Awards for Excellence in Communication

The Annual EMPA Awards for Excellence in Emergency Communication have been established to recognise those who have made a significant contribution to emergency communications in Australia and New Zealand.

EMPA aims to set benchmarks, celebrate best practices, and build a community of practice that benefits emergency communicators and the communities they serve.

The annual EMPA Awards for Excellence in Emergency Communications aims to highlight outstanding emergency communications work undertaken in Australia and New Zealand over the past year. 

The judges consider each project or activity on how well they conform to the EMPA Principles. These criteria are to assist with guiding the development of your entry - understanding that not all the criteria will apply. 

  1. A seat at the table – systems and structures

  2. Strategic messaging - connection and credibility

  3. Community-focused communication

  4. Creating connections – integrating efforts

  5. Creating networks – connecting stakeholders

  6. Working with media and social media providers – liaison to collaboration

  7. Building teams – creating capacity

Why enter?

  • The Awards are about recognising success. Enter the Awards to acknowledge your team and their work.  

  • Use the submission process to profile your operational practices and understand what ‘worked’ to create that success.

  • Benchmark your performance against the industry’s best.

  • Benefit from the exposure generated by the Awards to boost your profile.

  • Use the prestige of winning an award in your marketing and collateral to further promote your organisation’s credibility.

  • A rewarding experience for your staff to know that they are part of a winning team.

  • Nominate your staff for individual awards to recognise their personal success and achievements.

  • As a FINALIST you will have the opportunity to present to conference delegates in the EMPA EXCELLENCE SHOWCASE. This is your unique opportunity for delegates to meet and learn about you, your organisation or project before the Awards Dinner.

Eligibility

The EMPA Awards are open to:

  • All who make an active contribution to emergency management in Australia or New Zealand in any capacity provided that their activity is directly associated with communication / public information.

  • Students, tutors or teaching staff in any accredited tertiary institution, whose research is directly related to emergency management in Australia or New Zealand.

  • Journalists, including freelancers, who report on hazards and/or emergency responses in Australia or New Zealand.

  • Individuals, teams and organisations are all eligible for nomination.

  • The project, activity, research or coverage which is the subject of the nomination must be contemporary in nature, ie. carried out or substantially completed within the previous 12 months ending 31 March 2025

Categories

  1. Excellence in Readiness & Resilience

  2. Excellence in Response

  3. Excellence in Recovery

  4. Excellence in Research

  5. Excellence in Media

  6. Excellence in Community Engagement

Each category will be assessed on the relevant EMPA principles. Individual criteria information is available on the conference websites. 

Presentations

Australian awards for 2025 will be presented at the conference dinner on:

4 June 2025

Australia

New Zealand awards for 2025 will be presented at the conference dinner on:

13 November 2025

New Zealand

Criteria

Readiness and Resilience

A project or activity that contributes to improved community preparedness and/or resilience.

Response

Communicating effectively during an emergency response.

Recovery

Supporting the recovery of a community impacted by an emergency.

Research

Research that advances emergency communication by:

  • Improving community preparedness and / or resilience; or

  • Increasing the effectiveness of communication during an emergency response; or

  • Enabling agencies to better support communities recovering from an adverse event.

Media

Media reporting emergencies and/or emergency management with:

  • In-depth and balanced coverage of a topic that increases public understanding of a hazard or an emergency response.

  • Comprehensive and accurate reporting before or during an emergency response, contributing to public safety.

Community Engagement

Community-focused communications and engagement that involves:

  • Collaborating effectively with diverse and varied communities.

  • Promoting collaborative communication methods and engagement with the aim that communities will eventually drive their own programs.

EMPA Principles of Communication in Disaster and Emergency

Entry Requirements

Each entry must be:

  • Made via the online entry form 

  • Provide sufficient information and a supporting document to clearly explain the entry and its response to the criteria.

Application

Please click on the relevant conference below: