Big Apple Awards Spotlight Innovation and Leadership in PR

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The 2025 PRSA-NY Big Apple Awards, held September 18 at Sony Hall, once again demonstrated why the event is considered the premier recognition of excellence in public relations. Hosted by Brian Stelter of CNN and Jamie Stelter of Spectrum News NY1, the gala brought together agency leaders, corporate communicators, nonprofit advocates, academics, and media executives for an evening that highlighted the campaigns and individuals shaping the industry’s future.

Ken Kerrigan, president of PRSA-NY, reflected on the evening’s impact: “I’ve been honored to be part of teams that have won three Big Apple Awards over the years, but each time I attend the gala, and hear about the campaigns that sought to push the envelope and engage stakeholders in new and impactful ways, my excitement about the future of the public relations profession grows exponentially.”

Campaign Excellence Recognized

Winning campaigns demonstrated not only creativity but measurable impact—something communicators across sectors can draw lessons from as clients increasingly demand authentic engagement and data-driven results. Among the standout winners:

• Zeno Group for KIND Kids’ back-to-school nostalgia campaign in the Best Use of Owned Social Media category.

• Carmichael Lynch Relate for Treasure Cave’s Recipe for Brand and Category Love, which took multiple honors across influencer and reputation categories.

• 360PR+ for its Power of 9 tofu campaign, showing how even modest budgets can deliver breakthrough influence.

• HUNTER for its Meals on Wheels initiative, spotlighting CSR’s role in reputation and trust.

• Padilla for its collaboration with Hennepin County on the “Trash or Cash” public service campaign.

These wins signal an industry trend toward campaigns that blend creativity with tangible outcomes, reminding communicators to tie bold storytelling back to clear metrics.

Honoring Leaders and Rising Stars

The awards also shined a light on individuals shaping the profession. Barby K. Siegel of Zeno Group received the John W. Hill Award, while Helio Fred Garcia of Logos Consulting Group received the President’s Award for his contributions to leadership and ethics in communication. TIME’s Editor in Chief Sam Jacobs was recognized with the Daniel J. Edelman Award, reinforcing the growing intersection between media leadership and communications excellence.

The 15 Under 35 honorees—from agencies like APCO, Zeno Group, Gregory FCA, and The Trevor Project—reflect the next generation of communicators driving innovation and fresh thinking.

For communicators, the 2025 Big Apple Awards reinforced that the path forward lies in work that not only captures attention but builds trust, delivers measurable impact, and reflects the values of diverse stakeholders.

2025 PRSA-NY Big Apple Awards Campaign Winners

Top honors were awarded across numerous categories, recognizing outstanding campaigns that demonstrated creativity, meaningful results, and measurable impact. Winners included:

• Best Use of Owned Social Media: 
  Winner: Zeno Group for KIND Kids Taps Into Back to School Nostalgia

• Best Use of Spokesperson/Influencer: 
  Winner: Carmichael Lynch Relate for Treasure Cave's Recipe for Brand and Category Love
  Honorable Mention: Coyne PR & Otsuka America Pharmaceutical for Missy FranklinDives into Kidney Disease Awareness with Otsuka Collaboration

• Best Use of Spokesperson/Influencer (Campaign Budgets < $200K): 
  Winner: 360PR+ for Nasoya Fuels Inspiration and Empowers Women to Explore Tofu with Power of 9 Campaign

• Corporate Social Responsibility: 
  Winner: HUNTER for Meals on Wheels America Ends the Wait for Millions of Seniors

• Events & Observances (Consumer):
  Winner: Carmichael Lynch Relate for A Slicey, Spicy Launch with Montchevre
  Honorable Mention: Padilla with Jack Link’s for “Sasquatch in the Skies” National Jerky Day 2024

• Events & Observances (Government, Associations & Non-Profits & Campaign Budgets <$200K): 
  Winner: The TASC Group for Launching New York City's First Pet-Inclusive Shelter for Homeless Families
  Honorable Mention: Citizens Financial Group and Hudson Cutler & Co. for Team Citizens Scores a Ten (Year Milestone
  Honorable Mention: Padilla with Norwegian Seafood Council for Sea-To-TableRestaurant Week NYC 2024

• Experiential Marketing: 
  Winner: Carmichael Lynch Relate for A Slicey, Spicy Launch with Montchevre
  Honorable Mention: Coyne PR & CeraVe for CeraVe Embarks on a Multi-City Drama Free Cleansing Tour

• Generational Targeted Marketing (Gen Z, Boomer, etc.): 
  Winner: Zeno Group for Goldfish Goes Viral with Adult Name Change: Chilean Sea Bass

• Integrated Communications (B2B): 
  Winner: From Cocktails to Mocktails: How NCS Drove the Sober Curious Conversation, NCSolutions and Feintuch Communications

• Integrated Communications (Consumer Products & Services): 
  Winner: Stranahan’s Takes Ownership of a New Whiskey Category, Three Cheers PR
  Honorable Mention: Blitzing the Region: A Targeted Approach for iovera°, Coyne PR & Pacira BioSciences, Inc.

• Marketing Business-to-Business (Campaign Budgets < $200K): Winner: NCSolutions and Feintuch Communications for From Cocktails to Mocktails: How NCS Drove the Sober Curious Conversation
  Honorable Mention: Coyne PR & Chiquita for A Future Without Bananas? Chiquita’s Quest to Prevent a Global Agricultural Crisis

• Marketing Consumer Products & Services (Campaign Budgets < $200K): 
  Winner: Carmichael Lynch Relate for Insomnia Cookies Broke Up With Your Partner So You Didn’t Have To

• Marketing Consumer Products & Services (CPG): 
  Winner: Coyne PR & Haleon for TUMS Makes Gameday Food Dreams a Reality with TUMS Fantasy Foodball Pool
  Honorable Mention: Carmichael Lynch Relate for Treasure Cave's Recipe for Brand and Category Love

• Marketing Consumer Products & Services (Food & Beverage):
  Winner: HUNTER for Hundreds of NYC Street Carts Ditch Their Iconic Pretzels for King’s Hawaiian Pretzel Bites
  Honorable Mention: Carmichael Lynch Relate for A Slicey, Spicy Launch withMontchevre

• Marketing Consumer Products & Services (Other): 
  Winner: Thorne x Diffusion for Supplementing Smarter

• Media Relations (Cross Platform): 
  Winner: Padilla with NMDP for Refresh, Reengage, Reeducate: Expanding a BrandStory Through Earned Media
  Honorable Mention: Carmichael Lynch Relate for Insomnia Cookies Broke Up With YourPartner So You Didn’t Have To
  Honorable Mention: NCSolutions and Feintuch Communications for From Cocktails to Mocktails: How NCS Drove the Sober Curious Conversation

• Media Relations (Online): 
  Winner: Gregory FCA for Leading the Fight Against AI-Generated CSAM Through the Power of Media
  Honorable Mention: Three Cheers PR for Breaking Down TINCUP Bourbon to Build it Up

• Mental Health & Awareness: 
  Winner: Coyne PR & Otuska America Pharmaceutical for Revolutionizing Digital Therapeutics with Rejoyn

• Public Service: 
  Winner: Padilla with Hennepin County for Trash or Cash

• Reputation/Brand Management & Engagement: 
  Winner: Carmichael Lynch Relate for Treasure Cave's Recipe for Brand and Category Love
  Honorable Mention: NCSolutions and Feintuch Communications for From Cocktails to Mocktails: How NCS Drove the Sober Curious Conversation
  Honorable Mention: Citizens Financial Group and Hudson Cutler & Co. for Citizens x Queens Night Market: Building Reputation and Engagement Through Culture

• Video (Social Video & Other): 
  Winner: GCI Health for ViiV x The Skin Deep for Navigating HIV: Real Stories, Real Impact

2025 PRSA-NY Big Apple Individual Awards: 

• Barbara W. Hunter Trailblazer Award: Sam Marchiano, Award-winning Sports Journalist, Professor at NYU’s Tisch Institute of Global Sport, and Founder of the Equality League

• Daniel J. Edelman Award: Sam Jacobs, Editor in Chief, TIME

• Harold Burson Award: Jon Harris, Executive Vice President, Chief Communications & Networking Officer, Conagra Brands

• John W. Hill Award: Barby K. Siegel, CEO, Zeno Group

• PRSA-NY Excellence in Mentoring Award: Douglas Simon, CEO, D S Simon Media

• PRSA-NY President’s Award: Helio Fred Garcia, President, Logos Consulting Group

2025 PRSA-NY Big Apple Awards 15 Under 35 Recipients:

• Erin Cooper, APCO

• Conor Douglass, Attention Comms

• Abbey Scalia, Berk Communications

• Autumn Blackmon-Burk, GCI Health

• Nicole Sullivan, Gregory FCA

• Joyce Kim, IW Group

• Thomas Palladino, HEINEKEN USA

• Yuliya Kim, Mission North

• Danielle Montana, Peppercomm

• Jackson Budinger, The Trevor Project

• Gabby DiCarlo, Vested

• Olivia Zibaitis, Yahoo

• Christina Kim, Yanolja

• Alli Cloutier Kelly, Zeno Group

• Emily Herman, Zeno Group

Sponsors and Partners

The sponsors of the Big Apple Awards included: 360PR+, Anchin, Burson, Carmichael Lynch Relate, Coyne PR, Davis+Gilbert, Edelman, Gregory FCA, Hill & Knowlton, HUNTER, IW Group, Notified, Padilla, PR Museum, PRophet (exclusive sponsor of the 15 Under 35 Awards), The Stevens / Jachetti Group, Truescope, and Xcyte Digital, with event production by CommPRO.