Honours

A Fellow of the PRII is recognised as a leader in the public relations and communications profession. 

Members eligible for consideration for PRII Fellowship need to have been a Full Member of the Institute in good standing for a period of not less than 10 years.

They will hold a senior position within the profession and be deemed to have made a significant contribution to the development of the PRII and the profession.

If accepted, Fellows make a commitment to support the ongoing work and development of profession and the Institute.

The minimum requirements and assessment criteria for Fellowship are set out below.

Why become a PRII Fellow?

• This is a prestigious professional honour considered by many to be a career pinnacle
• You will be officially recognised by your peers for your leadership and seniority
• Your contribution to the promotion and development of the public relations profession in Ireland and the Public Relations Institute of Ireland will be acknowledged.
• Your profile among the Irish public relations sector and wider business community will be raised.
• Fellows are authorised to use the designation FPRII.

What role do PRII Fellows play?

• Fellows are asked to promote the profession and professional best practice
• Fellows are encouraged to contribute to the development of the PRII and its standards and policies
• Fellows are expected to raise awareness of the benefits of PRII membership

Nominees for Fellowship must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Full member of the PRII for a minimum of 10 years;
• Faithfully applied the ethics standards of the profession and Codes of Practice adopted by PRII during their career;
• In good standing with the Institute (dues paid up to date);
• Must be, or have been, actively engaged in the public relations or communications profession; 
• Have made a significant contribution to the goals and/or development of the Institute
• Demonstrated an exceptional level of professional work either as an in-house practitioner or consultant.

Nomination process:

Nominators (self-nomination is accepted) are asked to use the nomination form below and send it, in confidence, to the PRII CEO, Martina Byrne at [email protected]. 

After the specified deadline, the PRII Fellowship Sub-Committee will review the nominations. The Sub-Committee consists of five upstanding individuals, chaired by Ita Gibney FPRII (Life), with a detailed knowledge of the public relations community and profession. The Sub-Committee submit its recomendations to the National Council for its consideration. Fellows must be elected by a majority vote of the National Council present.

This is the highest honour that the PRII can bestow on a member. A Fellow can be elected to Life Fellowship of the Institute in recognition of his or her outstanding service to the Institute and standing in the profession.

Nominees for Life Fellowship must have the majority endorsement of the National Council and must be elected by a two-thirds majority of those attending the Annual General Meeting of the Institute.

No more than two Life Fellows may be elected at any one annual general meeting.

Life Fellows are entitled to use the designation ‘Life Fellow of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland’ and/or the abbreviation ‘FPRII (Life)’ and/or the Irish equivalent.

Life Fellows are not liable to payment of an annual membership subscription.

Eligibility

To be eligible for Life Fellowship of the Institute, a candidate must meet the following criteria:

• They must be a member of the Institute for a period of no less than 15 years
• They must be a Fellow of the Institute for a period of 5 years
• Must have made a outstanding contribution to the goals and/or development of the PRII
• They must be in good standing with the Institute (dues paid up to date)
• Must be, or have been, actively engaged in the public relations/communications profession or in education related to the profession
• Must have held a position of leadership within the sector
• Must be willing to fulfil the duties of Life Fellowship

The distinction of Honorary Life Member (known as The President's Medal) is bestowed on individuals whose lifetime contributions to excellence in communication sets a supreme example for PRII members and the profession. Recipients need not be members of the PRII.

Previous recipients include:

John Hume (1995) politician and later a co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize;

Ed Walsh (1996) educationalist and founding President of University of Limerick;

Gay Byrne (1999) broadcaster;

Mary Davis (2007) advocate and CEO of Special Olympics World Summer Games.

Orla Tinsley (2019) Cystic Fibrosis campaigner.

The recipient of PRII Honorary Life Membership will either have demonstrated an exceptional level of communications proficiency in any sphere of activity in Irish life or will be an Irish citizen working at an influential level in an international communications capacity.

The designation of Honorary Life Membership is bestowed very rarely in recognition of the truly outstanding nature of the recipient’s inspiring contribution to communications.

Honorary Life Membership is as the title suggests - for life. There is no annual subscription for Honorary Life Members.

Deserving candidates for Honorary Life Membership will be nominated by the PRII President for consideration by the National Council. Suggestions from members for those that should be considered are welcome and will be kept in confidence. The awarding of this honour requires the unanimous approval of the National Council.

Recipients of the Honorary Life Membership shall receive the President’s Medal at a ceremony to mark the occasion.