2026 Nominations Now Open!

The New Jersey School Public Relations Association (NJSPRA) is excited to announce that nominations are now being 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. 

What the NJSPRA COTY Winner Receives:
Communicator of the Year trophy
Award presentations both in-district and at NJSPRA Spring Workshop
Publicity through NJSPRA channels
One-year membership to the National School Public Relations Association
Full registration to the 2026 NSPRA Seminar in New Orleans, July 19-22

Eligibility:
Two important criteria considerations for nominees are:

1. The person must be an NJSPRA member in good standing and membership dues paid.
2. The person must be employed as a full-time, practicing school communications professional in a school district or educational service agency, and plan to remain in this position.

*Based on the NSPRA guidelines, the following individuals are not eligible for the NJSPRA Communicator of the Year Award:
- Superintendents and other district/school administrators for whom communication is not their primary responsibility
- Employees of private PR agencies

Deadline and Calendar:
Deadline for Nominations: 5:00 p.m. on Monday, January 9, 2026
Winner surprised at school district and announced publicly no later than March 1st.

Winner celebrated at NJSPRA Spring Workshop on March 26th.

With NJSPRA leaders, winner submits 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. Nominate yourself or a colleague! Requirements within the form include:

• One essay of up to 250 words for each of the three criteria areas: Leadership - Communication Skills - Professional Development/Commitment 
• May include supporting documentation of up to five items
• An updated résumé or bio of the nominee

Judging:

Each of the three criteria areas will be scored from 1 to 10, for a maximum of 30 points, by three judges. Veteran accredited school communications professionals from outside of New Jersey serve as COTY judges. The nominee with the highest combined score will be named the 2026 NJSPRA COTY.

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
2024: Heather Daniel, Director of Communication and Policy, Edison Township Public Schools
2023: Dr. Nicholas Diaz, Superintendent (shared), Franklin Township School District and Union Township Schools
2022: Barbara Wilson, Public Information Officer, Cherry Hill Public Schools
2021: Maren Smagala, District Communications Coordinator, North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School District
2020: Dr. Matthew Murphy, Superintendent, Ramsey School District