By: Hyacinth Rucker & Kim Skeltis, APR

The deadline for the PRSA East Central District Diamond Awards is fast approaching (regular deadline: 6/15; late deadline 6/30)! Have you submitted your entry yet?

If not, don’t worry—we’ve got you covered. Hear directly from some of the 2024 Diamond Award winners as they share expert tips on how to craft a standout, award-winning entry.

BlackTruck Media + Marketing won for its Creative Montessori Academy’s Kindergarten Enrollment PPC Campaign in the category of Shoestring Budget ($5,000 or less). Check out these tips from Delaney MacKenzie:

  • Connect strategy to research – Clearly explain how audience insights and data informed your campaign decisions and messaging.
  • Set SMART objectives – Break out Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals to show clear intent and success benchmarks.
  • Include performance data – Support your results with research and data such as Google Analytics, keyword research and ad metrics to illustrate impact.
  • Be transparent about budget – Clarify what the stated budget includes (or excludes), especially if some work was done pro-bono or in-house. For example, if ads were used, note if the creative was made externally or included in the budget.
  • Think beyond the brief – If the budget limits execution, share other creative recommendations to demonstrate added value and innovation. Include what you would do differently/better if you re-did the campaign or tactic.

Solvita won for its Rebrand Announcement in the category of Events & Observances: 7 days or less. Mark Pompilio shares a few tips for a great submission.

  • Leverage your momentum – Use a winning a chapter award to propel your entry into the Diamond competition. Convert your chapter nomination to match the Diamond Award criteria as soon as possible.
  • Review and refine your entry – Read the judges’ comments on your winning chapter award entry/entries. Revisit your research and materials, then revise and polish your submission—fixing anything that was missed or could be improved.
  • Condense and clarify – A big challenge is reducing content to meet word-count limits. Start by editing for redundancies and unnecessary embellishments. Then trim down further by focusing on what supports your goals, objectives and strategies. Finally, highlight key support data; keep secondary data brief.

Sabo PR won for Kent District Library’s Millage Proposal in the category of integrated communications. Mary Ann Sabo shares her tips.

  • Start with good data – No matter how much you love a tactic or campaign, if you don’t have good numbers to support your success, don’t bother to submit.
  • Write to the criteria – Be sure you have the criteria you will be judged on in hand when drafting your entry. Bold or underline the criteria so judges can easily see you’ve addressed all relevant points.
  • Don’t wait (tip for 2026!) – When you identify a tactic or campaign that could be a winner, take time to gather media clips, social media results and other data right away. It will make it a lot easier to pull together your nomination with all the data at your fingertips.

Thanks to the advice of our chapter experts, you should be well on your way to creating an award-winning entry! Find eligibility information and the entry form here.

Regular Deadline: June 15

Final Deadline: June 30