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2026 Nominations Opening Soon! The New Jersey School Public Relations Association (NJSPRA) is excited to announce that nominations will soon be accepted for the 2026 Communicator of the Year (COTY) Award. - AND we’ve streamlined the application this year to make it easier to complete! This prestigious honor recognizes the outstanding leadership and contributions of active, front-line school communicators who work full-time in school districts or education service agencies. One winner is selected annually from New Jersey. As a state chapter of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA), the NJSPRA COTY automatically becomes eligible for the NSPRA School Communicator of the Year award. Perks for the state winner include:
Two important criteria considerations for nominees are:
- Superintendents and other district/school administrators for whom communication is not their primary responsibility - Employees of private PR agencies Deadline and Calendar: Submit NSPRA School Communicator of the Year Nomination: On or before April 1st Nomination Process: Anyone can submit a nomination using the 2026 COTY Nomination Form (coming soon!). Nominate yourself or a colleague! Requirements within the form include:
Judging Areas: Leadership: Describe how the nominee demonstrates leadership in successfully meeting the communication needs of their school system or educational service agency. Examples may include leading successful communication campaigns, overcoming an internal communication challenge or creating a robust strategic communication plan. Examples should include data-driven research, planning elements, implementation of strategies and tactics and evaluation measures showing outcomes. Communication: Describe how the nominee demonstrates their strength in both personal and organizational communication. Examples may include evidence of persuasion, public speaking, the power of engagement or influence in decision making. Examples should include why the nominee’s communication strengths made a positive impact. Professionalism: Describe how the nominee demonstrates a consistent effort toward increasing their knowledge and skills, providing professional development opportunities or being a mentor to others. Examples may include achieving accreditation in public relations (APR), participating in NSPRA’s Mentor Match program or serving as a speaker at the chapter or national level. Community Involvement: Describe how the nominee demonstrates active participation in their local community and an understanding of regional, national and international issues. Examples may include going above and beyond their daily work commitments by volunteering in their local community, organizing a fund-raising event for their community or writing an article that demonstrates broad knowledge of the complexities of public education. All activities or accomplishments must have taken place within the previous five years. Additionally, the nominee must have the ability and skills necessary to represent school communications in a professional manner, including but not limited to, high-quality written communication and public-speaking skills. The nominee should maintain the highest standards of personal conduct and recognize that their personal conduct is held up to public scrutiny. Please consider nominating any eligible and deserving candidate. For questions or additional information, contact Sandy Cokeley, APR, at executivedirector@njspra.com |
Christine Corliss (2nd from right), accepts the NJSPRA 2025 Communicator of the Year Award from Maren Smagala (l), NJSPRA President and 2021 Communicator of the Year, and Heather Daniel (far right), 2024 Communicator of the Year. Past NJSPRA COTY Recipients 2025: Christine Corliss, Public Information Officer, Ridgewood Public Schools |
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