Singapore, 15 February 2004 – Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a focal issue for global businesses, widely recognised and acknowledged as a vital component that defines corporate success today. In Singapore, companies are beginning to give due weight to the area of social responsibility and ethical behaviour, with increasing awareness that a successful business goes beyond its financial standing.
The new importance given to CSR locally is reflected in the particularly strong showing of award entries for the debut award category, “Corporate Social Responsibility”, of the PRISM Awards 2004 organised by the Institute of Public Relations of Singapore (IPRS). The submissions consisted of public relations programmes which made significant contributions to the welfare of the community in areas such as education, health and the environment. The quality of the projects and the high number of award entries bear testimony to the seriousness that companies accord to their role as corporate citizens.
This year's PRISM Awards, a biennial award ceremony which gives recognition to outstanding achievements and excellence in the public relations industry, will be held on 5 March 2004, Friday, at the Shangri-La Hotel. The category winners selected from a record total of 108 entries will be announced during the event. The Awards comprises the 12 following categories:
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Crisis Management
- Events Management
- Financial PR
- Public Campaigns
- Use of New Media in PR
- Employee Communications
- Integrated Communications
- Newsletter
- Students’ PR Project
- Lifetime Achievement Award
- PR Professional of the Year 2004
It is perhaps not very surprisingly that many of the submissions received this year mirror the challenging times that we live in, with a good number addressing crisis management and communication plans. What was encouraging though, was the enthusiastic participation from the public sector, with over 22 project entries from various ministries and statutory boards. Distinguished professionals hailing from the media, public relations industry and academic institutions made up the panel of judges, which was chaired by Mr. Arun Mahizhnan, Deputy Director, Institute of Policy Studies. ( Pls see Annex I for the full list of judges .)
Ms K Bhavani, President of the IPRS, comments, “The submissions for this year's Awards, which is our 8 th , are of top quality work. The level of professionalism and creativity is very evident and would be a source of pride for PR practitioners anywhere in the world.”
The theme for the upcoming Awards is ‘Salsational Salsa'. Says Ms Kathy O'Brien, Chairperson for the PRISM Awards 2004 Organising Committee, and Vice President of the IPRS, “Salsa is all about powerful rhythms and exciting beats combined with precise moves. That's the kind of work the PR industry takes pride in - powerful new ideas and rewards aplenty for those who implement to the highest professional standards.”
The much anticipated Awards will be attended by hundreds of public relations practitioners from PR agencies, the business community, government ministries and statutory boards. Participation is also expected from public relations professionals from Malaysia, Indonesia and Shanghai.
More About PRISM Awards
Created by IPRS, the PRISM Awards was started in 1987 as one way to recognise and reward organisations and individuals for outstanding contributions and achievements in Public Relations and Communications in Singapore. A highlight in the PR industry calendar, the biennial event aims to encourage creativity, originality and best application of public relations and communications practices across all sectors, in commercial as well as not-for-profit organisations. PRISM stands for ‘Public Relations in the Service of Mankind'.
About IPRS
IPRS, established in 1970 as a non-profit organisation, is the only accrediting body for public relations practitioners. The Institute¹s objective is to establish growth for Singapore's PR industry through knowledge acquisition, networking, and exchanging of new ideas. The Institute continually strives to be the leading regional PR organisation that will not only elevate the profession but also set industry standards and increase public recognition of this profession.
For more information on The PRISM Awards 2004, please contact:
Ms Anusha Sadhnani, Communication Executive, IPRS
DID: 6236 2901
Email: anusha@iprs.org.sg
