Pesel & Carr celebrates two Gold Quill Award wins

Pesel & Carr is thrilled to have been named twice on the winners’ list for the 2019 International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Gold Quill Awards.

The organisers recognised Pesel & Carr’s campaign You are not alone: Using video to take action against youth suicide, with Awards of Excellence in the Audio/Visual, and the Nonprofit Campaign category.

The campaign was developed and implemented by Pesel & Carr for the Australian Suicide Prevention Foundation (ASPF). Tragically, suicide is consistently the highest cause of death for 15 to 25-year-olds – and ASPF wanted to help raise awareness and messages of support amongst as many young people as possible.

Gold Quill evaluators said Pesel & Carr’s campaign not only demonstrated excellence, but also formed a case study that other communicators can learn from. They noted that through the video contest, Pesel & Carr created a platform that enabled youth to help other youth, and yielded powerful videos.

“We are honoured to have been awarded not once, but twice for such an important campaign, and one of which we are all incredibly proud,” said Barbara Pesel, Managing Director at Pesel & Carr.

“The Gold Quill Awards are globally acknowledged for their prestige. It’s very humbling to have been recognised in this way. The campaign itself achieved great outcomes for the Australian Suicide Prevention Foundation and young Victorians, and these awards are the icing on the cake,” said Barbara.

Video was the medium of choice for the campaign, which comprised a competition inviting students to make short films focusing on what the message “You are not alone” meant to them. This provided entrants with a platform to share support peer-to-peer, while educating them about suicide support services through the submission process.

Integral to the campaign’s success was that messages were delivered by young people to young people. The award-winning promotional video shared positivity and information in a relatable and engaging way. The entrants’ videos were amplified on social platforms to continue spreading ASPF’s messages.

“You are not alone” successfully reached an enormous number of young Victorians, with a combined reach of 3.8 million throughout the three-month competition period. In addition, media coverage targeting secondary audiences was achieved across print, broadcast and online news outlets with a total reach of more than 15 million.

For more than 40 years, IABC’s Gold Quill Awards have recognised excellence in strategic communication worldwide and are acknowledged as one of the most prestigious awards programs in the industry.

Cindy Schmieg, IABC Fellow, chair of the awards committee, said: “Only exceptional work earns an IABC Gold Quill Award.”

“Each entry is rigorously reviewed by multiple experienced communicators from around the world who are trained in applying IABC’s Global Standard of the Communication Profession. The award winners represent our profession of ethical practitioners contributing to organisational outcomes,” said Cindy.

Pesel & Carr is looking forward to receiving these awards during the Excellence Gala on 11 June in Vancouver.