• 2025 ASPRA*tion Awards

    Each year, the Arizona School Public Relations Association (ASPRA) recognizes standards of excellence in school public relations through its ASPRA*tion Awards. Winning entries will demonstrate how sound public relations principles, creativity, and a commitment to improving communications were used in pursuit of organizational goals.

    Activities and projects must have been underway or completed between August 2023 and November 2024. All entries must be submitted through the Open Water platform.

    Awards submission timeline:

    • Award submissions will open on Friday, October 11, 2024
    • Award submissions will close at midnight on Monday, November 11, 2024
    • Extension period: Submissions after November 11th will be accepted for an additional fee of $10 per entry and must be submitted no later than midnight on Monday, November 18, 2024. There will be NO further extensions after Monday, November 18, 2024. 

    This award program is being hosted on the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) awards platform.

    If you have an account with the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA), you may use the "Login (NSPRA) button below.

    If you do not, you may use the "Skip and Login as Guest". NOTE: Using this option will NOT allow you to save and return to a submission to finalize at a later time. If you'd like the option to save and return to a submission, please follow the prompts to create an NSPRA account after clicking the "Login (NSPRA)". You do NOT need to be a member of NSPRA to create an account.

    COPPER MEDALLION

    Entry fees: 

    • $50 member - $75 non-member. 
    • Extension period - $60 member/$85 non-member

    This award is for comprehensive and well-planned, organization-wide public relations programs that address internal and external audiences with a mix of effective methods.
    Entries should summarize the scope of the public relations program, including goals for the program, projects and activities and types of evaluation used to monitor success and the program results. (Note: A comprehensive public relations program is defined as the overall plan for a district, school or agency, or a plan for a specific comprehensive program.) An organization-wide program is larger than a project. (Projects should be entered in the Publications and Electronic Media Award category.)

    CRITERIA

    • Research. Entry demonstrates an objective interpretation of research data upon which goals, objectives, strategies and tactics are later determined.
    • Planning. Entry demonstrates a comprehensive public relations plan that reflects the organization’s needs and the appropriate sequencing of plan elements. Entry identifies appropriate audiences and the concerns of each. This section should include your objective – who will do what, by when, and how much?
    • Implementation. Entry demonstrates a clear distinction between objectives and goals, and the difference between strategies and tactics. Entry demonstrates a prioritization and sequencing of communications to the different audiences and tailors the message to each identified audience.
    • Evaluation. Entry demonstrates if, and the extent to which, the results or outcomes of the public relations programs were accomplished. The entry includes the program’s informational, motivational, and behavioral objectives and how they were measured using qualitative and quantitative methodologies.

    Examples of Copper Medallion Award entries:

    • An overall comprehensive public relations plan for an organization
    • A public relations plan for an organization-wide volunteer program
    • A public relations plan for a bond/override election
    • A public relations plan for changing school or district boundaries, or opening a new school
    • A public relations plan for an organization-wide parent involvement program, etc.

    GUIDELINES

    • Entrants must read the guidelines carefully. Failure to follow the guidelines may result in point reduction or disqualification.
    • Brevity, clarity of concept, good writing and evidence of objective evaluation of your program are factors judges use in evaluating entries.
    • Entries must not exceed 12 pages, including synopsis and supporting evidence. You may include charts, pictures or other evidence of your plan and its effectiveness; however, you cannot exceed your total page limit for your entry.

    GOVERNING BOARD FOR CONTRIBUTIONS
    TO PUBLIC RELATIONS

    Entry fees: 

    • $50 member - $75 non-member. 
    • Extension period - $60 member/$85 non-member

    CRITERIA

    • Demonstrates commitment to good communications Demonstrates support of school public relations through:
      • Budgetary support of a school public relations office and its professionals
      • Clear support of overall public relations plan
      • Making public relations a key component of the district’s strategic plan
    • Demonstrates exceptional understanding of PR principles. 
    • Demonstrates leadership and high ideals of professionalism.
    • Demonstrates the ability to work with staff, parents and community for the benefit of students.

    GUIDELINES

    • Entries will be judged against each other and the criteria. A single award will be made in this category for the entire school board of a school district.
    • Include an overview addressing the criteria and attach any supporting evidence or materials.
    • Each entry requires a URL to the piece(s) you are entering. We recommend hosting your entry on your district website or a cloud storage website like Google Drive. Judges will access your finished work via the URL you provide during the application process.
    • Governing Boards that have received this award in the past four years are not eligible.

    SUPERINTENDENT FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO PUBLIC RELATIONS

    Entry fees: 

    • $50 member - $75 non-member. 
    • Extension period - $60 member/$85 non-member

    CRITERIA

    • Demonstrates commitment to good communications Demonstrates support of school public relations through:
      • Budgetary support of a school public relations office and its professionals
      • Clear support of overall public relations plan
      • Making public relations a key component of the district’s strategic plan
    • Demonstrates exceptional understanding of PR principles. 
    • Demonstrates leadership and high ideals of professionalism.
    • Demonstrates the ability to work with staff, parents and community for the benefit of students.

    GUIDELINES

    • Entries will be judged against each other and the criteria. A single award will be made in this category for one superintendent of a school district.
    • Include an overview addressing the criteria and attach any supporting evidence or materials.

    ADVOCACY AND POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS
    TO PUBLIC EDUCATION

    Entry fees: 

    • $50 member - $75 non-member. 
    • Extension period - $60 member/$85 non-member

    CRITERIA
    Any individual who demonstrates support for education through legislative actions, lobbying efforts and involvement with local school districts and communities for the benefit of students.

    GUIDELINES

    • Entries will be judged against each other and the criteria. Multiple recipients may be awarded.
    • Include an overview addressing the criteria, and attach any supporting evidence or materials.

    NEWS MEDIA FOR EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION REPORTING

    Entry fees: 

    • $50 member - $75 non-member. 
    • Extension period - $60 member/$85 non-member

    CRITERIA

    • Reporter provides consistent and accurate reporting on education (this includes a specific story or series on a particular topic)
    • Reporter is fair, accurate and objective.
    • Reporter maintains a high degree of professionalism.
    • Reporter increases public understanding of the inherent values of education, particularly in Arizona.
    • Reporter informs and educates readership on the roles of education in society.
    • Reporter discloses practices or procedures in need of correction or improvement to encourage and promote local, state and national efforts to improve education

    GUIDELINES

    • Entries will be judged against each other and the criteria. 
    • Multiple recipients may be awarded.
    • Include an overview addressing the criteria, and attach any supporting evidence or materials.
    • ASPRA members are not eligible for this award

    INDIVIDUAL, BUSINESS, FOUNDATION OR CIVIC/COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS
    TO PUBLIC EDUCATION

    Entry fees: 

    • $50 member - $75 non-member. 
    • Extension period - $60 member/$85 non-member

    CRITERIA

    • Demonstrates support through resources, contributions and/or assistance.
    • Provides community awareness and/or programs.
    • Demonstrates commitment to good communications.
    • Demonstrates support of school public relations.
    • Demonstrates exceptional understanding of public relations principles
    • Demonstrates leadership and high ideals of professionalism.
    • Demonstrates the ability to work with staff, parents and community for the benefit of students.
    • Nominee is not currently employed by a school district in a communications position

    GUIDELINES

    • Entries will be judged against each other and the criteria. Multiple recipients may be awarded.
    • Include an overview addressing the criteria, and attach any supporting evidence or materials.
    • ASPRA members are not eligible for this award

     

    NEW THIS YEAR

    RISING STAR IN SCHOOL PR AWARD

    Entry fees: 

    • $50 member - $75 non-member. 
    • Extension period - $60 member/$85 non-member

    CRITERIA

    • Candidates should meet the following criteria:
      • Experience: Must have 1-5 years of experience in school public relations.
      • Achievements: Demonstrated significant achievements in their role, such as successful campaigns, innovative communication strategies, or impactful community engagement initiatives.
      • Professional Development: Active participation in professional development opportunities, such as workshops, conferences, or further education.
      • Peer and Supervisor Recommendations: Nominations must include recommendations from peers and supervisors highlighting the candidate’s contributions and potential.
    • Entries will be judged against each other and the criteria. No more than one recipient may be awarded.
    • Include an overview addressing the criteria, and attach any supporting evidence or materials.

     

    ASPRA SCHOOL COMMUNICATOR OF THE YEAR

    Entry Fee: None

    Notes: 

    • The winner of the ASPRA School Communicator of the Year Award will be eligible for the NSPRA School Communicator of the Year Award. Information about the national award is available at nspra.org.
    • This category will be judged by a volunteer panel of former ASPRA chapter presidents.
    • Members can nominate themselves or other members for this award.

    NOMINEE REQUIREMENTS

    • Nominees must have five years working in the school PR profession.
    • Nominees must have three years in good standing with ASPRA.
    • Nominees must hold a professional membership in NSPRA.

    JUDGING CRITERIA

    The chapter criteria below aligns with NSPRA’s criteria for the national award:

    • Leadership: Demonstrated leadership in successfully meeting the communication needs of their school system or educational service agency. Examples may include leading successful communication campaigns, overcoming an internal communication challenge or creating a robust strategic communication plan. 
    • Communication: Demonstrated strength in both personal and organizational communication. Examples may include evidence of persuasion, the power of engagement or influence in decision making. 
    • Professionalism: Constant improvement of knowledge and skills, while providing professional development opportunities and mentoring to others. Examples may include achieving accreditation in public relations (APR), participating in NSPRA’s Mentor Match program, attending and/or participating in ASPRA events, or serving as a speaker at the chapter or national level. 
    • Community Involvement: Active participation in their local community activities and an understanding of regional, national and international issues. Examples may include volunteering in their local community, organizing a fund-raising event for their community or writing an article that demonstrates broad knowledge of the complexities of public education. 

    NOMINATION GUIDELINES

    • Entries will be judged against each other and the criteria. 
    • No more than one recipient will be awarded.

    Nomination must include:

    • An overview addressing the criteria.
    • Links to any supporting evidence or materials.
    • A letter of recommendation from the Director or Superintendent.
    • Letters of recommendation letter from two of the following groups:
      • Volunteer Organization
      • Business Partner
      • Civic Organization
    • Current members of the NSPRA Executive Board are not eligible for the ASPRA or NSPRA School Communicator of the Year Award.

    PUBLICATIONS & ELECTRONIC MEDIA

    Entry fees: 

    • $30 member - $50 non-member. 
    • Extension period - $40 member/$60 non-member

    CATEGORIES:

    Annual Report / Finance Publication - Annual report published once a year to summarize district accomplishments and to meet accountability requirements set by the state; publication developed to communicate and create understanding about school funding, taxes, school and district uses of revenue, etc. 

    Branding/Image Package - Materials designed to promote the district brand (e.g., logos, taglines, etc.). Multiple assets may be submitted to demonstrate the brand identity.  Entry should include an image file of the brand identity (logo, tagline, etc.) as well as at least one example of the brand identity in use (e.g., website homepage, brochure, letterhead, business card, email signature, building signage, etc)

    Infographic - Graphic images used to represent complex information or data in a quick, impactful way. Submit ONE infographic per entry.

    Multicultural Outreach/Campaign - Communication efforts designed to engage specific populations that demonstrate cultural competency and demonstrate an understanding of community (such as outreach to refugee communities, Native American engagement, DACA, etc.). This does not include general purpose publications that are typically translated. 

    Multimedia Marketing Campaign - Materials to communicate an organization’s special qualities with the intent to make it appealing to potential customers, employees or stakeholders (such as campaigns to increase enrollment, attract employees or engage the community). Publications, videos and other electronic materials as part of a campaign will be accepted.

    Newsletter (printed or electronic) - External or internal, published periodically. TWO different issues of the newsletter must be submitted to qualify as one entry. Links to additional issues may be submitted but are optional. 

    Photography - Entries can be a single photograph or a group of up to five photographs. Images are judged on overall quality, artistic presentation and storytelling effectiveness. 

    Podcast/Audio - School or district podcast episode. Submit ONE podcast per entry.

    Social Media - Social media communication campaign or collection of posts that effectively use social media for awareness, fundraising, enrollment drives, or other strategic objectives. Upload a one-page explanation that includes the following: overview/purpose of the campaign/posts; links to the social media content; relevant analytics that demonstrate the level of engagement with the social media content; and description of the outcomes achieved.

    Special Purpose Publication - One-time or annual external or internal booklet, brochure, magazine, poster or other materials developed for a unique event, program, issue or other purpose. 

    Video (Series) - A video series designed for a website, social media, video channel, special event, etc. Videos can be submitted as an MP4 file, but if the file size is larger than 25MB, provide a link to the video from a website, YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive, etc. Submit UP TO five videos per entry.

    Video (Singular) - A video recording or live broadcast designed for a website, social media, video channel, special event, etc. Videos can be submitted as MP4 files, but if the file size is larger than 25MB, provide a link to the video from a website, YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive, etc. Submit ONE video per entry.

    Website (internet or intranet) - Existing website if not previously entered in an NSPRA awards program, website redesign project, special purpose or short-term project website. Intranet website entries must include password or other login information so judges can access the site. Submit ONE website per entry.

    Writing - One article from a newsletter, newspaper op-ed piece, website, editorial or speech. Length of 500 to 5,000 words. Submit only the relevant article, not an entire publication. Submit ONE article per entry.