Recent years have seen purposeful business rise to the top of the agenda for all brands and corporations as stakeholders including employees and customers express a desire to know what companies stand for before interacting with them.

At the same time, shareholders continue to want positive returns on their investments. If conducted properly, true purpose results in good business also being profitable business — the two are not mutually exclusive.

But the government has raised the prospect of share buyback restrictions because it believes many corporations are still too focused on shareholders at the expense of other stakeholders and investment in growth and innovation. And there have been accusations of an increase in “purpose-washing” and inauthentic activities aimed at box-ticking and short-term gain rather than truly purposeful long-term strategies.

It is clear the playbook is still being written and the fourth annual PRWeek Purpose Awards will recognize campaigns that use creative ideas to further authentic purpose and acknowledge the organizations and individuals behind them. Open to agencies, brands, public sector bodies, nonprofits and NGOs, the awards will spotlight examples other PR pros and marketers can aspire to emulate.

As consumers and potential staffers insist on brands communicating what they believe in and standing up publicly for those values, winning a Purpose Award is the perfect way to demonstrate your organization’s authenticity in this crucial area.

The awards will take place in Chicago on Tuesday, October 11, as part of PRWeek’s annual PRDecoded Conference.