‘Tis the season for hard-working public relations practitioners to speak up not for their clients, but for themselves, as the Public Relations Society of America Hawaii Chapter gathers entries for the 28th annual Koa Anvil Public Relations Awards.

In addition to Koa Anvils, awarded for complete PR programs, Koa Hammers will be awarded for outstanding PR tactics that are part of a campaign.

The club is also seeking nominees for the Gregg W. Perry Public Relations Professional of the Year award, which honors an exemplary practitioner; as well as for the Hokupa’a Award, presented to an outstanding PR newcomer.

"We especially want to encourage people to nominate well-deserving professionals for the individual awards," said Noreen Kam, account supervisor at McNeil Wilson Communications Inc. and director of communications for PRSA Hawaii.

The entry deadline is 5 p.m. April 29, but hopefuls can save $25 if entries are received by 5 p.m. April 15.

The annual awards dinner will be July 28 at the Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki Resort and Golf Club.

Speaking of which ……

A team of three college students also will be honored at the Koa Anvil Awards gala — for having won the PRSA Hawaii Chapter’s student writing contest, now under way.

Competing teams will research, develop and write a proposal for public relations services for Iolani Palace. The three teams deemed the best will present their work for final judging to a panel comprising senior PR practitioners as well as the executive director of the palace.

Each member of the winning team also will receive $100 and the right to include the win in their professional portfolio for job-seeking purposes.

The request for proposals and all the entry details, rules, regulations and a suggested time line can be found online.

Winners Circle lives

The Nov. 9 reunion of the Winners Circle Hawai’i breakfast proved so successful it will live on as a quarterly event staged by local presentation coach Pam Chambers. The breakfasts were weekly events in the 1980s; the revised breakfast meetings will be quarterly, with the same goal of inspiring professionals with a keynote speaker while promoting networking, allowing professionals to plug their businesses and raising funds for a nonprofit organization.

"At the November 9th Winners’ Circle Breakfast Club’s event, we raised a total of $2,235.00 to benefit the Hawaii Foodbank," Chambers said in an e-mail. Foodbank officials told her the sum was enough to distribute 5,588 meals.

The next gathering, at 7 a.m. March 15, will benefit the officially unrelated Winners’ Camp. The cost is $30 for advance registration or $35 at the door, with additional costs for onstage appearances and display tables.

On the Net:

» www.winnerscirclehawaii.com

» www.pamchambers.com

» prsahawaii.org

» is.gd/PRSAstudent

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Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Advertiser. Reach her by e-mail at erika@staradvertiser.com.