We like to recognize those who make outstanding contributions to the field of public relations and to the Capital Chapter.

Stanley Tait Award for Professional Service

The Stanley Tait Professional Award for Service to the Capital Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association has been established as the highest, most prestigious award of the chapter. The award honors the spirit, professionalism and leadership of Stanley Tait, an award-winning counselor and mentor to many within the Chapter.

This award, presented annually, recognizes a member of the Capital Chapter for his/her outstanding contribution to the Chapter and the field of public relations. the prestigious Stanley Tait Professional Award is presented at the Chapter Image Awards Ceremony or a similar Chapter event. Nominate online here.

Criteria for the Stanley Tait Award:

  • Candidates must be a Chapter member in good standing.
  • Candidates must be an FPRA member for a minimum of seven years.
  • Candidates must have made outstanding and long lasting contributions to FPRA and to the public relations profession in ways other than as an FPRA or Chapter board member.

Communicator of the Year

The Capital Chapter presents the “Communicator of the Year” award to an individual in the communications field in the Big Bend area who uses his or her position to enhance community causes, advance the field of public relations and uphold the ethical standards that represent the Capital Chapter. While the recipient is not required to be a member of the Capital Chapter/FPRA, the nominee should be a well-regarded and respected leader in the community. The nominator does not need to be an FPRA member. The award is typically given annually at the Capital Chapter’s fundraiser or other high-profile Chapter event as deemed appropriate from year to year. Nominate online here.

Criteria for Communicator of the Year:

  • Candidates should represent the field of communications
  • Candidates should be active in the Big Bend community and show how they use their position to make a difference in the community
  • Candidates should show how they contribute to the public relations profession
  • Candidates should represent the ethics and values of FPRA

Member and New Member of the Year

The purpose of the award is to recognize a member of the Capital Chapter for their outstanding contribution to the Chapter and the field of public relations. When awarded, the New Member of the Year and Member of the Year awards are presented at the officer installation meeting in August.

The selection of a winner for these prestigious awards will be made after the review of and recommendation by the Award Selection Committee and approval by the Chapter Board of Directors. An award for Member of the Year and New Member of the Year is not a mandated award each year. Nominate online here.

Criteria for Member and New Member of the Year:

  • Must be a Chapter member in good standing.
  • Must have made outstanding and long-lasting contributions to FPRA and to the public relations profession in ways other than as an FPRA or Chapter officer this year.

Chapter Image Awards & Golden Image Awards

Our awards highlight expertise and creativity on issues related to the public relations field while increasing visibility and credibility for FPRA in the community. The awards process is also an excellent opportunity to involve FPRA members in this chapter and to showcase their individual talents and accomplishments.

Many of our local Image Award-winners will go on to compete with PR pros from across the state at the Golden Image Awards, with the winners being announced in August at FPRA Annual Conference.

FPRA has recently revamped its Image and Golden Image judge scoring process to provide more specificity. The new judging instrument requires specific criteria to be met to earn an increasing level of points.

Because additional information is being asked to be addressed by entrants, the one-inch margin rule is changing to a .75 margin and the double-spacing requirement has changed to 1.5 spacing. These changes will provide entrants with the additional space needed to cover the new criteria outlined in the rubric.

New requirements include the following:

  • Goals are asked to be identified.
  • Strategies and tactics should be provided.
  • Audience identification should address psychographic and demographic information.
  • Communication channels used to reach target audience should be included.
  • Sequencing of events (or timeline) addressed within implementation section.
  • Assigned responsibilities for plan execution should be addressed within implementation phase.
  • Inclusion of communication messages used to reach identified target audiences.

It is important to remember that the Image Awards program is a public relations competition. As such, it is the public relations aspect of the entry that will receive the greatest scrutiny by the judges. To this end, the judges first read and evaluate the summary accompanying the entry. Seventy percent of the scoring is based on the summary that sets out the reason and need for the development of the public relations program or tool, how it was implemented and the results. The judges then review the support materials for professionalism, innovation and design to score the remaining 30 percent of the entry.

The judging method allows the judges to concentrate on the following criteria required in each two-page summary:

Research/Situation Analysis (10 points)

  • Defining the Problem (5 pts.)
  • Employed Research Methods (5 pts.)

Planning (20 points)

  • Goal-Directed Strategic Thinking (5 pts.)
  • S.M.A.R.T. Objectives Provided (5 pts.)
  • Strategies & Tactics Distinguished (5 pts.)
  • Audience Identification (5 pts.)

Implementation (15 points)

  • Sequence of Events/Timeline (5 pts.)
  • Effectiveness of Plan Messaging (5 pts.)
  • Program/Plan Creativity (5 pts.)

Evaluation (10 points)

  • Objectives Met (5 pts.)
  • Goals Met (5 pts.)

Budget (15 points)

  • Budget Documentation (5 pts.)
  • Budget Justification (10 pts.)

Support Material (30 points)

Enter in the Capital Chapter’s Local Image Awards

The FPRA Capital Chapter Local Image Awards competition is conducted annually on a local level to recognize outstanding public relations programs and to encourage and promote the development of public relations professionalism in the greater Tallahassee area. To qualify for judging, an entry must incorporate sound public relations principles, meeting the highest standards of production, execution, and evaluation of results and budget.

Submit electronically to fpraimage.org/capital.

Division A, B or C:
FPRA Member – $45 for single entry; $40 each for multiple entries
Non-member – $55 for single entry; $50 each for multiple entries

Division D (Students Only):
Student FPRA Member – $25 for single entry; $20 each for multiple entries
Student Non-member – $35 for single entry; $30 each for multiple entries

Any questions? Contact Director of Awards and Recognition Valencia Scott at [email protected].