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Entering the 2024 Student Classics Awards
Table of Contents
Eligibility | Fees & Deadlines | Entry & Contact | Entry Materials
Entry Description | Payment Instructions | Judging Criteria | Questions to Consider | Questions?
The majority of an entry’s work must have been completed between January 2023 and January 2024. The PRSA Student Classics Awards competition is not limited to PRSSA members.
Entries are encouraged from all communication, public relations, marketing and advertising students in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
The deadline for Student Classics is Friday, March 8, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. CT. Finalists will be contacted via email in March/April 2024.
Entries are free for PRSSA members and $25 per entry for non-members if submitted by the standard deadline.
Entries will be submitted via the online entry portal. Determine the entry category that is most appropriate for the project or program you’ll be submitting.
While an entry may be appropriate for more than one category, entrants should examine program objectives and target audiences in order to select one category. If an entry is in an obviously incorrect category, judges may move the entry at their discretion.
Each entrant must also provide contact information, including name, address, phone and email. If you’re submitting an entry on behalf of a duo or a group, please list all names involved and the name of your group.
Entry Summary: Write a concise summary for each entry. Prepare the summary carefully, as the judges will review it closely. The summary is the single most important element of the Classics entry.
- The summary should be uploaded via the online entry form as a PDF or Word document, no larger than 50 MB.
- The summary must be no longer than one typed page.
- The summary should be typed using no smaller than a 10-point typeface.
- Summaries must address the Judging Criteria outlined below.
Required Supporting Materials: You must include at least one supporting document, with no more than 10 supporting documents, referred to in the entry summary. For example, if you refer to a public relations planning document, a copy of the plan should be uploaded.
Other examples of supporting materials include photos, reports, media placements and samples of tactical materials. Many common file types are allowed, such as PDF, DOC, JPEG, MPEG and others.
Each document must be less than 50MB. If you have larger files, please post them to an accessible location (such as YouTube) and include a link within the “Optional: Supporting URL links” section within the online entry form.
Optional Supporting URL links: You also have the option of uploading up to five URL links to include with the supporting materials. Links are encouraged in online categories, such as Digital and Social Media.
- 100-word Summary: You must include a 100-word summary describing your project via the online entry form. This will be used to describe your entry in the banquet program if it is a Classics finalist. NOTE: If your summary is longer than 100 words, we will only use the first 100 words. Please check your word count.
- Fun Fact: Include one fun fact about your entry that could be used during the banquet if your entry wins.
- Entry image: Please upload one high-resolution JPEG photo to display during the banquet if your entry wins. The high-res JPEG must be less than 50Mb. This entry image should not be the brand or company logo, but should be representative of the program or campaign.
Please be sure to clearly label all files with the entry title using the following format: “Category_Project Title”
Online Payment Instructions: You can pay for multiple entries directly on the online submission form. Entry fees are nonrefundable, even if the entry becomes disqualified. If you are unable to pay online, please contact office@minnesotaprsa.org.
- Student PRSSA member: FREE
- Student non-member: $25
- The entry summary must include a statement of objectives, budget, resources used, timeline, quantity produced (if applicable) and audience.
- Judging will be based on content, creativity, production quality, technical excellence and appropriateness for the declared audience.
- Describe why the project was created. What was the situation on which the project/element is based?
- A description of research is optional, but should be included if applicable.
- Outline the results or impact this piece had in relation to the overall project or ongoing program.
- Also, consider any specific information requested under individual Classics categories.
Questions to Consider for Summary (not applicable for every entry)
Research: Was research used to identify an opportunity or was it in response to a current or potential problem? Did research findings help re-define the situation? How did the findings help define the audience(s)?
Planning: Who was involved in the planning? What was the plan? How do the plans correlate to the research findings? What are the specific objectives of the program? Who were the target audiences? What was the overall strategy employed? What measurement criteria did you establish to evaluate success? What was your budget?
Execution: How were the plans executed? In general terms, how did the activities flow? What materials were used? Were any difficulties encountered, and if so, how were they handled? Was the budget adjusted during execution, and if so, why and how? Were other organizations involved? Were non-public relations tactics, such as advertising employed?
Evaluation: What were the results? To what degree, and in what way(s), did the program meet its objectives? What methods were used to identify, analyze and quantify results? How are results related to research findings? How are results related to strategic objectives?
Additional information about the entry preparation process can be found on the Student Classics Frequently Asked Questions page.
If you have additional questions, please contact office@minnesotaprsa.org.