Report Jamaica PR Champions Awards
On November 3, President Delmares White, Past President Mark Thomas and members Gerrard McDaniel and Gwyneth Davidson scored submissions for the Jamaica PR Champions awards. Six persons from 14 were selected as PR Champions.
The competition recognizes non-practitioners in nine selected subject areas who consistently pursue healthy relationships between their organisations and their stakeholders by encouraging good public relations in their core organisational practices.
The awards ceremony is being proposed for early in 2012.
The Awardees
Business - The Honourable Lascelles Chin, OJ for consistently leveraging public relations that connect with customers in his group of companies; these include outstanding initiatives in promoting national core values.
Government -Security - Commissioner of Police, Owen Ellington OD strategically moved the Force closer to the public through corporate communication and by maintaining a healthy relationship with the media. He excels in the in the media interview. He has consistently promoted national core values in handling controversial issues related to law enforcement.
Government - Health - Dr Sheila Forrester Campbell for consistently promoting national core values by promoting open and consistent communication in matters related to public health during her tenure as Chief Medical Officer. She is an informed and consistent source for the media interview.
Media - Garfield Grandison’s outstanding commitment to national core values happened when the agency unequivocally apologized for its handling of its reportage of material released by whistleblower website, Wikileaks. Under his leadership there have been many initiatives to regularly include more voices and issues into coverage.
Business - Professor Rosalea Hamilton successfully engaged a wide cross section of stakeholders to form the small business conglomerate, The Medium Small and Micro Enterprise Alliance (MSME). She lobbied for the MSME to be a part of the national Partnership for Transformation. She excels in delivering speeches and the media interview.
Education - Vice Chairman of HEART NTA, Principal Ruel Reid, is a recognised voice that articulates efforts to transform education. Mr Reid has demonstrated core national values in being a part of the team that brought stakeholders of Jamaica College together to improve the delivery of education. He excels in the media interview and also in public speaking.
Reviewers Report
PRSJ Jamaica
Overview
Past and present executive members of the PRSJ were invited to participate on the Jamaica PR Champion awards committee. The volunteer members were: President, Delmares White; Executive Vice President, Christopher Benjamin; Past Presidents Mark Thomas, Dayner Clarke and Bev Josephs; past executive member Gerrard McDaniel and Gwyneth Davidson; UWI Mona PR Head Dr Carrole Edwards.
The team agreed on the format and nomination process; the questions to be asked and the date for reviews. Dr Edwards could not be present at the review date and Past President of the IABC Caribbean - Jamaica
More than 150 Public Relations practitioners in Jamaica
No professional affiliation was necessary to submit nominees. The five questions which were asked are attached to this document.
The Review
Four members of the review committee reviewed the 14 submissions between 6:00p.m. and 800p.m. on November 3. The four members were: Past President Mark Thomas, President Delmares White, former executive member Gerrard McDaniel and past executive member and current moderator, Gwyneth Davidson.
An agreed scoring system was decided before any nominations were reviewed. The system is set out below:
| | Total Possible Score 100 |
| Media Interview | 10 |
| Speechmaking | 10 |
| Crises | 10 |
| National Values | 10 |
| | |
| Overall assessment | 60 |
Each judge was given the comments of the nominees to read and apply his or her own knowledge of the nominee to arrive at individual scores.
The scores per nominee were added for each reviewer and then divided by four to find the average score. It was decided that any nominee with a score above 80 would be invited to accept the award of Jamaica PR Champion.
Of the 14 persons nominated, 12 went forward. Two were not scored: one was not nominated by a known PR person and that nominee is in a PR position; the other person was not known by the reviewers and the rationale that was sent forward by the nominee did not provide sufficient information for a fair review.
Based on the results the persons who achieved 80 and above are:
| | First Name | Last Name |
| 1 | Lascelles | Chin |
| 2 | Owen | Ellington |
| 3 | Sheila | Forrester Campbell |
| 4 | | Grandison |
| 5 | Rosalea | |
| 6 | Ruel | Reid |
Signed
PRSJ
The Questionnaire
Dear Colleague,
Public relations practitioners in Jamaica
The PRSJ will recognise their achievements with the "PR Champions" award.
The award will be bestowed on November 17 2011 at a PRSJ networking event in the Jampro training room.
A team of five eminent practitioners selected from the PRSJ and IABC-Caribbean Executive and PRSJ Past Presidents corps will review each questionnaire and arrive on the nine PR Champions.
We invite you to complete this short questionnaire that will allow the PRSJ to promote good public relations practices.
Do enjoy the process,
The Public Relations Society of Jamaica
Question 1
Who is your nominee?
Question 2
Select the one field of assessment that applies to your nominee
Politics; Security; Executive in Buiness the public sector NGO; Education; Health, Tourism, Media, Sports.
Question 3
Say in which areas your nominee has excelled.
Question 4
In 200 to 300 words (about a page), state examples that support your view that your nominee has excelled in one or all the areas of the media interview, speechmaking, crisis management, promotion of national goals as outlined in Vision 2030.
Jamaicans are empowered to achieve their fullest potential;
The Jamaican society is secure, cohesive and just;
The Jamaican economy is prosperous;
Jamaica
Question 5
What is your name?
/PRSJ
