FAQs

Here are answers to com­monly asked ques­tions about the Pub­lic­ity Club of Chicago Golden Trum­pet Awards.

Have a ques­tion not answered here? Ask us at office@publicity.org or 773/463‑5560.

 

 

What are the awards presented?

From com­mu­nity rela­tions and spe­cial events to cri­sis PR and new media, awards pre­sented in 22 cat­e­gories are:

  • Golden Trum­pet Awards for out­stand­ing achievement.
  • Sil­ver Trum­pet Awards for dis­tin­guished achievement.

Top awards pre­sented are:

  • The Brand Builder Award for the pro­gram that has sig­nif­i­cantly enhanced and pro­moted a brand for an orga­ni­za­tion, prod­uct or service.
  • The Qual­ity of Life Award for the pro­gram with the fore­most con­tri­bu­tion to improv­ing the qual­ity of life in our soci­ety through pub­lic relations.
  • The Cre­ativ­ity Award for excep­tional cre­ativ­ity in a pub­lic rela­tions program.
  • The Plat­inum Award for the year’s best over­all pub­lic rela­tions program.

Who’s eli­gi­ble to enter?

  • You—if you are a pro­fes­sional pub­lic rela­tions and com­mu­ni­ca­tions prac­ti­tioner, self-employed prac­ti­tioner or a pro­fes­sional retained by an orga­ni­za­tion doing busi­ness within 500 miles of Chicago.

What pro­grams can I enter?

  • For a full list of pro­gram cat­e­gories, down­load the Call for Entries brochure and entry form.
  • Pro­grams must have been con­ducted between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2009.
  • Activ­i­ties ini­ti­ated prior to Jan. 1, 2009, with results extend­ing into 2009 are eligible.

When is the entry dead­line? Any other impor­tant dates?

  • Feb. 8, 2010: Entries must be received (not post­marked) at the PCC office no later than 5 p.m.
  • March 22, 2010: Win­ners will be noti­fied on a con­fi­den­tial basis via let­ter by this week.
  • May 7, 2010: The 2010 Pub­lic­ity Club of Chicago Awards Lun­cheon at The Palmer House Hilton, Chicago.

How are win­ners selected?

  • Each cat­e­gory is judged by a panel of expert com­mu­ni­ca­tions pro­fes­sion­als. Many are mem­bers of the Pub­lic­ity Club of Chicago and related orga­ni­za­tions, includ­ing the Pub­lic Rela­tions Soci­ety of Amer­ica and the Inter­na­tional Asso­ci­a­tion of Busi­ness Communicators.
  • Judges fol­low strict pro­ce­dures and each entry is judged and scored by three sep­a­rate judges.

What cri­te­ria do the judges use?

  • Judg­ing is scored on objec­tives, tech­niques, cre­ativ­ity, results and return on investment.
  • Entries are not judged against each other. Each entry is judged on stan­dards of excellence.
  • More than one Golden Trum­pet and one Sil­ver Trum­pet may be awarded in each category.
  • If no entry in a cat­e­gory is deemed wor­thy, no award will be granted.

What are the fees?

  • PCC mem­bers and cor­po­rate mem­bers: $140 for first entry, $90 for each sub­se­quent entry
  • Non-PCC mem­bers: $190 for first entry, $140 for each sub­se­quent entry

If you’re not a PCC mem­ber but plan to enter, con­sider this: $50 of your entry fee can be applied toward the cost of a new PCC mem­ber­ship. Call us at 773–463-5560 for details! Note that absolutely no refunds are given.

Good luck!