• Substantial leadership (7-10 years), holding successive roles in the field of public relations or communications.
• Demonstrates how the individual uses benchmarking, innovation, and big-picture thinking to elevates the practice of public relations or communications.
• Explains how the individuals achieves impact in their area of practice (i.e. government relations, donor relations, media relations, corporate communications, crisis communications, client experience, etc.).
• Expresses the individual’s commitment to continual learning and professional development.
• Demonstrates how the individual is committed to ethical practice of public relations or communications.
• Demonstrates how the individual gives back to the public relations and communications field through volunteerism.
• Demonstrates how the individual promotes excellence in the field of public relations or communications through a unique thought leadership perspective.

Emerging Communications Leader

• Shows a commitment to practicing communications strategically and ethically by demonstrated study or certification in public relations or communications.
• Highlights three examples of work that showed high impact results with measurable outcomes to drive organizational success.
• Demonstrated how the individual responded to challenges with a solutions-oriented mindset.
• Explains how the individual sought guidance and integrated feedback from their manager and.or peers.
• Demonstrates that the individual applies a strategic mindset.
• The individual is within six years or less of practicing public relations or communications.

Mentor of the Year  

• Showcases how the mentor applied their experience, and/or academic knowledge to their mentee.
• Mentorship occurred within the last two years.
• Describes how the mentor fostered an ethical mindset with their mentee.
• Describes the lasting impact that the mentor had on the mentee that will support future generations of communications professionals.
• Demonstrates how the mentor encouraged their mentee to consider situations through a strategic and critical lens.
• Demonstrates how the mentor modeled decision-making benefits, consequences and obligations of a communications practitioner towards their organization and stakeholders.
• Showcases the progress that the mentee has made in their public relations or communications career because of the mentorship.
• Captures unique qualities of the mentor and their approach to mentorship
• Showcases the mentor’s openness to learning from their mentee in addition to sharing their own expertise.
• Describes how the mentor created a safe, welcoming space for the mentee to grow and learn.

Outstanding Contribution – Reconciliation, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

• Demonstrates alignment with the organization’s strategic objectives in relation to reconciliation or EDI contributions.
• Identifies outcomes the organization achieved owing to a direct (or correlated) involvement of public relations or communication management strategy. 
• Explains the public relations or communication approach (methodology) used to roll-out the strategy.

Outstanding Contribution – Engagement

• Demonstrates alignment with the organization’s strategic objectives in relation to public participation, community engagement, citizen engagement etc.
• Identifies outcomes the organization achieved owing to a direct (or correlated) involvement of public relations or communication management strategy. 
• Explains the public participation/community engagement approach and intersection with public relations or communication to roll-out the strategy.

Outstanding Contribution – Change Management