Golden Flames Divisions and Categories

Golden Flames Divisions and Categories

DIVISION 1: Communication Management

The Communication Management division covers projects, programs and campaigns that are guided by a communication strategy. Entries to this division can be submitted by any type of organization, from governments to retail companies, to services such as utilities and healthcare.

Entrants must demonstrate how their project applied a full range of planning and management skills, including research, analysis, strategy, tactical implementation, and evaluation.

Entries may include a wide range of communication materials. (Note: A single tactical execution element that formed part of a communication program may also be entered in the Communication Skills division.)

CATEGORY 1: INTERNAL COMMUNICATION

Programs or strategies targeted at employee or member audiences.
Includes programs creating awareness and influencing opinion or behavioral change, which may focus on ethics, morale, internal culture, or change management.
May involve improving employee understanding and alignment with business direction, improving face-to-face communication, preparing employees for change, integrating organizational cultures caused by an acquisition or downsizing via internal brand ambassador program, or a program to inspire pride in the organization.

CATEGORY 2: EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

Local, regional, national or international programs, or strategies that profile strategic communication as a driver in improving employee engagement.
Entries must focus on the communication elements of these programs, which could include the contribution to program development and promotion through various communication vehicles and channels.
May include employee recognition and employee volunteer programs, such as programs that benefit charitable or philanthropic causes or recognize employees’ organizational contributions or achievements .

CATEGORY 3: HUMAN RESOURCES AND BENEFITS COMMUNICATION

Programs or strategies targeted at internal audiences and related to communication of health and welfare, savings and pension, stocks and compensation, or recruitment and retention initiatives.

CATEGORY 4: CHANGE COMMUNICATION

Communication strategies that support organizational change.
May be directed at internal or external audiences, or both.

CATEGORY 5: SAFETY COMMUNICATION

Programs or strategies that focus on improving awareness, understanding, and behaviors related to safety issues within an organization.

CATEGORY 6: LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATION

Programs or strategies that help leaders become more effective communicators, improve the quality of leadership communication within an organization, or improve leader knowledge and the ability to use communication as a business driver.
Tactics may include tool kits with speaking notes, games, or other tools that help leaders communicate a specific topic, and special publications with information and support for leadership communication.

CATEGORY 7: MARKETING, ADVERTISING, AND BRAND COMMUNICATION

May include various activities designed to sell products, services, destinations, organizations, or ideas to external audiences, and is generally delivered through a variety of communication vehicles and channels.
Strategic advertising campaigns designed to build brand awareness, influence opinion, motivate audience behaviors, or sell products and services.
Strategies for new brands and the repositioning of existing brands in relationship to internal and external audiences.
May include brand characteristics and attributes, changes to corporate identities, and design solutions that address the challenges of brand communication (must be more than a logo redesign).

CATEGORY 8: CUSTOMER RELATIONS

Strategies or ongoing programs targeted at customer audiences that educate, inform, engage, or otherwise connect the organization and its employees to the customer.
Programs may influence reputation, brand awareness and loyalty, and market position.
May include relationship management, experience standards, or appreciation programs, but must be focused on communication and marketing elements.

CATEGORY 9: MEDIA RELATIONS

Strategies or ongoing programs that use the news media as the primary channel to reach target audiences and seek to influence awareness, understanding, and opinion or motivate action.
Should demonstrate the quality of media coverage and its impact on the organization – quantity of media stories alone is not considered a valid measurement in this category.

CATEGORY 10: COMMUNITY RELATIONS

A one-time or an ongoing program that enhances stakeholder understanding of issues affecting business operations within the community served.
Seeks to build trust and credibility with stakeholder groups generally through consultation and other communication-based activities.
Tactics and supporting strategies may include formal and informal meetings, town hall discussions, workshops, presentations, open houses, and electronic or printed material.

CATEGORY 11: GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

Short- or long-term programs that influence the opinion or actions of government bodies or agencies.
May seek to create awareness or influence the attitudes and behaviors of decision-makers toward the organization or industry.

CATEGORY 12: FINANCIAL COMMUNICATION

Entails strategies, tactics, and tools used to share financial data and recommendations with investors and other interested parties.
Includes investor relations functions that integrate finance, communication, marketing, and securities laws compliance to enable effective two-way communication between a company, the financial community, and stakeholders.

CATEGORY 13: ISSUES MANAGEMENT AND CRISIS COMMUNICATION

Programs targeted at external and/or internal audiences that address trends, issues, or attitudes that have a significant impact on an organization, such as labor relations, crises, mergers, acquisitions, public policy, or environmental concerns.
Programs may demonstrate proactive planning and preventative action during an extraordinary event, or show the actions taken to address trends, issues, and interest group attitudes that have a major impact on an organization.

CATEGORY 14: CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Programs or strategies that communicate social responsibility and encourage positive actions while building awareness, reputation, and positioning the organization as a good corporate citizen.
May be targeted to multiple audiences and influence share price and customer loyalty, retention and recruitment, operational efficiency, and increased sales.
Generally long-term and focused on enhancing the well-being of communities and populations through causes such as the environment, energy sustainability, food safety, economic stability, employment, poverty reduction, literacy, education, health, cultural preservation, and indigenous and heritage protection.

CATEGORY 14B: Covid-19 Response & Recovery Management and Communication

COVID-19-related programs targeted at external and/or internal audiences that address crisis, business continuity or issues or attitudes that have a significant impact on an organization, such as shuttering/re-opening businesses, furlough/layoff staff, redesigning business operation
Programs may demonstrate both proactive planning and preventive action during the pandemic and/or show the actions taken to address trends, issues and interest group attitudes that have a major impact on an organization

CATEGORY 15: CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Programs or strategies that communicate social responsibility and encourage positive actions while building awareness and reputation and positioning the organization as a good corporate citizen
May be targeted to multiple audiences and influence share price and customer loyalty, retention and recruitment, operational efficiency and increased sales
Generally long-term and focused on enhancing the well-being of communities and populations through causes such as the environment, energy sustainability, food safety, economic stability, employment, poverty reduction, literacy, education, health, cultural preservation, and indigenous and heritage protection

CATEGORY 16: NONPROFIT CAMPAIGNS

Programs recognizing the particular challenges of the nonprofit sector.
May include multiple internal or external audiences.
Promotes nonprofit organizations or causes.
May be paid projects or pro-bono projects donated to the client by an organization, agency, or consultancy; entries will generally have a small budget or none at all.

CATEGORY 17: DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Campaigns or programs of work aimed at building a culture of inclusion for an organization, with internal or external stakeholders (or both).
Entries must focus on the communication elements of D&I programs, which could include specific topic-based initiatives, special events or wider organizational strategies to advance D&I aims.

DIVISION 2: Communication Research

Entries in this division recognize the importance of research and measurement as a foundation for strategic communication work and a competency that’s integral to success throughout the career of a communication professional.

CATEGORY 18: COMMUNICATION RESEARCH

Formative research conducted during the initial stages of the strategic communication planning process that benchmarks internal audience opinions or behaviors, profiles the marketplace or internal communication environment in which the organization operates, aligns best practices against organizational needs, or informs strategic direction for internal communication programs.
May include audience analysis, competitive benchmarking, secondary research related to best practices, program or product test markets, and reputation or brand studies.

CATEGORY 19: COMMUNICATION TRAINING AND EDUCATION

Training or educational programs delivered to an internal or external audience that help to improve their communication competencies
For internal audiences, this may include supervisor/manager/leader training in communication skills, presentation skills and employee ambassador development, in addition to media training, speaker’s bureau training and other communication disciplines
For external audiences, this may include presentations for conferences, university classes, seminars or workshops, as well as media and executive coaching

DIVISION 4: Communication Skills

CATEGORY 20: SPECIAL AND EXPERIENTIAL EVENTS

Planning and execution of a special or experiential event for an internal or external audience.
For internal audiences, this may include employee appreciation events or events that mark a significant occasion such as an anniversary, internal conference or meeting, or a celebration or special retirement.
For external audiences, this may include conferences, workshops, anniversaries, official openings, product launches, road shows, and customer events.

CATEGORY 21: COMMUNICATION FOR THE WEB

Online communication vehicles that are produced for internal or external audiences.
Electronic and interactive communication channels such as websites, intranets, online stores, and microsites.

CATEGORY 22: AUDIO/VISUAL

Communication vehicles produced using sound, images, video, film, slides, CDs, or a combination of these elements.
May include video, audio, PowerPoint or other presentations, and films (does not include advertising commercials).

CATEGORY 23: SOCIAL MEDIA PROGRAMS

Engages internal and external audiences in conversation through social media.
Encompasses tools and practices that allow individuals and groups to collaborate and share knowledge and experiences online.
May use conversation-enabled publishing platforms such as blogs and podcasts, social networks such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, democratized content networks such as wikis and message boards, content-sharing sites such as YouTube and Flickr, enterprise social networks such as Yammer, Slack, and Jive, and virtual networking platforms.

CATEGORY 24: PUBLICATIONS

Publications produced for internal or external audiences in all formats, including hard copy and electronic
May include magazines, newspapers, newsletters or tabloids, annual reports, books, special publications, brochures and other advertising material, e-newsletters, and similar material

CATEGORY 25: WRITING

This category includes writing in both print and electronic formats.

JOURNALISM

Material in which the news media is the primary communication channel utilized.
May include, but is not limited to, editorials, interpretive/expository articles, news releases, and feature stories.

CORPORATE WRITING

Material written primarily for use by an organization to inform or educate employees or external stakeholders.
May include recurring features or columns, magazines, newsletters, internal or special publications, standalone features, speeches and presentations, executive correspondence, scripts for corporate use, writing for an intranet, internal publications, technical writing, and annual and special reports.

PROMOTIONAL WRITING

Material written to persuade customers, consumers, employees, or stakeholders to adopt a point of view or to purchase goods or services.
May include commercials, advertising, marketing or sales promotion material, advertorials, and writing for the Web.

NONPROFIT WRITING

Material written to promote nonprofit organizations, including IABC regional and chapter events.

WRITING – SPECIAL PROJECTS

Books (fiction and nonfiction), educational material, scripts for theatrical use, and other writing projects not covered above.

CATEGORY 27: COMMUNICATION SKILLS, STUDENT ENTRY

Entries to any category in this division submitted by a student.

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