A key factor that differentiates the public relations and communications industry is its regionality. Where some industries are defined by their location or exist only in certain parts of the UK, communications is unique in its regional, varied yet integrated approach. The PRCA’s annual DARE Awards, which take place each year between May and August, seek to recognise and reward excellence in public relations from around the UK.

The final in this year’s run of DARE Awards, South East and East Anglia, takes place on 19 July near London’s iconic Marble Arch and marks the pinnacle of what public relations and communications has achieved over the past year. Following ceremonies in Belfast, Bristol, Glasgow, Birmingham and Manchester, the London iteration will celebrate in-house teams, agencies and practitioners working in the region to deliver emotive, timely and effective campaigns for all manner of clients.

Categories this year span digital, including social media, integrated campaigns, public sector relations, charitable campaigns and campaigns executed with all manner of budget. Among the hopefuls is Mischief PR, which nominated nine times won last year’s “Consumer relations award,’ and Hope&Glory, which scooped three awards last year, including winning the ‘Event, launch or stunt of the year’ and ‘Charity/not for profit campaign.’ This year, the agency is nominated 13 times, including for its work with IKEA.

Last year’s event also saw the coveted ‘Small consultancy of the year’ award given to The Honey Partnership LLP, and ‘Large consultancy of the year’ awarded to Eulogy, which is also nominated in the 2018 shortlist.

With an independent judging process and openness to non-PRCA members, this year’s DARE Awards have surpassed all previous events. Its culmination next Thursday will round off sustained effort to recognise the best in public relations, based on truly regional insight.

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Full shortlist below.

CAMPAIGN CHALLENGES AWARD

AM+A Marketing and Media Relations - Supporting Paisleys bid to become UK City of Culture 2021

Hope&Glory - Meantime DN-Ale

Hope&Glory - Sony’s Sound So Loud You Can Hear It

Hotwire - Shave of the Future

Mischief PR - #CupStory Futureproofing the Emirates FA Cup

Mischief PR - ODEON Scene It

Palm PR - A Bleeding Miracle Launching the UKs First Meatless Bleeding Burger

Say Communications - The Think Toddler Sized Challenge

 

CONSUMER RELATIONS AWARD

Fever PR - NOW TV Gets Grimey For The Walking Dead

Frank - #ItsOKtoSwitch

Frank - #MonsterDiscounts

Hotwire - Shave of the Future

Mischief PR - National Trust - Born To Be Wild

Nelson Bostock Unlimited EE - Improving Home Broadband for over 500000 UK Rural Homes

Ready10 - Bales Bust - Getting THAT sculptor to recreate a Welsh hero for Paddy Power

Ready10 - Jonathan Rea (almost) wins Sports Personality of the Year

 

DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR

Briscoe French PR - Navigating Success The Seafarers' Bursary

Fever PR - NOW TV Gets Grimey For The Walking Dead

Frank - #MonsterDiscounts

Hope&Glory - Light Up Xmas The Marie Curie Memory Tree

Kazoo PR - Not a Mimic Launching Prey

Mischief PR - #CupStory Futureproofing the Emirates FA Cup

Mischief PR - Time to Talk Day Right Time Any Place

Say Communications - The Think Toddler Sized Challenge

 

INTEGRATED CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR

Fever PR - NOW TV Gets Grimey For The Walking Dead

Hope&Glory - MewTube: Black Friday at Argos

Hope&Glory - Sony's Sound So Loud You Can Hear It

Kazoo PR - The Great Pie Debate Chips or Mash with your Pie?

Mischief PR - Making Denim Drift a Top 10 hit for Dulux

Mischief PR - Time to Talk Day Right Time Any Place

Palm PR - A Bleeding Miracle Launching the UKs First Meatless Bleeding Burger

Playtime PR Ltd - The Launch of SuperZings Rivals of Kaboom

 

INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR

Good Relations / Nationwide - Arthur Webb Challenge Cup

Six Degrees - Energizing the future

 

EVENT, LAUNCH OR STUNT OF THE YEAR

Fever PR - NOW TV Gets Grimey For The Walking Dead

Frank - Launching The Investaurant for Click & Invest

Hope&Glory - Meantime DN-Ale

Hope&Glory - IKEA at 30 The House Party

Ready10 - Bales Bust - Getting THAT sculptor to recreate a Welsh hero for Paddy Power

Ready10 - Jonathan Rea (almost) wins Sports Personality of the Year

Richmond & Towers - The Untold Story of the Worlds First Social Network Launching The Postal Museum and Mail Rail

WE Commmunications (WE) - Taking Flight to Explain Complicated Technology from Cockpit to Cabin

 

MEDIA RELATIONS AWARD

Clarion Communications - Bricktacular News Generation for Legoland

Fever PR - NOW TV Gets Grimey For The Walking Dead

Hope&Glory - A Delivery for Every Moment

Hope&Glory - MewTube: Black Friday at Argos

Hope&Glory - Totes IKEA

Munch - Hopelessly Devoted to Daisy Clark

Richmond & Towers - The Untold Story of the Worlds First Social Network Launching The Postal Museum and Mail Rail

Stand Agency - Standing Up 4 Sitting Down

 

PUBLIC SECTOR AWARD

Hill+Knowlton Strategies - Women In Innovation

Tower Hamlets Council - Love Your Neighbourhood

Tower Hamlets Council - No Laughing Matter

WestCo Trading - Clean Streets

WestCo Trading - Full of Life

 

CHARITY/NOT FOR PROFIT AWARD

Hill+Knowlton Strategies - Women In Innovation

Hope&Glory - Light Up Xmas The Marie Curie Memory Tree

Mischief PR - National Trust - Places Make People

Mischief PR - Time to Talk Day Right Time Any Place

 

LOW BUDGET CAMPAIGN AWARD

Aequitas - Saving lives in Anguilla Ensuring the UK Government protects its citizens

Cow - The VisitScotland Porridge Grand Tour

Goldbug - Digital Resilience Campaign for Internet Matters

Hope&Glory - Meantime DN-Ale

Hope&Glory - Totes IKEA

Mischief PR & ASDA - The kiwi fruit ban that saved Harry Styles

Ready10 - Jonathan Rea (almost) wins Sports Personality of the Year

Stir - A storm in a coffee cup. Launching the Frugal Cup

 

TRADE AND B2B CAMPAIGN AWARD

Clarity PR - The Goose that Laid the Golden Quarter

Fieldworks - From Halloween to Christmas Capitalising on the Golden Quarter

Fieldworks - Taking on Google how Pricesearcher levelled the search engine playing field

Hanover Communications - Getting Fitwater onto shelves in the UK

International SOS - 2018 Travel Risk Outlook & Business Resilience Trends Watch

LEWIS Global Communications - Central to compliance How LEWIS launched SAS as the voice of GDPR

WE Commmunications (WE) - Taking Flight to Explain Complicated Technology from Cockpit to Cabin

 

RISING STAR OF THE YEAR

Cirkle PR - Gemma Brown, senior account executive, Cirkle PR

Cirkle PR - Vicki Carr, account manager, Cirkle PR

Clarion Communications - Harriet Potter, account manager, Clarion Communications

Hotwire - Hannah Lock, senior programme manager, Hotwire

Hotwire - Liam Rawson, programme executive, Hotwire

 

INDUSTRY LEADER OF THE YEAR

GingerMay PR - Victoria Usher

Hotwire - Emma Hazan, global head of consumer, Hotwire

Playtime PR Ltd - Lesley Singleton, founder and managing director, Playtime PR Ltd

Sterling Media - Natasha Mudhar, CEO and MD, Sterling Media

 

FREELANCER/CONSULTANT OF THE YEAR

The judges decided not to release a shortlist for this category. The winner will be announced on the night.

 

IN-HOUSE TEAM OF THE YEAR

Borough Market

Solent University

Tower Hamlets Council

 

NEW CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR

Milk & Honey PR

Munch

Pembroke and Rye

 

SMALL CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR

Alpaca

Bubble Agency

Common Industry

Cultural Communications

Jargon PR

Pangolin

Playtime PR Ltd

Ready10

 

LARGE CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR

BLUE Communications

Clarion Communications

Eulogy

Holistic

Hotwire

Mischief PR

The PHA Group

WE Commmunications (WE)