What are the PSA awards?
At the PSA we like to honour and acknowledge the achievements and accomplishments of our members. Presented at our annual events, members are celebrated through several different awards.
Our Awards
Professional Speaking Award of Excellence (PSAE)
The PSAE is our highest award. It is given to Professional Members or Fellows of the PSA who have consistently demonstrated speaking excellence and professionalism, in addition to contributing to the PSA.
Read more here about the PSAE, and current and past winners.
The PSAE Award Winners 2023 are:
- David Meade
- Julie Holmes
- Jane Gunn
The President’s Award
The President’s Award is given each year at our Annual Speaking Business Summit by the National President of the PSA to an individual of their choice, for any reason they consider makes them worthy.
The President’s Award Winner 2023 is Penny Haslam.
The Spirit Of Joy Award
Introduced in 2019, The Spirit Of Joy Award honours the memory and impact of our 2018/19 President, Joy Marsden, who sadly died in April 2019.
The Spirit of Joy award is presented annually at the PSA Annual Speaking Business Summit. It is awarded to an individual(s) who has best embodied the spirit that Joy brought to everything she did: joy, energy, resilience, selflessness, a desire to serve others, and a willingness to support her fellow speakers with tough love when needed.
These are the attributes we will all remember and celebrate Joy for. The board of directors will decide the recipient with input from the operational team, as they often saw the impact Joy had that was not necessarily seen in public. Regional Presidents will also be invited to nominate individuals. A recipient can only win the Spirit of Joy award once. We hope you agree this is a fitting tribute to our colleague and friend.
The Spirit of Joy Award Winners 2023 are:
- David Henson
- The PSA Operations Team
The Regional President of the Year
This award is presented to the Regional President (RP) who has demonstrated exceptional service, contribution and collaborative work with PSA members and support staff. Names for this award are nominated by HQ and approved by the Board. You can find out all Regional winners here.
The Regional President of the Year winner 2022 is Denise Fay, PSA Ireland.
The PSA Ambassador of the Year Award
A new award introduced in 2021, The PSA Ambassador of the Year award symbolises a big “thank you” to the member who has supported The PSA through the
referral of new members that year. Calculated yearly April – March, the award will be presented at the Spring event, Impact.
The Ambassador of the Year Winner 2023 is James Perryman.
The Individual Regional Speaker of the Year
This award is presented to the speaker from each Region who is judged to deliver the best talk at that region. The members of each region vote for their Regional Speaker of the Year. The current Regional Speakers of the Year are here.
The Regional Member of the Year
Each region also gives an award to their Member of the Year, in recognition of their service and contribution to the Region.
You can see all our Members of the Year here.
Honorary Fellowship
Honorary Fellowship is awarded to speakers who have demonstrated service to the speaking profession or the PSA. Speakers who are not members of the PSA may be awarded Honorary Fellowship.
Speaker Factor
Speaker Factor is an annual competition, inviting Associate Members to compete in local regional heats, delivering a 5 minute speech. This is judged on their delivery, script, stagecraft and the commercial bookability of their speech. Winners of regional heats, which are usually held over the summer, are invited to compete in the National Final at the Annual Convention in the autumn. Learn more about Speaker Factor.
The Regional Speaker of the Year
The Regional Speaker of the Year award is given to the speaker who received the highest number of votes for the Individual Regions Speaker of the Year award. This year’s winners are here.
Founders Award
The Founders Award is provided to individuals who have achieved outstanding credit, respect, honour and admiration in the PSA and the speaking profession. The award recipients are here.