PRSP concludes first virtual and nationwide students’ PR Con

The Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) has finally concluded the Grand Prix Hack Sprint Edition, the second leg of this year's Students’ PR Con, the first virtual, interactive, and nationwide edition of the organization’s Students’ PR Congress.

Being the first Hack Sprint edition of PRSP’s annual student event and competition, this year’s Grand Prix was fully virtual wherein to qualify, students from all over the country were invited to submit a position paper about “The Great Resignation”, a current social issue being tackled across the world, provided by the initiative’s Platinum Sponsor JobStreet.

Eight universities successfully advanced as qualifiers for the second phase, the Hack Sprint, where the students were given 24 hours to develop their communications plan. These are De La Salle University - Dasmariñas, Far Eastern University, Holy Angel University in Angeles, Pampanga, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, San Beda University, Saint Louis University in Baguio, University of the Philippines - Los Baños, and University of the Philippines - Manila.

Out of these schools, five (5) outstanding teams were identified to move forward to the final round – the Pitch Proper, where each team presented their plan to a select jury panel comprised of industry thought leaders and experts.

After a thorough evaluation, University of the Philippines (UP) Manila emerged as the grand champion, followed by University of the Philippines Los Baños and De La Salle University – Dasmariñas as first and second runners-up, respectively. San Beda University and Polytechnic University of the Philippines were among the top five finalists. 

The winning team from UP Manila, comprised of Jia Jarin, Karmela Amon, and Charlette Inao, expressed their gratitude for the exciting opportunity to be part of this year’s Grand Prix, albeit virtually.

“[Grand Prix] was a very valuable and fulfilling experience for us, especially as communications students. Aside from our win as a team, we learned and realized something that we really want to do—PR for good,” said Charlette Inao, representative of the winning team.

The winners of the Grand Prix Hack Sprint received cash prizes, trophies, and certificates. The champion received Php 30,000 for the team, a trophy for the school, and certificates and gift packs for each member, and three Xiaomi mobile phones sponsored by COMCO Southeast Asia. The 1st and 2nd runners-up have received Php 20,000 and Php 10,000, respectively, plus trophies for the school, and certificates and gift packs for each member. The remaining teams in the Top 5 have also received Php 5,000 for the team, and certificates and gift packs for each member.

The PRSP Grand Prix Hack Sprint is supported by JobStreet as platinum sponsor; Maynilad Water Services, NIVEA and PLDT as gold sponsors; Converge ICT Solutions, GCash, Maya, PayMaya, Smart, Unilab Consumer Health and Unilab Skin Sciences as silver sponsors; and Jollibee Foods Corporation, McDonald’s Philippines (Golden Arches Development Corporation), Meralco, Teleperformance and SM Supermalls as bronze sponsors. COMCO Southeast Asia serves as the event’s staging and creative partner with ABS-CBN, Adobo Magazine, Class A Magazine, ClickTheCity.com and WhenInManila.com as media partners and Warner Music Philippines and PhilPop Musicfest Foundation as entertainment partners. 

The event is also supported by student organization partners – ADPROS from Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Manila, Mass Communication Students’ League from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (University of the City of Manila), PRSSP (Public Relations Student Society of the Philippines) from University of the Philippines Manila, HAU Communicators' League from Holy Angel University in Pampanga, Journalism Guild from Cavite State University, Josenian AdComm Guild and Josenian Communication Society from San Jose Recoletos University in Cebu, Kapunungan sa mga Mass Communicators from Silliman University in Dumaguete, SWU Junior Communication Designers Guild from Southwestern University in Cebu, The Society of Student Communicators from Negros Oriental State University in Dumaguete, and Junior Marketing Association from Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro.

Mr. Ferdinand Bondoy, Chairman of PRSP Students’ PR Con and Grand Prix, Board Trustee of PRSP and Regional Integration & Chief Executive Director of COMCO Southeast Asia said, “As I've mentioned last year, this work given to me by PRSP is really close to my heart. Back then, I was also a PR academic scholar of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines. And it has come full circle. That's why we made the 2021 Students' PR Con and Grand Prix Hack Sprint truly meaningful and special, even if it's fully digital and virtual. It is with much honor and fulfillment that we've ended this event on a high note. Our sacrifices are all worth it.”

Mr. Bondoy closes this year’s Students’ PR Congress with a challenge to the students: “I’m passing on the torch to you. As soon as you finish school, see you in the real world. And we invite you to join us in doing PR for good and making a difference in society,” Mr. Bondoy said.

Mr. Norman Agatep, President of PRSP and President and Managing Director of Grupo Agatep shared, “PRSP is honored to have this year’s Students’ PR Congress as the platform for students from all over the Philippines to learn new insights and perspectives about where our industry is headed. May everyone use their learnings and experiences from both PR Con and Grand Prix as a tool to create and inspire positive change in more people, especially during this crucial period.” 

To learn more about the PRSP 2021 Students’ PR Con and Grand Prix, follow  them on Facebook or LinkedIn. For inquiries, please email studentsprcongress@prsp.ph.