Raleigh, N.C. – Oct. 1, 2013 – The Raleigh Public Relations Society recognized local public relations firms and practitioners during its 2013 Sir Walter Raleigh Awards for Excellence in Communication. The awards banquet, held on Sept. 24 at the Contemporary Art Museum was emceed by Sean Maroney of WNCN.

“We continue to be impressed by the quality, variety and creativity presented year after year through the Sir Walter Raleigh Award entries,” said Stephanie Llorente, president, RPRS. “As evidenced through this awards program, we are proud to say that the Triangle area is continuing to excel in public relations and creative campaigns.”

The Sir Walter Raleigh Awards competition is a showcase of exemplary work by public relations and communication professionals throughout North Carolina. The competition is held annually and recognizes projects that have achieved excellence in a variety of categories, as judged by an independent panel. This year’s awards were judged by members of the Sacramento Public Relations Association.

RPRS also presented Roger Friedensen, APR with the 2013 Watt Huntley Award for Lifetime Achievement. This award is given annually to an individual who has made meaningful contributions to the field of public relations over the course of a career.

Friedensen is the owner and principal of Forge Communications. He began his consulting career in 1985 with Epley Associates, Inc., one of the Southeast’s leading public relations firms. Over the years, he has managed a wide array of strategic communication programs for a broad range of regional, national and international clients across dozens of industries. Before co-founding Forge Communications in late 2009, Friedensen served as senior vice president of client services at Epley Associates, Inc. and The Catevo Group.

“Roger is an exemplary public relations professional, as well as an engaged leader in our community,” said Lindsay Priester, awards chair, RPRS. “His years of experience and true understanding of the industry make him the perfect Watt Huntley Award recipient.”

Presented in seven divisions, the Sir Walter Raleigh Awards recognized the following winners in 2013:

Best in Division

First Division- Total Communications/Community Relations Campaign Kangaroo Express: Salute Our Troops,Largemouth Communications

Second Division – Publications
Triangle Family Services’ 10th Annual Gingerbread Benefit, Clairemont Communications

Third Division – Public Relations Writing
Newland in The Wall Street Journal, Clairemont Communications

Fourth Division – Interactive Communications
French/West/Vaughan Drives Polo to Capital through Custom Website, French/West/Vaughan

Fifth Division – Audio/Visual Communications
Eight Eighties Rebuilding an America, Media Partners Inc.

Sixth Division – More Bang for the Buck
Triangle Family Services 10th Annual Gingerbread Benefit, Clairemont Communications
First Division – Total Communications/Community Relations Campaign

Category 1 – Promotional Campaign for a Product, Program, Topic or Issue

• Gold: Kangaroo Express: Salute Our Troops, Largemouth Communications
• Silver: Gemesis: A New Choice in Diamonds, French/West/Vaughan
• Honorable Mention: French/West/Vaughan Showcases the Best of the West, French/West/Vaughan; 2012 NC State Tailgate Championship, NC State University/Campus Enterprises; Briar Chapel’s Best Buddy Contest, Clairemont Communications; Hero Match Game, French/West/Vaughan; Community Investment Bonds Public Information Campaign, S&A Cherokee; French/West/Vaughan and Tweetsie Railroad: Full Steam Ahead for the 2012 Season, French/West/Vaughan; My Roots are N.C. State, NC State University/Campus Enterprises; French/West/Vaughan Mounts Up Regional Polo Campaign, French/West/Vaughan

Category 2 – Organizational Identity/Promotion

• Gold: Briar Chapel; Clairemont Communications
• Silver: Kangaroo Express Roo Cup Summer, Largemouth Communications
• Honorable Mention: 2012 Road to Redemption Campaign, Angel Oak Creative; All the Rave about Rave! Catering, NC State University/Campus Enterprises; Analytic Heroes Program, French/West/Vaughan; Mellow Triangle Catering Program, Angel Oak Creative

Category 3 – Political Issue/ Candidate Program

• Silver: Dix Visionaries: Securing the Future of Dix Park as a North Carolina Destination, French/West/Vaughan

Category 4 – Employee Relations

• Honorable Mention: Wrangler Dave & the Railinc Cow, Clairemont Communications

Category 5 – Crisis Communications

•  Gold: Michael Vick: The Power of a Second Chance, French/West/Vaughan

•  Silver: William Peace University Crisis Communications, MMI Public Relations

Category 6 – Special Events

• Gold: BBB “Secure Your ID Day,” Articulon
• Silver : Athleta Grand Opening at the Streets of Southpoint, S&A Cherokee
• Honorable Mention: Cinco de Moe’s Celebration, French/West/Vaughan; Big Bad Ball, Media Partners Inc.; French/West/Vaughan Generates Spooktacular Coverage for Tweetsie Railroad’s Ghost Train Halloween Festival, French/West/Vaughan; United Way CEO Sleepout, United Way of the Greater Triangle; Moe Legendary Premiere, French/West/Vaughan

 

Second Division –Publications

Category 8 – Brochures, Handbooks or Guidebooks

• Gold: Mellow Triangle Catering Booklet, Angel Oak Creative
• Honorable Mention: Ignition Interlock Systems Information, Angel Oak Creative

Category 10-B – Magazines Published with Three or More Colors

• Silver: Beyond the Specs, S.T. Wooten Corporation

Category 11 – Media Kits

• Gold: Triangle Family Services’ 10th Annual Gingerbread Benefit, Clairemont Communications
• Honorable Mention: Eight Eighties Rebuilding an America, Media Partners Inc.

 

Third Division – Public Relations Writing

Category 13 – Opinion/Feature Writing

• Honorable Mention: A New Beginning – A Dude Ranch Tale, French/West/Vaughan 

Category 14 – News Release

• Silver: Newland in The Wall Street Journal, Clairemont Communications
• Honorable Mention: Eight Eighties Rebuilding an America, Media Partners Inc.

 

Fourth Division – Interactive Communications

Category 16 – Website

• Gold: French/West/Vaughan Drives Polo to Capital through Custom Website, French/West/Vaughan
• Silver: Wolfpack One Card Services Website, NC State University/Campus Enterprises
• Honorable Mention: AnalyticHeroes.com, French/West/Vaughan; Shop Downtown Website, French/West/Vaughan

Category 18 – Social Media

• Silver: Wrangler “George Strait 2012 Tour” Sweepstakes, French/West/Vaughan
• Honorable Mention: Wrangler Jeans Drives Facebook Fan Growth with its “15 days of Dale” Sweepstakes, French/West/Vaughan; Briar Chapel’s Best Buddy Contest, Clairemont Communications; Gemesis Diamond Company Shines on Social Media, French/West/Vaughan; Thomasville Furniture, Clairemont Communications; NC State University, French/West/Vaughan

 

Fifth Division – Audio/Visual Communications

Category 19 – Audio/Visual Presentation

• Gold: Eight Eighties Rebuilding an America, Media Partners Inc.
• Silver: DRA/The Innovative City, French/West/Vaughan
• Honorable Mention: Town of Cary Community Investment Bonds Video, S&A Cherokee

 

Sixth Division – More Bang for the Buck

Category 22 – Special Event/Campaign

• Gold: Triangle Family Services 10th Annual Gingerbread Benefit, Clairemont Communications
• Silver: Media Relations Campaign for Cirque du Soleil’s “Dralion,” S&A Cherokee
• Honorable Mention: Polar Ice House Creates a Winter Wonderland in Downtown Raleigh, French/West/Vaughan; Band Together NC, S&A Cherokee; Marbles Kids Museum – 5th Birthday, French/West/Vaughan; Riders By Lee Makes Itself Comfortable with NYC Media Event, French/West/Vaughan

About RPRS: 
For more than 50 years, the Raleigh Public Relations Society (RPRS) has advanced the art and science of public relations and strengthened communication, understanding and cooperation among diverse individuals, organizations and institutions throughout the Triangle. The organization regularly hosts professional development opportunities, including monthly meetings and the annual Sir Walter Raleigh Awards banquet, which recognizes the best public relations projects in North Carolina. For more information, visit www.rprs.org.