The 2026 PRINZ Awards are open for entry – deadline Friday, 27th February at 5pm

The Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ) has announced the 2026 PRINZ Awards are now open for entry.

 

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

There are 14 categories for entry this year including the new, Best Use of Small Budget for Impact category. Campaigns entered in this category will recognise those that maximise strategic and creative impact despite modest resources. Outstanding campaigns from the main categories will then go on to be considered for the Isentia Prize for Excellence in Research, Measurement and Evaluation and ultimately, the PRINZ Supreme Award. Beyond campaigns, PRINZ will also recognise outstanding young practitioners, agencies and in-house teams of the year. The winners will be revealed at the PRINZ Awards Gala Dinner in late May 2026.

This year, PRINZ are supported by their principal partner Isentia and returning sponsors Truescope, Streem, Telum Media and Celebrity Speakers.  PRINZ would like to thank the returning PRINZ Awards sponsors for their ongoing support and are proud to welcome Momentum Consulting as a new sponsor in 2026.

PRINZ Chief Executive Susanne Martin says “We know that 2025 presented challenges for our PR & Comms industry, as it did for many others in Aotearoa. However, we also know that it is during such periods that the important mahi undertaken every day by our members is most impactful.  We are excited to see and acknowledge the excellence in strategy and execution of their campaigns and contributions.  Thank you to our Awards partners for their crucial support. We look forward to celebrating the very best of our industry”

Entries for the PRINZ Awards will close on 27 February at 5pm.

For more information on the 2026 PRINZ Awards, including entry guidelines and updates, visit https://prinz.org.nz/prinz-awards/

The complete list of PRINZ Award categories is:

Isentia Best Use of Digital and Social Media

Telum Media Best Use of Media Relations

Best Use of Small Budget for Impact

Streem Corporate and Business Public Relations

Community Relations and Engagement

Celebrity Speakers Experiential and Activation

Government Relations and Public Affairs

Internal Communications

Truescope Issues, Crisis or Reputation Management

Marketing Communication

PR In-house Team of the Year

PR Consultancy of the Year Small to Medium

PR Consultancy of the Year Large

Truescope Sally Logan-Milne Young Practitioner of the Year

 

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