Political communication has had a bad rap in recent years, with controversies surrounding the use of data in election campaigns, rampant misinformation and manipulation on social media and the adoption of populist tactics against a backdrop of polarisation. But the stories misrepresent a discipline which at its best relies on strategic and creative prowess rather than underhanded practices.
That is what the winners have shown at this year’s Polaris Awards, a global competition that seeks to identify and celebrate the best political communication programs undertaken for political organizations and candidates around the world. In its fourth year, the competition received entries in 18 categories from countries as diverse as the United States, Brazil, New Zealand, Mexico, France, Turkey, Croatia and Georgia, among others, with an international group of experts sitting on the jury.
Winners include a range of work from a variety of political settings, such as Luis Abinader’s presidential campaign in the Dominican Republic, which used a movement that had been created by the people to amplify its message, Ruy Carneiro’s mayoral campaign in Brazil, which reinvigorated the image of a long-serving politician associated with the past by focusing on the stories of individuals whose lives he has touched, and the Māori Language Commission’s campaign in New Zealand, which utilised digital channels to get over one million people to use the Māori language in a single moment of celebration as part of an effort to cultivate a community of learners and advocates.
In the UK, College Green Group’s ‘Get Your Jabs’ campaign won a Bronze Polaris.
The Awards were organized by Kapital Media London Limited in partnership with the International Association of Political Consultants, the European Association of Political Consultants and the Latin American Association of Political Consultants.
The full list of this year’s winners can be seen here.