Raleigh Public Relations Society Awards Local Firms and Practitioners for Tactics and Campaigns —

Raleigh, N.C. – Nov. 7, 2011 – The Raleigh Public Relations Society recognized local public relations firms and practitioners during its 2011 Sir Walter Raleigh Awards for Excellence in Communication. The awards banquet, held on Sept. 27 at the Renaissance Hotel at North Hills, was emceed by August Turak, speaker, consultant and regular contributor to Forbes.

“RPRS was honored to recognize some of the Triangle’s top communication professionals,” said Katy Hipp Burgwyn, president, RPRS. “Each award entry was reflective of the area’s wealth of creativity and distinction in the public relations industry.”

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 and honors practitioners who have achieved excellence in a variety of categories, as judged by an independent panel of judges. This year’s awards were judged by members of the Public Relations Association of Western North Carolina.

RPRS also presented Cindy Gardiner, APR, with the 2011 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.

“It was a true honor to recognize Cindy,” said Eva Hornak, awards chair, RPRS. “With more than 40 years of experience in the industry, she has led campaigns for Durham Public Schools, Verizon and Blue Cross Blue Shield, among others. She is also an active community philanthropist and will continue to leave a lasting impression on the field and the state of North Carolina as a whole.”

Presented in seven divisions, the Sir Walter Raleigh Awards recognized the following winners in 2011:

Best in Division

First Division – Total Communications/Community Relations Campaign
Moe’s Southwest Grill Partners with the Durham Bulls, French/West/Vaughan

Second Division – Publications
MBA Viewbook, Meredith College

Third Division – Public Relations Writing
HPG “All Hands on Deck” Press Release, Articulon

Fourth Division – Interactive Communications
Wrangler Western Corrals Conservative Consumers in a New Marketing Age, French/West/Vaughan

Fifth Division – Audio/Visual Communications
Band Together NC Radio Ads, S&A Cherokee

Sixth Division – More Bang for the Buck
Triangle Family Services 8th Annual Gingerbread Benefit, Clairemont Communications

First Division – Total Communications/Community Relations Campaign
Category 1 – Promotional Campaign for a Product, Program, Topic or Issue

• Gold: Moe’s Southwest Grill Partners with the Durham Bulls, French/West/Vaughan
• Silver: Battle for Bean Street: Driving Coffee Sales Through Charity, Local Rivalry, Largemouth Communications
• Silver: Commercial Finance Association: Repositioning Asset-Based Lending, S&A Cherokee
• Honorable Mention: Overdraft Forgiveness Program, Coastal Federal Credit Union
• Honorable Mention: Creating a National Pundit, French/West/Vaughan

Category 2 – Organizational Identity/Promotion

• Gold: Briar Chapel, Clairemont Communications
• Silver: Brady Company Awareness Campaign, Articulon
• Honorable Mention: Precise Holistic Complete Launch, Howard, Merrell & Partners

Category 3 – Political Issue/Candidate Program

• Honorable Mention: North Carolina Takes on Virginia in OLF Fight, French/West/Vaughan

Category 4 – Employee Relations

• Honorable Mention: I Love Thomasville, Clairemont Communications

Category 5 – Crisis Communications

• Gold: Nick Schuyler: Not Without Hope, French/West/Vaughan
• Honorable Mention: Garner Responds to ConAgra Plant Closing, S&A Cherokee

Category 6 – Miscellaneous Special Events

• Gold: Moe Magic Premiere, French/West/Vaughan
• Silver: “The Chancellor’s Ice Cream Dream,” University Dining, North Carolina State University
• Honorable Mention: 2010 Fresh Season Millionth Bird Events, Howard, Merrell & Partners

Second Division – Publications
Category 8b – Brochure, Handbook or Guidebook with Three or More Colors

• Gold: MBA Viewbook, Meredith College
• Silver: Drexel Heritage Furniture Collections Brochure, Clairemont Communications

Category 10b – Magazines with Three or More Colors

• Gold: Cary Magazine, S&A Cherokee
• Gold: Meredith Magazine, Meredith College

Category 12 – Open

• Gold: Changing the World for Horses and Humans, French/West/Vaughan
• Silver: 2011 CIAA Publicity Playbook Media Kit, French/West/Vaughan
• Silver: Clairemont Communications Quickie Card, Clairemont Communications

Third Division – Public Relations Writing
Category 13 – Opinion/Feature Writing

• Gold: Military Design Article by Saft in Product Design & Development Magazine, French/West/Vaughan
• Gold: Fun in the Sun Cover Feature, Meredith College

Category 14 – News Release

• Gold: HPG “All Hands on Deck” Press Release, Articulon
• Silver: Butterball LLC Holiday Donations Announcement, Howard, Merrell & Partners

Fourth Division – Interactive Communications
Category 16 – Website

• Gold: CIAATournament.org, French/West/Vaughan
• Silver: Financial Assistance Websites, Meredith College

Category 18 – Social Media

• Gold: Wrangler Western Corrals Conservative Consumers in a New Marketing Age, French/West/Vaughan
• Silver: 2011 CIAA Journey to the Tourney Sweepstakes, French/West/Vaughan
• Honorable Mention: NutriDense Silage Web Moo.0 Contest, Howard, Merrell & Partners
• Honorable Mention: Thomasville Facebook, Clairemont Communications

Fifth Division – Audio/Visual Communications
Category 19 – Audio/Visual Presentation

• Honorable Mention: Precise Pet Products Brand Video, Howard, Merrell & Partners

Category 21 – Radio Ads/PSAs

• Gold: Band Together NC Radio Ads, S&A Cherokee

Sixth Division – More Bang for the Buck
Category 22 – Special Event/Campaign

• Gold: Triangle Family Services Eighth Annual Gingerbread Benefit, Clairemont Communications
• Silver: Technology Spring Clean, WingSwept
• Honorable Mention: ReuseConex, S&A Cherokee

Seventh Division – Student Entries
Category 25 – College

• Gold: Rose Hill Conference Center Website Marketing, Emily Urquhart, student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and intern at Rick Rountree Communications
• Silver: Rick Rountree Communications: 10 Years of Public Relations, Emily Urquhart

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 practices in North Carolina. For more information, visit www.rprs.org.