More than 200 industry professionals attended the National Capital Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America‘s 50th Annual Thoth Awards Gala at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 18. The evening event honored the public relations profession’s top programs, products and campaigns in the nation’s capital region. Kamari Guthrie, director of communications for Vote.org, served as this year’s “Mistress of Ceremonies.”
Eddy Alexander and the Roanoke Valley Broadband Authority received the Thoth Best in Show award for their David vs. Goliath and Friends of Municipal Broadband campaign. According to a release, the Roanoke Valley Broadband Authority, a local government-run internet provider, “was blindsided by proposed legislation that would eliminate its ability to operate in Virginia. They had recently launched a $4M network and had not recouped the taxpayer investment. They had no funding set aside for public relations and government affairs. The campaign used creative issues management techniques to defeat the proposed legislation.”
“In this, our golden anniversary of the Thoth Awards, I am honored to be in a room filled with the best and brightest public relations professionals in the Washington, D.C., area. The awards showcase the great work our community does in furthering our profession,” said Sabrina Kidwai, APR, CAE, president of PRSA-NCC. “On behalf of the National Capital Chapter of PRSA, congratulations to all our award winners, National Capital Public Relations Hall of Fame honorees and everyone who submitted entries this year. We appreciate the support of all of our sponsors, attendees and partner organizations who made our Gala possible.”
The Truth Initiative with Ketchum and 72andSunny was the winner of this year’s IPR Research Award for their entry Business or Exploitation?, which demonstrated excellence in the use of research in developing an informed PR strategy and then evaluating the effectiveness of that strategy. The IPR Research Award is a partnership between PRSA-NCC and the Institute for Public Relations.
PRSA-NCC presented 54 Thoth Awards and Awards of Excellence. A panel of judges selected the finalists received from a wide range of public relations firms, government agencies, nonprofits, associations and corporate organizations located in the greater Washington, D.C., area.
In addition, Martha Boudreau and Pattie Yu were inducted into the National Capital Public Relations Hall of Fame. Boudreau is currently the executive vice president & chief communications and marketing officer for AARP, where she is responsible for setting enterprise brand and communications strategy and unifying AARP’s voice throughout the organization’s extensive communications channels. Yu is principal of theYucrew, a virtual agency which has won two Silver Anvils, Best in Show for PRSA MD, ASAE’s Overall Gold Circle and a PRSA-NCC’s Thoth Award.
“Congratulations to Martha and Pattie on their lifelong achievements in PR, while also giving back to cultivate the future success of professionals in communications, and inspiring them to excel,” said Lauren Lawson-Zilai, 2018 National Capital Public Relations Hall of Fame Chair and PRSA-NCC vice president. “Both are role models thanks to their contributions to our profession; their ongoing support of colleagues in our industry and their local communities; their innovative and cutting edge campaigns on behalf of their clients; and their enduring impact on the PR sector.”
The PRSA-NCC awards are named after Thoth (pronounced “tot”), an Egyptian god of wisdom who was a mediator and scribe and credited as the inventor of communications and writing. In the spirit of Thoth, PRSA-NCC honors area PR professionals for their exceptional and innovative campaigns and contributions to the profession.
A number of awards were presented during the event, including:
Large PR Agency of the Year
Thoth Award: JPA Health Communications
Award of Excellence: LINK Strategic Partners
New PR Agency of the Year
Thoth Award: The Reis Group
Award of Excellence: Mission Partners
For a comprehensive list of all Thoth categories and winners, please visit the Chapter website at http://www.prsa-ncc.org/thoth_awards.
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