PRINZ Announces Chief Judges for 2026 PRINZ Awards 

The Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ) has announced the esteemed chief judges for the 2026 PRINZ Awards.

Now in its 52nd year, the annual PRINZ Awards recognise and celebrate the outstanding work achieved by public relations and communications management professionals in Aotearoa. These awards are judged by selected industry professionals from overseas and across Aotearoa and the judging process is led by two chief judges Tracey Bridges FPRINZ LPRINZ and Nikki Wright, Managing Director at Wright Communications.

Bridges has built a reputation as one of Australasia’s leading practitioners in the areas of strategic communications, behaviour change and issues management. A PRINZ Life member, she has worked on projects involving public, private and not for profit organisations. She is an experienced facilitator and provides professional development assistance to senior teams on topics such as leadership communications, listening, strategy development and behaviour change. Bridges was a founding partner of trans-Tasman communications consultancy SenateSHJ. In 2017 she made a career change, moving into governance and community roles. She is a Director and co-Founder of The Good Registry, a social enterprise helping people translate their gift spending into donations to good causes.  Her governance portfolio includes serving as Chair of Creative HQ and Chair of the Wellington Economic Development Agency, and a board member for the Wellington Regional Stadium Trust, Whānau Āwhina Plunket, WELLfed Charitable Trust and the Digital Media Trust.

Wright has more than 25 years’ experience in public relations, leading an awardwinning B Corp certified Auckland-based agency recognised as PRINZ Agency of the Year three times. Specialising in reputation management, corporate communications, ESG, and crisis communications, she is a Chartered Member of IoD and trusted advisor to CEOs. As co-founder of the Corporate Reputation Index with Kantar, Wright advocates for responsible business practices, using her expertise to navigate challenges and drive strategic change. She is a PRINZ Fellow and holds APR accreditation.

Wright returns as chief judge for a consecutive year and Bridges steps into the role as Andrew Pirie concludes his time as chief judge after four years. As chief judges, Wright and Bridge will oversee the evaluation process for the awards, ensuring that entries are assessed with the highest standards of integrity and professionalism.

Says Wright: “I’m delighted to be joined by Tracey Bridges as Co-Chief Judge. I’ve always admired her astute judgment, governance experience and high standards, along with her thoughtful approach. She’s deeply committed to the future of the profession and the success of those working in it, which makes her an ideal partner for this role.”

Says Pirie: “It’s been a privilege and pleasure to have served as a chief judge over the past four years, witnessing at close hand the outstanding work carried out within our industry.  I feel the time is right to step aside and I’m delighted that someone of Tracey’s calibre and experience is succeeding me.”

PRINZ is delighted to have such accomplished and respected professionals leading the judging panel and is confident that the panel will recognise the excellent communications mahi undertaken in 2025 under their leadership.

For more information about the PRINZ Awards, including entry guidelines and updates, please visit https://prinz.org.nz/prinz-awards/