The following is from a Press Release by McNeil Wilson Communications, Inc. on June 6, 2011:
HONOLULU, HAWAI’I – The Hawai’i Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) <http://prsahawaii.org/> announced the winners of its first proposal-writing competition. Chaminade University business students Chelsea Taketa and Eugenia Lutali took top honors in the contest that gave Hawai’i college students an opportunity to hone their skills on preparing a formal response to a public relations Request for Proposal (RFP).
“We congratulate Chelsea and Eugenia for submitting a proposal that was clearly outstanding in every category,” said Ruth Limtiaco, CEO of The Limtiaco Company, who spearheaded the contest. “Their entry exhibited strategic thinking, a consistent theme and a practical budget, elements that are all essential to any comprehensive public relations plan.”
Open to teams of students from any Hawai’i college or university, the RFP asked for a written public relations plan to position Iolani Palace as a premier cultural and historical treasure, worthy of high recognition and regard in the visitor and resident market sectors, and as an institution deserving of philanthropic support.
“Iolani Palace was pleased to play a role in this excellent exercise to provide students with a learning experience,” said Kippen de Alba Chu, Executive Director of Iolani Palace. “The winning proposal was well thought out and the team obviously put considerable effort into a very creative plan.”
de Alba Chu joined four premier PR professionals on the judging panel, including Limtiaco, Nancy Daniels, APR, of Outrigger Enterprises, Amy Hennessey, APR, of Hawaii Pacific Health and Nathan Kam of McNeil Wilson Communications. On a scale of 1 to 10, they judged each submission based on how well the proposal was written, research, strategy, budget and if it would be competitive in the real world.
Taketa and Lutali scored the most points out of 10 teams. The Chaminade students, who both recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting, each received a $100 cash prize and will have a chance to network with Hawai’i PR professionals at the 2011 Koa Anvil Awards, held on July 28 at the Hawai’i Prince Hotel Waikiki.
“This contest was a way to provide aspiring PR professionals with a ‘real world’ scenario that they will face one day,” said Moani Wright-Van Alst, PRSA Hawai’i president. “We’d like to thank Ruth Limtiaco for leading our first student competition and we hope to continue it next year.”
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PRSA Hawai’i, chartered in 1947, was one of six founding chapters of PRSA. The society is the world’s largest organization for public relations professionals, with nearly 20,000 members representing business and industry, counseling firms, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional services firms, and not-for-profit organizations.
