NEW YORK (March 19, 2009) — Organizations that tapped Marie Osmond as a spokesperson to get women to “Go Red” and take actionable steps to improve their heart health, and that changed America’s perception of teen prescription drug abuse by reaching out to parents via national news media and a robust, high-trafficked Web site, are just two of the 126 finalists the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has selected from 893 entries for the 2009 Silver Anvil Awards. The number of entries is a new high, surpassing the prior record of 875 set last year.
“Given today’s economic climate, it was heartening to see a record number of entries, along with a record number of judges, more than half of whom traveled from outside the New York metro area at their own expense to perpetuate this signature public relations awards program,” said James Roop, 2009 PRSA Silver Anvil Awards Sub-Committee chair and president, Roop & Co.
Finalists span programs from across the professional spectrum, including practice type, specialization and sector. Among them are: American Heart Associations’ “Go Red for Women”; the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s “Teens and Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Campaign”; Humana, Inc.’s “Share and Share-a-Bike: Humana Brings Bike-Sharing to the Masses”; Frito-Lay’s “Doritos Crashes the Super Bowl”; Dow AgroSciences’ “Removing Trans Fat from America's Menus”; Beam Global/Casa Sauza’s “‘100 Years of Mexican Music’ — Tequila 100 Años™ Photo Exhibit Celebrating Mexican Culture”; Best Buy’s “Out With the Rabbit Ears — The DTV Transition is Coming!”; and American Kennel Club’s “A Dog for Obama.” For a complete list of this year’s finalists, click here.
“The finalists in this year’s Silver Anvil Awards represent some of the most strategic, creative and best public relations campaigns in the industry,” said Joice Truban Curry, 2009 PRSA Honors and Awards Committee chair and president/CEO of c3 Communications. “These programs exemplify how the best practices of research, planning and implementation deliver measurable and impactful results. They are most deserving of being selected as finalists for the Anvils, which are considered the Oscars of the public relations industry.”
Silver Anvil and Award of Excellence winners will be chosen from these finalists and announced on June 4, 2009, at the Silver Anvil Celebration Event in New York City. Additionally, Silver Anvil winners in all categories are automatically considered for the Best of Silver Anvil Award, representing the finest example of public relations programming in 2008. The Best of Silver Anvil recipient also will be announced at the Silver Anvil Celebration Event.
Expanding Program
The Silver Anvil Awards program has grown in scope and stature since its inception in 1946, and awards are now given in 59 categories and subcategories. To date, more than 1,200 organizations have received Silver Anvils for excellence in strategic public relations planning and implementation.
A panel of 139 senior practitioners from across the United States served as judges, including Stacie Bright, Unilever; Andy Cooper, CooperKatz & Company; Lisa R. Davis, AstraZeneca; Michael F. Doble, APR, Raytheon Company; Kathleen Duffy, Marriott International, Inc.; Matthew Harrington, Edelman; Roland H. King, APR, Fellow PRSA, National Association of Independent Colleges & Universities; Stephanie Marchesi, Cohn & Wolfe; Mike G. Paul, MGP & Associates PR; Deborah Radman, APR, Fellow PRSA, CKPR; Patrice A. Tanaka, CRT/Tanaka; Helen C. Vollmer, APR, Vollmer Public Relations; and Mark Weiner, Prime Research. Click here for a complete list of the 2009 Silver Anvil judges.
For information on attending the event, contact Gladiss Gressley, of PRSA Special Events, at (212) 460-1438 or gladdis.gressley@prsa.org.
About the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
The Public Relations Society of America, headquartered in New York City, is the world's largest organization for public relations professionals with nearly 32,000 professional and student members. PRSA is organized into 109 Chapters and 10 Districts nationwide, and 20 Professional Interest Sections and Affinity Groups, which represent business and industry, counseling firms, independent practitioners, military, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional services firms and nonprofit organizations. The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) has 302 Chapters at colleges and universities throughout the United States, and one Chapter in Argentina.
