Big Apple Awards 2026
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
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INDIVIDUAL AWARDS 〰️
The Barbara Way Hunter Trailblazer Award
Judy Smith
Judy Smith, Founder and CEO of Smith & Company, will receive The Barbara Way Hunter Trailblazer Award, sponsored by HUNTER, honoring a groundbreaking career that has helped redefine crisis communication while opening doors for generations of leaders who followed her. Known around the world as a trusted crisis advisor, Smith has counseled presidents, world leaders, Fortune 50 CEOs and high-profile individuals through some of their most challenging moments. Before founding Smith & Company, she served as Deputy Press Secretary and Special Assistant to President George H.W. Bush, becoming the first Black woman to brief the White House press corps, and her remarkable career later inspired the hit television series Scandal. A lawyer, entrepreneur, strategist and counselor, Smith has built her career around judgment, trust and the power of communication when the stakes are highest.
Aaron Kwittken, Partner and Global Head of AI and Innovation at FGS Global, will receive the PRSA-NY Mentoring Award, honoring a career that has combined entrepreneurship, innovation and a longstanding commitment to developing and championing the next generation of communication leaders. Over more than three decades, Kwittken has founded and built businesses, advised major organizations and helped lead the profession’s embrace of emerging technology and AI. A past president of PRSA-NY and former adjunct professor at NYU, he has consistently made mentorship and service a part of his leadership. That commitment extends from the workplace to the classroom and his community, including establishing the Kwittken Fund for Strategic Communication Internships and Mentoring at George Washington University to help students gain career-building experience and mentorship, as well as serving as a volunteer firefighter in his local community. Throughout his career, Kwittken has created opportunities for emerging talent, generously shared his experience and encouraged others to think bigger about their careers, their potential and the future of the profession.
The PRSA-NY Excellence in Mentoring Award
Aaron Kwittken
Rana Foroohar, Global Business Columnist and Associate Editor at the Financial Times, and CNN’s Global Economic Analyst will receive The Daniel J. Edelman Award for Social Impact, sponsored by Edelman. One of today's most respected voices on economics and global business, Foroohar has spent her career examining the intersection of markets, technology, politics and public policy. Through her journalism, commentary and books, she has consistently examined how economic and technological power shapes society and individual lives, challenging conventional thinking and bringing clarity and perspective to some of the most consequential issues of our time.
The Daniel J. Edelman Award for Social Impact
Rana Foroohar
Ray Day, Vice Chair of Stagwell and Executive Chair of Allison Worldwide, will receive the PRSA-NY Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing more than three decades of leadership across some of the world's most influential companies and brands. Day has served as a chief communication officer and senior leader at organizations including IBM and Ford Motor Company, and today helps shape the future of one of the industry's major global networks. Throughout his career, he has championed communication as an essential business discipline, built and led high-performing teams and helped elevate the role and influence of communication leaders in the C-suite.
The PRSA-NY Lifetime Achievement Award
Ray Day
Sharon Moshavi, President of the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and Co-CEO of the Plus alliance, will receive the PRSA-NY President’s Award, recognizing her leadership and commitment to strengthening journalism at a time when trusted, independent information has never been more important. A journalist herself, Moshavi spent more than 15 years as a reporter, including over a decade as an international correspondent based in Delhi, Jerusalem and Tokyo, before joining ICFJ in 2007 and becoming its president in 2021. Her career reflects a deep commitment to supporting journalists around the world, expanding access to reliable information and helping journalism innovate and adapt while remaining grounded in its essential public service mission.
The PRSA-NY President’s Award
Sharon Moshavi
Jano Cabrera, Chief Communications Officer of General Mills, will receive The Harold Burson Award, sponsored by Burson. The award recognizes a communication leader whose career reflects the strategic counsel, judgment and leadership embodied by Harold Burson, one of the profession's most influential figures. Cabrera's career has taken him from presidential politics and the White House to global consulting and the C-suite, with senior roles at Burson-Marsteller and McDonald's before joining General Mills. A PRWeek Hall of Fame inductee, Cabrera has built his career around understanding the business, listening carefully and earning the trust required to counsel leaders through change, opportunity and complex reputational challenges.
The Harold Burson Award
Jano Cabrera
15 UNDER 35
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15 UNDER 35 〰️
Vishakha Mathur, SKDK
Chris Swenson, HUNTER
Fatou B. Barry, PR Girl Manifesto
Kelly Delgado, Burson
Emma Soto, Burson
Caroline Yodice, DBC
James Sussman, International Rescue Committee
Courtney Curtin, Edelman
Andrew Cook, Andrew Cook Public Relations
Nick DeChicchis, Linqia
Madeleine Hillyer, World Economic Forum
Kaitlin Nicholson, EGAMI Group
Aanchal Khurana, WPP Media
Maya Bronstein, M Booth
Vanessa Grimm, Reckitt
FINAL AWARD LIST
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FINAL AWARD LIST 〰️
2026 PRSA-NY Big Apple Awards Campaign Winners and Honorable Mentions
Top honors were awarded to outstanding campaigns demonstrating creativity, meaningful results, and measurable impact in the nation’s largest media market. The full list of 2026 winners and honorable mentions includes:
BEST AI PLATFORM OR SERVICE
SUBCATEGORY: Technology Platforms
WINNER: Content OS, Notified
BEST EDUCATION PROGRAM
SUBCATEGORY: General
WINNER: Amplifying Youth-Led Journalism: Emerging Storytellers Illuminate Addiction and Recovery Across Minnesota, Padilla
BEST USE OF OWNED SOCIAL MEDIA
SUBCATEGORY: Consumer
WINNER: Travelers Championship: Elevating New England's PGA TOUR Event Through Social-First Storytelling, MikeWorldWide
HONORABLE MENTION: Hot Seats for Dove, Edelman
BEST USE OF SPOKESPERSON/INFLUENCER
SUBCATEGORY: Associations or Nonprofit
WINNER: Corporate Natalie and Aruba Make VTO the New PTO, Zeno Group
SUBCATEGORY: Business
WINNER: From Ambassador to Architect: How Serena Williams Made Reckitt Catalyst Impossible to Ignore, HAVAS Red and Reckitt
HONORABLE MENTION: Humana Game Changers: The Next Chapter, Coyne PR
SUBCATEGORY: Consumer
WINNER: From the Makers of Dramamine, Advanced Herbals® Ginger Chews Gives Travelers a ‘Chew Over’, 360PR+
WINNER: Travelers Championship: Elevating New England's PGA TOUR Event Through Social-First Storytelling, MikeWorldWide
HONORABLE MENTION: Gut Health in Motion with IBgard and Katie Austin, Carmichael Lynch Relate
HONORABLE MENTION: CeraVe Taps Jake Shane to Skin-terrogate Derms at AAD, Coyne PR
BEST USE OF VIDEO IN A CAMPAIGN
SUBCATEGORY: Broadcast
WINNER: A Patient’s Journey with Pain Management, Coyne PR
SUBCATEGORY: Social
WINNER: Lysol Here For Healthy Schools: SOMO (Sick of Missing Out), HUNTER
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
SUBCATEGORY: Campaigns with Budgets of $200,000 or Less
WINNER: Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project, Coyne PR
SUBCATEGORY: Nonprofit Organization
WINNER: Here's What We Know, Weill Cornell Medicine
CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS & ISSUE MANAGEMENT
SUBCATEGORY: Business-to-Business
WINNER: Seeing RealSense, Bospar
SUBCATEGORY: Government, Associations and Nonprofits
WINNER: The Trevor Project’s Emergency Lifeline Campaign for LGBTQ+ Youth, The Trevor Project
HONORABLE MENTION: Common Cause, The TASC Group
SUBCATEGORY: Campaigns with Budgets of $200,000 or Less
WINNER: Seeing RealSense, Bospar
HONORABLE MENTION: Common Cause, The TASC Group
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION & BELONGING
SUBCATEGORY: The Ally Award
WINNER: The Trevor Project: Zach Eisenstein, Director of Communications & Public Engagement, The Trevor Project
EVENTS & OBSERVANCES
SUBCATEGORY: Consumer
WINNER: Bringing ALE-ves home for the holidays with Breckenridge Brewery – Diffusion x Breckenridge Brewery, Diffusion PR
WINNER: The Littlest Float: How Goldfish Turned the Smallest Float into a National Media Moment, Zeno Group
HONORABLE MENTION: Premier Protein x Milk Bar Protein-Packed Sweet Treat Menu, HUNTER
EXCELLENCE IN FINANCIAL COMMUNICATIONS
SUBCATEGORY: Consumer Products & Services
WINNER: Zito Partners/Thornburg Investment Management ETF Launch Campaign, Zito Partners
SUBCATEGORY: Budgets Over $200K
WINNER: Weber Advisory supports BMO's Real Financial Progress Index, Weber Shandwick
SUBCATEGORY: Business-to-Business
WINNER: The Smart Response: How Smarty Owned the Tariff Moment, Bospar
EXCELLENCE IN FINTECH COMMUNICATIONS
SUBCATEGORY: Fintech
WINNER: Differentiating DP’s Human-Guided Approach to Technology Solutions, Aspectus Group
EXCELLENCE UTILIZING AI IN A COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGN
SUBCATEGORY: Business-to-Business
WINNER: When AI Said You're Dead: Building the Industry’s First GEO Auditing Framework, Bospar
SUBCATEGORY: Budgets Greater Than $200K
WINNER: Expertise at Scale: How One Practitioner Used AI to Build Category Authority in Private Equity, ToltIQ
GENERATIONAL TARGETED MARKETING
SUBCATEGORY: Campaigns $200K or Less
WINNER: Bridging the Gap: Creating a Data-Driven Narrative on the Succession Crisis for Financial Advisors, Kestra Financial and Bluespring Wealth, with Vested
SUBCATEGORY: General Entries
WINNER: Regeneron Urges Men 65+ to Get Real About Skin Cancer, GCI HEALTH
INTEGRATED COMMUNICATIONS
SUBCATEGORY: Campaigns with Budgets Greater Than $200,000
WINNER: Sea-to-Table Restaurant Week 2025, Padilla
HONORABLE MENTION: Expertise at Scale: How One Practitioner Used AI to Build Category Authority in Private Equity, ToltIQ
SUBCATEGORY: Business-to-Business
WINNER: The Future of Audit. Now. Telling EY Assurance’s transformation story, M Booth
SUBCATEGORY: Consumer Products & Services
WINNER: Sip Into The White Lotus, HUNTER
WINNER: Celebrating the Wins with Dairy Queen, MikeWorldWide
HONORABLE MENTION: Drivers with Drive: How Pennzoil Turned a Shared Performance Mindset into Cultural Relevance and Retail Results, Coyne PR
SUBCATEGORY: Government, Associations & Nonprofits
WINNER: Aruba Redefines Tourism, Responsibly, Zeno Group
HONORABLE MENTION: Sea-to-Table Restaurant Week 2025, Padilla
MARKETING BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS
SUBCATEGORY: Budgets of $200,000 or Less
WINNER: Expertise at Scale: How One Practitioner Used AI to Build Category Authority in Private Equity, ToltIQ
SUBCATEGORY: Professional Services
WINNER: Elevating the Workforce Through Thought Leadership - Phaidon International x Diffusion, Diffusion PR
WINNER: The Future of Audit. Now. Telling EY Assurance’s transformation story, M Booth
MARKETING CONSUMER PRODUCTS & SERVICES
SUBCATEGORY: Campaigns with Budgets of $200,000 or Less
WINNER: Sound the Alarm: How Edible Turned a TV Moment Into Cultural Buzz, Coyne PR
HONORABLE MENTION: Peppercomm x Sharp at KBIS, Peppercomm & Sharp
SUBCATEGORY: Food & Beverage
WINNER: From Food Brand to Community Builder: Bob’s Red Mill’s “Moregetherness” Campaign, 360PR+
HONORABLE MENTION: Red Robin Bottomless Burger Pass, Carmichael Lynch Relate
HONORABLE MENTION: Celebrating the Wins with Dairy Queen, MikeWorldWide
SUBCATEGORY: Healthcare
WINNER: TUMS Makes Gameday Food Dreams a Reality with TUMS Fantasy Foodball Pool, Haleon
HONORABLE MENTION: A Patient’s AHP Journey in Motion, Alnylam
SUBCATEGORY: Packaged Goods
WINNER: “Breathapy”: TheraBreath & Jake Shane Turn an Awkward Conversation into Fresh Confidence, Coyne PR
HONORABLE MENTION: Elijah Craig Bourbon Captures Lightning in a (Different) Bottle, Three Cheers
SUBCATEGORY: Non-Packaged Goods
WINNER: Driving Trends in Pop Culture – Wattpad x Diffusion, Diffusion PR
SUBCATEGORY: Hospitality & Travel
WINNER: ReLAX and Unwind with Virgin Atlantic and Alan Cumming, 360PR+
MEDIA RELATIONS INNOVATIVE
SUBCATEGORY: Cross Platform
WINNER: Celebrating the Wins with Dairy Queen, MikeWorldWide
HONORABLE MENTION: Engineering Trust in a Terminator Market: How Fauna Robotics bottled lightning, The Bulleit Group
SUBCATEGORY: Online
WINNER: Lysol Laundry Sanitizer: “An Ode-r to Refs”, HUNTER
MENTAL HEALTH & AWARENESS
SUBCATEGORY: Nonprofit Organization
WINNER: Big Apple Award for Mental Health - Nonprofit Organization: OK Today, Global Gateway Advisors
REPUTATION/BRAND MANAGEMENT & ENGAGEMENT
SUBCATEGORY: Campaigns with Budgets of $200,000 or Less
WINNER: Seeing RealSense, Bospar
HONORABLE MENTION: Reframing the Tariff Debate: Elevating Canned Seafood in the National Economic Conversation, HUNTER
SUBCATEGORY: Business
WINNER: Invested in America: Redefining Corporate Perception, U.S. Businesses of Philip Morris International
HONORABLE MENTION: The Future of Audit. Now. Telling EY Assurance’s transformation story, M Booth
WEBSITE, BLOG, NEWSLETTER OR MICROSITE
SUBCATEGORY: General
WINNER: Meredith & The Media Redefines the Modern Day Media Mix, Bridging Journalism & Communications, Meredith & The Media
ART STEVENS SCHOLARSHIP
Lynne Scott Jackson, Distinguished Lecturer at The City College of New York, presented the Art Stevens Scholarship to CCNY student Martheney Paulemon, recognizing and supporting the next generation of communications professionals.
Welcome to the Big Apple Awards 2026
What to Wear to the Big Apple Awards
The Big Apple Awards are one of New York communications’ biggest nights -and a great excuse to dress the part.
Start with cocktail attire and make it your own. Black tie is optional, formal looks are welcome and fabulous is encouraged. Expect plenty of photos, networking and celebration throughout the evening.
Need a little inspiration? Browse our Big Apple Awards style guide for looks from past celebrations - then bring your own take to Sony Hall on Thursday, September 17.
ABC's Gio Benitez to Emcee the 2026 Big Apple Awards
PRSA-NY is pleased to announce that ABC News' Gio Benitez, co-anchor of the weekend edition of Good Morning America and ABC News transportation correspondent, will emcee the 2026 Big Apple Awards Gala on Thursday, September 17, at Sony Hall in New York City.
Join Gio and New York's communications community for an evening celebrating standout campaigns, industry leaders and the 2026 PRSA-NY 15 Under 35 Class.
SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED
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SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED 〰️
PRSA New York announced the shortlist for the 2026 Big Apple Awards, recognizing outstanding public relations campaigns and communications professionals from across the New York metropolitan area.
The shortlist reflects another fiercely competitive year for the awards program, with finalists representing agencies, corporations, nonprofits, and organizations of all sizes.
Winners will be honored at the 2026 Big Apple Awards Gala on Thursday, September 17 at Sony Hall in New York City.
Join Us for the 2026 Big Apple Awards
Sony Hall | September 17, 2026 | Where Stories Move Hearts, Minds and Markets
On September 17, New York’s communications community comes together at Sony Hall to celebrate the ideas, people and work moving our industry forward. The PRSA-NY Big Apple Awards are more than an awards ceremony. They’re a night to connect with colleagues, celebrate standout work, recognize the people shaping our profession and be part of one of New York communications’ signature gatherings.
In New York, the global capital of media and influence, storytelling is not a soft skill. It is a catalyst. Strategic communications move hearts and minds and ultimately move markets. This year’s theme, Where Stories Move Hearts, Minds and Markets, reflects the power of modern communications to inspire action, build trust, advance causes and influence decisions across industries and communities.
Why Be in the Room?
Celebrate the best of New York communications.
See this year’s most outstanding campaigns, organizations and communications professionals recognized on one stage.Support your colleagues - and your team.
Come cheer on the agencies, brands, nonprofits and professionals named to this year’s competitive shortlist.Connect with the communications community.
Join leaders and rising talent from agencies, brands, media and organizations across the New York communications landscape.Recognize the people shaping what’s next.
The evening will honor accomplished industry leaders through the PRSA-NY Individual Awards and celebrate the 2026 PRSA-NY 15 Under 35 Class.Enjoy a night built around great storytelling.
A high-profile emcee will join the celebration, bringing their energy and storytelling expertise to the Big Apple Awards stage
Make a Night of It
Bring your colleagues. Invite your clients. Celebrate your team. Reconnect with industry friends - and meet the people you’ll want to know next.
Thursday, September 17, 2026
Sony Hall | New York City
Early-bird pricing ends August 31.
We look forward to seeing you!
Best regards,
Stephanie Jo Peksen & Marc Drechsler,
Co-Chairs for the 2026 Big Apple Awards
Sponsors and Chapter Champions
PRSA-NY is grateful for the support of its members and the broader PR community, including Big Apple Awards sponsors, Edelman, Hunter, Burson, MikeWorldWide, 360PR+, Truescope, Davis + Gilbert LLP, Baker Tilly x Anchin, The Museum of Public Relations, D S Simon Media, Coyne PR, Bospar, and Notified.
Become a Sponsor
Join a community of organizations shaping the future of communications by supporting the PRSA-NY Big Apple Awards and the broader work of the Chapter.
Sponsorship offers the opportunity to align your brand with one of the industry’s most respected awards programs while engaging year-round with a highly influential network of communications leaders.
Support the Big Apple Awards and gain visibility leading up to and during the Gala at Sony Hall.
Extend your impact by becoming a PRSA-NY Chapter Champion, with recognition across programming, content, and community initiatives throughout the year.
Engage directly with senior professionals across agencies, brands, nonprofits and media.
Sponsorship opportunities are still available at a variety of levels to join the Sponsor Honor Roll.
Contact fays@commpro.biz to learn more.
What Winners Say
“The PRSA-NY Big Apple Awards are the pinnacle showcase of the PR season. The credibility of PRSA-NY brings an added level of distinction. Knowing your work is being judged by your peers in the media capital of the world makes the recognition especially meaningful.”
- John Gogarty, President, Coyne Public Relations
“In today’s noisy and complex world, ideas need to break through not just creatively, but culturally. The Big Apple Awards are proof that the ideas our teams bring to the table show up in the world, get noticed and move brands forward.”
- Tracey Santilli, President, Carmichael Lynch and Carmichael Lynch Relate