The Religion Communicators Council (RCC) announced that the 49th Annual DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Awards will be held on Thursday, March 31, 2016 at the Interchurch Center Building, 475 Riverside Drive in New York City, NY (the national headquarters of RCC). The DeRose-Hinkhouse Awards dinner is held during the RCC’s annual convention. The 2016 convention, “Faith-based Communications: Bridges, Avenues and Intersections,” will be held March 31-April 2 in various venues throughout New York City.
The DeRose-Hinkhouse Awards are presented annually to active members of the RCC who demonstrate excellence in religious communications and public relations. Previous winner, Jay Rollins says, “As a recipient of several DeRose-Hinkhouse awards over the years, I cannot stress the value the award brought to the work of my team. It was a not only an acknowledgement of hard work for my superiors, but a chance to network with our colleagues in different faith traditions around creative ways to reach our various audiences.”
There are 10 Classes (A through J) and multiple categories within each class for over 90 areas to be judged. Auburn Seminary who specializes in media and public relations training for faith leaders has committed to judging the following Classes for the 2016 awards: Class C: Public Relations Materials, Class F: Graphic Design, Art & Photography, Class G: Audio & Video, Broadcast, Non-Broadcast & Cable, Class H: Public Relations & Advertising Campaigns, Class I: Digital Communications, and Class J: Social Media. The RCC will soon confirm another group who has specific expertise to judge the remaining Classes: Class A: Periodicals, Class B: Periodicals-Single Issue, Class D: Writing for Publication, and Class E: Specialized Writing. Deadline for entry submissions is January 21, 2016. For more information and entry forms visit the DeRose-Hinkhouse Awards page on the RCC web site.
Leigh Rogers, DeRose-Hinkhouse Awards Chair stated, “We know that RCC members produce quality, top-rate materials and resources for their constituents. The DeRose-Hinkhouse Awards are the perfect way to get recognized for your great work this year! Submit your best work – whether a web site, annual report, video, magazine article, podcast, or photograph – for the chance to be honored by your peers. We are looking forward to seeing your creations this year at the 2016 convention in New York!”
The awards are named to honor the late Victor DeRose and the late Paul M. Hinkhouse, leading lithographers in New York City, and longtime friends of the RCC. Both men shared a strong interest in, and concern for excellence in communications.
In order to be considered for a DeRose-Hinkhouse Award, one must be an active member of RCC. Registration is now open for 2016 memberships. If new members join now for 2016, they will also receive membership for the remainder of 2015 for no charge. More information on RCC memberships can be found on the Join RCC! web page.
The Religion Communicators Council was established in 1929 to promote faith perspectives in public discourse. There are active RCC Chapters in New York, Washington D.C., Dallas/Fort Worth, Central Texas (Austin), Nashville and Louisville, KY. Most members of RCC join as members-at-large. Starting in 2015, RCC is making religious literacy a priority. As the only faith-oriented, accredited public relations association, RCC has a role to play, by utilizing its interfaith members to help the secular media understand diverse faith dynamics, as well as providing resources to members so they understand other faith traditions besides their own.
