Congratulations to all those shortlisted for the MJA Award for Excellence in PR, and in particular HCA member OPEN Health PR. The award recognises best practice in strategy and implementation, rather than just focusing on the specific media coverage obtained. It is unique in that it is judged only by medical journalists themselves, making recognition in this award very special indeed.
Shortlisted entries:
The BMJ
The judges thought this a significant campaign, based on the joint editorial in the BMJ and HSJ, that affected government policy on lockdown over Christmas 2020. It was a timely and incisive intervention.
OPEN Health PR for Pierre Fabre
In a Covid pandemic, winning coverage for a new cancer therapy is a tough ask. The judges thought Open Health cleverly targeted health journalists not writing about Covid and recast the science in their messages to take Covid into account – gaining excellent coverage.
King’s College London and ZOE
A pioneering app deserves a ground-breaking campaign, and the judges thought this team certainly delivered. They were particularly impressed by efforts to keep app users engaged. And by brave decisions – for example to press release pre-prints.
Warwick Business School
The judges said the team from Warwick intelligently exploited its limited resources, particularly in behavioural sciences, to establish a significant presence in the media debate on Covid issues, such as face masks and social distancing.
The winner will be announced at the MJA awards ceremony at the Barber Surgeons’ Hall on September 22.