Awards Wrap: Big week for awards with Bookmark and PRISM winners revealed

The Media Online’s weekly column delivering news of award wins, entries, competitions, dates to note and winners in the media.

Bookmark Awards honour the best of digital South Africa

Now in their 15th year, the Bookmark Awards reward excellence in digital and recognise the powerful impact interactive has on the overall marketing mix.

The annual event was bigger and bolder in 2023 as IAB South Africa CEO Razia Pillay and Bookmarks Jury President Khensani Nobanda introduced a Finalists’ Showcase a day before the awards ceremony on Wednesday, 26 July.

The well-attended event provided insight and engagement on key themes from submitted entries and set the stage for a night of celebration and fun.

All the Bookmark winners can be found here. Bookmarks+2023+Final+Results

2023 PRISM Awards celebrates all its winners under ‘Telling a Story’ theme

The PRISM Awards, celebrating its 26th year, announced its 2023 winners at a gala event at The Galleria in Sandton on Saturday. “The theme really resonated with entrants,” said Landiwe Manana, Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA) GM and PRISM Awards Chairperson.

“We are PR specialists who tell stories in whatever shape or form, from a strategy outline to a fully-fledged campaign. We are good storytellers by nature, and I am convinced there are many more stories for our industry to tell and opportunities to engage with diverse audiences in South Africa,” says Landiwe.

This year was also the highest number of entries ever received for consideration for Africa’s most prestigious public relations (PR) and communications accolades from PRISA. A total of 454 entries were received, of which 390 met the stringent qualifying criteria.

The coveted South African Campaign of the Year was awarded to Levergy for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. The Best Large PR Consultancy was DNA Brand Architects (Gold), Flow Communications (Silver), and Eclipse Communications (Bronze). The Best Mid-Sized PR Consultancy was Alkemi Collective (Silver). Best Small PR Consultancy was Paddington Station (Gold), Hook, Line & Sinker (Silver), and The Friday Street Club (Bronze).

The Presidential Awards saw Bridget von Holdt and Palesa Madumo both awarded Gold for Outstanding Legacy of Achievement, while Bradly Howland received Gold in PR and Communications Industry Advancement.

The 2023 PRISM Awards were presented to PR and communication professionals who successfully incorporated strategy, creativity, and professionalism in their successful strategies and campaigns over the previous year.

Flow Communications wins 14 awards at the 2023 PRISM Awards

Flow Communications won 14 awards at the 2023 PRISM Awards on Saturday, including a gold for its work on the launch of the Johannesburg-Abidjan Air Côte d’Ivoire route and silver in the Best Large Public Relations Consultancy category.

Flow won awards across a broad cross-section of categories for clients in the public and private sectors, as well as in the non-profit sector. Many of the awards were for purpose-driven work, which Flow prides itself on doing.

“Seeing Flow being honoured once again with a number of prestigious PRISM awards fills me with immense pride. It’s a validation of our commitment to excellence and the innovative approach we bring to every project,” said Flow CEO Tara Turkington.

“Awards are not the end goal, but they do serve as milestones in our journey of continuous improvement. They encourage us to stay innovative and maintain our position as industry leaders in integrated communications.”

In this year’s PRISM Awards, Flow and its clients won:

Agency of the year
Silver – Best Large Public Relations Consultancy: Flow Communications

Air Côte d’Ivoire
Gold – Travel & Tourism: Air Côte d’Ivoire’s Johannesburg-Abidjan route
Silver – Corporate Communication (Business-to-Consumer): Air Côte d’Ivoire’s Johannesburg-Abidjan route
Bronze – Digital Media Relations: Air Côte d’Ivoire’s Johannesburg-Abidjan route
ForAfrika
Silver – Integration of Traditional and New Media: ForAfrika’s body of work since inception
Special mention – Crisis Communications Online: ForAfrika Mozambique relief efforts (only award in the category)
Industrial Development Corporation (IDC)
Bronze – Internal Stakeholder Engagement and Communication: IDC One
Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Day
Silver – Public Relations on a Shoestring: MPA Day 2022
Silver – Environmental: MPA Day 2022
Bronze – Influencer Management: MPA Day 2022
Bronze – NGO Campaign: MPA Day 2022
Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF)
Bronze – Digital Media Relations: NMF 20th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
South African National Aids Council (SANAC)
Silver – Community Relations: SANAC’s call for submissions on the new national strategic plan for HIV, TB and STIs
South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI)
Silver – Travel & Tourism: SANBI Braille Trail

DNA Brand Architects win PRISM Best Large PR Consultancy of the Year

DNA Brand Architects won the prestigious Best Large PR Consultancy of the Year award for the 3^rd year. This comes from consistent wins by the agency over the last eight years, including Best Medium-sized Consultancy, Campaign of the Year awards and being the first black-owned agency to win South Africa’s Campaign of the Year in 2019.

“We are extremely humbled and honoured by the recognition we have received at this year’s PRISM Awards. Our Tastic and Nivea campaigns created powerful conversations that resonated deeply with consumers and delivered incredible results. This would not be possible without our clients and an incredible team of Allstars who brought it to life,” commented Sylvester Chauke, founder and chief architect of DNA.

The 2023 edition of the PRISM Awards brought together agencies and Clients nationwide to celebrate the best in class in PR across industries, disciplines, and brands. The annual instalment was hosted on Saturday, 29 July 2023, at the Galleria Convention Centre in Sandton, hosted by media personality Masechaba Ndlovu.

Santam, FAIRLADY and TRUELOVE announce finalists for the 2023 Santam Women of the Future Awards

Insurer Santam and renowned magazines FAIRLADY and TRUELOVE, have announced the finalists for the Santam Women of the Future Awards (in association with FAIRLADY and TRUELOVE). These annual awards celebrate the exceptional achievements of women across various fields, recognising their determination, innovation and outstanding contributions.

The finalists for the Santam Women of the Future Awards, in association with FAIRLADY and TRUELOVE are:

Woman of the Future

These three entrepreneurs have businesses that are more than 1 000 days old and are well on their way to establishing an extensive enterprise. They have adapted their businesses to deal with the current climate in smart, innovative ways.

Keri Rudolph of The IV Bar
Mahlatse Mamaila of INO-Biodiesel
Xoliswa Daku of the Daku Group of Companies

Social entrepreneur

The women eligible for this award are 30 years or older and their NPOs have survived the first 1 000 days. These three finalists are making a real difference in their communities.

Monique Strydom of Matla A Bana
Salma Seedat of the Instructional Leadership Institute
Thembiso Magajane of Social Coding SA

Rising stars

These entrepreneurs are aged 30 years or younger and have passed the six-month milestone. Our judges believe their businesses will flourish beyond the critical first 1 000-day period.

Amanda Sibiya of Branding Africa
Leandri Pitout of Thrpy
Marcia Monareng of Millennial Mindset Media

“This year saw more entries than last year, and I was so impressed, not only by the diversity of businesses, but also by the innovative ideas behind so many of them,” said FAIRLADY editor, Suzy Brokensha. “It shows that you just can’t keep a good idea down. Despite all the difficulties that business faces in South Africa today in terms of power-outages, these ideas have not only been realised, but are thriving.”

Once again, we are opening voting for the Readers’ Choice Award. To cast your vote, head to www.womenofthefuture.co.za or SMS the name Keri, Mahlatse, Xoliswa, Monique, Salma, Thembiso, Amanda, Leandri or Marcia to 35408. SMSes cost R1.50. The winners will be announced at a luncheon in Johannesburg on Friday, 13 October.

Kfm Best of the Cape Awards finalists announced

The Kfm Best of the Cape Awards finalists have been revealed, turning anticipation into excitement as it’s time for the people of the Cape to cast their votes. Voting is now open for the station’s more than 1.1 million listeners (BRC RAMS) to choose what they believe to be the region’s top business, entrepreneur, activity, and/or service across 30 categories.

This year’s 150 finalists represent the best of the best and authentically embody the essence of the Cape. Kfm 94.5 station manager, Hennie Myburgh, said the station is especially thrilled to introduce a bonus category, the Station’s Choice Award.

A few of the the 2023 finalists for the Kfm Best of the Cape Awards are below with the rest found here.

Best Date Night Restaurant