Students, enter the 2012 PRWeek Student of the Year competition sponsored by Hill & Knowlton. Winner receives $5000 and an internship at H&K!

1. Sponsored by
student
of the
year
Entry Kit 2012

2. student
of the Sponsored by Hill & Knowlton
year
Contents
2 The PRWeek Student of the Year Award
3 The assignment and challenge
4 Official rules
My campaign
My strategy
My creativity
My win!
Alyssa Vande Leest
2011 Winner
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3. student
of the Sponsored by Hill & Knowlton
year
Do you have what it takes to be
PRWeek’s Student of the Year?
Test your PR and communications skills by entering our contest,
sponsored by Hill & Knowlton. You could win $5,000 and a paid
internship at one of the world’s largest PR firms – not to mention
the honor of being the PRWeek Student of the Year 2012.
Sean Whelan
2010 Winner
What can I win? FAQs: What is the deadline?
The winner will receive a gener- What do I have to do? The entry deadline is
ous $5,000 cash prize, a paid You must devise and write a new December 9, 2011.
internship with the award spon- campaign for a real client. You
sor, Hill & Knowlton, and a paid will need to use your creativity Who can enter?
trip to the annual PRWeek Awards and ability to think strategically Whether a major in media or
in New York in March 2012. One and analytically to create a math, communications or
runner-up may receive a $1,000 campaign that ensures the client chemistry, anyone can enter as
cash prize and a paid internship achieves its desired objective. long as he or she was enrolled
with Hill & Knowlton. Also, up to Shortlisted contestants will be as an undergraduate student at a
five shortlisted students will flown to New York in January US college or university between
receive a paid trip to New York 2012 for a final day of judging, December 14, 2010, and
for the final day of the Student of including a live pitch to the client December 14, 2011.
the Year judging. The top two and the media. Finalists will
finalists will receive a trip to the also have the chance to handle
PRWeek Awards. a fictional crisis scenario.
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4. student
of the Sponsored by Hill & Knowlton
year
Background on Ford Since January 2010, Ford has introduced a series of
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry upgrades and enhancements to SYNC, including
leader based in Dearborn, MI, manufactures and voice-activation, on-demand navigation, traffic,
distributes automobiles across six continents. With sports scores, weather, and even horoscopes and
about 166,000 employees and about 70 plants world- stock quotes. And, most recently, Ford launched the
wide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford capability to voice control smartphone apps, such as
and Lincoln. The company provides financial services Pandora. However, with competitors catching up
through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more with technology introductions of their own, and
information regarding Ford’s products, please visit “millennial” customers reporting that they find their
www.ford.com. mobile electronics to be more important to them
than cars, how can Ford leverage their technology
The Assignment leadership by promoting and showcasing Ford’s
In January 2010, Ford Motor Company took center connected car technology as a key differentiator from
stage at a location you might not traditionally think the competition to help attract the “millennial”
of for an automaker: the Consumer Electronics Show. generation? For more information on SYNC, please
It was there that Ford unveiled what it called its visit www.ford.com/technology/sync.
connected car strategy – SYNC – where through
your own smart phone, you can utilize all the features Your campaign should have no more than three
of your phone, such as an address book and music separate components. For example, the campaign
through your MP3 player, safely through voice con- may include a social and traditional media relations
trolled commands. For Ford, it is all about keeping component, an event, and a competition. The written
your eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. entry will include the following components:
objectives, research and planning, strategy, tactics,
and evaluation/measurement of success.
Questions?
Please contact Eva Chan for more information.
Phone: 646.638.6059
E-mail: eva.chan@prweek.com
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5. student
of the Sponsored by Hill & Knowlton
year
By submitting your entry for the PRWeek Student of the Year expenses, which will be paid for by the sponsor. Meals
Award, you agree to the rules and regulations listed below. will be provided during the final judging session.
• The top two finalists will receive travel to New York for the
Official rules PRWeek Awards in March 2012, including airfare and
• Entries are to be submitted at PRWeekus.com/SOTY. standard hotel room expenses to be paid for by the sponsor.
Written entry must be no longer than five pages. A • The winner of the Student of the Year Award will receive
two page supplement can also be submitted in $5,000 and an internship with Hill & Knowlton (for a
addition that may include pitch letters, press period of time to be determined).
releases and other materials. • One runner-up for the Student of the Year Award may
• Entries must be from undergraduate students enrolled at receive $1,000 and an internship with Hill & Knowlton
a US college or university. (for a period of time to be determined).
• Entries must be written in English. • The winning students agree to permit their likenesses to
• Entries must be submitted online by Friday, December be used by Hill & Knowlton and/or Haymarket
9, 2011 at 11:59pm ET. Entries which are not submitted Media Inc. for advertising or promotion.
online will not be accepted. • The judges of the Student of the Year contest will include
• Support materials are not accepted. representatives from Hill & Knowlton, PRWeek, and the
• PRWeek and Hill & Knowlton reserve the right to featured client, Ford Motor Company.
disqualify any entry deemed unsuitable for any reason, • The criteria for judging include creativity, presentation,
not limited to, but including: failure to meet any of the writing ability, understanding of PR principles and
previously stated rules; plagiarism or non-attributed use strategy, and oral presentation skills (in final round).
of copyrighted material or images; excessive use of • All entry materials become the property of the sponsoring
profanity, nudity, or violence; or any content that advo- organizations and will not be returned.
cates and supports racial, cultural, religious, or gender bias. • Immediate family members of employees of
• Five students will be selected for a final round of judging Hill & Knowlton or Haymarket Media Inc. (PRWeek)
in January 2012. are not eligible to enter.
• Up to five finalists will receive travel to New York for the Sponsored by
judging, including airfare and standard hotel room
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