As the public relations industry and its stakeholders await the ninth edition of the Lagos Public Relations Industry and Gala Award (LaPRIGA), organised by the Lagos chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), the selection panel has announced the conclusion of its rigorous exercise following the closure of the call for entry process.
Entries to the 22 categories were to be submitted between Wednesday 30th of October and Wednesday 13th of November, but the deadline was extended by a week to allow for more participation.
According to the Chairman of the Selection Committee, Muyiwa Akintunde, 81 entries were submitted in 21 categories, with the ‘Best in Political Communication’ not having any submission.
Also in the panel are: Chairman of NIPR Aviation Hub, Basil Agboarumi (Vice Chairman); Head of Complaints at the Nigerian Shippers Council, Bashir Ambi-Mohammed (Secretary); Founder/COO of Brandworld Media, Clara Okoro; and Head of Public Relations at Apple and Pears Limited, Stella Sawyerr.
The criteria for assessment of the entries included: depth of campaign/activity; conformity with the ideals of Public Relations excellence; strategy and tactics; innovation/creativity; outcomes vis-a-vis goals/objectives; style of presentation; and contribution to industry knowledge.
Also considered were: breakthrough communication approaches; demonstration of integrity; exceptional communication campaigns; significant work that improves the practice; positive impact with significant contributions in a related sub-sector of the economy; and outstanding efforts at enhancing the Public Relations profession.
The ‘Rising Public Relations Professional” category had the highest entry of 11, followed by that of ‘Best Brand in Corporate Social Responsibility’ having 10 entries, while that of ‘Corporate Communications Professional’ recorded seven entries, although five of them made incomplete submissions.
In four of the categories, there was only one entry each. But the judges still had to ensure that the submissions met the criteria announced at the onset of the call for entries.
“Generally, the quality of entries met best standards criteria and the five-member panel had to be meticulous in making well-informed decisions. This is more so as the decision on the nominees and winners was solely that of the panel this year”, Akintunde said.
Entries were open only to members of Lagos NIPR, who were allowed to submit either their works and those of their clients, covering October 2023 to September 2024.
A webinar was held on Wednesday, 30th of October 2024 where the selection panel took chapter members through the submission process and explained the judging procedure.
The “Shining Stars” (which is the tag of this year’s LaPRIGA) will be unveiled as winners of the 2024 edition of the prestigious awards.
