PR Awards 2021 finalists announced

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To say that 2020 was a challenging year for PR and communications professionals would be one of the biggest understatements of the decade. According to a study, nearly 40% of communications professionals faced a freeze in their salaries, and 10% had to make do with reduced pay. Meanwhile, communications professionals across both agencies and in-house roles also faced an uphill battle in educating companies about the value of communications. Those in-house also have the challenge of not coming across as executional or strategic.

But despite all of the challenges, our finalists at this year's PR Awards managed to wow our judges and step up their game, delivering for their clients and companies across a range of campaigns and initiatives. With entries coming from across the South Asia, Southeast Asia and ANZ regions, competition was tough across the 39 enterable categories - so making it to the finals is no small feat.

This year, we also introduced four talent categories to recognise and reward outstanding talent in the PR industry.

The most successful brand and agency across the categories will receive the coveted title of PR Awards Champion - Brand and PR Awards Champion - Agency respectively. Last year, AKA Asia brought home the PR Awards Champion - Agency title while Grab took top honours as PR Awards Champion - Brand.

The regional PR Awards was judged by 44 senior client side industry experts from around the region. Judges commented on the impressive strategy, resourcefulness and consideration that went into every campaign and programme despite the challenging hand they had been dealt by the impact of COVID-19.

So who made the cut? Our judging panel has selected the following finalists:

1. Best Campaign Pivot
• #EmbracingNewNorms - AIA Singapore
• #PowerTheChange 2020 | Power The Future, Power Generations - Geneco
• Heineken® 0.0 #SocialiseResponsibly - Heineken® Malaysia
• Lazada 11.11 Shopping Festival - Lazada Malaysia
• Imagine Cup: Bringing tech ideas to life - Microsoft Asia
• Barista Creations Flavoured & Barista Creations Iced - Nestlé Nespresso S.A
• Science Centre Singapore: UNTAME - Science Centre Singapore
• Singtel’s Festive Film Campaign During COVID-19 - Singtel
• Pivoting the launch of a specialised pathway in Patisserie Arts - Taylor's University
• Tokopedia #JagaEkonomiIndonesia - Tokopedia

2. Best Corporate Affairs Strategy
• Step into tomorrow's new hybrid way of working with Barco - Barco
• #SAMASAMA - CUCKOO International (MAL)
• #KitaVsCorona (Us against the Coronavirus) - Grab Indonesia
• Repositioning LASALLE College of the Arts - LASALLE College of the Arts
• MSIG for Sustainability - MSIG Asia
• Empowering the next generation of healthcare professionals for a sustainable future - Philips
• Empowering the Youth of Today to Solve for Tomorrow - Samsung Southeast Asia and Oceania

3. Best COVID-19 Related Response
• #EmbracingNewNorms - AIA Singapore
• #BoostGotYou - Boost E-Wallet
• Covid-19: Supporting Customers, Employees and the Community as a Purpose-Driven Organisation - DBS Bank
• Grab Cares: Supporting our community in the new normal - Grab Singapore
• Marina Bay Sands’ journey on paving the way for the future of hospitality - Marina Bay Sands
• Dear Covid-19 - National Youth Council
• Finance in the New World of Work - SAP Concur
• The Medical City A Safe Zone for All Patients - The Medical City
• #WhereYouShopMatters - Visa
• 1887 Virtual Bar - William Grant & Sons

4. Best Crisis Management Strategy
• Accenture Southeast Asia and Growth Markets ‘Now Next’ Campaign - Accenture
• Air Selangor Outreach - Air Selangor
• Choose to Give - Carousell
• #OneGlobeVSCovid - Globe Telecom
• Protecting and enhancing the MSIG brand during Covid-19 times - MSIG Asia
• #HereWithYou: Instilling Public Confidence in Safe Deliveries for Singapore - Singapore Post
• Singtel’s COVID-19 Response - Singtel

5. Best CSR Communications
• Tabung COVID-19 by Boost - Boost E-Wallet
• Voice of The Silent #SunyiBersuara - Burger King Indonesia
• The Perfect Voiceovers - Causes For Animals Singapore
• DBS Sparks Season 2: Everyday Heroes for a Better World - DBS Bank
• Early protection for living celebration - FWD Vietnam Life Insurance
• Empower partners and community, together overcome difficulties - Grab Vietnam
• See It Blue - Make It Blue
• #AnEssentialThankYou - OPPO Australia
• Empowering the Youth of Today to Solve for Tomorrow - Samsung Southeast Asia and Oceania
• Lifebuoy Fighting Corona - Unilever Vietnam

6. Best Employee Engagement / Internal Communications
• DBS SG Customer Centre: Staying Engaged in the New Normal - DBS Bank
• Illuminate your WOWs - DBS Bank
• DBS Data Science Reusable Assets Learning Festival - DBS Bank
• Build to Zero - Frasers Property
• Intercom Story - Indosat Ooredoo
• Power of Internal Communications Continues During Circuit Breaker: Marina Bay Sands - Marina Bay Sands
• MSIG for Sustainability - MSIG Asia
• Building a City of Good from within - National Volunteer & Philanthropy Center
• Work Smart, Wear Smart - Singapore Post
• Women In Power - Vena Energy

7. Best Engagement for a Targeted Community
• #EmbracingNewNorms - AIA Singapore
• Voice of The Silent #SunyiBersuara - Burger King Indonesia
• The Perfect Voiceovers - Causes for Animals Singapore
• Early protection for living celebration - FWD Vietnam Life Insurance
• Heineken® 0.0 #SocialiseResponsibly - Heineken® Malaysia
• RedMart Paying it Forward to Singapore’s Frontliners - Lazada Singapore
• #Unbroken - Manulife Singapore
• Empowering the Youth of Today to Solve for Tomorrow - Samsung Southeast Asia and Oceania
• SingapoRediscovers – Community Engagement - Singapore Tourism Board
• 1887 Virtual Bar - William Grant & Sons

8. Best Event-Led PR Campaign
• Boost e-Tunai Rakyat Launch - Boost E-Wallet
• The Macallan Experience - Edrington
• IPC Live Shopping Fiesta - IPC Shopping Centre
• The Long Lush 2020 Washaway - Lush Cosmetics
• Nespresso - Be Your Own Barista - Novateur Coffee Concepts, Inc.
• Inside the Matrix (30th October 2020) - ONE Group Holdings
• Science Centre Singapore: UNTAME - Science Centre Singapore
• Singapore Food Festival - Singapore Tourism Board
• Skin-Tasting Experience - TWO L(I)PS
• Building ASEAN's Resilience with Digital Transformation - VMware

9. Best Insights-Driven PR
• Shop Small, Shop Local by W Communications and American Express - American Express
• Uncovering the True Impact: COVID-19 and the F&B industry - Chope
• FWD Clarity – Know what you are covered - FWD Vietnam Life Insurance
• The Australian Seniors Series: 100 Year Lifespan report - Greenstone Financial Services
• RedMart Leverages Data to Fulfil Grocery Demand Surge - Lazada Singapore
• Amplifying a Culture of Innovation across Asia Pacific - Microsoft Asia
• Finance in the New World of Work - SAP Concur
• Captains of Lives - Singapore Prison Service
• #KpopTwitter World Map - Twitter Asia Pacific
• Lifebuoy Transparent Gloves - Unilever Vietnam

10. Best Launch/Re-Launch Campaign
• EMERGE Against All Odds (#EMERGEAgainstAllOdds) - EMERGE Esports
• FWD Clarity – Know what you are covered - FWD Vietnam Life Insurance
• LifeSG: Simpler Services. Better Lives. - Government Technology Agency (GovTech)
• Kotex Limited Edition - Kimberly Clark
• Refreshing LazMall to Empower Sellers Ahead of 9.9 and Beyond - Lazada Group
• Mitsubishi Power Brand Launch - Mitsubishi Power
• Hello Borneo - Tune Talk
• OMO Cleopatra - Unilever
• Cream Silk Richness of Nature - Unilever
• Lifebuoy Jarvis Y2 - Unilever Vietnam

11. Best Media Relations Strategy
• DFS Group 35 Years of Wines and Spirits campaign in Singapore Changi Airport - DFS Group
• Going beyond official narrative and conventional outreach - Government Technology Agency (GovTech)
• #TerusUsaha - An MSME Digitalisation Program - Grab Indonesia
• President's Volunteer & Philanthropy Award (PVPA) 2020 Special Edition: Our Finest Hour in The City of Good - National Volunteer & Philanthropy Center
• Science Centre Singapore: UNTAME - Science Centre Singapore
• Shell Eco Marathon Indonesia 10th Anniversary - Shell Indonesia
• Best Media Relation Strategy - Telkomsel
• A HIDDEN GEM - THE TRICOR STORY // Telling Our Story To The Media Through Our First Dedicated Media Relations Campaign - Tricor Group

12. Best PR by an In-House Communications Team
• Unspoken - ArtisteSpace, Inc.
• Choose to Give - Carousell
• Covid-19: Supporting Customers, Employees and the Community as a Purpose-Driven Organisation - DBS Bank
• The Trilogy of the DBS Transformation Journey - DBS Bank
• LifeSG: Simpler Services. Better Lives. - Government Technology Agency (GovTech)
• Going beyond official narrative and conventional outreach - Government Technology Agency (GovTech)
• RHB Financial Literacy Programme - RHB Singapore
• The Medical City A Safe Zone for All Patients - The Medical City

13. Best PR Campaign: B2B
• Accenture Southeast Asia and Growth Markets ‘Now Next’ Campaign - Accenture
• The Rise of Social Commerce in Southeast Asia - iKala
• Reboot the Building - Johnson Controls (Singapore)
• Launch of Marina Bay Sands’ Hybrid Broadcast Studio - Marina Bay Sands
• Mitsubishi Power Brand Launch - Mitsubishi Power
• Finance in the New World of Work - SAP Concur
• Innovation with Deep Impact – Building a Community of Deep Tech Daredevils for our Future World - SGInnovate
• #WhereYouShopMatters - Visa
• Building ASEAN's Resilience with Digital Transformation - VMware

14. Best PR Campaign: Banking / Financial Services
• #EmbracingNewNorms - AIA Singapore
• Become the Bank that People Love - Backbase
• Boost Protect - Boost E-Wallet
• FWD Clarity – Know what you are covered - FWD Vietnam Life Insurance
• The Australian Seniors Series: 100 Year Lifespan report - Greenstone Financial Services
• Life Goes On Online Sneaker Drop - Manulife Singapore
• #Unbroken - Manulife Singapore
• Minggu Saham Digital - Permodalan Nasional
• Money Relationship Monitor 2020 - St. James's Place Wealth Management Asia
• Launch of Tiger Brokers Singapore - Tiger Brokers

15. Best PR Campaign: Beauty & Wellness
• Lancôme Genifique #LiveYourStrength Virtual Flagship Store - Lancôme
• The Long Lush 2020 Washaway - Lush Cosmetics
• You Are What You Apply - TWO L(I)PS
• AHC - 21 Days To Glow - Unilever Asia
• Nutrabliss by Watsons - Watsons Philippines

16. Best PR Campaign: eCommerce
• Enrich - Enrich by Malaysia Airlines
• Digitalising the Least Digital - Grab Malaysia
• Empowering the Retail Sector to Pivot to eCommerce - Lazada Group
• Lazada 12.12 Grand Year-End Sale - Lazada Malaysia
• Lazada 11.11 Shopping Festival - Lazada Malaysia
• Tailored For You - Lenovo (Central - Asia pacific region)
• Tokopedia #JagaEkonomiIndonesia - Tokopedia
• Shop2Give Hope - Unilever Philippines
• Beauty That Cares: Add Heart to Cart - Unilever Philippines
• #WhereYouShopMatters - Visa

17. Best PR Campaign: Electronics & Gadgets
• Acer Home Office SOS - Acer
• HP Creators of Tomorrow - HP Inc. Malaysia
• The “I” of the Tiger: Bringing the Roar to Southeast Asia - Intel Southeast Asia
• LG SIGNATURE Wine Cellar Launch - LG Electronics Australia
• Painting the Town Yellow: realme Philippines FanFest Month - realme Philippines

18. Best PR Campaign: Entertainment
• Ataraxia - MayinArt
• Inside the Matrix (30th October 2020) - ONE Group Holdings
• Singapore Discovery Centre- Re-Discover Us - Singapore Discovery Centre
• Hello Borneo - Tune Talk
• Zouk Pivots With Passion - Zouk

19. Best PR Campaign: F&B
• Tea You Can Cook - BOH Tea
• Voice of The Silent #SunyiBersuara - Burger King Indonesia
• Launch of Food Folks @ Lau Pa Sat - FairPrice Group
• Grab ❤️ Local Heroes - Grab Malaysia
• Lucali BYGB: Securing a piece of the Singapore’s pizza pie! - Lucali BYGB
• Aqua Gastronomy - Resorts World Sentosa
• 1887 Virtual Bar - William Grant & Sons

20. Best PR Campaign: Fashion & Apparel
• Immersive 360 Digital Fashion Festival - AP Media
• ASICS: 30 YEARS OF GEL-LYTE III - ASICS
• BHG Singapore x Avagram for first locally designed BHG in-house labels - BHG (Singapore)
• UNIQLO AIRism Mask Launch - UNIQLO Indonesia

21. Best PR Campaign: FMCG
• FRISO Good Poop Matters, Baby! - FrieslandCampina Singapore
• Don't Hold Back Summer 2020 Campaign - Häagen-Dazs
• Heineken® 0.0 #SocialiseResponsibly - Heineken® Malaysia
• Kotex Limited Edition - Kimberly Clark
• OMO Cleopatra - Unilever
• Lifebuoy Jarvis Y2 - Unilever Vietnam
• Lifebuoy Fighting Corona - Unilever Vietnam

22. Best PR Campaign: Government / Public Services
• The Perfect Voiceovers - Causes For Animals Singapore
• LifeSG: Simpler Services. Better Lives. - Government Technology Agency (GovTech)
• Singapore Media Festival 2020 - Infocomm Media Development Authority
• Doraemon’s Time-Travelling Adventures in Singapore - National Museum of Singapore
• Dear Covid-19 - National Youth Council
• Dirty Litter Secrets, Keep Clean, Singapore! - Public Hygiene Council
• Meet PostPal, your next-generation smart letterbox - Singapore Post
• Captains of Lives - Singapore Prison Service
• Promoting Singapore to Singaporeans - Singapore Tourism Board
• Lifebuoy Fighting Corona - Unilever Vietnam

23. Best PR Campaign: Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals
• Our Unbreakable Bond - Amgen Biotechnology Singapore
• Beat the Asthma Blues - AstraZeneca
• COVID-19 PR Campaign - Duke-NUS Medical School
• FRISO Good Poop Matters, Baby! - FrieslandCampina Singapore
• Lung Cancer Search & Rescue - Lung Foundation Australia, with the support of AstraZeneca Australia
• The Medical City A Safe Zone for All Patients - The Medical City

24. Best PR Campaign: Lifestyle & Travel
• Bringing andBeyond Home - andBeyond
• BHG Singapore x Avagram for first locally designed BHG in-house labels - BHG (Singapore)
• Enrich - Enrich by Malaysia Airlines
• Fairmont’s Mumcation: Saving Singapore’s Stressed-Out CB Mums - Fairmont Singapore
• A Destination for Dreamers & Adventure Seekers - Hotel Soloha
• Launch of Oakwood Beluxs - Oakwood
• Rediscovering the Grande Dame - Raffles Hotel Singapore
• Finance in the New World of Work - SAP Concur
• Live From Aus - Tourism Australia

25. Best PR-led Integrated Communications
• #EmbracingNewNorms - AIA Singapore
• FairPrice Priority Shopping Hour, FairPrice on Wheels and FairPrice Housebrand Price Freeze initiative - FairPrice Group
• #TerusUsaha - An MSME Digitalisation Program - Grab Indonesia
• Kotex Limited Edition - Kimberly Clark
• LG SIGNATURE Wine Cellar Launch - LG Electronics Australia
• Spreading The Wish Effect for Make-A-Wish Singapore - Make-A-Wish Singapore
• Dear Covid-19 - National Youth Council
• Humanising & Reiventing The Plus Brand - PLUS Malaysia
• Innovation with Deep Impact – Building a Community of Deep Tech Daredevils for our Future World - SGInnovate
• Lifebuoy Jarvis Y2 - Unilever Vietnam

26. Best Regional PR
• Become the Bank that People Love - Backbase
• The Perfect Voiceovers - Causes For Animals Singapore
• Keeping Businesses Afloat Through eCommerce Support to Stimulate Southeast Asian Economies - Lazada Group
• AI @ Work Study 2020 - JAPAC PR Campaign - Oracle
• Breathing Cleaner and Healthier Air with Philips - Philips Singapore
• Finance in the New World of Work - SAP Concur
• Putting the “Wow!” into Data Analytics across the region - TIBCO Software
• A HIDDEN GEM - THE TRICOR STORY // Homegrown Brand Finds Its Voice Through Regional PR Relaunch - Tricor Group
• The Fourth Payment Revolution: Moving from Transaction to Action - Visa

27. Best Use of Advocates
• BHG Singapore x Avagram for first locally designed BHG in-house labels - BHG (Singapore)
• The Perfect Voiceovers - Causes for Animals Singapore
• FRISO Good Poop Matters, Baby! - FrieslandCampina Singapore
• Kotex Limited Edition - Kimberly Clark
• Spreading The Wish Effect for Make-A-Wish Singapore - Make-A-Wish Singapore
• Feast of Huat - Manulife Singapore
• Transitioning Asia to a new normal of work - Microsoft Asia
• Dear Covid-19 - National Youth Council
• #TheNewBrave - Procter & Gamble Philippines

28. Best Use of Celebrities / Influencers
• #EmbracingNewNorms - AIA Singapore
• Plan It - American Express
• Beat the Asthma Blues - AstraZeneca, Asthma & Allergy Association Singapore
• Tea You Can Cook - BOH Tea
• Amy Search, Grab Ada - Grab Malaysia
• Heineken® 0.0 #SocialiseResponsibly - Heineken® Malaysia
• Kotex Limited Edition - Kimberly Clark
• Dear Covid-19 - National Youth Council
• Nutri Chunks "NutriSerye" - San Miguel Foods, Inc., AIBC
• Hello Borneo - Tune Talk

29. Best Use of Content
• The Perfect Voiceovers - Causes For Animals Singapore
• DBS Heart Work(s) - DBS Bank
• Forett at Bukit Timah: First-Ever Virtual Balloting - Forett
• Going beyond official narrative and conventional outreach - Government Technology Agency (GovTech)
• Tailored For You - Lenovo (Central - Asia pacific region)
• Dear Covid-19 - National Youth Council
• #PumpThisWay new product launch campaign - Shapee
• SingPost launches New Uniforms - Singapore Post
• OMO Cleopatra - Unilever
• Lifebuoy Jarvis Y2 - Unilever Vietnam

30. Best Use of Micro / Niche Influencers
• Igniting the Nation - ComCo Southeast Asia's Write to Ignite Blogging Project - ComCo Southeast Asia
• EMERGE Against All Odds (#EMERGEAgainstAllOdds) - Emerge Esports
• Indomie product launching campaign - #MYIndoHabit - Indomie
• Dear Covid-19 - National Youth Council
• #BringOn100 - Prudential Assurance Company Singapore
• CLEAR Men 3in1 Capheny Project - Unilever Vietnam

31. Best Use of Social Media
• Acer Home Office SOS - Acer
• The Perfect Voiceovers - Causes for Animals Singapore
• IM3 Ramadhan Campaign - Indosat Ooredoo
• Feast of Huat - Manulife Singapore
• Life Goes On Online Sneaker Drop - Manulife Singapore
• ‘LEADERSHIP IN UNPRECEDENTED TIMES: Executive Communication Innovations for Microsoft Asia President Ahmed Mazhari, First 100 Days in Office’ - Microsoft Asia
• April Fool's Campaign - Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
• Barista Creations Flavoured & Barista Creations Iced - Nestlé Nespresso S.A
• Domestic Tourism Recovery with SingapoRediscovers (Online and Social) - Singapore Tourism Board
• OMO Cleopatra - Unilever

32. Best Use of Technology
• Immersive 360 Digital Fashion Festival - AP Media
• AI-driven car buying experience - CARRO
• Livestreaming a Key Driver for Consumer Engagement in the New Normal of Online Shopping - Lazada Group
• Tap Tap Harvest by L'Occitane - L'Occitane Malaysia
• Covid-19 Contact Tracer - Madison Technologies
• Life Goes On Online Sneaker Drop - Manulife Singapore
• AI @ Work Study 2020 - JAPAC PR Campaign - Oracle
• Porsche Asia Pacific Forza Cup - Porsche Asia Pacific
• Natural Language Processing for Meaningul SoV - Tokopedia

33. Best Use of Virtual Platforms (B2B)
• Singapore Media Festival 2020 - Infocomm Media Development Authority
• Go-eCommerce Expo - Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)
• AI @ Work Study 2020 - JAPAC PR Campaign - Oracle
• AgrE-Commerce - San Miguel Foods, Inc., AIBC
• Twitch: LIVE from APAC! - Twitch
• UniCon 2020 - Unilever Employer Branding

34. Best Use of Virtual Platforms (B2C)
• Immersive 360 Digital Fashion Festival - AP Media
• Tiger Beer Stronger than Ever - Asia Brewery
• Forett at Bukit Timah: First-Ever Virtual Balloting - Forett
• Grab Tech Center Launch - Grab Indonesia
• President's Volunteer & Philanthropy Award (PVPA) | A Virtual Rallying Call to Give - National Volunteer & Philanthropy Center
• Porsche Asia Pacific Forza Cup - Porsche Asia Pacific
• Singapore Food Festival 2020 - Singapore Tourism Board
• Live From Aus - Tourism Australia
• 1887 Virtual Bar - William Grant & Sons

35. Most Creative PR Stunt
• The Perfect Voiceovers - Causes For Animals Singapore
• EMERGE Against All Odds (#EMERGEAgainstAllOdds) - Emerge Esports
• LifeSG: Simpler Services. Better Lives. - Government Technology Agency (GovTech)
• KFC Weddings - KFC
• Life Goes On Online Sneaker Drop - Manulife Singapore
• OMO Cleopatra - Unilever

36. PR Champion of the Year (Agency)
• Ashvin Anamalai - Be Strategic
• Mazuin Zin - Edelman Malaysia
• HS Chung - Hill+Knowlton Strategies
• Joscelin Kwek - Muse & Motif
• Lars Voedisch - PRecious Communications

37. PR Champion of the Year (Brand)
• Eva Sogbanmu - JLL
• Cheryl Lim - Manulife Singapore

38. PR Team of the Year (Agency)
• Biz-Eyes
• Edelman Malaysia
• Edelman Singapore
• Hill+Knowlton Strategies
• Mad Hat Asia
• Mercury
• Pinpoint PR
• RICE
• Voodoo Communications

39. PR Team of the Year (Brand)
• AIA Singapore
• Cisco
• FWD Vietnam Life Insurance
• Government Technology Agency (GovTech)
• JLL
• Lazada Group
• ONE Championship
• Tricor Group