Two Public Relations MA students, Maria Istrate and Georgia Starling, have won Bronze Medal at the International Communications Consultancy Organisation’s (ICCO) University PR World Cup.
The competition provides a chance for university students worldwide to showcase their creativity and PR knowledge. In teams of two, participants arrange a PR campaign responding to a brief by a non-governmental organisation (NGO), with the guidance of a mentor from the Global PR Youth Board or from the PR and Communications Association’s NextGen Groups. The campaign projects are reviewed by an international team of academics and PR professionals.
The students had 72 hours to plan the PR campaign for the World Wide Fund for Nature UK (WWF). Maria and Georgia first conducted primary research on the target audience, brainstormed ideas for the execution, and identified ways to measure success at every stage of the campaign. After designing the proposal according to the brief, they presented it in a five-minute pitch for the jury. The students made a great team together and are looking forward to the upcoming challenges.
Reacting to the success of the Westminster Team, ICCO stated: “Congratulations to Georgie and Maria for an excellent creative idea and presentation. This was a challenging brief from WWF that has been designed for experienced PR professionals, and they rose to the challenge admirably, winning Bronze in our first ever university competition. I look forward to welcoming a team from Westminster again next year, they’ve got a tough act to follow!”
Talking about the competition, Georgia said: "This was my first ever campaign, and to say I am humbled would be an understatement. I learned so much within the 72 hours given, that I intend to apply for every competition going forward. Thank you so much to my partner and friend, Maria, for believing in me when I did not believe in myself or my ideas.
“Being awarded the Bronze Medal truly makes me feel heard and realise that I do have a place within the PR industry. I am honoured for this competition being my first step. I am devoted to improving my craft and knowledge now, more than ever.”
Maria said: "I am delighted with the result that my teammate Georgia Starling and I achieved in the competition. For me, the Bronze Medal means recognition for our efforts and, at the same time, room for improvement. This international championship is undoubtedly an experience from which we have learned much about our campaign planning skills as a team. We are honoured to have represented the University of Westminster in this competition."
Talking about Maria’s and Georgia’s success, Jon Cope, Senior Lecturer of the Public Relations MA course, said: "It is exciting for Maria and Georgia to have their work recognised by a panel of experienced PR professionals and we are really proud of them! Hopefully it will inspire others on the course to enter international competitions which offer great experience for professional life after graduation."
Learn more about the Public Relations MA course at the University of Westminster.
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