THE SHORTLIST – The UnAwards 2024

 

1. Best crisis comms

·        HMRC Digital Communications - Myth busting online sales

·        Liverpool City Council communications team – Liverpool riots, Spellow hub arson response

·        Staffordshire County Council – Highways communications team,  Fixing more roads in Staffordshire

·        London Borough of Barnet - 7th October Attacks, turning a crisis into a strategic partnership

·        Staffordshire County Council – Sustainability Dreamhouse

 

2. Best creative comms

  • Staffordshire County Council Little Heroes

  • Wigan Council Fettlers - People Make Wigan place narrative

  • South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Kitchen Nightmares

  • North Lanarkshire Council Corporate Communications - The Hive, Womens

  • Business Space

  • Tower Hamlets Council Innovation Month

  • whg - On track to 2030

  • Reading Borough Council - Just One Thing

 

3. Best use of ethics and diversity

•            Tower Hamlets Council

•            Leicestershire Fire and Rescue

•            South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service

•            Sheffield Children’s NHS

•            Police Scotland

 

4. Best young communicator

·        Hannah Marshall, Tower Hamlets Council

·        Lauren Tye, Telford & Wrekin Council

·        Ellie Simpson, Stockton on Tees Council

·        Christopher Lewison, London Borough of Barnet

·        Cameron Angus Murray, Derian House

 

5. Best use of email

•            Companies House Early reminders for filing accounts

•            Essex County Fire and Rescue Service The Shout

•            London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Richmond Moves for a Healthier Borough

•            Poplar HARCA, Anna Peneva, Digital Content Producer

•            Surrey County Council Communications team Surrey County Council Newsletter Strategy

 

6. Best use of evaluation/research

•            Police Scotland. Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation prevention campaign

•            Hertfordshire County Council. Ukraine Sunflower Campaign

•            South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue. Kitchen Nightmares

•            Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Love Research communications campaign

•            Staffordshire County Council - Fixing More Roads in Staffordshire

 

7. Best low cost/free comms

•            Police Scotland – Know our values. Live our values.

•            Liverpool City Council – Liverpool riots

•            Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust – Romani video appointment reminders

•            Derian House Children’s Hospice – Say My Child’s Name

•            Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) – Help Gran Stop Spam

 

8. Best use of video

•            Dravet Syndrome UK - Little Moment Matter

•            Police Scotland - Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation prevention campaign

•            Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust - Landing a Big Idea

•            West Midlands Combined Authority - West Midlands mayoral election campaign and live stream

•            Eastleigh Borough Council – Let’s Get It Sorted

 

9. Best social media account

•            Berkshire Healthcare NMS Trust - TikTok             

•            Cambridge University Hospitals CUH social media chatbot

•            Manchester City Council Engaging Manchester - A Social Revolution

•            Staffordshire County Council Staffordshire County Council Social Media Accounts

 

10. Best comms/digital professional

  • Rebecca Malpass, Derbyshire Constabulary

  • Ruth Mansfield, Leicestershire Police

  • Helena Hornby, Staffordshire County Council

  • Caroline Taylor, Derian House

  • Kirsty Tobin, London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea 

  • Stuart Robinson, Leeds City Council

 

11. Best small team

•            National Institute of Teaching Marketing and Comms team 

•            Kids Inspire Communications Team 

•            Staffordshire County Council Social Media Team

•            Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service Corporate Comms Team 

•            Brent Cross West - London Borough of Barnet

•            Transport for Wales – Changing perceptions event team

•            Oxfordshire County Council transforming internal comms team

 

12. Best internal comms

•            Love research: Cambridge University Hospitals NGS Foundation Trust

•            Making your voices heard - George Eliot hospital

•            Oxford University Hospitals NHS FT: OneTeamOneOUH Staff Recognition programme

•            Oxfordshire County Council

•            The Havering Characters: London Borough of Havering

 

13. Best work by an agency

•            Police Scotland and the Lucy Faithfull Foundation

•            Jon Gill Playful Communications - "A Good Thing To Do: Andrew Crummy's Cancer Tapestry"

•            Grey Fox Communications and Marketing - NHS North West London

•            Georgia Turner Communications and Trueman Change with Participation People - Leicestershire County Council

•            Thread & Fable - Swim England

 

14. Best collaboration

•            East Midlands Combined County Authority East Midlands Mayoral Election Campaign

•            London Borough of Richmond upon Thames  Full of Life

•            Police Scotland - Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation prevention campaign

•            LGcomms Exec Comms Academy 2024

 

15. Best social media campaign

•            Cambridge University Hospitals - CUH Social Media Chatbot

•            Buckinghamshire Council - For Bucks Sake

•            Transport for Wales Media Team - Changing the perception of post-event public transport

•            Leicestershire Fire & Rescue Service Corporate Communications team - Be the Difference Campaign

•            Warwickshire County Council - Student Fire Safety Week - Gen-Z Style

 

16. Supporting health and wellbeing

•            Sheffield Children's NHS Trust - Romani appointment reminders         

•            Telford & Wrekin Council - Healthy Telford pledge             

•            North Lanarkshire Council - Free period products

•            Central Bedfordshire Council - Is Everything OK?

•            Bristol City Council - Cycle September

 

17. Best use of data

•            London Borough of Barnet - Money Worries

•            Office of the Public Guardian - Your Voice, Your Decision            

•            Staffordshire County Council - Warmer Homes  

•            Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - Love Research  

•            Police Scotland - Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Prevention Campaign         

 

18. Behaviour change

•            Welcome to Little Heroes - Staffordshire County Council

•            Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation prevention campaign - Police Scotland

•            Better Health - Rewards City of Wolverhampton Council

•            Help Gran Stop Spam - Information Commissioner's Office

•            Do it for Dave - Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service.

 

>> PUBLIC VOTE >>

You, the comms community, will decide the winners of three important categories:

19. Best Guest Post of 2024

20. Best Communications Team

21. Lifetime Achievement

19. Best guest post - public vote

'Public affairs - the 2024 'must have' for public sector comms pros: Are you ready?

by Georgia Turner

 

'I survived 5.5 years as a “freelancer”. Here’s what I (and fellow freelancers) learned along the way…'

by Ben Capper 

 

'From ‘no go’ to ‘go to’ in 24 hours – How Tower Hamlets embraced a media storm'

by Andreas Christophorou

 

'Successful service transformation – The communications challenge'

by Victoria Ford

 

'Beautiful, isn’t it? Lessons from the winning “Best use of video” UnAwards entry'

by Ben Capper

 

'Elections – a 7-point comms checklist to guide your approach'

by Louisa Dean

 

'How not to communicate about anything, ever'

by Ben Capper

 

'Is there a spin doctor in the house?'

by Hannah Clubb

 

'The Talking Comms Podcast (2017-2024) and an exciting new chapter'

by Adrian Stirrup

 

'Flip it and reverse it: How being negative can identify what matters'

by Jude Tipper

 

20. Team of the year - public vote

  • Teenage Cancer Trust communications team

  • Derian House Children’s Hospice communications and marketing team

  • West Midlands Combined Authority digital communications team

  • Derbyshire Constabulary communications team

  • Information Commissioners Office communications team

  • City Investment Team Invest Wolverhampton

  • Barts Health NHS Trust communications team

  • Bedfordshire Police communications team

  • Essex County Fire and Rescue Service communications, marketing and brand team

  • Kids Inspire communications team

  • Transport for Wales media team

  • Manchester City Council Engaging Manchester

  • Manchester City Council communications team

  • West Mercia Police corporate communications team

  • Liverpool City Council communications team

  • Tendring District Council communications team

  • Tower Hamlets Council communications team

  • Dravet Syndrome

  • Reading Borough Council communications team

 

21. Lifetime achievement - public vote

  • Kate Viles

  • Kirsty Tobin

  • Paul Masterman

  • Pat Clark

  • Ranjeet Kaile

You can vote HERE. The Public Vote closes on 25 November, at midnight

>> Well done everyone. shortlisted. See you on the big day at the lovely Everyman Cinema in Birmingham’s iconic Mailbox on 6 December.

You can grab up to two tickets per organisation HERE.

Thanks to everyone who has supported the UnAwards. Darren