McDowell will be part of a jury of experienced communication professionals who will judge entries and nominate the best of the best.  Winners are selected on the basis of unique merit, relevance, concrete objectives, creative strategies and tactics, and demonstrable results.

“To celebrate its 60 year anniversary, IPRA will be making a special award to an individual to recognise ‘Outstanding Contribution to the free flow of information as a major factor in humanitarian benefit,’” reveals McDowell.

As in the past, entries are judged initially in a virtual environment and GWA expects to shortlist to about 80 finalist entries across 33 categories. “The Jury’s final choice in each Category will be announced after the judging in early June. The winners of the Gold Awards, will be determined during the final judging which will take place in the United Kingdom this year,” says McDowell.

The winners in each Category will be announced after the judging in early July. However, the 2015 Grand Prix and the Outstanding Contribution Special Award will only be revealed at the Gala Evening in Johannesburg on Monday, 28 September.

The annual Golden World Awards (GWA), a public relations’ global awards scheme and hosted by International Public Relations Association (IPRA), was established 21 years ago for the global public relations community to interact and share best practices. Its popularity is evident with 30 countries participating in the 2015 GWA and a record level of 430 entries.

For more information on the Golden World Awards, click here.