The Minnesota chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) last night honored the best local public relations work of the past year during the 28th annual Minnesota PRSA Classics Awards, held at The Depot in downtown Minneapolis.
Emceed by former KARE-11 anchor Frank Vascellaro, the event attracted public relations professionals from more than 45 agencies, corporations and non-profit organizations. They celebrated fellow practitioners who, in the judgment of their peers, successfully addressed communications challenges with exemplary skill, creativity and resourcefulness.
“Every entry, finalist and winner demonstrates that local public relations practitioners are accomplishing remarkable things for their clients, companies and non-profit organizations,” said Gail Liebl, Minnesota PRSA president. “The Classics awards substantiate the value that public relations brings to our business community and how Minnesota public relations professionals truly make a difference to the success of the organizations with whom they work.”
The awards are divided into two distinct categories: elements and programs. Classics Element Awards honor the best tactics of a program, while Classics Program Awards honor the best public relations campaigns.
Minnesota PRSA presented the top honor of the evening, the Best of Show Award, to Minneapolis-based Olson+Co., for its work on behalf of client Phillips Distilling Co. The campaign involved the launch of Phillips’ new whiskey, Phillips Union, and had celebrities including Justin Timberlake, Teri Hatcher and Nelly clamoring for a taste. In addition, the campaign generated media coverage in top publications, including USA Today, The New York Times, Star Tribune, US Weekly, Complex and others. Winners of the Classics Program Awards were eligible for the Best of Show Award.
Student Awards
Minnesota PRSA also honored the best in student public relations among Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin undergraduate students during the evening. Students entered projects completed for school, Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter activities, internship projects and volunteer work.
Student Classics Awards were presented to Lora Johnson, of the University of Minnesota, and the Studio One Marketing Team from the University of North Dakota. Recipients of this year’s Dr. Willard Thompson Scholarships were also recognized. The scholarship recognizes those who excel in the study of public relations and communications. Marie Norton of St. Cloud State University won $2,000 and the title of “Best of PRSSA,” the University of St. Thomas’ Natalie Wicker won $1,000 and Lora Johnson, Joshua Gerads and Heather Hauer from the University of Minnesota each received $500 awards.
Out of 217 initial entries, a total of 49 Classics Awards were presented during the evening to public relations agencies, corporations, non-profit organizations and students from the metro and out state areas. Attached is a list of all winners which can also be found on the Minnesota PRSA Web site (www.mnprsa.com).
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