PRSA-NY Celebrates Excellence in Communications at 2025 Big Apple Awards

Sold-Out Evening Honored Standout PR Campaigns, Rising Stars, and Industry Leaders

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:

Best Use of Owned Social Media:
Winner: Zeno Group for KIND Kids Taps Into Back to School Nostalgia
Best Use of Spokesperson/Influencer:
Winner: Carmichael Lynch Relate for Treasure Cave's Recipe for Brand and Category Love

Honorable Mention: Coyne PR & Otsuka America Pharmaceutical for Missy FranklinDives into Kidney Disease Awareness with Otsuka Collaboration

Best Use of Spokesperson/Influencer (Campaign Budgets < $200K):
Winner: 360PR+ for Nasoya Fuels Inspiration and Empowers Women to Explore Tofu with Power of 9 Campaign
Corporate Social Responsibility:
Winner: HUNTER for Meals on Wheels America Ends the Wait for Millions of Seniors
Events & Observances (Consumer):
Winner: Carmichael Lynch Relate for A Slicey, Spicy Launch with Montchevre

Honorable Mention: Padilla with Jack Link’s for “Sasquatch in the Skies” National Jerky Day 2024

Events & Observances (Government, Associations & Non-Profits & Campaign Budgets <$200K):
Winner: The TASC Group for Launching New York City's First Pet-Inclusive Shelter for Homeless Families

Honorable Mention: Citizens Financial Group and Hudson Cutler & Co. for Team Citizens Scores a Ten (Year Milestone
Honorable Mention: Padilla with Norwegian Seafood Council for Sea-To-TableRestaurant Week NYC 2024

Experiential Marketing:
Winner: Carmichael Lynch Relate for A Slicey, Spicy Launch with Montchevre

Honorable Mention: Coyne PR & CeraVe for CeraVe Embarks on a Multi-City Drama Free Cleansing Tour

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 PR

Honorable Mention: Blitzing the Region: A Targeted Approach for iovera°, Coyne PR & Pacira BioSciences, Inc.

Marketing Business-to-Business (Campaign Budgets < $200K): Winner: NCSolutions and Feintuch Communications for From Cocktails to Mocktails: How NCS Drove the Sober Curious Conversation

Honorable Mention: Coyne PR & Chiquita for A Future Without Bananas? Chiquita’s Quest to Prevent a Global Agricultural Crisis

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 Pool

Honorable 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 Bites

Honorable Mention: Carmichael Lynch Relate for A Slicey, Spicy Launch withMontchevre

Marketing Consumer Products & Services (Other):
Winner: Thorne x Diffusion for Supplementing Smarter
Media Relations (Cross Platform):
Winner: Padilla with NMDP for Refresh, Reengage, Reeducate: Expanding a BrandStory Through Earned Media

Honorable Mention: Carmichael Lynch Relate for Insomnia Cookies Broke Up With YourPartner So You Didn’t Have To
Honorable Mention: NCSolutions and Feintuch Communications for From Cocktails to Mocktails: How NCS Drove the Sober Curious Conversation

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/.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

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