Since the value of public communication of General Petar Stipetić was revealed only after his death, he was nominated for the Communicator of the Year award posthumously.
The jury of the Grand PRix awards of the Croatian Public Relations Association – HUOJ, assessed that General Stipetić deserves to enter the finals for the prestigious prize, explaining their decision:
“Through communicative professionalism and attitude towards the enemy, he strongly influenced the perception of the military and the Storm campaign, but also the importance of the armed forces for the Republic of Croatia, which undoubtedly qualifies him for the Communicator of the Year award. In the system under which he commanded, Stipetić undoubtedly contributed to a higher level of communication, and after the documentary film General and Gentleman this fact was given a public context, so Stipetić’s contribution to the culture of dialogue in our society is immeasurable,” said Maja Gradišar Perotić, president of the jury of the 12th Grand PRix.
Petar Stipetić was Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Croatia from 2000 to 2002, and went into retirement with the rank of Staff General. After completing his career, he gave dozens of precise and accurate interviews and statements, the most memorable of which is the one on occasion of the anniversary of the Storm campaign: “These anniversaries should remind us of the importance of the liberation of Croatia and Western Bosnia and Herzegovina for the region and for Europe, instead of using an important military victory as a reason for parties.”
General Petar Stipetić is the first person to be posthumously nominated for Communicator of the Year.
We will find out who will be the Communicator of the Year on Wednesday, March 13, 2019. Currently there are three known nominees for the award, General Stipetić, musician Vojko V and scientist Igor Rudan.
