2026 PRINZ Awards open for entry

The Public Relations Institute of New Zealand have 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.

Celebrating outstanding work

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. Entries will close on February 27 at 5pm.

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.

Sponsor support

This year, PRINZ are supported by their principal partner Isentia and returning sponsors Truescope, Streem, Telum Media and Celebrity Speakers. Momentum Consulting has come on board 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.”

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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