From bold campaigns to breakthrough strategies, this year’s finalists represent the very best in social media and digital communications.
Social and digital channels continue to redefine how brands connect, engage and inspire — but it’s the talented teams and individuals behind the work who make the real impact. From crafting scroll-stopping content to building thriving online communities, this year’s finalists are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the digital space.
PR Daily’s 2026 Social Media & Digital Awards honor the most innovative, strategic and results-driven work across a wide range of categories, including social media campaigns, video, influencer marketing, digital storytelling, analytics and more. These finalists exemplify the creativity, agility and insight required to succeed in today’s fast-moving digital landscape — raising the bar for the entire industry.
In addition to category honors, the program recognizes standout achievements such as Campaign, Agency and Team of the Year — celebrating those whose work not only captured attention but delivered measurable impact.
“Congratulations to this year’s finalists,” said Brendan Gannon, senior marketing manager for Ragan’s and PR Daily’s Award programs. “Your work demonstrates the power of digital communications to inform, engage and drive real results. The level of innovation and storytelling we saw this year made selecting finalists an exciting challenge for our judges.”
Browse the full list of finalists below to see who is advancing to the final round of recognition.
All finalists will be celebrated — and category and honorable mention winners revealed — at PR Daily’s Social Media & Digital Awards Luncheon, June 18, 2026, where communicators from across industries will gather to honor excellence and connect with peers.
AWARDS OF DISTINCTION
Agency of the Year
Farrynheight
Media Minefield
The MRKT
Campaign of the Year
Citizens: TCS NYC Marathon Social Media Strategy
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises: Think Bigger, Think Better, Think Telemundo: Upfronts 2025
Three Rings: Solve. Empower. Soar. — SES Global Brand Launch
Professional of the Year
Daryl Drabinsky: PwC
Ben Pollack: Unisys
Team of the Year
Cloudera: #ClouderaLife
Cushman & Wakefield: Social Media — Advocacy
Eventbrite: Brand & Communications Team
Indiana Pacers: Indiana Pacers Road to the 2025 NBA Finals Playoff Campaign
Miami University: Digital and Social Media Team
PwC: US Social Media
Vimeo: Vimeo Corporate Marketing & Communications Team
CAMPAIGNS AND CATEGORIES
Annual Report
ConnectiveRx: ConnectiveRx 2025 Lookbook
Gathering Place: Gathering Place Annual Report
Norfolk Southern: Forging a Better Tomorrow Report
Purdue University: Annual Report
Brand Awareness
Applied Materials: A New Chapter of the Applied Materials Brand
Bospar: Seeing RealSense
Cloudera: #ClouderaLife
Dave’s Hot Chicken: Dave’s Hot Chicken
Indiana Pacers: Indiana Pacers 2025 NBA Playoffs Campaign
Nissan Motor Co.: Nissan at the Japan Mobility Show 2025
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals/Syneos Health Communications: What’s Your Legacy?
Cause Marketing
ADM: ADM’s Farmer Narrative Campaign
Athena Global Advisors: Ride With Pride
Bospar: Queer Joy is Resistance: How PR Turned a Sponsorship Crisis Into Record
Call of Duty Endowment: Military Appreciation Month 2025
Hunter: Lysol HERE For Healthy Schools
Collaborative Social Media Communications
Appspace: Employee Advocacy
Banco Atlántida and LLYC, Evento Deportivo Del Siglo
Cushman & Wakefield: Social Media — Advocacy
Hyundai Hope on Wheels: Driving Hope Beyond the Road: Hyundai’s Mission to End Childhood Cancer
Merz Aesthetics: LinkedIn and Collaborative Social Media Communications
That Random Agency: Small Business of the Game Social Series
Community Engagement
Chesapeake Utilities Corporation: Community Engagement Campaign
City and County of Denver — Office of Human Resources: Future Fest: The Future Starts With You!
Vanderbilt University: Vanderbilt Pin Drop Series
Content Marketing
Banco Atlántida and LLYC, Evento Deportivo Del Siglo
Florida Public Utilities: Natural Gas Recipe Campaign
Kellogg’s Health and Nutrition Institute: Trust the Process by INSK
Northwell Health // Revmade: The Well by Northwell Health, With Revmade
CSR/ESG Communications
Morrison Healthcare: #PartnersForThePlanet
Norfolk Southern: Forging a Better Tomorrow Report
Data & Insights/Measurement
Cloudera: #ClouderaLife
Just Drive Media: Using Social Data to Shape Perception, Trust and Momentum for Serve Robotics
Lee Andrews Group
McMaster University: Decoding Digital Trust
Unisys: The Intent Engine: How Unisys Used Data to Transform the Sales Cycle
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Campaign
Compass Healthcare: #WorldHelloDay
The MRKT: Mission Multicultural: Driving Franchise-Record Success for Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning
Towson University: Celebrating Tigers With Disabilities
Edutainment
Kellogg’s Health and Nutrition Institute: Trust the Process by INSK
The Shelf: Credit-Building, Made Relatable: Self Q2 Influencer Campaign
Email Communications
Gregory: Segmented. Branded. Repeatable. Email Communications That Outperformed Benchmarks
Jackson Spalding and Orkin Commercial: Orkin Commercial Bird Control Campaign
Jackson Spalding and Orkin Commercial: Orkin Commercial Rattiest Cities Email Campaign
Jackson Spalding: The Infrastructure Behind Impact: Norfolk Southern’s Email Transformation
UC Davis Health: Innovation News & Notes
Employee Engagement
Citizens: Citizens Social Media Team
Ernst & Young (EY US): EY US All in 30, All in Focus Leadership Videos
UC Davis Health: Sisters in Scrubs
Healthcare Campaign
Be the Change Group: Goodbye Pap, Hello Swab
Eisai: Care Pair: Pako & Zahydie
Eisai: Made of More: Personal Experiences at Mealtime
Eisai: Spot Her at the Nail Salon: Breaking the Silence Around Endometrial Cancer in Social Settings
Harris County Public Health: Vax2School
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals/Syneos Health Communications: What’s Your Legacy?
Influencer Campaign
Garmin: GlutenFreeRunner at Garmin
Hyundai Hope on Wheels: Driving Hope Beyond the Road: Hyundai’s Mission to End Childhood Cancer
John Deere: John Deere Brings Pro Athletes and Influencers Together to Feed America’s Farmers
Nationwide: Protect What Matters: Life Stage Influencer Activation
Pacers Sports & Entertainment: Pacers x Rob49
Planit: Stop the Iron Pipeline Influencer Campaign
Porter Novelli: Lucas Lenwas Launch
PwC: Formula 1 Influencer
The Shelf: Credit-Building, Made Relatable: Self Q2 Influencer Campaign
Visit Orlando: Moments In Between & Happy2Find
Visit Philadelphia: 2026 Badge Builder
Gathering Place: Cherry Blossom Bliss
Gathering Place: The Life of a Monarch
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises: Think Bigger, Think Better, Think Telemundo: Upfronts 2025
Intranet
Adobe: Inside Adobe
South Piedmont Community College: Alli Access Intranet
Vimeo: Inside The Loop: Vimeo’s Modern Intranet
Cloudera: #ClouderaLife
Gregory: A Smarter LinkedIn Approach: Sustained Engagement Through Consistent Storytelling
Look East/AmSty: AmSty LinkedIn
Merz Aesthetics: LinkedIn and Collaborative Social Media Communications
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises: Think Bigger, Think Better, Think Telemundo: Upfronts 2025
Vimeo: Vimeo’s Explosive LinkedIn Growth
Wasabi Technologies: LinkedIn Executive Thought Leadership Campaign
Marketing Campaign
Chubbies: The Chubbies League
City and County of Denver — Office of Human Resources: “See Yourself Here” Lifeguard Recruitment Campaign
Florida City Gas: Natural Gas Does More
Indiana Fever: Indiana Fever x Stranger Things
Mercury Racing: Travis Pastrana 300R/ROS Launch
Media Relations Campaign
Children’s Health: Protecting Texas Families: Children’s Health Leads Measles Education Effort
Cornerstone Government Affairs: America’s VetDogs Pre‑Capital Campaign
Mastercard: Mastercard Newsroom
The MRKT: Mission Multicultural: Driving Franchise-Record Success for Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning
Multichannel Campaign
ADM: ADM’s Farmer Narrative Campaign
Cloudera: #ClouderaLife
Eaton: Machine‑Building OEM Integrated Campaign: Driving Global OEM Engagement Through Multi‑Channel Precision Marketing
Florida City Gas: Natural Gas Does More
Jackson Spalding: It’s a Georgia Thing: An AI-Enabled Multichannel Campaign Reintroducing GPB to a New Generation
JBL: JBL Power Partnerships at SXSW Reach Gen Z
Multiply: HI-CHEW House of Mystery
Paid Social Media Campaign
City and County of Denver — Office of Human Resources: “See Yourself Here” Lifeguard Recruitment Campaign
Gregory: Paid Social, Done Right: Efficient Follower Growth Within a Limited Audience Pool
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises: Think Bigger, Think Better, Think Telemundo: Upfronts 2025
Noisy Trumpet Communications: San Antonio Marathon
Philip Morris International: The Burning Truth
Podcast & Blogs
Intention.ly: Don’t Do That Podcast
Morehouse School of Medicine: Morehouse School of Medicine Blog
Prologis: Moving the World — Elevating the Conversations That Power the Global Economy
Purdue University: ‘This Is Purdue’ Podcast
Public Relations Campaign
Bospar: Queer Joy is Resistance: How PR Turned a Sponsorship Crisis Into Record
Bospar: Seeing RealSense
JBL: JBL x Benson Boone: Undeniably Original
Vimeo: Vimeo Streaming
SEO Strategy
Citizens: SEO: Leveraging SEO Strategy to Support Consumers in High Stakes Moments
Gregory: From Invisible to In-Demand: Rebuilding SEO for a Financial Advisory Firm
Jackson Spalding and Columbus Ahead: Amazing Columbus Content Strategy
Social Listening and Real-Time Response
Dunn Pellier Media: Dr. Quay: Biden Diagnosis
Generac Power Systems: Generac Social Listening and Content
Malwarebytes: Thirty Minutes to Tell the World — Discovering a Data Dump That Exposed 17 Million Instagram Users’ Data on the Dark Web
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