Arguably, there are four premier awards events saluting the work and leaders of public relations. The first of the 2010 honoring season events was PR Week’s large black-tie party in New York last Thursday. Next up will be Paul Holmes’ SABRE Awards, then PRSA’s Silver Anvils and annual conference awards, and Arthur Page’s Hall of Fame and Distinguished Service awards.
Sean Whelan, PR Student of the Year
PR Week’s Student of the Year award went to Sean Whelan from SUNY-Oswego, while Megan Parker, a communication specialist in social media at General Electric, was named Young Professional of the Year. Judges for both of these awards cited the winners’ social media talents. PR Professional of 2010 is Pfizer’s PR head, Ray Kerins.
New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies was named PR Education Program of the Year for its Masters in Science curriculum. NYU’s 14-course PR curriculum benefits from the experiences being shared by 27 adjunct professionals. The University of Alabama’s outstanding undergraduate PR and communications curriculum received honorable mention.
Agency of the Year honors were bestowed on Emanate PR, which is headed by Kim Sample. Emanate also won Mid-Size Agency of the Year. Catalyst Public Relations won Boutique Agency of the Year, Lambert, Edwards & Associates was named Small PR Agency of the Year, and Golin Harris was named for Large Agency of the Year. Textbook publisher and media company Scholastic was honored for the best In-House PR Team.