The Jersey Shore Public Relations and Advertising Association (JSPRAA) recently distributed 159 awards to New Jersey-based communications professionals, spanning 60 agencies across the state. The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ), Millburn, New Jersey, took home three Gold and three Silver JASPER Awards including an award for the PDFNJ radio PSA initiative “Listen Up Parents to the Dangers of Underage Drinking”. This is a program sponsored by the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control which invites all New Jersey Middle School students to create a script for a 30-second radio spot to inform New Jersey parents about the dangers and pressures New Jersey Middle School Students are facing every day. This initiative took Gold Place honors in the category of Radio (Radio PSA).
This year, JSPRAA accepted 390 entries in more than 105 categories that included advertising, print materials, direct mail, radio and television, audio/visual, excellence in writing, media relations, public relations, special events, and interactive communications. Judged by a panel of experts from the tri-state area, the entries that received the highest score in their category were given either a Gold or Silver Award. Awards included 81 Gold, 74 Silver, along with the President’s Choice Award and Helen Hoffman Best of Show.
Best known for its statewide anti-drug advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the communications, corporate and government communities whose collective mission is to reduce demand for illicit drugs in New Jersey through media communication. To date, more than $50 million in broadcast time and print space has been donated to the Partnership’s New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public service advertising campaign in New Jersey’s history. Since its inception the Partnership has garnered over 50 Advertising and Public Relations Awards from National, Regional & Statewide Media Organizations.