MJA and Healthcare Communications Association Announce Unique New PR Award

By March 20, 2018Awards archive

The Medical Journalists’ Association (MJA), supported by the Healthcare Communications Association (HCA), today announce a unique new award for healthcare PR teams. Forming part of the MJA’s prestigious annual journalist awards, the new award will recognise excellence in PR, but importantly will be judged by journalists themselves.

The deadline for entry is midnight, April 30.

Every year, members of the Medical Journalists’ Association receive thousands of press materials and pitches from PR agencies and communications teams.

Some are well thought out, succinctly written and potentially helpful. The best understand the deadlines and lead-times which rule every journalist’s day, and offer the new information, strong hooks or access to case studies or experts at short notice which can make the journalist’s job a little easier. But some completely miss the mark.

Countless PR agencies and communications teams claim to understand how journalists think, and what we need, and boast ‘special relationships’ with key journalists. In an effort to champion those who really do ‘get it’ and improve the standard of releases and press materials MJA members receive, the MJA are launching a new award for excellence in PR supported by the HCA.

The award is supported by the Healthcare Communications Association, but will be judged by journalists, for journalists. It will judge best practice in strategy and implementation, rather than just focus on the specific media results achieved.

MJA Chair, Dr Lawrence McGinty says: “We know this award may lead to some raised eyebrows, but I doubt there is a journalist in the land who has not quoted a press release, or used a well-written one as the springboard for a story.

“Journalists and PRs have, by definition, different agendas, but there is a space where the Venn diagrams cross and both can win. Acknowledging this, and recognising when a PR agency or communications team is getting it right, does nothing to change the MJA’s motto: Independent and bloody-minded.”

Mike Dixon, CEO of the HCA believes the award will become the prestigious award that the HCA’s PR members will want to win: “There are many awards available for healthcare PR teams to enter, but only this MJA award is judged by journalists themselves. For a PR team, that makes gaining recognition in this award very special indeed. What PR team would not want to be able to tell a prospective client, or their organisation’s directors, that the journalists they are targeting have identified their work as worthy of recognition for excellence?”

“The HCA champions best practice and quality standards in the healthcare communications sector so our aims are very much aligned with those of journalists in wanting to recognise the PR teams that are getting it right. The HCA is therefore proud to be supporting the MJA in bringing this important new award to the sector.”

PR Teams can find more information and enter the award via the MJA website: https://mjauk.org/enter-the-mja-award-for-excellence-in-pr/

About the Healthcare Communications Association (HCA) 

The HCA proactively represents and champions on behalf of the healthcare communications sector. A not-for-profit organisation, with membership comprising in-house teams, agencies and individuals working in national and global healthcare communications across diverse business sectors, the HCA provides the collective voice to establish, maintain and improve best practice and quality standards in our speciality. The HCA takes the leading role in providing education and shared learning, helping organisations and individuals develop their professional skills. With cross-industry membership, the HCA also aims to provide unique business intelligence and networking opportunities for its members.

Sallie Robins

Author Sallie Robins

 MJA Administrator

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