#EnergyWings project, with participation of DTEK Odesa Grids, won an international PR award

DTEK Grids’ project #EnergyWings, with participation of DTEK Odesa Grids, won a prestigious international PR contest “Golden World Awards for Excellence 2022”, organized by the IPRA (International Association of Public Relations). The project won in 2 categories – “Best Corporate Communications” and “Best Environmental Project”, and received a special prize IPRA Golden World Global Contribution Award 2022 for its contribution to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Global Compact.

#EnergyWings has been launched in 2021 to help save population of white storks in Ukraine and attract the attention of society to the caring attitude towards environment. The project combined actions of business, young environmentalists and modern art to promote ESG principles, as well as responsibility of business for the progress in meeting UN GC Sustainable Development Goals.

“#EnergyWings helped us tell tens of millions of Ukrainians how business can be useful for society and environment. We were telling the story of saving storks via social networks, educational project for children, media and language of art – sculptures in popular Ukrainian parks. Project’s wining of the most prestigious international PR award is our contribution to building international image of Ukraine as a progressive country that introduces world-class environmental initiatives and communication projects,” – told Diana Kladova, Head of communications at DTEK Grids.

“It is wonderful to see that this campaign has taken the Global Contribution Award. It brought emotions to an everyday industry,” – said Etsuko Tsugihara, IPRA President and head of the 2022 GWA Jury.

“Last year, we have reinforced 119 stork nests in Odesa region within the #EnergyWings project. It helped protect 476 birds from electrocution and death. Over a hundred persons have been fabricating and installing protective platforms. Opinion leaders and children joined the project. #EnergyWings demonstrated the whole world, how business can be responsible and really useful for environment and society. We are proud with this project’s victory!” – commented Dmytro Hryhoriev, General Director of the DTEK Odesa Grids.

#EnergyWings project made it possible to turn an ordinary “production process” – reinforcement of the storks’ nests on electrical poles, into a useful and interesting leisure time for the whole family. In the summer, children together with DTEK environmentalists observed the nesting of storks and did research. In the autumn, opinion leaders, bloggers, customers and employees of the company installed protective platforms for birds’ nests. The company established the first collaboration of Ukrainian energy industry and modern art. Together with an artist Les Panchyshyn, we have installed sculptures of a family of storks in the Expocenter of Ukraine in Kyiv and in the Park Peremohy in Odesa. Business used the language of art to introduce this project to millions of visitors of these parks. DTEK Grids was telling Ukrainians about the project via media and social networks, thus helping to attract attention to the problem of declining stork population in Europe.

During 3 months of implementation, the project engaged about 500 participants in Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Odesa regions and the city of Kyiv. It helped set a record – reinforce 197 stork nests instead of the planned 120. Through media and creative public promo (sculptures, signs and stickers with a link to the landing page of the project), #EnergyWings reach was over 31 mln contacts.

In 2022, martial law forced the company to suspend installation of platforms. Nevertheless, the #EnergyWings project goes on. Despite the war, energy workers together with influencers watch over safety of birds and preservation of nests on the electrical poles within the framework of this year’s initiative of the company – #StorkInTheNestPeaceInUkraine. While in autumn, energy workers are getting ready to install about 50 new platforms, 30 of which – in the Odesa region.

Let us remind that last year DTEK Grids has also won the contest “Golden World Awards for Excellence 2021” in categories “Best Corporate Communications” and “Best reputation management and brand management” with its project #WorkOfLight.

* Golden World Awards for Excellence was established in 1990 by the International Public Relations Association and is a “PR Oscar” of the industry. The award is entitled to companies and projects from Europe, Asia, USA and Africa in over 30 categories for remarkable achievements in the communications industry. All winning projects must meet and promote the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Global Compact.

In 2022, the award was also won by communication initiatives of such global brands and organizations as Shell, Volkswagen, Visa, United Partners, Socar, JeffreyGroup, SC GRF+SRL, Tencent, PR Consulting Dentsu Inc., Spotlight, Hrvatski Telekom, The Phillips Group, Turkcell Vadi, OZMA Inc., GENESIS PR, MikeWorldWide, LLYC, Wargaming Group Limited, HvdM, National University of Singapore, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, etc.