The PRmoment Awards shortlists 2026

Welcome to this special podcast to celebrate the shortlists for the PRmoment Awards.In this show we're going to be talking in detail about the shortlist for the PRmoment Awards in London and we'll be talking about the shortlist for the North next week.On the show today we're going to be discussing the shortlist, talking about which firms were shortlisted the most and revealing some new data highlighting some of the extraordinarily high cumulative average category score for this year's PRmoment Awards.Don't miss out on your charts to attend the PRmoment Awards in either Manchester or London or even both if you fancy. Will and I were the chairs for two of the five streams for the PRmoment Awards judging day,  so we get a great insight into the work that's happening in UK PR and we're hopefully in a decent position to offer a behind the scenes view on that judging day and what we saw and how competitive it was in many of the categories.Important to note that host Ben Smith or Will Hart get a vote in the PRmoment Awards judging process. Who wins is entirely down to our wonderful judges.London Awards Ceremony , Park Plaza Westminster - Thursday 16 AprilManchester Awards Ceremony, Manchester Hall - Thursday 30 AprilMost Shortlisted AgenciesAnalysis of the London event shortlists showed W Communications, Hope&Glory, and The Romans topping the list, indicating breadth of high-standard work across these agencies. Being shortlisted is considered a significant achievement given the intense competition and high judging standards for all campaigns submitted.Judging Process ReviewThe judging process involves individual prescoring, followed by group discussion across 5 streams, which determines the final winners. Criteria are weighted across 6 areas, including objectives, strategy, creativity, implementation, results, and evaluation, ensuring a consistent and transparent evaluation.Emerging Award CategoriesNew categories introduced this year include Generative Engine Optimization Campaign of the Year and Pro Bono Campaign of the Year, reflecting the evolving PR sector and acknowledging previously unacknowledged work.