KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 10 -- Bernama/ AsiaNet Global, regional and local programmes feature in "best of the best" public relations showcase Twenty-seven campaigns from 11 different countries have won top prizes in the 2004 Golden World Awards for excellence in public relations awarded by the International Public Relations Association (IPRA). "The winners' list reflects the great diversity of public relationsactivities and the enormous talent within the industry worldwide. Winnersincluded a programme to encourage dog owners to take responsibility for theiranimals in Australia; a community relations campaign to promote the awareness ofsexual assault in Texas; a campaign to restore confidence in the health systemof Singapore during and after the SARS crisis; a consumer marketing programmefor the promotion of American Express cheques in Russia; an environmentalprogramme from Turkey to introduce a sustainable bio-diversity programme andimprove agricultural education as well as a campaign to create awareness of thetreatment of genital warts in Taiwan, " said Millicent Danker, Chairperson ofthe Malaysian Chapter of IPRA and founder and chief executive of PerceptionManagement Sdn Bhd. Danker was a member of the international jury of top practitioners for the2004 Golden World Awards presented by IPRA. The competition's internationaljury, composed of 44 senior practitioners from 25 countries, completed itsadjudication of 237 entries in London recently. Criteria used by the jury to examine each entry included the competence andquality demonstrated in terms of research, planning, execution and evaluation,the clarity and coherence of messages, creativity and ethics, as well as localconditions in the country of origin. "Judging the Golden World Awards is especially rewarding because it is anopportunity to recognize the diversity of our profession around the world,"said Danker. "While the winners represent a wide range of geographies,expertise and programming, all demonstrate a commitment to strategic planning,creativity and results that met or exceeded the stated objectives. "Most importantly, many winning programmes utilized public relations toaddress and create awareness of critical issues with worldwide impact, such asthe SARS epidemic and protection of the environment," she said, adding thatshe hoped to encourage Malaysian PR practitioners to submit cases forconsideration in the 2005 GWA. Each year the jury votes for one of the Category Awards winners to goforward as overall winner. The Grand Prize for Excellence will be announced andpresented by Mr Yoshitoshi Kitajima, the Chief Executive of sponsor DNP, atthe gala GWA dinner taking place in London on October 21st. The GWA United Nations Award, a co-operation between IPRA and the UN, toencourage public relations campaigns which meet the aims of the United Nations,will be judged and awarded later in the year as well. About GWA The GWA, now in its 14th year, are organised by the International PublicRelations Association and sponsored exclusively by Dai Nippon Printing Co.,Ltd. The Awards categories cover the full range of public relations disciplinesand are presented annually to the best campaigns, which demonstrate the powerand influence of public relations. About IPRA The International Public Relations Association (IPRA) is the premierassociation for senior international public relations professionals. With over1000 members worldwide, IPRA's activities include the global public relationsonline magazine IPRA FrontLine; seminars and conferences including the PublicRelations World Congress; the public relations website www.ipra.org whichincludes the IPRA Virtual Library; the IPRA Campaign for Media Transparency,and the annual IPRA Golden World Awards for Excellence, which recognize thebest programmes from around the globe. IPRA is headquartered in England. About Perception Management Sdn Bhd Perception Management, established in 1996 in Kuala Lumpur, boasts a team ofboth very experienced and young PR practitioners. It became an exclusiveMalaysian affiliate of Chicago-based Golin/Harris International, one of theworld's leading public relations firms, in October 2002. Perception Managementalso has a branch office in the UK, under the name Perception Strategies (UK)Ltd. ISSUED BY PERCEPTION MANAGEMENT SDN BHD FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT : ROSMALA NASIR OR ALICE GEORGE TEL : (03) 4257 5825 / 4256 2861 RELEASED BY BERNAMA PRWIRE MALAYSIA*GLOBAL SOURCE: International Public Relations Association (IPRA) --Distributed by AsiaNet (www.asianetnews.net)----InfoQuest (PP)--