NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — PRSA-NY proudly announced the recipients of the 2025 Big Apple Awards on Thursday, September 18 at Sony Hall in Midtown Manhattan. Widely regarded as the premier recognition of excellence in public relations, the Big Apple Awards brought together top professionals from agencies, corporations, nonprofits, academia and media for an unforgettable evening of celebration and connection.
Hosted by co-emcees Brian Stelter (CNN) and Jamie Stelter (Spectrum News NY1), the program celebrated the year’s most innovative and effective campaigns, as well as individuals whose achievements have left a lasting mark on the industry. Guests enjoyed a lively evening filled with camaraderie, storytelling, and inspiration, reinforcing the Big Apple Awards’ reputation as one of the most exciting nights of the year for New York’s PR and communications community.
“I’ve been honored to be part of teams that have won three Big Apple Awards over the years, but each time I attend the gala, and hear about the campaigns that sought to push the envelope and engage stakeholders in new and impactful ways, my excitement about the future of the public relations profession grows exponentially,” said Ken Kerrigan, President, PRSA-NY.
2025 PRSA-NY Big Apple Awards Campaign Winners
Top honors were awarded across numerous categories, recognizing outstanding campaigns that demonstrated creativity, meaningful results, and measurable impact. Winners included:
- Generational Targeted Marketing (Gen Z, Boomer, etc.):
Winner: Zeno Group for Goldfish Goes Viral with Adult Name Change: Chilean Sea Bass - Integrated Communications (B2B):
Winner: From Cocktails to Mocktails: How NCS Drove the Sober Curious Conversation, NCSolutions and Feintuch Communications - Integrated Communications (Consumer Products & Services):
Winner: Stranahan’s Takes Ownership of a New Whiskey Category, Three Cheers PRHonorable Mention: Blitzing the Region: A Targeted Approach for iovera°, Coyne PR & Pacira BioSciences, Inc.
- Marketing Consumer Products & Services (Campaign Budgets < $200K):
Winner: Carmichael Lynch Relate for Insomnia Cookies Broke Up With Your Partner So You Didn’t Have To - Marketing Consumer Products & Services (CPG):
Winner: Coyne PR & Haleon for TUMS Makes Gameday Food Dreams a Reality with TUMS Fantasy Foodball PoolHonorable Mention: Carmichael Lynch Relate for Treasure Cave’s Recipe for Brand and Category Love
- Marketing Consumer Products & Services (Food & Beverage):
Winner: HUNTER for Hundreds of NYC Street Carts Ditch Their Iconic Pretzels for King’s Hawaiian Pretzel BitesHonorable Mention: Carmichael Lynch Relate for A Slicey, Spicy Launch withMontchevre
- Media Relations (Online):
Winner: Gregory FCA for Leading the Fight Against AI-Generated CSAM Through the Power of Media
Honorable Mention: Three Cheers PR for Breaking Down TINCUP Bourbon to Build it Up
- Mental Health & Awareness:
Winner: Coyne PR & Otuska America Pharmaceutical for Revolutionizing Digital Therapeutics with Rejoyn - Public Service:
Winner: Padilla with Hennepin County for Trash or Cash - Reputation/Brand Management & Engagement:
Winner: Carmichael Lynch Relate for Treasure Cave’s Recipe for Brand and Category Love
Honorable Mention: NCSolutions and Feintuch Communications for From Cocktails to Mocktails: How NCS Drove the Sober Curious Conversation
Honorable Mention: Citizens Financial Group and Hudson Cutler & Co. for Citizens x Queens Night Market: Building Reputation and Engagement Through Culture
- Video (Social Video & Other):
Winner: GCI Health for ViiV x The Skin Deep for Navigating HIV: Real Stories, Real Impact
Individual and 15 Under 35 Recipients
PRSA-NY’s Big Apple Awards also honored PR professionals who exemplify the highest standards of leadership and achievement in communications. The 2025 15 Under 35 honorees showcased the next generation of talent driving innovation and impact across the industry, while esteemed individual award recipients were recognized for their leadership, influence, and long-standing contributions to the field.
2025 PRSA-NY Big Apple Individual Awards:
- Barbara W. Hunter Trailblazer Award: Sam Marchiano, Award-winning Sports Journalist, Professor at NYU’s Tisch Institute of Global Sport, and Founder of the Equality League
- Daniel J. Edelman Award: Sam Jacobs, Editor in Chief, TIME
- Harold Burson Award: Jon Harris, Executive Vice President, Chief Communications & Networking Officer, Conagra Brands
- John W. Hill Award: Barby K. Siegel, CEO, Zeno Group
- PRSA-NY Excellence in Mentoring Award: Douglas Simon, CEO, D S Simon Media
- PRSA-NY President’s Award: Helio Fred Garcia, President, Logos Consulting Group
2025 PRSA-NY Big Apple Awards 15 Under 35 Recipients:
- Erin Cooper, APCO
- Conor Douglass, Attention Comms
- Abbey Scalia, Berk Communications
- Autumn Blackmon-Burk, GCI Health
- Nicole Sullivan, Gregory FCA
- Joyce Kim, IW Group
- Thomas Palladino, HEINEKEN USA
- Yuliya Kim, Mission North
- Danielle Montana, Peppercomm
- Jackson Budinger, The Trevor Project
- Gabby DiCarlo, Vested
- Olivia Zibaitis, Yahoo
- Christina Kim, Yanolja
- Alli Cloutier Kelly, Zeno Group
- Emily Herman, Zeno Group
Sponsors and Partners
PRSA-NY extends its deepest gratitude to its sponsors who made the evening possible, including: 360PR+, Anchin, Burson, Carmichael Lynch Relate, Coyne PR, Davis+Gilbert, Edelman, Gregory FCA, Hill & Knowlton, HUNTER, IW Group, Notified, Padilla, PR Museum, PRophet (exclusive sponsor of the 15 Under 35 Awards), The Stevens / Jachetti Group, Truescope, and Xcyte Digital, with event production by CommPRO. Their support ensures that the Big Apple Awards continue to shine a spotlight on the best work and brightest talent across the communications field.
ABOUT THE BIG APPLE AWARDS
The New York Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America established the Big Apple Awards program in 1988 to encourage excellence in public relations. The program has evolved to keep pace with a rapidly changing industry and continues to celebrate the exciting and innovative successes of talented professionals working in the heart of the communications universe. Today, a Big Apple Award is recognized as one of the highest honors bestowed in public relations.
ABOUT PRSA-NY
The New York Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America is the best-established, most substantial and most influential group of public relations professionals in the country. Located in the media capital of the world, PRSA-NY offers to its members top-level career development and education, networking, mentoring and award programs. PRSA-NY serves communications decision-makers at agencies, businesses, nonprofit organizations and public and private institutions. For more information about PRSA-NY, go to https://www.prsany.org/.
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