secure 100 applications from Tallahassee residents by March 6, 2010.

ii.      Example 2: Generate three original story placements about our company’s charity event in regional newspapers by June 7, 2010.

iii.      Example 3 (student-driven): Receive at least a 90 percent on the Nov. 20, 2010 press release assignment – a 10 percent increase from the previous press release assignment (Nov. 1, 2010).

  1. Implementation
    1. Worth the most points.
    2. First, write down everything you did for this campaign/project. Be specific and comprehensive. You don’t want to miss any key elements of your work.
    3. Embrace the opportunity for creative writing. Harp on the interesting, creative and unique aspects of your work. What stands out?
    4. Make sure to include the strategy behind what you did. Don’t just list the actions – explain why you chose the actions and how they were intended to play out. One way to do this is to tie-in the research section; reference what you learned before starting the project and how that affected what you implemented.
    5. Evaluation
      1. Directly tie each evaluation point back to each objective. Do not leave any objective unaddressed. This is very important. By doing so, your success will speak for itself (although you are free to add commentary for further emphasis, as shown in example 1 and 3).

i.      Example 1: Secured 120 applications by the deadline – exceeded expectations by 20 percent.

ii.      Example 2: Landed five regional and two state-wide stories by the date.

iii.      Received a 95 percent – surpassing the goal by 5 percent.

  1. Budget
    1. Include everything you spent on the project/campaign.
    2. Break down costs (don’t just give a lump sum).
    3. Include staff time/man hours
    4. ESPECIALLY if the budget was big, show the return on investment.

i.      Example: Overall budget was $200,000 – but the cost per person we were able to reach through this campaign was only $15.30.

The Binder

This is where you prove everything you’ve outlined in the two-page summary. Judges do not have time to read the whole binder, so make sure all of your bases are covered in the summary. The binder is just where you include the supporting documents so that the judges can reference them for a better understanding or additional insight.

Create a tab for each section of the summary (tab for research; tab for objectives; tab for implementation; etc.)

  • Were baseline surveys part of your research? Include those surveys in the research section of the binder.
  • You can just put the list of objectives in the objective section. No need for anything else.
  • Did you hold a press conference to announce your charity event? Include pictures of the conference in the implementation section.
  • Did you say you received 30 news stories from a press release? Include those stories/clips in the evaluation section of the binder.
  • The budget section may or may not need to have a lot of supporting paperwork. If you had a big budget, break down all of the costs that you alluded to in the summary so that the judges can reference if they so choose.

Questions? Contact the Image Awards Chair, Lauren Novo: [email protected] or 321-501-8842.