Reinventing the Anvil Awards

[Editor’s note: the following is a message from the Public Relations Society of the Philippines]

A credible and prestigious recognition program is dynamic. It flows with the times so that while its relevance is not diminished, its value increases in time. Such is the Anvil Awards, reinventing itself on its 52nd year.

As Public Relations (PR) professionals, we are expected to be ethical, competent, possessing the right attitude, and in the pink of health. For how else can we perform effectively, if we are not mindful of these basic attributes?

We are called to give our best, be creative, and come up with programs and tools that should benefit the public and our organizations.

Or, we sustain our advocacies because we believe in their social relevance and impact, even as we live up to the definition of PR as simply doing good and telling it well.

Or, it covers a multitude to benefit in such undertaking. Indeed, our objectives will bear us year in, and year out. That is why we validate our PR efforts in front of a multi-sectoral jury to determine whether we make sense, we walk the talk, or more importantly, we have touched the hearts and minds of our constituents.

This year, Anvil Chairperson Rochelle Gamboa, APR, reiterated three important criteria for entries to vie for the top awards: result and social impact, sustainability, and innovation.

We define results and social impact as an entry having a wide geographical reach, having generated the greatest degree of change, overcoming a considerable degree of difficulty, and solving an important and/or imminent business need or societal ill.

Sustainability means a PR program can be replicated beyond the short term until the desired change is affected. Also, it also points to having a track record of being an effective PR program as seen in winning several awards through the years.

A program is innovative if it is trailblazing and game-changing.

These are what it takes to be a winner. One must continue to re-invent itself to challenge the odds and succeed. I offer discipline and commitment as guiding attitudes to continue winning and while building a better world.

Out of the more than 400 entries, a little more than 50% made it to the winners list. Such a mortality rate is not unusual as professional Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) screeners/members saw to it that only the “best” would make it to the jurors’ final scrutiny. 

We have dubbed the Anvil Awards as the “Oscar” of Philippine Public Relations, and indeed to receive such a trophy or trophies during the Gabi ng Parangal is the summit of a year-long PR journey. We bring along our bosses and top management to share the moment. And the trophy we receive that night becomes a bragging right the morning after.

There is no limit as to what a PR person can do to relate, to care with all sincerity, with all authenticity. For so long as we are grounded in identifying our stakeholders and by writing down the right objectives, our strategy and action plans will bear excellent results, at reasonable budgets. Our daily involvement becomes fruitful when we are focused and productive, hardworking and a teamplayer.