2026 Award Information
PRSA Alaska Chapter’s annual award competition encourages professional public relations performance and technique, and acknowledges exemplary work in the field.
Join us for the Aurora Awards Celebration | Oct. 1, 2026 | Alaska Native Heritage Center
Important Dates
- June 17: Entries open
- July 1: Early entry deadline
- July 6 – August 3: Judging of sister chapter award entries
- July 22: Late entry deadline. All entries submitted after Jul 1, up through July 22, will have an additional $25 late entry fee. Any work submitted after 11:59 p.m. AKDT on July 22 will not be accepted.
- Oct 1: Aurora Awards Celebration and winner announcements
Aurora Awards
- For comprehensive public relations campaigns that successfully communicate a message using a variety of tools, programs and components.
- APRs’ Choice – All Aurora Award nominations will be automatically included in this category. Alaska’s APRs will vote for the people’s choice award winner.
- Grand Aurora Award – Aurora Award nomination that earned the highest score by the judges. Award receives complimentary entry into PRSA’s Silver Anvil competition.
Award of Excellence
- For single public relations tools. This award recognizes the design, creation and production of such items.
- Grand Award of Excellence – Award of Excellence nomination that earned the highest score by the judges. Award receives complimentary entry into PRSA’s Bronze Anvil competition.
What may be submitted
The bulk of the work must have taken place between July 2025 and June 2026.
If this body of work has been submitted for award consideration in a previous year, this year’s nomination should demonstrate what is new or different, along with a notable improvement over previous measurable objectives.
Who can submit
All practitioners, companies and organizations are encouraged to submit multiple entries for Aurora Awards and Awards of Excellence.
Individual Awards
- PR Communicator of the Year – Recognizes a member who has made significant contributions to the public relations profession and the community.
- Bruce Pozzi Chapter Service Award – Recognizes a member whose service to the Alaska Chapter has been significantly above and beyond expectations during the previous year(s) of service.
- Vivian Hamilton Professional Promise Award – Recognizes an outstanding young active chapter member.
Anyone can nominate a chapter member for an individual award.
Cost per Nomination
Aurora Awards
- PRSA members – $60
- Non-members – $80
- Students – Free!
All Aurora Award entries are automatically considered for the APRs’ Choice and Grand Aurora Award for no extra charge.
Awards of Excellence
- PRSA members – $50
- Non-members – $70
- Students – Free!
All Award of Excellence entries are automatically considered for the Grand Award of Excellence for no extra charge.
Individual Awards
There is no cost to submit a nomination for an individual award.
How the work is judged
Each year, PRSA Alaska is paired with a PRSA sister chapter that judges entries in the awards program. In 2026, the PRSA Greater Cleveland Chapter is scheduled to judge our awards. All decisions by judges are final.
Winner announcement
Award winners will be announced during a special Aurora Awards Celebration held on Oct. 1, 2026, at the Alaska Native Heritage Center.
Sister chapter judging
Similar to how our work is judged, we review award nominations for PRSA Las Vegas Chapter. We need volunteers to support this effort.
Serving as a judge gives you an opportunity to see outstanding work in another part of the country. As a volunteer judge, you will be assigned to digitally review a certain number of entries. You can do that in your free time or join an in-person judging party. You submit your results by the deadline and then you’re done.
Judging parties will be held in Anchorage and Fairbanks from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, July 23. The Anchorage party will be at Thompson & Co., 600 Barrow Street. The Fairbanks party will be at Greater Fairbanks, 714 3rd Ave.
2026 Sister Chapter Judging: July 6 – Aug 3. Contact volunteer Kelsey Baker at kelsey@thompsonpr.com if you’re interested.
