May 2019 President’s Message by Stacy Hope

Dear Colleagues,

I’m pleased to announce that we’re now accepting entries for the 2019 Thoth Awards! Named for the Egyptian god of communication, the Thoth Awards—now in their 51st year—celebrate the exceptional creativity and ability of public relations professionals in the Washington, D.C. area. Early bird entries are due Friday, June 7; all entries must be submitted by Monday, July 1. Winners will be announced at our awards ceremony on Friday, September 27.

For those of you who are longtime participants, you may notice a few changes in 2019. First, we’ve updated some of our categories to reflect contemporary best practices in PR. In addition, based on member feedback, we’ve moved the award ceremony to lunchtime on a Friday to allow those who find it challenging to attend evening events to participate. We also hope that the luncheon format will provide an even better opportunity for informal networking than the galas we have held in the past.

At the luncheon, we’ll also recognize the 2019 National Capital Public Relations Hall of Fame award winners, stars of our industry with more than 30 years of experience who demonstrate distinguished accomplishments, visionary leadership, and a commitment to inspiring the next generation of public relations professionals to excel. We welcome nominations from all members of the chapter; please submit yours by midnight on Friday, July 26.

If you’ve entered the Thoth Awards before, you already know the benefits of submitting your best work for an award: it demonstrates the value you place on the hard work of your team; it showcases to our membership the caliber of your work; it attracts new business and new employees. If you’ve never entered before, I strongly encourage you to throw your hat in the ring in 2019. This year, we’re offering incentives to first-time entrants as well as independent practitioners; contact immediate past president and Thoth Awards committee co-chair Sabrina Kidwai for more details.

I can’t wait to learn more about the amazing work PRSA-NCC members are doing, and I look forward to congratulating our winners on September 27!

Stacy Hope
PRSA-NCC President