Introducing the Inaugural Diversity Distinction in PR Awards

The Council is thrilled to announce the inaugural Diversity Distinction in PR Awards, honoring excellence in promoting ethnic diversity within the public relations sector.

Sponsored in conjunction with PRWeek, and building on the agenda led by our Chairman Andy Polansky, the Diversity Distinction in PR Awards is intended to support and inspire professionals of diverse backgrounds and those who strive to encourage and strengthen diversity across the public relations workforce. This first of its kind competition for the PR industry will cover three categories: Best Public Relations Firm Diversity Initiative, Best Community Initiative, and Diversity Champion. The first two categories speak for themselves; the last honors an individual at a firm, an in-house PR team, or in academia who promotes careers in public relations and is a role model and champion of diversity in the industry through his or her actions, including the mentorship of others and the individual’s own career achievements.

Companies market to diverse audiences, and firms need people internally who understand those audiences. Steve Barrett, Editor in Chief of PRWeek, our media partner for the awards initiative, put it well: “America has one of the most diverse populations in the world and it is important that all companies, and especially those in the communications industry, have a workforce that reflects and understands that diversity – at all levels of organizations.”

We at the Council believe public relations is a great industry for young people to work in, and we want to expose more bright young professionals to a field they might not otherwise have known about or considered. The on-the-job experiences within public relations are many and varied: In what other industry can you help a government agency get the word out about a new safety program, tweet on behalf of a consumer product, or help a leading restaurant brand avert a media crisis—all in one day?

By prompting firms to share knowledge and by bringing together the most creative and practical practices firms are using to attract and retain ethnically diverse professionals, we hope to help get the word out about the exciting opportunities public relations offers employees of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds. We also hope to inspire leaders in our industry to take action around diversity. Winning organizations will be recognized as standard-bearers, and the Champions award will bring attention to inspirational individuals from whom we all have much to learn. The judges for our awards are themselves inspiring public relations professionals from ethnically diverse backgrounds who have served as advocates for more inclusiveness.

“To really succeed, public relations campaigns, agencies and corporate staffs need to reflect the diversity of the marketplace.  This award will help keep us moving on that path,” said Selim Bingol, Vice President Global Communications at General Motors, who will serve as one of the judges.

The Diversity Distinction in PR Awards are the latest in the Council’s efforts on behalf of diversity. To date we’ve put our efforts behind recruiting minority candidates at the entry level, but here we broaden our focus to appeal to the middle and senior levels as well.  In the future, we hope to expand these awards so that they extend beyond ethnic diversity to address diversity around gender and other forms of identity.

If you are interested in applying for the Awards, please don’t delay: Entries are due by October 17, 2011.