The 6th annual UnAwards launch TODAY. They're the most accessible industry awards around. Now is not a time to quietly sit back and hope your boss recognises and appreciates your efforts. So try and get yourself shortlisted for an UnAward to really put your work on the organisational map.

by Darren Caveney

Boy, 2019 has been some year, huh. Some of it’s even been good. And it’s on the good we must focus as individuals and as an industry.

So as summer turns to autumn September always throws me full pelt into the UnAwards planning, a time to reflect on to ponder on the theme for this year.

The UnAwards are a huge passion of mine. They were established to recognise the hard work, creativity, successes of the communications and PR industry, largely but not exclusively by any means in the public sector.

They are truly accessible and do not run to generate a profit. They exist to celebrate and fly a flag for good people doing good things.

Something I think are now even more important than ever before.

What do I mean by accessible?

Well, for starters it’s £free to enter

For seconds, it’s the simplest entry form you’ll find anywhere.

And for thirds, if you manage to bag a golden ticket to THE most accessible awards ceremony around it will cost you just £20. I have held those prices for six years.

I hope you’ll agree that definitely classes as accessible.

New to the UnAwards?

Well there's more here but in a nutshell they are the most accessible and innovative awards in our industry - free to enter, fun to attend and a celebration of our community's achievements.

There are 19* categories, so something for everyone

Even better you can enter the same piece of work in multiple categories to increase your chances of being shortlisted.

And if you come along to the big day – shortlisted or not – you’ll enjoy one of the very best networking events of the year

Oh and you get to watch a classic movie, which always remains a closely guarded secret until the day.

The UnAwards grow in size and credibility year on year. Last year was another record breaker…

420 entries
70 shortlisted
18 winners
21 external judges
140 attendees
13k unique visitors to the UnAwards website in three months
5.5k public votes
800k Twitter reach on UnAwards ceremony day alone

*NEW for 2019*

Sadly, wellbeing and mental health issues grow and grow in our industry. I’m proud to play a tiny part in trying to help support people through my involvement with the brilliant Comms Unplugged event. This year, listening to inspirational mental health campaigner Jonny Benjamin, I realised that the UnAwards needed a new category to seek out good practice in this area and to shine a light on the people out there making a real difference.

I am going to sponsor this category myself and make a donation to Jonny’s charity.

Please enter this category. It may just be the most important of all 19 categories.

The UnAwards – they keep on giving...

Each year the winners are invited to showcase their winning work at the popular UnAwards Winners Masterclass in the new year. Also free to attend.

So, ‘People of Comms’

2019 is not the time for communicators to sit back quietly and hope the budget axe doesn't swing our way again for a while. Unfortunately it will for some of you.

How often have you heard the phrase – comms and PR people are bad at their own comms and PR?

That really shouldn’t be the case should it? Would you buy the services of a web agency who had a terrible web site?

So it’s time to kill that one off for good.

It's time to promote our successes – shout about them, if not quite from the rooftops then at least down the corridors of power. Let’s be proud and celebrate our achievements.

Other professions do, and some may deliver a hell of a lot less than you do.

So embrace this rallying call and book out some time in your diaries to pull together your entries and showcase your best work.

No one else will do this for you.

That other non-important work demand which can stifle – meetings, ad-hoc requests, multiple distractions and the “could you just…” passing trade won’t go away. Ever.

But you might have a rather nice UnAward-winning certificate hanging proudly on your office wall. So be a little selfish with your time for once.

Darren Caveney is creator of comms2point0 and the UnAwards and owner of creative communicators ltd

image via Tallio Saba