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Launch of 2020 IR Society Best Practice Awards

At a time of considerable uncertainty as economies and communities struggle to cope with the far-reaching impact of the coronavirus pandemic, stakeholder engagement and the use of digital channels has never been more important.The promotion of best practice in IR is one of the cornerstones of the IR Society's existence, and the annual Best Practice Awards, now in their 20th year, play a crucial part in this.

It’s a great honour to be the Chair of the Best Practice Committee at the Investor Relations Society and I’m pleased to announce that the 2020 Best Practice Awards are open for entries. The Awards recognise those companies that have demonstrated their strong understanding of, and proactive efforts to promote, clear and consistent investor communications. 

The IR Society’s Best Practice Committee, which comprises a broad cross-section of companies and industry players, has ensured that the award requirements and criteria for 2020 have been updated and refined so that they continue to reflect changes in the dynamic operating and regulatory environment companies and IROs encounter on a day-to-day basis. We believe that a real opportunity exists for companies to embrace new ways of thinking and doing things, and these awards will capture that.

This year, we are introducing a new and more time-efficient application process for the self-entry awards. The traditional essay-style entry has been replaced with a Q&A format, which will streamline the entry process whilst still providing plenty of opportunities to give examples and to showcase your team’s achievements. The Awards will be judged by a panel of eminent investor relations and investment community professionals.


Awards opportunities

Self-entry Awards' categories include separate awards open to FTSE 100, FTSE 250, Small Cap & AIM, and international companies, recognising the diverse range of companies looking to the UK for excellence in IR. Categories include:

  • Most effective overall communication of company investment proposition
  • Most effective integration of ESG
  • Best IR communications in a corporate transaction
  • Best use of digital communications
  • Best annual report

For the voted Awards, which recognise excellence in individual and team investor relations, the IR Society is delighted to be working once again in partnership with Extel, an Institutional Investor company, helping the IR Society to address a wider audience and voting universe. We are now accepting nominations for:

  • Best Investor Engagement (investor) – this will be decided by company IROs for an investor/buy-side firm that the investment community believes represents the best in investor engagement with companies.
  • Best Newcomer to IR (individual)
  • Best IRO (individual)
  • Best Overall Company IR (company)


So, why not enter?

We are in unprecedented times and now more than ever businesses will need to proactively communicate with the investment community and wider stakeholders. The role of the Awards in recognising best practice in investor relations and those setting the path for others to follow has never been more important. The Awards provide an opportunity to demonstrate what a major difference each one of us can make to the companies we represent. Here are some additional reasons to enter the Awards…

  • Evidence excellence – to win or to be shortlisted shows that you have reached the very highest standard, as judged by leading experts.
  • Raise your profile – with your peers, internal and external stakeholders, thus strengthening your corporate reputation.  
  • Make your company proud – it’s a great recognition for all of the hard work, commitment and dedication that goes in every day. 
  • Reflect on your work – the process of entering the awards often helps one to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your organisation’s communications strategies and provides a springboard of ideas on what to focus on for the future.
  • Incentive to improve - the competitive nature of the Awards provides an opportunity to challenge the internal ‘status quo’.


Key details

We are looking forward to this year’s awards and I strongly encourage companies to enter, seek recognition for their performance and support the best practice standard in the UK and abroad. The 20th Annual Best Practice Awards' entries are open to all companies from 25 March until 30 June 2020 for both the self-entry Awards and for nominations for the voted Awards. Good luck!

Click here for more information, our best practice criteria and entry forms. 

Sallie Pilot is Chief Insight and Engagement Officer at Black Sun and Chair of the IR Society Best Practice Committee


About Black Sun

Black Sun is a stakeholder communications company. We help businesses to communicate authentically how they deliver value to inspire, engage and influence their important stakeholders. We believe that inspiring strategic communications can spark positive change and drive long-term, sustainable performance. We want to work with companies who want to build better businesses through better communications. To learn more about how Black Sun can help you with your stakeholder communications, please contact Naomi Hawkins, Senior Business Developer.

Published 26 March, 2020