An event I’m very happy to help raise awareness of is the 2011 Social Media Awards programme from the European Public Relations Education and Research Association (Euprera), that aims to recognize the best student and research PR blogging across Europe at an awards ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal, in March.

The programme is part of Euprera’s EuroBlog project which has been investigating the impact of social media on PR practice since 2005. The first Social Media Awards took place in Ghent, Belgium last year (which I took part in, as chair of the judging panel).

Who should enter the EuroBlog Social Media Awards? Organizer Philip Young says:

We are going to make three awards in Lisbon, all to people who are engaged with the online community and see the opportunities offered by social media.

Most effective social media presence established by a communications/public relations student studying on undergraduate or post-graduate programme at a European university.

• The judges will be looking for focus and vision, originality, creativity, style and insight.

Most innovative use of social media techniques in a communications research project or investigation

• The judges will be looking for originality of insights, thought, theoretical understanding, delivered with creativity, style, insight etc

Most valuable contribution to the academic understanding of the impact of social media on PR practice.

• This may be a university lecturer but could also be a thought leader, post graduate researcher, author, or consultant. We welcome entries from individuals but also NOMINATIONS from others. If you are learning from someone, let us know.

How to Enter

Send an email with your name and the URL of your web presence to Philip Young (philip.young@sunderland.ac.uk) and you will be added to the Participants blogroll.

Read what two of the 2010 winners had to say about the Awards – Laura Fischer (Best Student Blogger) and Ben Cotton (Best Practitioner/Researcher).

Entries and nominations for the 2011 Awards opened a week ago and close on January 30, so read the rules for entry and get your skates on!