A Blacksmith can be a Stepping Stone to Even Greater Recognition
Posted on Dec. 15, 2023 / Blacksmith Awards / Subscribe 0
Entering the Blacksmith Awards, and then receiving one, is nothing short of a great accomplishment. It means your PR work has been judged as the best of the best in the Greater Cincinnati region. But the recognition doesn’t need to stop there. Use your award-winning application to go for something bigger – using PRSA’s national and regional awards programs – and to recognize your team, organization, and clients.
In 2017, Cincinnati PRSA made some significant changes to the Blacksmith Awards. While one change was using a fully functional online submission portal for the first time, we also made some changes to the entry categories. We didn’t do it to be different – in fact, we did it to be similar – similar to even higher-level Awards you can earn within PRSA. Even today, as we plan for our 2020 awards, we review categories, continuing to update them based on criteria for those regional and national awards
Our campaign categories are based on those for the Silver Anvil Awards – the PRSA national program for campaign awards. The tactics categories are based on those for the Bronze Anvil Awards – the PRSA national program for tactic awards. That means you don’t need to fully re-create Blacksmith entries to enter them in one of the Anvils – the base can be the same, with tweaks made specific to the format for the Anvils. Some of the criteria for the Anvils are also just like the Blacksmiths – requiring a summary with a maximum of two pages for campaigns, and a one-page summary for tactics.
“We were so proud of the work we did on the Weathering the Storm podcast, and appreciative of the help we got from the community in telling their stories. Winning the Blacksmith Award was a testament to our commitment to telling their stories honestly and carefully. With over 2000 downloads in one year, our labor of love project has reached many others and hopefully speaks to the human ability and a community’s ability to survive and overcome difficult situations. The tremendous acknowledgment by our peers of this superior work was gratifying and has motivated us to continue to share our community members’ oral stories and histories.”
— Faith Lynch, APR - Communications and Engagement Coordinator for the City of Montgomery, Ohio.
But there’s also a step in-between, the Diamond Awards, which recognize those within the East Central District of PRSA (IN, KY, OH, Western PA, and WV). These awards also use similar categories in most instances. The Diamond Awards also share similar deadlines as the Blacksmiths, meaning drafting an entry for the Blacksmiths, and tweaking it for the Diamond Awards, can all be done at the same time. The Blacksmith Awards and Diamond Awards even use the same judging criteria, so the number of changes to enter in both are very minimal.
By entering the Blacksmiths, you are also demonstrating to your team, client or organization that they are the best of the best. Submitting an award builds team morale because you are stating that you believe in the mission and that the work you do has an impact. It also shows you and your team, organization or client, exemplifies best practices in the field of public relations. Professionally, having been awarded one or multiple PR awards also shows that you are a leader in the field.
While planning your next great campaign, take a minute to download the Blacksmith Award specifications. By keeping these in mind as your work through your campaign, it will be easier to write and submit your entry. And with a few tweaks, it's ready for the other awards offered by PRSA.
Whether highlighting your efforts as a leader in your field, morale-boosting, or resume building, with a little time and effort, the reasons to enter the Blacksmiths – and the Diamond Awards and Anvils – are endless.
Looking to start thinking about preparing your Blacksmiths application, but need some inspiration or tips? Visit our YouTube Channel, where three past winners share tips for preparing entries.
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