Five Winning Strategies Used by Paper Anvil Awardees
Originally published Aug. 2023
What better way to learn about winning a PRSA Nebraska Paper Anvil award than by learning from those who have done it themselves?
Lyn Wineman, president and chief strategist for KidGlov and 2023 Awards Chair for PRSA Nebraska, moderated a panel discussion in August 2023 with four public relations pros who know what it takes to put together a winning Paper Anvil entry. Their advice and recommendations remain helpful for your Paper Anvil Award submissions today.
The August 2023 program featured Carolyn Sutton, founder of Carolyn Sutton PR and Brand Your Brand; Collin Adler Ruane, a PR manager for Bailey Lauerman; Jill Heggen, communications director at the Women’s Fund of Omaha; and Kathleen Al-Marhoon, APR, director of public relations and corporate communications for Omaha Steaks.
1. Begin with the end in mind. Developing an award-winning entry can begin at the planning stage of your next campaign. Kathleen recommended thinking about what would make for a Paper Anvil worthy campaign while keeping assets and analytics organized throughout the campaign process.
“If you start every campaign with that thought in mind, you’re already going to be doing what needs to be done for the award, which is collecting information about the research, the planning, the implementation, and the evaluation and your budget,” she said.
Lyn reiterated an important message: "If you're thinking about all of those things when you start a campaign, not only is your award entry going to be more successful, but your campaign is going to be successful as well."
2. Get everybody involved. If your campaign was a team effort, your entry should be, too. Ask others to help pull together metrics and creative assets. Seek out the people who are subject matter experts for your entry to write a comprehensive summary.
“We really need the full team being able to get involved whether it’s pulling data, writing out the submission, or getting the visuals put together,” Collin said. “It’s a wider approach to make sure that we’re bringing in all of that important knowledge that went into a campaign that might be considered for an award.” Getting everybody involved will not only save time in creating an entry, but it can ultimately help your entry earn a much stronger score.
3. Don’t wait until the last minute. Those deadlines are sneaky! Study the guidelines to make sure you know what you need and avoid any last-minute surprises. Working on your entry throughout the campaign can make it easier to compile a winning entry. Carolyn recommended continually tracking metrics, potentially through a tool like AirTable, to reduce any backtracking when it comes time for award submissions.
Based on the answers from all panelists, an entry can take roughly 6-10 hours to complete. Give yourself and your colleagues plenty of time to pull together the required summaries, any assets you need to submit as examples, and analytics to demonstrate the effectiveness of your work.
4. Follow the directions. Jill and Kathleen both previously served as judges in Paper Anvil competitions and mentioned that they most often took off points for not following all directions or providing a solid summary with specific measurable results. “As a judge, I’m looking for a well-rounded written summary that really tells me what’s happening without having to go through everything,” Jill said. “The fastest way to lose points with me is not having those time-specific measurable objectives.”
Carolyn shared that showing the passion behind the work is just the icing on the cake. “You really want your passion and why you believe in this campaign and why it was a success to come through your writing and the description as well,” she said.
5. Have faith. The PRSA Nebraska Paper Anvil Awards celebrate the very best work by a wide range of PR professionals including solo practitioners, in-house teams, and agencies both large and small. “We’re very different levels of firms, but that doesn’t mean there’s not incredible work that should be submitted,” Carolyn said. “don’t allow yourself to have that impostor syndrome and take the time to give yourself and your team the credit they deserve for the work that they’ve done.”
Entries are scored individually and not comparatively. If your entry scores enough points for merit, it will receive merit. If it scores high enough for a Paper Anvil, it will receive a Paper Anvil. If your entry is the best of the best, it will earn the prestigious Best in Show award. “If you look back at the winners list from the last several years, you will see a really good mix of large agencies, mid-sized agencies, solo practitioners, and in-house departments,” Lyn said.
Keep these tips in mind and you’ll have Paper Anvil worthy submissions ready to roll! Eager to send in your submissions? Learn more about the entry guidelines, deadlines, and entry fees on the Paper Anvil Awards page.
By: Brandon Bartling
