Winners will be celebrated at City Winery in New York City on Dec. 2, 2026.
Media relations teams are navigating a more fragmented news environment, leaner newsrooms and growing competition for attention. At the same time, organizations face increased pressure to respond quickly, communicate clearly and show how earned media supports broader business goals.
PR Daily’s Media Relations Awards recognize the campaigns, teams and individuals addressing those challenges. The 2026 finalists span work in areas including brand positioning, crisis and reputation management, data-driven storytelling, product launches, thought leadership and community relations.
“This year’s finalists show how media relations continues to evolve,” said Brendan Gannon, director of marketing for Ragan’s awards programs. “Their entries reflect thoughtful strategy, strong execution and a clear connection between communications work and organizational priorities. We look forward to recognizing their achievements in New York City.”
Read on to see the full list of finalists. Winners will be announced Dec. 2, 2026, during a special awards event at City Winery in New York City.
Congratulations to all our finalists.
AWARDS OF DISTINCTION
Media Relations Campaign of the Year: Over $50,000
Behrman Cesa Communications: Love is in the Hair LoveShackFancy x Goody x WetBrush Campaign
Hilton: The Return of an Icon: Reintroducing Waldorf Astoria New York to the World
Karsha Chang Public Relations: Winning is a Habit
LIV Golf: Tee’d Up For Transformation: Coyne PR and LIV Golf Drive the Future of Sport
McAfee: Keep It Real: McAfee’s AI Scam Media Relations Campaign
T-Mobile: Friday Night 5G Lights
Media Relations Campaign of the Year: Under $10,000
Griffin Museum of Science and Industry: Griffin MSI 200 Millionth Visitor Campaign
Intesa Communications Group
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power: Omnichannel Resilience: Navigating Crisis With Clarity, Compassion and Control
Premier: Denied & Delayed: The Fight for Fair Payment and Timely, High-Quality Patient Care
PwC: PwC Holiday Outlook 2025
RLF Communications: When Trolls Came to Town: The Thomas Dambo Installation at Dix Park
Media Relations Campaign of the Year: Under $50,000
Anduril: EagleEye Campaign
Cleary Strategies & The Seeing Eye: Mission Critical: Recruiting Volunteer Puppy Raisers
Hollywood Agency
Resilere Partners: Making Hamburger Helper America’s Meal of the Moment
Sachs Media: Harnessing Hope: How Stable Recovery Became a National Voice for Addiction Recovery
SambaNova: World Economic Forum
Media Relations Professional of the Year
Tracy Connell: Inova
Kelly Corder, APR, CPRC: Sachs Media
Zach Eisenstein: The Trevor Project
Kat Jones: Motiv
Michael Yaeger: Samsung Electronics America
Media Relations Team of the Year
ALSAC
Ink Link Marketing
SambaNova: World Economic Forum
Samsung Electronics America: SEA MX PR
Spirit Airlines: Spirit Airlines Media Relations Team
CAMPAIGNS
Brand Messaging or Positioning
City of Shelbyville: Jenna Martin
Heraeus Medica: Scott Druhot
HUNTER: Le Creuset’s 100th Anniversary: An Heirloom in the Making
PepsiCo Foods: Lay’s Restage
Purdue University: ‘Space Week’ — New NASA Astronauts, Purdue/Virgin Galactic Partnership
PwC: PwC Holiday Outlook 2025
Cause Marketing
Heraeus Medical: Scott Druhot
MGC Global Group: SQM Litio y Fracción
Owens Corning: Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project: Making A Difference in the Lives of Veterans
Community Relations
Chicago River Swim
HUNTER: Lysol’s HERE for Healthy Schools
Northwestern Mutual: Quality Education
Owens Corning: Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project: Making A Difference in the Lives of Veterans
Content Marketing and Brand Journalism
Compass: Horizon
PepsiCo Foods: No Lay’s No Game Pub Crawl
TD Bank Group: TD AI Groundswell Strategy
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
MullenLowe U.S. Public Relations: Scotts Keep It Real
Northwestern Mutual: Quality Education
Crisis or Reputation Management
Getty: Fighting Fire: Getty’s Crisis Response
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power: Omnichannel Resilience: Navigating Crisis With Clarity, Compassion and Control
Santa Monica Travel & Tourism: Santa Monica’s Los Angeles Wildfire Crisis Management Campaign
UW Medicine: Strategic Marketing & Communications
Vigilante PR: Justice For Megan Trussell
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I)
Spokane Sports: Spokane Champions Women in Sports
The MRKT: Mission: Multicultural — Driving Franchise-Record Success for Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning
Finance/Fintech
Cleary Strategies & Raisin: Raisin: America’s Savings Solution
Grasshopper: Caliber Corporate Advisers
H&R Block: H&R Block’s Comeback in Consumer Choice
Red Fan Communications: Moving at Deal Speed: The Core Provider Shaping Modern Banking
Global Media Relations
Chicago River Swim
Nissan Motor Co.: All-New Nissan LEAF Global Launch
PepsiCo Foods: No Lay’s No Game Pub Crawl
Governmental or Public Affairs Media Relations
Business Software Alliance: BSA’s AI Adoption Campaign
John Deere: Bringing Autonomy to California Farmers
Violet PR: Newark’s Renaissance: New Jersey’s Largest City as a Model for Urban Revival
Healthcare
American Medical Association: AMA Launches Center for Digital Health and AI to Put Physicians at the Heart of Health Care Innovation
Approach Marketing: WellNow Urgent Care Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Insurance Campaign
Centerstone: Centerstone Brightli Merger Media Relations
Children’s Health: Protecting Texas Families: Children’s Health Leads Measles Education Effort
EMD Serono: Selma Blair and EMD Serono Encourage People With MS for Self-Advocacy
Humana: Humana Game Changers: The Next Chapter
Nationwide Children’s Hospital & The Kids Mental Health Foundation With MediaSource: Back to School 2025
The Abbi Agency: Nevada Health Link 2025 Open Enrollment Campaign
University of Colorado Anschutz: University of Colorado Anschutz Aims to Cure Blindness
Influencer Relations
John Deere: John Deere: From Seed to Speed — Turning Influencers into Advocates for Renewable Fuels
MGC Perú: Niños Bandera Repsol
Samsung Electronics America: Samsung Crossover Creators Integration
The Abbi Agency: SkipGen Influencer Campaign for Visit Carmel
Innovative Media Strategy
Nissan Motor Co.: All-New Nissan LEAF Global Launch
PwC: PwC Holiday Outlook 2025
The Goddard School: Wonder of Learning: A Record-Breaking Education Program Launch
The Hoffman Agency: Turning Valuation into Validation for Veeam
Integrated Marketing Communications
Florastor: HER Time to Shine: How Florastor Broke Through the Wellness Noise
Florida SouthWestern State College: PreView FSW
New Belgium Brewing: Voodoo Ranger Juice Force Tanker
T-Mobile: Friday Night 5G Lights
VyStar Credit Union: VyStar Savings Challenge
Media Relations
ALSAC: Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic
Bank of America: 2025 Better Money Habits Gen Z Report
Elev8 New Media: Elev8 New Media Redefines Vaccine Communication in a Time of Global Health Threats
Fight or Flight: The Sticky Menu for Lightspeed Commerce
Haleon/TUMS: TUMS Makes Gameday Food Dreams a Reality With TUMS Fantasy Foodball Pool
Hilton: The Return of an Icon: Reintroducing Waldorf Astoria New York to the World
Hudson Blue PR: TACO, MEET Cheez-It — Ortega Reimagines Taco Night With Cheez-It Flavored Taco Shells
Karsha Chang Public Relations: Winning is a Habit
Litzky PR: Toy Fair Takes Center Stage of the Industry — and the National News Cycle
MGC Perú: Cambio en Perú… Entra Zapping
Purdue University: ‘Space Week’ — New NASA Astronauts, Purdue/Virgin Galactic Partnership
Resilere Partners: Making Hamburger Helper America’s Meal of the Moment
SambaNova: World Economic Forum
The MRKT: Mission: Multicultural — Driving Franchise-Record Success for Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning
UnityPoint Health — Meriter: Meriter Marketing Team
Universal Destinations & Experiences: Universal Epic Universe Reputational Storytelling
New Product or Service Launch
ESPN: ESPN DTC & Enhanced App
Havas Formula: PLEZi Hydration x Stephen Curry
Havas Formula: Red Lobster Seafood Boils Launch
McAfee: Keep It Real: McAfee’s AI Scam Media Relations Campaign
MGC Perú: Cambio en Perú… Entra Zapping
Moose Toys With Hudson Blue PR: Slime to Shine: Moose Toys Beautifies Slime With Gui Gui
MullenLowe U.S. Public Relations: Naked Smoothies x Coco Gauff
Samsung Electronics America: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 and Z Flip7 U.S. Launch
Technica Communications: Technica Communications’ PR Campaign Drives 350% Lead Growth and TIME Best Invention Recognition for Jetson Air
Newsjacking
Amgen With MMC: Dallas Goedert Plaque Psoriasis Earned Media Campaign
City of Philadelphia — Department of Aviation: PHL Fan Zone
Cleary Strategies & Dr. E “The NP With The PhD”: Medical Gaslighting & Patient Empowerment
Edible: Sound the Alarm: How Edible Turned a TV Moment Into Cultural Buzz
Greenough Communications: Greenough for InMarket: How Real-Time Trendjacking Delivered Outsized Brand Awareness
Greentarget: Greentarget Newsjacking — Sean Combs Trial
Havas Formula: QDOBA: Little Girl With the Guacamole Blues
Northeastern University: The Karen Read Murder Trials
Pumpkin Pet Insurance: Pumpkin Pet Insurance’s Krypto the SuperDog Look-Alike Contest
Purdue University: ‘Space Week’ — New NASA Astronauts, Purdue/Virgin Galactic Partnership
Sacred Heart University: From Francis to the Future: A Papal Discussion Series
Nonprofit
ALSAC: Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
Centerstone: Centerstone Brightli Merger Media Relations
Cleary Strategies & The Seeing Eye: Mission Critical: Recruiting Volunteer Puppy Raisers
Griffin Museum of Science and Industry: Griffin MSI 200 Millionth Visitor Campaign
Sachs Media: Harnessing Hope: How Stable Recovery Became a National Voice for Addiction Recovery
The Abbi Agency: The Life You Can Save Rapid Response Fund
The TASC Group: Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) 2025
UPRAISE Marketing + Public Relations: More Than Cookies: Transforming Public Perception of the Girl Scouts of Northern California
Podcast
MediaTek: Reshaping MediaTek’s Perception With Customers
NewYork-Presbyterian: Health Matters a Podcast by NewYork-Presbyterian
Press Event or Media Tour
InnoVision Marketing Group: Herman Law Maryland Press Conference
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority: LAX/Metro Transit Center Station Opening
Matter Communications: Segway CES 2025
Pennzoil: Drivers With Drivers: Pennzoil and PXG Collaboration Celebrates Performance On and Off the Course
Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau: Virginia Beach Makes A Splash With UK Travelers
WM: WM Phoenix Open Media Tour: Telling Our Zero-Waste Story
Purpose-Driven
Hiltzik Strategies: #TeamWater Campaign
Northwestern Mutual: Quality Education
WM, Earth Month 2025: Amplifying WM’s Sustainability Leadership on a National Stage
Rebrand
Colgate-Palmolive: Colgate-Palmolive Brand Refresh
Edible: Rebranding? There’s an Edible for That
Houston City College: HCC Rebranding Campaign
American Gaming Association: Illegal Market Gaming
Bank of America: 2025 Better Money Habits Gen Z Report
Lowe Group: Using Proprietary Research to Generate Crucial Launch Momentum for Two Exchange Traded Funds
Next PR: Lightcast
Northeastern University: Illuminating Regeneration Science: The Glow-in-the-Dark Axolotl Breakthrough
Social Media
Nissan Motor Co.: All-New Nissan LEAF Global Launch
SambaNova: World Economic Forum
Starlight Children’s Foundation: Starlight’s Upside-Down Challenge
Stunt or Special Event
Helios Worldwide: Aurezzi x Elena Velez
MGC Perú: Cambio en Perú… Entra Zapping
New Belgium Brewing: Voodoo Ranger Juice Force Tanker
The Goddard School: Wonder of Learning: A Record-Breaking Education Program Launch
University of Maryland: Creating Kermencement
Thought Leadership
BrandShield: Yoav Keren
Matter Communications: Pluralsight Contributed Content Campaign
Sacred Heart University: From Francis to the Future: A Papal Discussion Series
Highwire x Korn Ferry: Driving Media Momentum Through Editorial Foresight and Organic Storytelling
Saint Mary’s College of California: “This Is Our Moment!” President Roger Thompson and Mike Janes
Use of a Celebrity or Personality
Amgen With MMC: Dallas Goedert Plaque Psoriasis Earned Media Campaign
DeVries Global With Merz Aesthetics: Revitalizing the Gold-Standard in Non-Invasive Skin Lifting Via Its First-Ever Global Brand Ambassador
LA Clippers: DeVine Intervention
MSC Cruises: MSC Cruises’ “Let’s Holiday” Campaign Featuring Drew Barrymore and Orlando Bloom
PepsiCo Foods: No Lay’s No Game Pub Crawl
Video
John Deere: John Deere Champions Farmers With Autonomy
Northwell Health With MediaSource: Dawn’s Story
Pacira BioSciences: Transforming Pain Into Purpose — Video Testimonials
UW Medicine: New Alzheimer’s Drug Gives Patients Hope
Virtual Event
Krupp Agency: World’s Hottest Menopause Party
Nissan Motor Co.: All-New Nissan LEAF Global Launch
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