The PRCA has embarked on an ambitious programme to recognise excellence in public relations outside the M25. The PRCA DARE Awards have been honouring the best in the industry in five different regions over the past two weeks.

The Scotland and Northern Ireland awards and the North awards took place last week. This week’s South East, South West and Wales and Midlands regions were all celebrated this week.

At Wednesday’s event in Slough, director general Francis Ingham said, “PR in the UK is so London-centric that we forget that the majority of people who work in PR don’t work in London.” The conference/awards events serve to promote the work of the more than 200 entries that poured in from across the country.

Jason Mackenzie, MD of Liquid PR, adds, "Liquid believes that our industry trade bodies are incredibly valuable in championing professionalism and promoting PR. As an agency with offices from the Channel Islands to the Midlands, we were delighted to see the PRCA recognising regional excellence. We wet even more thrilled to be shortlisted eleven times for six campaigns in five categories and four regions!"

One of the South East region’s winners, Weber Shandwick, took home the Effective Engagement award for its ‘We believe in D&T’ campaign that lobbied for a continued focus on design and technology in school curriculums.

Alex Deane, head of public affairs at the consultancy says, “We are delighted to be recognised for our successful campaign for The Design and Technology Association in these inaugural DARE awards. In the past, Public Affairs has sometimes been under-recognised in formal awards – in the new era of transparency and engagement, our field is rightly becoming a feature and it’s great that the first in the PRCA’s new, exciting scheme to reward innovative and ground-breaking excellence in PR has recognised us.”

The winner of five DARE Awards, Liquid PR, a consultancy based out of the Channel Islands, won a measurement award for its work for Hawksford. The agency rarely enters awards events but participated in DARE to show its support for the PRCA’s regional outlook and programme. Mackenzie says the win for Hawksford was the result of a concerted media relations campaign, effective positioning of the organisation within the entrepreneurial sector and a major event held at the House of Commons.

Liquid CEO Lis Lewis-Jones adds, “It is fantastic to be recognised at these prestigious awards, and it’s a reflection of the great work that’s been done across our Birmingham, Guernsey, Jersey and London teams. It’s really important that the PRCA has an awards scheme that recognises regional work but also includes London.”

Each DARE event featured a morning conference and afternoon awards ceremony in order to discuss current topics in PR as well as celebrate the winners.

The full list of winners is as follows:

DARE South East

Innovation and Integration
Fever - Launch of the Jackpotjoy FUNdation

Marketing, Media and Measurement
IAM - Winter Driver 2012
Liquid - Hawksford - Thinking Beyond Tomorrow

Campaign Challenges
Say Communications - ACT on CMA - The Challenge of Delayed Reactions

Social Strategy
Remarkable Group - Homecoming/Equal Marriage

Research and Results
CubanEight - Reinventing Direct Selling

Effective Engagement
Weber Shandwick - We Believe in D&T

Consumer Choice
O2 (Telefonica UK) - Chargers Out of the Box... for Good

Live, Launched and Loud
Fever - Launch of the Jackpotjoy FUNdation

Technology and Trade
Champion Communications - Creating a Buffalo Stampede

Internal Inclusion
URENCO - URENCO Flies High with BCD Travel

DARE South West & Wales

Innovation and Integration
HRSM Limited - Union Jacks High

Marketing, Media and Measurement
Liquid - Hawksford - Thinking Beyond Tomorrow

Campaign Challenges
Remarkable Group - Keep Calm and Get Tested Campaign

Social Strategy
Remarkable Group - Homecoming/Equal Marriage

Effective Engagement
JBP PR & Parliamentary Affairs - Daring to Use Social Media for a Large,

Contentious Planning Application

Consumer Choice
Liquid - Pro Bono PR for Largest Ever Fundraising Campaign in Guernsey

Live, Launched and Loud
Bray Leino - Kiss-As-You-Go with Joe Essex

DARE Midlands

Innovation and Integration - McCann PR, Screwfix Britain’s Top Tradesman Campaign

Internal Inclusion - Derbyshire County Council, Ditch the Data Demon

Social Strategy - Winner: Lava, Getting Social with Childminders

Live, Loud and Launched - Big Cat Group, The Voyage

Effective Engagement - Liquid, Welcoming a New Academy into the Heart of the Community

Technology and Trade - Grayling Midlands, Driving Interest in Mira Technology Park

Consumer Choice - McCann PR, Summer of Sharpie

Research and Results - McCann PR, Reaching MSBs

Campaign Challenges - The Corner Shop PR, Birmingham Opera Company

Marketing, Media and Measurement - Liquid PR, Hawksford – Thinking Beyond Tomorrow; McCann PR, 20 Years of Premier League Stickers