Categories

Basic entry - US$440

Inclusive of 1 practice area, 1 industry sector and 1 geography. Additional selections cost $100

Geographic

Basic entry includes 1 practice area, 1 industry sector and 1 geography. Each additional category costs $100 each.

1. Africa
2. The Balkans
Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia.
3. The Baltic
Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania.
4. Benelux
Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg.
5. DACH
Deutschland, Austria, Switzerland.
6. Central Eastern Europe
Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia.
7. France
8. Iberia
Spain, Portugal.
9. Ireland
10. Mediterranean
Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Malta.
11. The Middle East
12. Nordics
Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway.
13. Sweden
14. Turkey
15. Ukraine and Other Independent States
Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Georgia, etc.
16. United Kingdom - Small Budget
LESS THAN £ 50,000 in fees.
17. United Kingdom - Medium Budget
£ 50,000 - £100,000 in fees.
18. United Kingdom - Large Budget
£100,000 in fees or more.
19. Multi-Country Programme
Multiple EMEA markets.
20. Global Programme
Multiple markets in multiple regions, led from EMEA.

Industry sectors

Basic entry includes 1 practice area, 1 industry sector and 1 geography. Each additional category costs $100 each. *Please note: any campaign—marketing, public affairs, employee communications, corporate reputation—conducted by a client in the sector is eligible. Please make sure the client company belongs to the category (i.e. a fashion-related campaign for a healthcare company in the Healthcare categories, not the Fashion category).

Consumer Goods

21. Automotive
Includes automakers and automotive parts and suppliers.
22. Fashion & Beauty
23. Food & Beverage
Excluding restaurants and food service companies.
24. Home & Furniture
Household products not covered by the categories above, furnishings.
25. Consumer Products
Any consumer product not covered in categories above.

Consumer Services

26. Entertainment
For clients in the entertainment business, including film and TV companies, record labels, artists and celebrities, sports teams, video game manufacturers.
27. Financial Services
28. Food Service
Including restaurants.
29. Retailers
For retail outlets, not all products sold at retail.
30. Travel & Tourism
Includes hotels, airlines, tourism boards.

Business-to-Business

31. Energy and Natural Resources
Includes energy producers, mining companies and utilities.
32. Chemicals & Industrials
33. Professional Service Firms
Includes law firms, marketing services firms, management consulting firms, etc.
34. Real Estate & Construction
35. Transportation & Logistics
Includes shipping and logistics, aviation and aerospace and other transportation companies.

Technology

36. Consumer Electronics
37. Technology: Hardware
38. Technology: Software & Services
39. Telecommunications
40. E-Commerce
Includes e-commerce companies that conduct the majority of their business on the Internet, may include dot-com divisions of retail companies, etc.

Healthcare

41. Consumer Health
Over-the-counter medications, nutraceuticals, etc.
42. Healthcare Providers
Insurance companies, hospitals, and other related providers.
43. Medical Technology
Includes healthcare IT companies, medical devices.
44. Pharmaceutical: RX
Also includes biotechnology companies.

Non-Corporate

45. Associations
Associations or coalitions consisting primarily of for-profit businesses; for charities.
46. Educational and Cultural Institutions
Schools, universities, museums, art galleries, performing arts venues, etc.
47. Government Agencies
Any government-sponsored campaign, domestic or overseas, including public education, tourism promotion, economic development.
48. Not-For-Profit Organizations
Excluding trade associations.

Practice areas

Basic entry includes 1 practice area, 1 industry sector and 1 geography. Each additional category costs $100 each.

Marketing Communications

49. Business-To-Business Marketing
50. Consumer Marketing (Existing Product)
51. Consumer Marketing (New Product)
52. Inclusive Marketing
A new category recognizing marketing campaigns that make a conscious effort to include diverse audiences, including multicultural, LGBTQ+ and differently abled consumers.
53. Integrated Marketing
This category is designed to recognize campaigns in which public relations played a lead strategic role, alongside other disciplines/channels such as advertising, promotions, direct, digital, etc.

Corporate Reputation

54. Institutional Image
Corporate image campaign (or institutional image for non-profit group or association).
55. Employee Communications
A campaign directed at a company's existing employees.
56. Employer Branding
A campaign positioning a company to attract new employees.
57. Executive Communications
A campaign to position the CEO or other senior executives as leaders or auithories on a topic or industry.
58. Capital Markets Communications
Investor relations or financial media relations designed to reach shareholders and other financial stakeholders.

Engaging Society

59. Purpose-Driven Branding
A campaign designed to increase sales or consumer engagement with a brand by linking that brand to a broader societal process.
60. Community Relations
A campaign designed to engage community stakeholders and improve relationships between a company and its neighbors, local or global .
61. Corporate Philanthropy and Fund-Raising
A campaign designed around an organization’s financial support for a charity or cause, or efforts to raise funds for a charity or cause.
62. ESG Campaign
A campaign to communicate a company’s commitment to environmental, societal and governance excellence.
63. Public Education
A campaign designed to improve public health or drive awareness of an issue with important societal implications.

Advocacy

64. Crisis Management
65. Issues Management
66. Public Affairs
A campaign designed to influence attitudes on matters of public policy, legislation or regulation.

Media Relations

67. Corporate Media Relations
68. Product Media Relations (Consumer Media)
69. Product Media Relations (Trade Media)

Digital and Social Media

70. Digital Campaign
71. Social Media/Social Networking Campaign
72. Influencer Marketing
73. Branded Journalism
A campaign based around content created or curated by the PR team.
74. Word of Mouth
A campaign that seeks to build advocacy for a brand or customer among key stakeholders, using either/both online/offline channels to generate positive dialogue and discussion.

Experiential

75. Guerrilla Marketing
This category includes activities such as street branding, flash mobs, etc.
76. Publicity Stunt
77. Special Event
78. Sponsorship
This category recognizes both the planning and execution of sponsorship activities, and PR support to leverage that sponsorship.
79. Trade Show
This category recognizes both the planning and execution of trade show exhibits and presence, and PR support for a company’s trade show presence.

Specialist Audience

80. Marketing to Men
81. Marketing to Women
82. Marketing to Youth
83. Marketing to Seniors
84. Multicultural Marketing
Includes campaigns designed to reach specific ethnic groups, gay and lesbian audiences, etc.

Diamond SABRE Awards - US$100

Please select all the categories you would like to enter. Each selection costs $100 plus the basic entry fee ($440).

Diamond Sabre Awards

85. Company of The Year
This award will recognize a corporation (or other organization) that has embraced public relations as a key management discipline and can demonstrate that public relations has made a significant contribution over the course of the year to its overall performance. Winning submissions will demonstrate that organizational behavior and organizational communications are aligned, and that public relations activities attain the highest levels of integrity, authenticity, and effectiveness. (This category is NOT open to public relations agencies).
86. CEO of the Year
This award will recognize the chief executive who has worked diligently to enhance the role of public relations within his or her organization, or demonstrated a clear commitment to ensuring that the organization embraces the principles of ethical and effective public relations, in its culture, its communications and its actions. (This category is NOT open to public relations practitioners.) .
87. The SABRE Award for Superior Achievement in Brand-Building
This award will recognize public relations work that has played in a central role in brand strategy, positioning and messaging. Successful submissions will demonstrate that the PR professionals involved—on either the agency or in-house team—took a lead role in creating and developing a brand platform and explain how that platform shifted perceptions, built stronger customer relationships, and ultimately drove sales.
88. The SABRE Award for Superior Achievement in Reputation Management
This award will recognize public relations work that has played in a central role in corporate strategy, positioning and messaging. Successful submissions will demonstrate that the PR professionals involved—on either the agency or in-house team—took a lead role in creating and developing a corporate reputation platform and explain how that platform shifted perceptions, built stronger stakeholders relationships, and ultimately contributed to corporate performance.
89. The SABRE Award for Superior Achievement in Research and Planning
This award will recognize public relations campaigns that draw on original research and modern data and analytics to develop critical insights into the client and its audience, and use formal planning techniques to devise the most appropriate strategic approach to address a challenge or seize and opportunity.
90. The SABRE Award for Superior Achievement in Measurement and Evaluation
This award will recognize public relations campaigns that made a meaningful and measurable contribution to an organization’s bottom-line results. Winning entries will focus on metrics such as stakeholder engagement, stakeholder attitudes, “net promoter score” (or similar), sales results, or business performance, and will make a compelling case that these results were directly related to effective communications.

IN2 SABRE Awards

Each selection costs $100 plus the basic entry fee ($440). Your first selection is included in the basic entry fee (i.e. its $440 for 1 selection). Please select all the categories you would like to enter.

Experiential Marketing

91. Live Events
This category includes activities that focus on people attending events, including live shows/concerts, in-store customer experiences, promotional stunts, etc.
92. Online/Virtual Events
This category includes activities that bring people together online to attend virtual events, including conferences, awards, discussions, shows, webinars, live streaming, etc. For events in the Metaverse, see category 132.
93. Digital Promo & Activation
This category includes any online/social media activity that leads to direct sales, prospecting, donations or other calls to action on online or social media platforms.

Earned Media

These submissions should be anchored in a single piece of excellent earned coverage. The anchor media can be supported with additional pieces of coverage and/or syndication to show additional reach, scope and impact. Please include the anchor coverage or link to it in the submission. These categories exclude paid content

94. Digital/Print Media: General, Consumer and Lifestyle Media
This category recognizes exceptional coverage that is earned on digital or traditional media across general, consumer and lifestyle media. Excludes paid content.
95. Digital/Print Media: Business/Trade Media
This category recognizes exceptional trade/business/B2B coverage that is earned on digital or traditional media. Excludes paid content.
96. Broadcast Media
This includes exceptional broadcast coverage—online segments, tv talk shows, radio shows, podcasts, etc—earned on broadcast media.
97. Earned Media with Influencers + Communities
This includes earned digital, print or broadcast placements with influencers. Includes YouTube, blogs, subject matter experts, etc. Excludes paid content.
98. Persuasive Content
Includes content intended to persuade and/or change stakeholder thinking, including speeches, opinion pieces, award entries, etc., including employee communications, financial communications, crisis/issues management or public affairs.

Sponsored & Paid Media

These submissions should be anchored in a single piece of paid or sponsored media that should be included within the entry. The lead media can be supported with additional pieces of coverage and/or syndication to show additional reach, scope and impact.

99. Paid Influencer Programs + Endorsements
This includes securing paid placements, mentions or promotions of a product, brand or company on social media.
100. Product Placement (Entertainment Vehicle)
This includes securing placements, mentions or promotions of a product, brand or company on an entertainment vehicle (film, tv show, online etc).
101. Digital Marketing/Advertising
This includes any online marketing/advertising, including interactive content/advertising, email marketing, e-commerce, QR codes, etc.

Social Media & Community Management

102. Social Video
This category recognizes the best use of social video on platforms such as Youtube, Instagram Live, Facebook video, Tiktok for stakeholder engagement.
103. Social Photos
This category evaluates the best use of photo networks such as instagram, pinterest, snap, tumblr or similar for stakeholder engagement.
104. Social Publishing / Blogs
This category evaluates the best use of online publishing platforms such as blogs, linkedin publishing for thought-leadership or stakeholder engagement.
105. Crowdsourcing & Co-creating
This category recognizes the use of online communities to source ideas, content, product iteration or any other initiatives co-created between the community and brand.

Owned Media

106. Website
This category recognizes the creation and promotion of corporate and/or brand websites, including microsites, and sites devoted to recruitment, ESG, DE&I and other critical issues.
107. Mobile Apps
This category recognizes the creation and promotion of apps designed to help organizations engage with an connect to external stakeholders including consumers, shareholders, opinion leaders, etc.
108. Digital Publishing
This category recognizes the creation and promotion of blogs, magazines, newsrooms, podcasts, and other digital channels designed to increase engagement between an organization and its key stakeholders.
109. Intranets and Workplace Apps
This category recognizes the creation and promotion of digital tools that help organizations connect with their employees.
110. CSR, ESG and DEI Reporting
This category recognizes the creation and promotion of reports—digital, print or video—designed to inform stakeholders about corporate policies and progress on social responsibility, environmental and social governance, and diversity and inclusion issues.
111. Annual Report
This category recognizes the creation and promotion of reports—digital, print or video—designed primarily for shareholders and the financial community.
112. Documentary Film and Video
This category recognizes one-off documentaries and documentary series, released on to broadcast channels or streaming services or hosted on an organization’s own website or video channels (YouTube, etc.).

Tools and Tactics

113. AI/Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality/Immersive Technology
This category recognizes brands that are using technology innovations to expand the ways they can engage, communicate with and activate their stakeholders.
114. Audio: Podcasts + Music
This category recognizes organizations and brands using podcasts and/or music to tell their story.
115. Gamification/User-Generated Contests
This category includes online and offline games and competitions to engage audiences and/or build communities.
116. Identity Branding
This category includes any brand and identity work, including logos, posters, package design, marketing collateral, etc.
117. Illustrations + Photography
This category recognizes the use of infographics, visual design, photography, typography, etc to communicate a brand’s story to audiences.
118. Real-time Engagement (Crisis and Issues)
This recognizes the use or media—social, digital or traditional—to respond in real-time to crises or to prevent/reduce threats to corporate or brand reputation.
119. Real-time Engagement (Newsjacking)
This recognizes the use or media—social, digital or traditional—to take advantage of breaking news or a cultural moment to amplify or increase engagement with corporate and/or brand messaging.

PR in the Metaverse

The metaverse is about to change the way people interact with each other, and therefore the way in which organizations connect with, engage and influence their key stakeholders. These categories are designed to recognize pioneering communications in the metaverse.

120. Virtual Worlds
This category recognizes the design, creation and promotion of “real estate, “including stores, in the metaverse, including centralized, decentralized and bespoke virtual worlds.
121. Metaverse Events and Experiences
This category recognizes specific events and experiences—including concerts and virtual stories—designed to attract consumers and other stakeholders into the metaverse to engage with each other and with organizations and brands.
122. Gaming in the Metaverse
This category recognizes the design, creation and promotion of gaming experiences in the metaverse, including campaigns that leverage existing gaming platforms in the metaverse such as Fortnite and Minecraft.
123. NFTs
This category recognizes the use of non-fungible tokens, including avatar wearables, music and art, and more to help organizations engage with stakeholders and add a new dimension to their relationships.

Data and Analytics

124. Social Listening
This category recognizes the use of social listening tools and techniques to identify and assess what is being said about a company, individual, or brand on the internet—including criticism and disinformation—and to formulate a response.
125. Data in Campaign Planning and Development
This category recognizes the use of data to develop a campaign strategy, including media/channel planning, audience selection/segmentation and messaging.
126. Behavioral Science
This category recognizes the incorporation of social science—and particularly behavioral science—into campaign strategy.
127. Original/Commissioned Research for PR
This category recognizes original or commissioned research conducted to provide content for public relations or other communications initiatives.
128. Measurement and Post-Campaign Analysis
This category recognizes research, data, or analytics—including surveys, focus grouos, media analysis and more—designed to measure the impact of a campaign.

Campaign Awards

While the Innovation SABREs primarily recognize specific campaign elements or the use of specific channels and platforms in an over-arching campaign, there are a number of ways in which broad-based campaigns are innovative and even ground-breaking in ways that do not fit comfortably into categories used in the campaign-focused SABRE competitions.

129. Platform Creation
This category recognizes a single compelling insight or idea that created a platform for a major campaign or initiative that helped an organization strengthen its relationships with key stakeholders or achieve other critical strategic objectives.
130. Content Marketing Campaign
This category recognizes a campaign that employed a wide range of innovative content in several of the categories described above in order to create maximum and sustained impact over the duration of the campaign.
131. Storytelling
This category recognizes a campaign that used storytelling techniques to create a compelling brand or company narrative in order to engage, influence, activate or build relationships with stakeholder groups.
132. Combating Disinformation
This category recognizes a campaign that defuses or otherwise negates misinformation or disinformation about the client organization.
133. Start-Up Marketing Campaign
This category is designed to recognize work with start-ups and early-stage companies, and includes initiatives designed to secure financing, attract employees, and introduce the company to customers.
134. Emerging Sector Campaign
This category is designed for campaigns conduced in emerging and disruptive industry sectors. Examples would include several areas of fintech and healthtech, crypto, and the cannabis and CBD oil business. Campaigns should be demonstrated that the client organization is a pioneer or innovator within its sector.
135. Pro-Bono Campaign
This category recognizes a campaign conducted as part of an agency’s pro-bono work and commitment to public service.
136. Micro-Budget Campaign
This category recognizes a campaign conducted for a client with a budget of less than $10,000.
137. This Year’s Issue: LGBTQ Rights
Every year has a defining trend, social challenge, or political issue. This category will change every year to reflect the most critical issue of the year. This year, the category will recognize the best campaign related to LGBTQ Rights.

Agency Awards

These categories are designed to recognized agencies that have demonstrated a commitment to various important aspects of creativity and innovation

138. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Initiative
This category looks to recognize agencies that are addressing the industry's diversity, equity and inclusion challenges with innovative and effective initiatives.
139. PR Agency Employee Program
For communications between an agency or in-house PR department and its own team members.
140. PR Agency Citizenship
For pro-bono work, volunteerism, and philanthropic programs designed to strengthen the relationship of an agency with the wider community.
141. PR Agency Marketing
Building the brand or reputation of a public relations agency.
142. Agency Thought Leadership
This category recognizes agencies that produce groundbreaking research, insightful analysis or other fresh thinking that challenges conventions and positions the agency as a change agent.
143. Agency of the Future
This category is designed to recognize an agency that is shifting expectations of what a public relations agency and be or do. This can include the development of new techniques and tools; the incorporation of data and analytics; activities that enhance creativity and pioneer new forms of content; a radical commitment to ethics, values and purpose; a commitment to progressive workplace practices; or the development of new approaches to the workplace.

Individual Awards

These awards are designed to recognize individuals—either agency professionals or members of in-house communications teams—who are driving change and innovation within their organization or for their clients.

144. Creative Professional of the Year
This category recognizes creative directors (in-house and agency) and others who have made a significant contribution to the creative output of their organizations or agencies.
145. Data Professional of the Year
This category recognizes professionals (in-house and agency) who have had a significant impact on the way their organization or agency uses data in campaign planning, execution and/or evaluation.
146. DE&I Professional of the Year
This category recognizes professionals (in-house and agency) who have had a significant impact on the way their department or agency approaches diversity, equity and inclusion and has had a significant impact on DE&I performance.
147. Innovator of the Year: Agency
This category spotlights professionals on the agency side who empower and enable reputation and communication excellence and innovation for their clients.
148. Innovator of the Year: Brand
This category spotlights PR, communications and marketing professionals on the brand-side who empower and enable reputation and communication excellence and innovation within their organizations.

And finally…

We know the public relations industry is evolving on a daily basis, and we are not so arrogant that we believe we can keep up with all the new tools, techniques, channels, and critical issues that change brings. So we have added this category so that you can enter work so innovative it doesn’t fit any of our pre-set notions.

149. Write your own category
Please attach a brief explanation of the proposed new category with your entry, which should detail a campaign or approach not recognized by an of our existing categories.