CONGRATULATIONS!

A listing of all award recipients from this year's Mercury Awards is now available online. More than 60 awards were presented to the best of the best in public relations programs, tactics and individual achievements across South Carolina. Again, congratulations for your great work on behalf of your organizations and clients, and SCPRSA!

If you missed the excitement, or want to relive it all, photos of the banquet are posted online at Charleston Picture Company's website. Thanks for smiling!

THANK YOU!

What a great two days it's been! Last night's banquet was a wonderful celebration of the 'best of the best' in public relations across South Carolina, and today's conference was extremely informative and well attended. These events could not have taken place without the hard work and dedication of several individuals serving on the Mercury Awards & Conference Committee:

Allison Skipper, Committee Chair
Karla Falk, SCPRSA Association Management
Sara Corbett
Penny Cothran
Kelly Hamilton
Annie Hamnett
Emily Higgins
Adie Lee
Melanie Milonas
Katie Nance
PJ Norlander
Ashley Sherry
Erin Watson

Kudos to you!

Also, don't forget to check out Charleston Picture Company in the next few days to see the banquet photos!

CONFERENCE TO COVER PR'S "HOT TOPCS"

Flip through any PR industry publication right now, and you're sure to see articles on corporate social responsiblity and "green" initiatives, as well as features on technology and social media. SCPRSA's first-ever Spring Conference will cover these two "hot topics" - and more - on Friday, April 11th at the Charleston Marriott in Charleston, SC.

You won't want to miss this half day of sessions, with a prestigious roster of speakers from across the state! Register online at www.scprsa.org, but hurry, this is sure to be a sell out event!

ONE WEEK TO GO!

Only one week left until we honor the communications triumphs of South Carolina's PR professionals at the 2008 Mercury Awards! Banquet tickets are close to selling out, so make your reservations today!

CONFERENCE AGENDA ANNOUNCED!

2008 SCPRSA Spring Conference Schedule
View on the SCPRSA website...

8:30 a.m. Registration & Networking Breakfast

9:00 a.m. Opening Remarks
PJ Norlander | Arcadia Publishing
Featured Mercury Awards Entry Presentations

9:20 a.m. Break

9:30 a.m. Keynote Address | A Case Study in Going Green
Laura Varn | Vice President of Communications, Santee Cooper

10:20 a.m. Break

10:30 a.m. Panel One | Successful Planning & ROI Case Studies
Moderator: Marcia Purday, APR | S.C. Chamber of Commerce
Panelists: Lee Bussell, APR | CEO, Chernoff Newman
Melissa Flynn, APR | VP, Rawle Murdy Associates, Inc.
Kelly Davis,APR | President, Davis Public Relations and Marketing

11:20 a.m. Break

11:30 a.m. Panel Two | Emerging Technologies & Best Practices
Moderator: Reed Byrum, APR | Byrum Innovation Group
Panelists: Chad Norman | Internet Marketing Manager, Blackbaud
Randy Covington | Director, Newsplex
Chris Simpson | Digital Marketing Director, Blue Ion

12:20 p.m. Closing Remarks
Allison Skipper | S.C. State Ports Authority

Optional Lunch | Charleston Marriott | Saffire Dining Room

You may register two ways:
(1) Print out the registration form and send your check to SCPRSA.
(2) Register online by credit card.

The conference is $40 for SCPRSA members, $45 for non-members and $25 for students. You may also purchase conference tickets as part of the Mercury Awards package, which includes a banquet ticket!

WE'RE ON FACEBOOK!

We all hear that social media is increasingly important to public relations practitioners, right?! Well, come meet up with us...the Mercury Awards is on Facebook! While you're there, be sure to join our SCPRSA group as well.

YOU ARE CORIDALLY INVITED...

...to the 2008 Mercury Awards Banquet and Spring Conference, April 10-11, 2008!
Register online today!

124 S.C. ENTRIES COLLECTED!

You've submitted your best work, 124 entries in all! South Carolina's entries to the 2008 Mercury Awards have been sent to Knoxville, Tennessee's Volunteer Chapter, our reciprocal judging partner this year. Over the next week, PR pros from their chapter will mull over the entries and select the winning and runner-up entries from each category.

Stay tuned for your special invitation to the awards banquet!

ADDITIONAL JUDGING OPPORTUNITIES

The Lowcountry region will host two additional evenings next week to finalize judging the Volunteer Chapter's entries to their "V" Awards. We need judges of all levels of experience, and you don't have to be a PRSA member to help out.

WHEN: Tuesday, February 26 and Wednesday, February 27 beginning at 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: S.C. State Ports Authority Main Office, 176 Concord Street. Parking is available around the back of the building facing the water.
WHY: Get great ideas and see what it takes to put together an award entry!

Contact Kelly Hamilton or Adie Lee if you are able to help out! We REALLY appreciate it!

JUDGING VOLUNTEER UPDATE

The Lowcountry region will judge the Volunteer Chapter's "V" Awards entries next week!

WHEN: Tuesday, February 19 beginning at 6 p.m. and Wednesday, February 20 beginning at 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: S.C. State Ports Authority Main Office, 176 Concord Street. Parking is available around the back of the building facing the water.
WHY: Get great ideas and see what it takes to put together an award entry!

Contact Adie Lee if you are able to help out! We need about 12 volunteers each evening to get Knoxville's entries judged and returned.

JUDGING VOLUNTEERS WANTED!

This year, our reciprocal judging partner is the Volunteer Chapter in Knoxville, TN. The Volunteer Chapter recognizes their best communications work at the annual "V" Awards, which will be held the same evening as our Mercury Awards banquet - April 10!

The Knoxville entries have arrived in Charleston, so we are assembling a team of volunteers with all levels of experience - from new pros to senior practitioners - to help judge their work. If you are interested in helping judge, please contact Kelly Hamilton or Adie Lee, Judging Co-Chairs. All Knoxville entries will be judged the week of February 18th.

Judging is a great opportunity to scope out what other PR practitioners are doing, and maybe get a little inspiration that you can apply at your own company or for a client!

Thank you for your help!

MERCURY AWARDS READING ROOM

Since you now have a few extra days to put the finishing touches on your entries, how about checking out some of the winning entries from the 2007 Mercury Awards banquet? Thank you to the companies that agreed to share their work!

2007 Mercury Award Winners
Community Relations – Jackson-Dawson Marketing Solutions
Brand/Reputation Management – Palmetto Health Foundation
Public Affairs – S.C. Tobacco Collaborative
Marketing Consumer Products – Arcadia Publishing
Integrated Communications – Rawle Murdy Associates, Inc.

2007 Silver Wing Award Winners
Feature Stories – Jackson-Dawson Marketing Solutions
Creative Tactics – S.C. Tobacco Collaborative
Media Relations – Rawle Murdy Associates, Inc.

Best of luck to all those entering the competition! As always, if you have any questions, please contact Allison Skipper, 2008 Mercury Awards Chair, at 843.577.8121 or ASkipper@scspa.com.

ENTRY EXTENSION | FEBRUARY 13th

Need a little more time finishing your Mercury Award or Silver Wing entry? Have no fear - we are now extending the entry deadline to give you a few extra days to get your entries edited, revised and polished! Entries may be turned in through 5 p.m. on Wednesday, February 13th. Consider it an early Valentine from SCPRSA!

Refer to the Call for Entries document for all the details on award categories, requirements and associated entry fees. Also, check out the posts below for entry tips, and check back soon for our new, Mercury Awards Reading Room to view past Mercury winners!

PAST WINNERS SHARE THEIR WORK...

Now that you've heard what makes a winning entry from a judge's perspective (see previous 3 posts below), you'd probably like to see what a winning entry actually LOOKS like!

We are currently in the process of collecting 2007 winning entries from various categories to share with you online. Check back in the next week or so to get the links!

FINAL TIPS FROM A JUDGE'S PERSPECTIVE

Below are Nicole's final two tips, from her experience judging award entries from other PRSA chapers. We hope you find them helpful as you assemble your entries! Don't forget that entries are due by Friday, February 8! Refer to your CFE for all the details.

Tip #5: Less is absolutely more.
Judges should but do not focus on every word you’ve penned in your write up. Write concisely and aim for impact. Hit them with the situation and the cold, hard facts. Don’t use 10 or 11 or even 11.5 point type to make it fit. Rethink what a tired, weary stranger would find interesting and relevant and cut out the rest.

Tip #6: Use what you know about graphic design.
When you write less, you’ll free up more white space, which gives the eye a break. Instead of having three solid inches of copy under “research,” break the contents up into three smaller paragraphs with spaces between them. Pull goals, objectives and results out of the body copy to make them stand out. And bullets do this best:
• To increase the number of donations by 10% between September and December, 2007
• To decrease the number of complaints by 50% between March and August, 2007

Design Elements for Writers
Use your numbers, dollar signs and percent signs to help “carry” a judge’s eye through the copy. If they start skimming, they will stop and look at those elements. And breaking up the page with headings and lines does wonders for making the contents of the page more readable.

MORE TIPS FROM A JUDGE'S PERSPECTIVE

Today we bring you part 2 of Nicole's tips on what makes a winning entry.

Tip #3: Make the tactic or program obvious and accessible.
Don’t bury it in the back of the book after 25 pages of research and evaluation statistics. After all, judges really want to see your work and making them dig through the book to find it is frustrating.

Tip #4: Low budget doesn’t have to mean low impact.
It’s an unfortunate truth that low-budget pieces (although certainly not always low impact by default) have to really shine to compete with those four-color glossy embossed and dye cut pieces. The less visual impact a piece has, the more effort you need to put into getting it up front, accessible and clutter-free. So don’t force a 16-page black and white tabloid into a plastic sheet protector in the back of your book. Get it up front.

Two more tips to go! Check back for the latest information on all things Mercury.

TIPS FROM A JUDGE'S PERSPECTIVE

This entry is first in a series of tips provided by Nicole Stonecypher (BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina) in a previous SCPRSA luncheon, "My Work is Great, Why Didn't I Win That Award?" Nicole has judged entries by other PRSA chapter members and provides her perspective on what makes a winning entry.

Tip #1: Books are judged by their covers.
Use a cover page for your binder that contains all the entry information, entrant, agency, client and specific category. I hate to say it, but graphical elements (your company logo, PRSA chapter logo) make it appear that you took the time to be concerned with the total package. Or design a company template for all your entries that includes those elements. The judges will think your company/agency has it together and therefore that you have it together.

Tip #2: Don’t go overboard inside the book.
If you’re entering a tactic for Silver Wing, you don’t need a cover page and six divider pages – without tabs. Just give them your summary, your one-page write up, your tactic then any supporting materials. For Mercury and more comprehensive pieces, dividers with clearly labeled tabs do wonders for a judge’s patience.

CALL FOR ENTRIES ONLINE!

The Call for Entries for the 2008 Mercury Awards is now available online. Check it out!

SUPPORT THE MERCURY AWARDS!

Please consider partnering with us to champion excellence in public relations. As a sponsor, you receive several benefits including event tickets, promotion to our listserv of more than 1,000 PR and marketing practitioners in South Carolina, print and web advertising and more. Our sponsor levels and advertising rates can fit any budget.

Platinum Sponsor | $1,500 and above
• 4 complimentary tickets, Mercury Awards banquet
• Signage and podium recognition at the event
• Logo in SCPRSA blast e-mails (distribution of 1,000+) and on www.scprsa.org
• Logo and feature on Mercury Awards blog
• Full-page ad and listing in Mercury Awards commemorative booklet
• Inclusion in media relations (news releases, etc.)

Gold Sponsor | $1,000
• 2 complimentary tickets, Mercury Awards banquet
• Signage and podium recognition at the event
• Logo in SCPRSA blast e-mails (distribution of 1,000+), and on www.scprsa.org
• Logo and feature on Mercury Awards blog
• Half-page ad and listing in Mercury Awards commemorative booklet

Silver Sponsor | $500
• 2 complimentary tickets, Mercury Awards banquet
• Podium recognition at the event
• Name listed in SCPRSA blast e-mails (distribution of 1,000+), www.scprsa.org and Mercury Awards blog
• Quarter-page ad and listing in Mercury Awards commemorative booklet

Bronze Sponsor | $250
• Podium recognition at the event
• Name listed in SCPRSA blast e-mails (distribution of 1,000+), www.scprsa.organd Mercury Awards blog
• Quarter-page ad and listing in Mercury Awards commemorative booklet

In-Kind Sponsor | as negotiated

Want something a little simpler?
Purchase an ad in the Mercury Awards commemorative booklet!
Ad rates are as follows:
Full-Page | $300
Half-Page | $150
Quarter-Page | $75

Please contact Allison Skipper, 2008 Mercury Awards Chair, at (843) 577-8121 or askipper@scspa.com for more information on sponsorship opportunities, or to submit your ad for the commemorative booklet.

CALL FOR ENTRIES NEXT WEEK

Get ready! Our Call for Entries is slated for distribution next week! Remember that the campaign or tactic you enter must have been completed January 1-December 31, 2007. Be sure to bookmark this site and check back to get the latest information. In the meantime, check out last year's winners.