Pearl Bank claimed four top honours at the Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU) Excellence Awards, where judges warned that some practitioners still struggle to prove what their campaigns achieve.
The bank won the Corporate Storytellers, Media Relations Gold Standard and Impact Beyond Profit awards. It also took the PR Crown Jewel Award for the best overall campaign.
The gala, held at the Source of the Nile Hotel in Jinja on October 23, 2026, concluded PRAU’s 50th anniversary celebrations. The association, founded on May 22, 1976, held its 10th awards under the theme “A Legacy in Gold: Honouring the Cream of Public Relations”.
Beyond the celebrations, lead judge Dr Patricia Litho challenged practitioners to demonstrate results beyond newspaper coverage, event attendance and social media impressions.
Litho said the panel assessed more than 44 entries. Although submissions showed creativity and greater appreciation of strategic communication, some lacked research, evaluation and evidence of impact.
“We must move from measuring what we did to demonstrating what changed because of what we did,” she said.
“The true value of communication lies in its contribution to relationships, understanding, reputation, behaviour and organisational outcomes.”
She urged practitioners to establish baselines, track progress and substantiate claims of success. She also cautioned against using Advertising Value Equivalency as the sole measure of public relations effectiveness.
Litho recommended clearer eligibility rules and safeguards against conflicts of interest, including procedures covering serving council members, judges and competition organisers.
No one entered the Emerging Talent Award category, highlighting the need for further investment in young professionals.
Among the other gold winners, brainchild Burson took PR Powerhouse of the Year, while Lynn Nansirumbi won PR Rising Star.
Uganda Breweries Limited received the Policy and Persuasion Award, TotalEnergies EP Uganda won Culture Champions, and Airtel Uganda took Reputation Champions.
The Electricity Regulatory Authority won Event Maestros, Uganda Red Cross Society received Heart and Purpose, and Crown Beverages Limited claimed Viral Gold.
Silver recipients included Stanbic Bank, Pearl Bank, NCBA Bank, TotalEnergies EP Uganda, Node Group Consult and Whitney Najjuka of Capital One Group. The Electricity Regulatory Authority and Node Consult also received silver awards.
Guest of honour Alhaji Osman Noor Ahmed, Busoga Kingdom’s second deputy prime minister, urged practitioners to build public trust through honest communication.
“A well-designed communication campaign can create awareness, but a credible and honest communication strategy can build trust. Publicity may attract attention, but integrity sustains reputation,” he said.
He called for truth, accuracy, transparency and accountability, including admitting mistakes and addressing public concerns.
“The greatest test of public relations is therefore not how loudly an institution speaks about itself, but how confidently the people themselves can speak about it,” he said.
Noor Ahmed also urged practitioners to adopt artificial intelligence, social media and data analytics while protecting privacy, fairness and professional integrity.
PRAU president Irene Nakasiita paid tribute to the association’s late founder, James R. Mutabaazi. His son, Dr Daniel Ruhweza, represented him at the event.
She said retaining immediate past presidents on the governing council helped preserve institutional knowledge. She also thanked journalists, sponsors, judges and PricewaterhouseCoopers, which validated the awards process.
“Everyone who qualifies for an award today has gone through the established criteria, been assessed by the judging panel and had the process validated by PwC,” she said.
The anniversary programme included visits to Bujagali Hydropower Plant and Kiira Motors Corporation, alongside professional discussions and networking sessions.
PRAU also launched an Ipsos Uganda report, The State of the PR Profession in Uganda: A Desk Research-Based Point of View.
