1 IN2 category selection included with basic entry. Each additional category costs $120 each.
Experiential Marketing
91. Live Events
This category includes activities that focus on people attending events, including live shows/concerts, in-store customer experiences, promotional stunts, etc.
92. Online/Virtual Events
This category includes activities that bring people together online to attend virtual events, including conferences, awards, discussions, shows, webinars, live streaming, etc. For events in the Metaverse, see category 132.
93. Digital Promo & Activation
This category includes any online/social media activity that leads to direct sales, prospecting, donations or other calls to action on online or social media platforms.
Earned Media
These submissions should be anchored in a single piece of excellent earned coverage. The anchor media can be supported with additional pieces of coverage and/or syndication to show additional reach, scope and impact. Please include the anchor coverage or link to it in the submission. These categories exclude paid content
94. Digital/Print Media: General, Consumer and Lifestyle Media
This category recognizes exceptional coverage that is earned on digital or traditional media across general, consumer and lifestyle media. Excludes paid content.
95. Digital/Print Media: Business/Trade Media
This category recognizes exceptional trade/business/B2B coverage that is earned on digital or traditional media. Excludes paid content.
96. Broadcast Media
This includes exceptional broadcast coverage—online segments, tv talk shows, radio shows, podcasts, etc—earned on broadcast media.
97. Earned Media with Influencers + Communities
This includes earned digital, print or broadcast placements with influencers. Includes YouTube, blogs, subject matter experts, etc. Excludes paid content.
98. Persuasive Content
Includes content intended to persuade and/or change stakeholder thinking, including speeches, opinion pieces, award entries, etc., including employee communications, financial communications, crisis/issues management or public affairs.
Sponsored & Paid Media
These submissions should be anchored in a single piece of paid or sponsored media that should be included within the entry. The lead media can be supported with additional pieces of coverage and/or syndication to show additional reach, scope and impact.
99. Paid Influencer Programs + Endorsements
This includes securing paid placements, mentions or promotions of a product, brand or company on social media.
100. Product Placement (Entertainment Vehicle)
This includes securing placements, mentions or promotions of a product, brand or company on an entertainment vehicle (film, tv show, online etc).
101. Digital Marketing/Advertising
This includes any online marketing/advertising, including interactive content/advertising, email marketing, e-commerce, QR codes, etc.
Social Media & Community Management
102. Social Video
This category recognizes the best use of social video on platforms such as Youtube, Instagram Live, Facebook video, Tiktok for stakeholder engagement.
103. Social Photos
This category evaluates the best use of photo networks such as instagram, pinterest, snap, tumblr or similar for stakeholder engagement.
104. Social Publishing / Blogs
This category evaluates the best use of online publishing platforms such as blogs, linkedin publishing for thought-leadership or stakeholder engagement.
105. Crowdsourcing & Co-creating
This category recognizes the use of online communities to source ideas, content, product iteration or any other initiatives co-created between the community and brand.
Owned Media
106. Website
This category recognizes the creation and promotion of corporate and/or brand websites, including microsites, and sites devoted to recruitment, ESG, DE&I and other critical issues.
107. Mobile Apps
This category recognizes the creation and promotion of apps designed to help organizations engage with an connect to external stakeholders including consumers, shareholders, opinion leaders, etc.
108. Digital Publishing
This category recognizes the creation and promotion of blogs, magazines, newsrooms, podcasts, and other digital channels designed to increase engagement between an organization and its key stakeholders.
109. Intranets and Workplace Apps
This category recognizes the creation and promotion of digital tools that help organizations connect with their employees.
110. CSR, ESG and DEI Reporting
This category recognizes the creation and promotion of reports—digital, print or video—designed to inform stakeholders about corporate policies and progress on social responsibility, environmental and social governance, and diversity and inclusion issues.
111. Annual Report
This category recognizes the creation and promotion of reports—digital, print or video—designed primarily for shareholders and the financial community.
112. Documentary Film and Video
This category recognizes one-off documentaries and documentary series, released on to broadcast channels or streaming services or hosted on an organization’s own website or video channels (YouTube, etc.).
Tools and Tactics
113. AI/Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality/Immersive Technology
This category recognizes brands that are using technology innovations to expand the ways they can engage, communicate with and activate their stakeholders.
114. Audio: Podcasts + Music
This category recognizes organizations and brands using podcasts and/or music to tell their story.
115. Gamification/User-Generated Contests
This category includes online and offline games and competitions to engage audiences and/or build communities.
116. Identity Branding
This category includes any brand and identity work, including logos, posters, package design, marketing collateral, etc.
117. Illustrations + Photography
This category recognizes the use of infographics, visual design, photography, typography, etc to communicate a brand’s story to audiences.
118. Real-time Engagement (Crisis and Issues)
This recognizes the use or media—social, digital or traditional—to respond in real-time to crises or to prevent/reduce threats to corporate or brand reputation.
119. Real-time Engagement (Newsjacking)
This recognizes the use or media—social, digital or traditional—to take advantage of breaking news or a cultural moment to amplify or increase engagement with corporate and/or brand messaging.
Data and Analytics
120. Social Listening
This category recognizes the use of social listening tools and techniques to identify and assess what is being said about a company, individual, or brand on the internet—including criticism and disinformation—and to formulate a response.
121. Data in Campaign Planning and Development
This category recognizes the use of data to develop a campaign strategy, including media/channel planning, audience selection/segmentation and messaging.
122. Behavioral Science
This category recognizes the incorporation of social science—and particularly behavioral science—into campaign strategy.
123. Original/Commissioned Research for PR
This category recognizes original or commissioned research conducted to provide content for public relations or other communications initiatives.
124. Measurement and Post-Campaign Analysis
This category recognizes research, data, or analytics—including surveys, focus grouos, media analysis and more—designed to measure the impact of a campaign.
Campaign Awards
While the Innovation SABREs primarily recognize specific campaign elements or the use of specific channels and platforms in an over-arching campaign, there are a number of ways in which broad-based campaigns are innovative and even ground-breaking in ways that do not fit comfortably into categories used in the campaign-focused SABRE competitions.
125. Platform Creation
This category recognizes a single compelling insight or idea that created a platform for a major campaign or initiative that helped an organization strengthen its relationships with key stakeholders or achieve other critical strategic objectives.
126. Content Marketing Campaign
This category recognizes a campaign that employed a wide range of innovative content in several of the categories described above in order to create maximum and sustained impact over the duration of the campaign.
127. Storytelling
This category recognizes a campaign that used storytelling techniques to create a compelling brand or company narrative in order to engage, influence, activate or build relationships with stakeholder groups.
128. Combating Disinformation
This category recognizes a campaign that defuses or otherwise negates misinformation or disinformation about the client organization.
129. Start-Up Marketing Campaign
This category is designed to recognize work with start-ups and early-stage companies, and includes initiatives designed to secure financing, attract employees, and introduce the company to customers.
130. Emerging Sector Campaign
This category is designed for campaigns conduced in emerging and disruptive industry sectors. Examples would include several areas of fintech and healthtech, crypto, and the cannabis and CBD oil business. Campaigns should be demonstrated that the client organization is a pioneer or innovator within its sector.
131. Pro-Bono Campaign
This category recognizes a campaign conducted as part of an agency’s pro-bono work and commitment to public service.
132. Micro-Budget Campaign
This category recognizes a campaign conducted for a client with a budget of less than $10,000.
133. This Year’s Issue: Elections and voting rights
Every year has a defining trend, social challenge, or political issue. This category will change every year to reflect the most critical issue of the year. This year, the category will recognize the best campaign related to Elections and voting rights.
Agency Awards
These categories are designed to recognized agencies that have demonstrated a commitment to various important aspects of creativity and innovation
134. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Initiative
This category looks to recognize agencies that are addressing the industry’s diversity, equity and inclusion challenges with innovative and effective initiatives.
135. PR Agency Employee Program
For communications between an agency or in-house PR department and its own team members.
136. PR Agency Citizenship
For pro-bono work, volunteerism, and philanthropic programs designed to strengthen the relationship of an agency with the wider community.
137. PR Agency Marketing
Building the brand or reputation of a public relations agency.
138. Agency Thought Leadership
This category recognizes agencies that produce groundbreaking research, insightful analysis or other fresh thinking that challenges conventions and positions the agency as a change agent.
139. Agency of the Future
This category is designed to recognize an agency that is shifting expectations of what a public relations agency and be or do. This can include the development of new techniques and tools; the incorporation of data and analytics; activities that enhance creativity and pioneer new forms of content; a radical commitment to ethics, values and purpose; a commitment to progressive workplace practices; or the development of new approaches to the workplace.
Individual Awards
These awards are designed to recognize individuals—either agency professionals or members of in-house communications teams—who are driving change and innovation within their organization or for their clients.
140. Creative Professional of the Year
This category recognizes creative directors (in-house and agency) and others who have made a significant contribution to the creative output of their organizations or agencies.
141. Data Professional of the Year
This category recognizes professionals (in-house and agency) who have had a significant impact on the way their organization or agency uses data in campaign planning, execution and/or evaluation.
142. DE&I Professional of the Year
This category recognizes professionals (in-house and agency) who have had a significant impact on the way their department or agency approaches diversity, equity and inclusion and has had a significant impact on DE&I performance.
143. Innovator of the Year: Agency
This category spotlights professionals on the agency side who empower and enable reputation and communication excellence and innovation for their clients.
144. Innovator of the Year: Brand
This category spotlights PR, communications and marketing professionals on the brand-side who empower and enable reputation and communication excellence and innovation within their organizations.
