Jinja City: Pearl Bank whose Purpose is to Foster Prosperity for Ugandans, won the inaugural PR Crown Jewel Award at the 10th Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU) Excellence Awards, emerging as one of the biggest winners at the ceremony held at the Source of the Nile Hotel in Jinja on Friday, October 23, 2026.
The award, presented during PRAU’s Golden Jubilee celebrations marking 50 years of public relations practice in Uganda, recognised the bank’s rebranding journey from PostBank Uganda to Pearl Bank and the communication strategy that supported the transition.
The PR Crown Jewel Award is a judge’s choice distinction that does not require a formal entry. It is the second-highest distinction after the Lifetime Achievement Award and was introduced during the association’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
The judges selected Pearl Bank after evaluating submissions across the awards, recognising the bank’s rebranding story and its evidence-based communication approach, hence the bank became its first recipient.
Chief Guest, Owek. Alhaji Osman Noor Ahmed, the Second Deputy Prime Minister of Obwa Kyabazinga Bwa Busoga, presented the award to the Pearl Bank team. He also commended all the winners and those who participated for being great champions of PR Excellence.
Owek. Alhaji Osman congratulated PRAU on the Golden Jubilee Anniversary and acknowledged the important role strategic communication plays in influencing policy, shaping narratives, preserving culture and promoting social economic development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was not presented this year, as former PRAU presidents received commemorative accolades in recognition of their service to the association since its establishment in 1976.
Pearl Bank also won three Gold Standard Awards in Media Relations and the Corporate Storytellers Award, alongside the Impact Beyond Profit Award for its social impact work. The bank also won a silver award in the Culture Champions category.
The multiple wins recognised the bank’s communication campaigns across brand transition, media engagement, employee culture and social responsibility.
In the Media Relations category, Pearl Bank was recognised for its strategy of making verified information easier to find than rumours during its transition from PostBank Uganda to Pearl Bank. The campaign addressed customer concerns about account numbers, balances, loans, cards and deposits through media engagement, leadership interviews and consistent messaging.
The bank’s media coverage increased from 353 stories in 2024 to 498 in 2025, a 41% rise, according to figures submitted in its awards entry. Its share of voice in banking coverage reached 10.2% in 2025 and 12% in 2026 reporting, while its ranking improved to second in 2026.
Pearl Bank’s Corporate Storytellers Award recognised its campaign, “The Trust Transition: The Name Changed. The Trust Didn’t,” which communicated the change in the bank’s identity while emphasising continuity in customer relationships and services.
The Culture Champions silver award recognised the “We Are the Pearl” campaign, which engaged the bank’s staff in the rebranding process. The campaign equipped staff across the bank’s branches and service points with information to address customer questions and encouraged them to become ambassadors of the new identity.
In the Impact Beyond Profit category, the bank was recognised for its partnership with the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) to support the development of Uganda’s bone marrow transplant capacity. Through the partnership, Pearl Bank contributed Shs200 million towards the project and supported public engagement aimed at mobilising additional contributions.
The bank’s recognition across the categories reflects the breadth of its communication work, extending from managing a major corporate rebrand to building employee engagement, strengthening media relations and supporting a healthcare initiative.
Pearl Bank Head of Marketing and Communications, Priscilla Akora, noted that this recognition comes at a point when the bank recently marked a year since it rebranded from PostBank, hence a testament that communication is not just about publicity but about “how well you use it as a strategic function to engage stakeholders and be able to deliver the right message to the audiences”.
“For Pearl Bank, it was about communicating the transition to its new identity and how this was aimed at fostering prosperity for Ugandans, which aligns with the brank’s ongoing campaign, “When You Grow, Uganda Prospers”,” said Akora.
PRAU’s 10th Excellence Awards formed part of the association’s Golden Jubilee celebrations under the theme “Celebrating 50 Years of Professional Excellence, Shaping the Future of Public Relations.” The ceremony brought together public relations practitioners and industry stakeholders to recognise excellence in strategic communication.
For Pearl Bank, the inaugural PR Crown Jewel Award marked the standout recognition of the evening, capping a series of awards for its work in positioning the new brand and communicating its business and social impact.