Communiqué Awards 2019 accepting entries

The 2019 Communiqué Awards programme is now open for entries, calling on healthcare communicators to showcase and share their work with fellow colleagues and stakeholders.

The programme, which is now in its 22nd year, is specifically designed to recognise best practice in European, international and local healthcare communications.

As a benchmark of excellence, the Communiqué Awards highlight the range and complexity of issues facing healthcare communication professionals today, and the extent to which those professionals produce outstanding work and deliver real improvements in healthcare.

This year, entrants can submit their work for up
to 29 categories, each of which has been refined to better reflect the ever-changing healthcare landscape.

Categories include Excellence in Communications – Payers/Policymakers, Excellence in Media Relations, Excellence in Social Media Strategy and Excellence in Engagement through Digital Channels.

Also available to enter are individual, team and company awards, including the coveted Communications Consultancy of the Year award.

That particular category is open to any communications consultancy, agency or group working in the UK or European healthcare environment with more than 20 members of staff employed as account handlers within the healthcare team.

This year also sees the introduction of two new co-chairs, Annabelle Sandeman and Louise Dunn, both of whom take the reins from Anna Korving, who stepped down as chair of the awards last year.

Sandeman is currently chief commercial officer at healthcare communications and consulting group Huntsworth Health, a role she has held for over three years.

Louise Dunn, a communications consultant, brings over 25 years of varied healthcare experience working for agencies, the NHS and pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline.

They said: “So here we are at the kick-off for Communiqué 2019. It’s exciting to be part of such a prestigious awards programme that recognises and rewards the best of all healthcare communications in our industry.

“A celebration of the talented teams and individuals and the incredible hard work that goes into conceiving, implementing and evaluating your healthcare communications initiatives.

“But the work is not quite over – it’s time to write your award entries, demonstrate the value of all your hard work and showcase the best our profession offers to patients and their families.

“This year, as new co-chairs of the judges, we have worked closely with the team to review the awards, entry kit and judging criteria, and we are keen to maintain the awards’ reputation for robustness, stringency and transparency.

“Taking into account feedback from last year and with a fresh perspective, you will notice some refinements, such as an increased emphasis on the benefits to patients of the initiatives, and a widening of some criteria to make sure that the awards are evolving in line with the changes in all areas of our industry.

“So review the awards and the criteria carefully. We can’t wait to see the latest and greatest in all areas of Communiqué ahead of the judging period in May and recognise the shortlist and winners on the night in July.”

The entry deadline is on 14 March 2019, after which the judges will study the submissions before coming together to score the entries.

Debbie Tuesley, events manager at PMGroup commented: “The Communiqué Awards is a true highlight in the industry calendar, championing the highest possible standards. We are proud to recognise work that makes a real difference to patients’ lives, while improving and enhancing the healthcare industry’s reputation.”