31st Annual Upper Case Awards
Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008 at 6:30 p.m.

About Upper Case

The 31st annual Oklahoma City Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) awards competition is about to begin! The goal of the 2008 Upper Case Awards competition is to recognize the best in public relations programs and practices in the Central Oklahoma region and throughout the state.

First held in 1978 as the Bronze Derrick Awards, the competition’s name was changed in 1990 to the Upper Case Awards to better reflect the journalistic beginnings of the profession. Type that is set in capital letters stands apart from its surroundings. It demands attention and shouts importance. Here’s your chance to stand apart and show your talents. Your work is exceptional, dazzling, stupendous—it’s UPPER CASE!

The Upper Case Awards competition is open to all public relations and communications professionals, both PRSA members and nonmembers in Oklahoma.

The early bird deadline for all entries is 4 p.m., Friday, July 18, 2008. Late entries must be received by July 25, 2008 and will be charged a higher late entry fee.

Entry Fees
Payment/purchase orders must accompany all entries. Checks should be made payable to PRSA. Any entry submitted without payment or purchase order will be disqualified. Entry fees are non-refundable.

Regular Entry Fees:
$40 per entry for PRSA members
$55 per entry for nonmembers

Late Entry Fees (applies to entries received between July 21 and July 25, 2007):
$60 per late entry for PRSA members
$75 per late entry for nonmembers

Send Entries To:
Erin Page, APR
Upper Case Co-Chair
c/o Oklahoma Heritage Association
1400 Classen Drive
Oklahoma City, OK 73106
405.523.3208

The Oklahoma City Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America requests your nominations for its 2008 Harmony, Clarus and Outstanding Young Professional Special Awards. Please review the criteria for each award listed below.

Clarus Award
Clarus is the Latin root for clarity. This Clarus Award, presented to a member of the working media, symbolizes the importance of clarity of purpose in reporting the news affecting the lives of readers, listeners or viewers. The award will honor a journalist who has exhibited fairness in reporting and whose work reflects favorably on the practice of news reporting. The recipient will have established a good relationship with members of the Oklahoma City PRSA Chapter.

Paul E. Dannelley Harmony Award
The pursuit of public relations does not always bring to mind the word “harmony.” However, harmony is the desired outcome of public relations efforts. Just as the objective of medicine is health and the objective of law is justice, so harmony is the objective of public relations. The Harmony Award is presented to a public relations practitioner who has done outstanding work to bring about this ultimate result.

The Harmony Award is presented to a member in good standing of the Oklahoma City PRSA Chapter who has given longtime service to the profession of public relations, who has longevity in the field, who has furthered the professionalism and the practice of public relations, and who has earned the respect of his or her peers.

Paul Edward Dannelley, Jr., APR was a much beloved and honored professor of journalism at the University of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma City PRSA Chapter awarded Professor Dannelley a Bronze Derrick Award in 1978 at its first annual awards contest. In 1983,the Public Relations Society of America named him Outstanding Educator. Through the years, his name became synonymous with public relations at OU. Following his death in 1991, a memorial scholarship was established at the school in his name. Many of Professor Dannelley’s former students are members of the Oklahoma City PRSA Chapter.

Outstanding Young Professional Award
This honor is bestowed on a young professional, a relative newcomer to the field of public relations, who has made a significant contribution to the public relations profession in Oklahoma City.

The Outstanding Young Professional Award is presented to a member in good standing of the Oklahoma City PRSA Chapter who has demonstrated a desire to succeed in a challenging work environment. The recipient must be under the age of 30, have five years or less of full-time experience in the field and have demonstrated an aptitude for leadership and involvement in PRSA.