The PRWeek Awards celebrate the very best corporate, agency, nonprofit, and education teams, and the work they produced during the awards’ entry period. Each award is highly coveted and the competition to claim them is intense. The 2017 shortlist is as follows:
Best Consumer Launch
Edelman and Arby’s Restaurant Group
Arby’s Introduces One-Day Vegetarian Menu
Golin and McDonald’s
All Day Breakfast Press Announcement: The People’s Launch
Golin and Toyota
Toyota Goes Back to the Future
LDWWgroup, Carnival Corporation, and Fathom
Bienvenidos a Cuba
PadillaCRT and Niagara Conservation
#WhatTheFlush: Disrupting the Water Conservation Conversation
Best Content
Allison & Partners and Seventh Generation
Maya Rudolph Comes Clean About Feminine Care with Seventh Generation’s “Vajingle”
Braya U.S. and Tecate
Tecate Beer Pulls Its “Trump Card” & Builds A Wall That Unifies During Presidential Debates
Edelman and Starbucks
Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things – Starbucks Introduces “Upstanders” Original Content Series
MSLGroup Chicago, Leo Burnett Chicago, and The Allstate Foundation
#FreeToWalk for Allstate Foundation Purple Purse
PadillaCRT and Niagara Conservation
#WhatTheFlush: Disrupting the Water Conservation Conversation
Best for a Cause
Edelman and Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
Deal for Equality: The Metro Atlanta Chamber Campaign to Stop HB757
Grey New York, National Park Foundation, and National Park Service
National Park Foundation and National Park Service’s Find Your Park Movement
Ketchum and Whirlpool
Care Counts
MSLGroup Chicago, Leo Burnett Chicago and The Allstate Foundation
#FreeToWalk for Allstate Foundation Purple Purse
MSLGroup and The Home Depot Foundation
Celebration of Service: Creating Independence at Home for U.S. Veterans
Best Global Effort
Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media (DCPI) and Star Wars
Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media & Star Wars Superfans Go Rogue to Launch New Toy Line
HomeAway
HomeAway’s #EiffelTowerAllYours
LinkedIn
LinkedIn’s Bring In Your Parents Day
MMK+ and Procter & Gamble
P&G Supports Strong Moms for Rio 2016 Olympic Games
MSLGroup and Netflix
Netflix Everywhere
Best in a Crisis
Camino Public Relations and Planned Parenthood
PR and Moral Outrage: Turning a viral video attack into a brand promotion
Delta Air Lines
Delta Responds to Outage with Speed, Agility and Transparency
Edelman and Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
Deal for Equality: The Metro Atlanta Chamber Campaign to Stop HB757
Havas PR and The 4A’s
An Industry Under Fire Comes Out Swinging
Southwest Airlines
All hands on deck: Southwest’s collaborative and innovative response during nationwide technical outage
Best in Analytics
Allison & Partners and Kampgrounds of America (KOA)
What’s Behind the Yellow Sign?
Brandwatch
Brandwatch The Flagship Provider of 2016 Election Data
Edelman and Barilla
While the Water Boils
FleishmanHillard and Department of Defense, Defense Health Agency
“That Guy: Study Links Campaign to Positive Behavior Change”
Text100 and Adobe Marketing Cloud
Empowering Today’s Digital Marketers with Leading Adobe Reports and Actionable Data
Best in Arts, Entertainment, Sports & Media
Current Marketing and Kingsford
Take Back Opening Day
Exponent PR and USA Swimming
Swim United: With liberty and flip turns for all
Ketchum and Truth Initiative
#CATmageddon
MMK+ and Procter & Gamble
P&G Supports Strong Moms for Rio 2016 Olympic Games
MSLGroup and Netflix
Netflix Everywhere
Best in Broadcast/Film/Video
360PR+ and Jarden Home Brands
Ball Canning Helps Consumers Tackle Food Waste While Growing Sales
Cone Communications and HAI Group
ReThink: Why Housing Matters – Challenging Misperceptions of Public Housing
Edelman and Barilla
While the Water Boils
Monument Communications and The Invictus Games 2016
The Invictus Games 2016
MullenLowe and JetBlue Airways Reach Across The Aisle
Best in Business-to-Business
Burson-Marsteller and Valspar Corp.
Introducing the Product: Changing Industry Paradigms
Edelman and Businessolver
Be the Solution
Havas PR and Transitions Optical
Transitions Optical: Adapting to Younger Eyes
Ketchum and Clorox Healthcare
Simple Swab, Shorter Stay: Take a Swipe at Antibiotic Resistance
WE Communications and Microsoft
Fighting Cyber Security Threats One Company at a Time: Microsoft Paves the Way
Best in Community Relations
Allison & Partners and Progressive Insurance
Keys to Progress: Helping Veterans In Need Get Back On The Road
Approach Marketing and Goldfish Swim School
Goldfish Swim School’s Water Safety Focus Drives Growth in Community
Havas PR North America and Risas Dental and Braces
Risas Dental: Smiles, Everyone, Smiles!
MasterCard
Girls4Tech
Carmichael Lynch Relate and Sherwin-Williams
National Painting Week Inspires Care for Communities
Best in Corporate Branding
Ascension
Moving to a Unified Ascension Brand
Burson-Marsteller and Bank of America
Cutting Through the Clutter – Elevating Bank of America to the Industry Fintech Leader
Edelman and United Airlines
Changing the Legacy of Discontent
HP Inc.
HP: Reinventing for the Future
Carmichael Lynch Relate and U.S. Bank
U.S. Bank Inspires with the Power of Possible
Best in Financial Communications
Burson-Marsteller and Bank of America Home Loans
The Bank of America Homebuyer Insights Report
FTI Consulting and Patheon
Patheon IPO Communications
FTI Consulting and Shire
Shire’s Acquisition of Baxalta
Highwire PR and Twilio
Twilio IPO
State Street Corp.
Investing Capital to Create Change: State Street’s SHE Gender Diversity ETF Campaign
Best in Healthcare
Burson-Marsteller and Opternative
Beating Goliath: Disruptive Eyecare Startup Opternative Faces Fierce Industry Opposition
Ketchum and Adapt Pharma
Redefining Narcan: A Life-Saving Medication
Weber Shandwick and Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI)
Unbroken Hearts: Shaping the Interventional Cardiology Story
Weber Shandwick and GSK Consumer
Excedrin The Migraine Experience
Y&R PR, The Hero Group, and Pfizer Oncology
Breast Cancer: A Story Half Told
Best in Internal Communications
Astellas U.S. and Gagen MacDonald
Journey to One Astellas Culture Initiative
IBM
IBM Cognitive Build
MSLGroup and General Motors Internal Communications
General Motors: Mind Your Business
Team Chemistry (Cohn & Wolfe and Landor) and Janssen Pharmaceuticals
Janssen Brave – Driving a Cultural Transformation
USAA
USAA Employee Communications Strategy
Best in Multicultural Marketing
Cohn & Wolfe and Colgate-Palmolive
Colgate’s Hispanic Heritage Month
Cohn & Wolfe and Colgate-Palmolive
Colgate Total Simplemente Saludable
Edelman and Unilever
Dove Hair #LoveYourCurls Emojis
HP Inc.
Bringing HP’s Culture of Diversity and Innovation to Life
Weber Shandwick and Gilead Sciences
Breaking the Silence on Hepatitis B in the Asian American Community
Best in Nonprofit
CARE
Special Delivery: Letters of Hope from CARE
Cohn & Wolfe and Swedish Tourist Association
The Swedish Number: Saying “Halla” to the World
Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont
Werkin’ the GW Look Helps Put People to Work
Havas PR and 92nd Street Y
#GivingTuesday: The Super Bowl of Philanthropy
Ketchum and Truth Initiative
#CATmageddon
Best in Product Brand Development
DeVries Global and Pantene
Pantene Dad-Do: Fostering the Next Generation of Strong Women
Olson Engage with Crispin Porter & Bogusky and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
World’s Largest Blind Taste Test
The Door Marketing Group and Super 8
Amy Sedaris Presents: When The Art Comes Down: Works from The Super 8 Collection
Weber Shandwick and GSK Consumer
Excedrin The Migraine Experience
Zeno Group and Bernzomatic
Finding Our Fire: Bernzomatic Brand Refresh
Best in Public Affairs
Edelman and Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
Deal for Equality: The Metro Atlanta Chamber Campaign to Stop HB757
FP1 Strategies and Grocery Manufacturers Association
Building Support for a Breakthrough Bipartisan Achievement
FP1 Strategies and Charter Communications
FP1 and Charter Communications: Telling the Charter Story
Story Partners and Noble Energy
Working Together for Colorado
The Glover Park Group and United Airlines
United to Cuba
Best in Public Sector
Burson-Marsteller and Virginia Energy Sense
Value Your Power
Colehour Cohen and U.S. Department of Energy
Better Buildings Challenge SWAP
Ogilvy Public Relations and Covered California
Covered California Third Open Enrollment: Spotlight on Coverage
Ogilvy Washington and Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living
What is Brain Health?
Rogers Finn Partners and County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works
Environmental Defenders Program Empowers L.A. County Elementary School Students to Be Stewards of the Earth
Best in Social Media
Cohn & Wolfe, Finsbury, and Citi
Citi Asks Americans To #StandForProgress
Elizabeth Arden
Elizabeth Arden’s “From the Desk of Liz Arden” Digital Campaign
Golin and McDonald’s
All Day Breakfast Press Announcement: The People’s Launch
Ketchum and The Hershey Company
Creating Cupfusion
Y&R PR and Acorda Therapeutics
Many Faces of OFF
Best in Technology
Burson-Marsteller and Opternative
Beating Goliath: Disruptive Eyecare Startup Opternative Faces Fierce Industry Opposition
Text100 and IBM
Watson Connects with Consumers with Cognitive Creativity
MSLGroup and Netflix
Netflix Everywhere
Ogilvy Public Relations and LG Electronics
LG G5 Low Battery Anxiety Campaign
Weber Shandwick and Motorola Mobility, a Lenovo company
Challenging Smartphone Incrementalism: Moto Z Family & Moto Mods Launch
Best Integrated
Edelman and REI
REI #OptOutside
Finn Partners and Jamba Juice
Jamba Juice brings Adele’s “favorite” British smoothie joint to life
HomeAway
HomeAway #EiffelTowerAllYours
MSLGroup, Leo Burnett, and P&G Always
#LikeAGirl: Girl Emojis
Weber Shandwick and Sonos
Sonos Music Makes it Home
Best Promotional Event
Edelman (Krispr) and Kellogg
Kellogg’s NYC
M Booth and Campari
Putting Creativity on Tap for Sales and Charity with Negroni Week
MullenLowe and American Greetings
Analog by American Greetings
Carmichael Lynch Relate and Arla Foods
A Simply Better #CheesePull for National Grilled Cheese Day
Weber Shandwick and Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative
Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative – “Maine After Midnight”
Best Viral
Allison & Partners and Seventh Generation
Maya Rudolph Comes Clean About Feminine Care with Seventh Generation’s “Vajingle”
Braya U.S. and Tecate
Tecate Beer Pulls Its “Trump Card” & Builds A Wall That Unifies During Presidential Debates
DeVries Global and Pantene
Pantene Dad-Do: Fostering the Next Generation of Strong Women
Edelman, Zeno Group, and Starbucks
Starbucks Transforms Red Cup Kerfuffle into Viral Advocacy Movement
MSLGroup, Leo Burnett, and P&G Always
#LikeAGirl: Girl Emojis
Creative Excellence
Ketchum and Frito-Lay
Cheetos Museum
MSLGroup, Leo Burnett, and P&G Always
#LikeAGirl: Girl Emojis
MullenLowe and JetBlue Airways
Reach Across The Aisle
The Brooklyn Brothers, Islenska, and Promote Iceland
Ask Gudmundur: The World’s First Human Search Engine
Weber Shandwick and Sonos
Sonos Music Makes it Home
Outstanding Education Program
American University School of Communication
DePaul University – Public Relations & Advertising Graduate Program
Georgetown University Public Relations & Corporate Communications Program
Syracuse University, Newhouse School
University of Alabama Department of Advertising & Public Relations
Outstanding Agency Professional
Sponsored by Bayer Corporation
Don Baer
Burson-Marsteller
Rob Flaherty
Ketchum
Leslie Gaines-Ross
Weber Shandwick
Ken Luce
LDWWgroup
Mike Rosen
PRR
Outstanding In-House Professional
Sponsored by Zeno Group
Roger Frizzell
Carnival Corp.
Michael Gonda
Chobani
Catherine Hernandez-Blades
Aflac
Raymond Kerins Jr.
Bayer Corp.
Aaron Sherinian
United Nations Foundation
Outstanding Marketer
Sponsored by Cohn & Wolfe
Crystal Brewe
The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
Jill Kelly
DigitasLBi
Antonio Lucio
HP Inc.
Rob Lynch
Arby’s Restaurant Group
Katy Pietrini
Cushman & Wakefield
Outstanding Young Professional
Sponsored by General Motors
McKenzie Haggard
Method Communications
Meghan Keane
CLS Strategies
Kim Lyons
The Door Marketing Group
Jim Mignano
Text100
Stefanie Urso
Voya Financial
Outstanding In-House Team
Sponsored by Ketchum
Altisource
Bayer Corporation
Enable Midstream Partners
Harman International
JetBlue Airways
Outstanding Boutique Agency
BRG Communications
Clyde Group
Deveney
Harvest PR & Marketing
Multiply
Outstanding Small Agency
Sponsored by FleishmanHillard
Colehour + Cohen
LDWWgroup
Praytell
rbb Communications
Singer Associates
Outstanding Midsize Agency
LaunchSquad
M Booth
Olson Engage
Carmichael Lynch Relate
Zeno Group
Outstanding Large Agency
Sponsored by Ford Motor Company
Cohn & Wolfe
Edelman
FleishmanHillard
Golin
Weber Shandwick
PR Student of the Year
The shortlisted students for this award will be selected by a separate judging panel in January.
Communicator of the Year
Sponsored by Johnson & Johnson
In a category introduced in 2013 by PRWeek, the Judges Chair and PRWeek editor-in-chief will select the outstanding communicator in the period covered by this year’s Awards. The individual could come from within or outside the PR industry
PR Agency of the Year
Candidates are the respective winners of the Outstanding Boutique, Small, Midsize, and Large Agency awards. The winner will be announced at the Awards ceremony on March 16.
PRWeek Campaign of the Year
Candidates are the winners of the campaign awards, to be announced at the Awards ceremony on March 16.
After each of the campaign awards has been determined, the Judges chair and PRWeek’s editor-in-chief convene to discuss those entries in depth. The group is narrowed down to a final five and, from those, the PRWeek Campaign of the Year is selected.
