Bulldog Reporter is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2023 Bulldog PR Awards, which recognize remarkable PR and communications campaigns and impressive individual and agency contributions to the PR industry from the previous year. The Bulldog Awards are the only PR awards program judged exclusively by journalists, offering a unique and industry-specific evaluation process.
“As a long-time Bulldog Awards judge, I have watched the evolution of PR/marketing go from press releases and cold calls to true creative storytelling,” says Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Tom Hallman Jr. “We live in an era where it is vital to adapt—to technology, to the economy, and audience and client expectations. The work in this contest shows remarkable creativity and teamwork, nearly all of it behind the scenes. Thinking, taking risks, and believing in the team is what matters most.”
The Bulldog PR Awards have honored exceptional PR campaigns, individuals, and agencies for over 25 years. Every program, a Grand Prize winner is selected from each group. This year’s distinction goes to:
- “The 9/11 Community’s Campaign to Combat Saudi Arabia’s Sportswashing Tactics” by Winuk Communications, Inc. with 9/11 Justice for Best Campaign of 2022
- Dina Mostovaya, Mindset Consulting for PR Star of 2022
- French/West/Vaughan for Best PR Agency of 2022
To be considered for a Grand Prize, recipients must have entered the same entry in multiple categories and won Gold at least once. With 40 campaign categories, 11 agency categories, and seven individual categories, there was something for everyone.
“This year’s entries were very impressive,” says Christopher Elliott, author, consumer advocate, nationally syndicated columnist, and veteran Bulldog PR Awards judge. “We saw so many excellent examples of PR pros elevating their clients’ messages and using their platforms for good. I think more than anything, they showed the true value of a PR practitioner.”
Richard Carufel, editor at Bulldog Reporter, added, “It’s always inspiring to see so many of these fantastic submissions, and all the interesting strategies PR firms and professionals execute for their companies and clients. The level of creativity seems to get better every year. Seeing all the amazing media placements and other results they earn reinforces my faith in PR and proves that, amid all the tech-y bells and whistles—and, in many cases, because of how PR leverages them—great public relations is more valuable than ever. And it works!”
Congratulations to all the winners of the 2023 Bulldog PR Awards! The full list is available below.
To learn more about Bulldog Awards, visit bulldogawards.com and sign up to hear about updates on deadlines and upcoming awards programs.
Campaign Categories
Grand Prize – Best Campaign of 2022
- “The 9/11 Community’s Campaign to Combat Saudi Arabia’s Sportswashing Tactics” by Winuk Communications, Inc. with 9/11 Justice
Best Arts & Entertainment Campaign
- Gold: AHS:NYC Shop – FX Networks by NVE Experience Agency
- Silver: Hilton Honors unveils new exclusive experiences that connect members with artists and celebrities who inspire their passions by Hilton
Best Brand Launch
- Gold: Morro Bay Get Salty Brand Launch by The Abbi Agency
- Silver: HARD MTN DEW Launch by Golin
- Bronze: ICR Westwicke by ICR Westwicke
Best Business to Business Campaign
- Gold: Altair Sends the Crash Test Dummy into Retirement by Tier One Partners
- Silver: PAN Communications & Qualtrics by PAN Communications
- Bronze: Breaking BreezoMeter into the U.S. Market by Channel V Media
Best Business to Consumer Campaign
- Gold: Ally Financial and Tier One Partners: The Primetime-ification of Women’s Sports by Tier One Partners
- Silver: Dotted Line Communications for Match’s 12th Annual Singles in America study by Dotted Line Communications
Best Campaign on a Shoestring Budget
- Gold: Diapers to Dorms Dash by 919 Marketing
- Silver: Powerhouse+Co.’s CRF Resilience Fund Campaign by Powerhouse+Co.
Best Community Engagement Campaign
- Gold: SPARK-ing Curiosity Through Hands-on Science in Communities Worldwide by Red Havas
Best Community Relations Campaign
- Gold: Washington Gas: WAFF Ice House by Washington Gas
- Silver: Hy Cite Gives Back: A New Social Impact Program by ROKK Solutions
Best Consumer Product Launch
- Gold: Planet Fitness’ High School Summer Pass by ICR INC
- Silver: HI-CHEW Fantasy House by Sharp Think
- Bronze: Dittoe PR and WhistlePig Whiskey Score a Home Run with World’s First Baseball Bat-Finished Whiskey by Dittoe Public Relations
Best Content Marketing Campaign
- Gold: Josh Cellars’ Joshgiving: Putting the “Thanks” Back in Thanksgiving by Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits
Best Crisis Management
- Gold: Navigating a Crisis and Preserving the Reputation of Risas Dental by 10 to 1 Public Relations
- Silver: “It wasn’t the pipes that caused the huge Vistula River’s disaster”- Amiblu, Public Dialog, Maurent PR by Public Dialog & Maurent PR
- Bronze: Durée & Company: Sea Tow – Navigating Crises in the Wake of Hurricane Ian by Durée & Company, Inc.
Best Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives Campaign
- Gold: CÎROC by HUNTER
Best Financial Services Campaign
- Gold: Ally Financial and Tier One Partners: The Primetime-ification of Women’s Sports by Tier One Partners
- Silver: Financial Finesse: Revitalizing A Legacy Financial Wellness Brand by Marathon Strategies
- Bronze: Red Fan Communications by Red Fan Communications
Best Food & Beverages Campaign
- Gold: “Unleash the Bubbles” by French/West/Vaughan
- Silver: Porter Novelli Canada by Porter Novelli Canada
- Bronze: Blackened Chicken Sandwich by Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
Best Global Campaign
- Gold: The Ellinikon by Relevance International and V+O Communication
- Silver: Jongga Generation Preservation Campaign by HUNTER
Best Government/Public Service Campaign
- Gold: Mpox Vaccination Campaign with the Chicago Department of Health (CDPH) by Subject Matter + Kivvit
- Silver: National Health Service Corps 50th Anniversary by Ketchum, on behalf of HRSA
- Bronze: ASRC: Educating Voters On Alaska’s North Slope by Marathon Strategies
Best Green/Environmental/Sustainability Campaign
- Gold: The Peach State Goes Electric by Violet PR
- Silver: Rubik’s ReCube Launch by Spin Master
- Bronze: Red Lorry Yellow Lorry by Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
Best Healthcare Campaign
- Gold: SMA My Way: Reclaiming the Double Take to Challenge Disability Stereotypes by Genentech
- Silver: Menopause Awareness: Impact in the Workplace by The Bliss Group
- Bronze: Interim HealthCare Champions Home Healthcare Advocacy by RH Strategic
Best Integration of Traditional and New Media
- Gold: Rosenberg Space Habitat by Peppercomm, a Ruder Finn company
- Silver: American Standard Heating & Air Conditioning by Havas Formula
- Bronze: Marketing the Future of Workplace Savings by RF|Binder
Best Investor Relations
- Gold: Xperi Investor Day by The Buddy Group
- Silver: Pushpay by Pushpay
Best Issue/Cause Advocacy Campaign
- Gold: “The 9/11 Community’s Campaign to Combat Saudi Arabia’s Sportswashing Tactics” by Winuk Communications, Inc. with 9/11 Justice
- Silver: Land O’Lakes: Farmers are Incredible by Land O’Lakes
- Bronze: Marino PR by Marino
Best Local/Hyperlocal Campaign
- Gold: Old Wisconsin & O’Malley Hansen Communications by O’Malley Hansen Communications
- Silver: King’s Hawaiian Rolls Home in Style by HUNTER
- Bronze: WM Educates Washoe County on Proper Recycling by The Abbi Agency
Best Media Relations Campaign
- Gold: Planet Fitness’ High School Summer Pass by ICR INC
- Silver: “The 9/11 Community’s Campaign to Combat Saudi Arabia’s Sportswashing Tactics” by Winuk Communications, Inc. with 9/11 Justice
- Bronze: Bitwarden by Liberty Comms
Best Newsjacking Campaign
- Gold: Joshua Milne PR by Joshua Milne PR
- Silver: Revature Tech Talent Gap Newsjacking Campaign by REQ
Best Not-for-Profit/Association Campaign
- Gold: “The 9/11 Community’s Campaign to Combat Saudi Arabia’s Sportswashing Tactics” by Winuk Communications, Inc. with 9/11 Justice
- Silver: Marino PR by Marino
- Bronze: Hill+Knowlton Strategies by Hill+Knowlton Strategies
Best PR podcast
- Gold: Trust Relations – PR Wine Down Podcast by Trust Relations
Best Public Affairs Campaign
- Gold: FleishmanHillard and AARP: The Fight for Fair Rx Prices by FleishmanHillard
- Silver: Dial Tone Services, The Mach 1 Group by The Mach 1 Group
- Bronze: Passing the Protect Illinois Communities Act by C-Strategies Inc.
Best Purpose/Brand Values Campaign
- Gold: Fighting Fires Together by Weyerhaeuser
- Silver: Wrangler® Taps Long Standing AOR French/West/Vaughan to Celebrate 75th Anniversary with Riveting Western Press Trip by French/West/Vaughan
- Bronze: Land O’Lakes: Farmers are Incredible by Land O’Lakes
Best Special Event or Publicity Stunt
- Gold: Laffy Taffy’s Summer of Laff-Ter by Agency H5
- Silver: Canadian Tire Christmas Trail by Canadian Tire Corporation
- Bronze: AHS:NYC Shop – FX Networks by NVE Experience Agency
Best Technology/Software Campaign
- Gold: Fusion Public Relations by Fusion PR
- Silver: Beating Apple to the Punch: Warming up Retail Launch of Nreal Air with Virtual Try-Ons of AR Glasses by Eleven International
- Bronze: Private 5G Campaign Elevates Entire NTT Brand by Wireside Communications
Best Thought Leadership Campaign
- Gold: Beyond Fifteen Communications by Beyond Fifteen Communications
- Silver: Marathon Strategies: Corporate Verdicts Go Thermonuclear by Marathon Strategies
Best Use of Influencers
- Gold: Dunkin’ Rewards Taps Gen Z Creators by RF|Binder
- Silver: CÎROC by HUNTER
Best Use of Personality/Celebrity
- Gold: NeuroStar x Drew Robinson by EvolveMKD
- Silver: TYSON 2.0 “Holy Ears” by KCSA Strategic Communications
- Bronze: Josh Cellars’ Joshgiving: Putting the “Thanks” Back in Thanksgiving by Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits
Best Use of Research – Business/Consumer
- Gold: PAN Communications & Ware2Go by PAN Communications
- Silver: State of Ransomware for 2022 and Beyond by Say Communications
- Bronze: Dittoe PR Leads 2022 Job Seeker Nation Report, Drives 2,200 Downloads, 531 Media Hits by Dittoe Public Relations
Best Use of Social Media
- Gold: Honda Battle of the Bands, Flowers Communications Group by Flowers Communications Group
- Silver: Bogues Group by Bogues Group
- Bronze: Strategic Approach to Social Media Helps Build Awareness and Engagement for Health Tech Start-Up by Amendola Communications
Best Use of Video/Multimedia
- Gold: Stories of Pendleton: The History of a Town, Rodeo and Whisky by French/West/Vaughan
- Silver: Sonic Frontiers by SEGA
- Bronze: Josh Cellars’ Joshgiving: Putting the “Thanks” Back in Thanksgiving by Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits
Best Viral Campaign
- Gold: TYSON 2.0 “Holy Ears” by KCSA Strategic Communications
- Silver: Understanding the Financial Wellness of Americans by LendingClub
Best Virtual Event Campaign
- Gold: McDonald’s x Karen X Cheng Lunar New Year Campaign by IW Group Inc.
Best Visual Storytelling Campaign
- Gold: ROKK Solutions Southern Company VR by ROKK Solutions
- Silver: Black McDonalds Operators Association (BMOA) Murals, Flowers Communications Group by Flowers Communications Group
Most Innovative Media Relations Campaign
- Gold: Brodeur Partners by Brodeur Partners
Individual Categories
Grand Prize – PR Star of 2022
- Dina Mostovaya, Mindset Consulting
Best PR and Communications In-House Team of the Year
- Gold: Amy Butler, eToro US
Leader of the Year (Agency)
- Gold: David Gwyn, French/West/Vaughan
- Silver: Neil Mortine, Fahlgren Mortine
- Bronze: Marc Brumer, The Herald Group
Media Relations Professional of the Year
- Gold: Colleen Frerichs, Subject Matter + Kivvit
PR Professional Who Makes a Difference
- Gold: Natalie Best, French/West/Vaughan
- Silver: Mustafa Tameez, Outreach Strategists
- Bronze: Katherine McLane, The Mach 1 Group
PR Star Under 40
- Gold: Dina Mostovaya, Mindset Consulting
- Silver: Heather Houston, Dalton
- Bronze: Catherine Turco King, Subject Matter + Kivvit
PR Up and Comer
- Gold: Kana Oliver, Full Swing Public Relations
- Silver: Anahi Leyva, Hawthorne Strategy Group
- Bronze: Talan Tyminski, The Mach 1 Group
Public Relations Professional of the Year
- Gold: Colin Brown, MullenLowe
- Silver: Becky Carroll, C-Strategies Inc.
- Bronze: Adam Pryor, Genentech
Agency Categories
Grand Prize – Best PR Agency of 2022
- French/West/Vaughan
Agency That Gets Results
- Gold: French/West/Vaughan
- Silver: Fahlgren Mortine
- Bronze: Dittoe Public Relations
Best Boutique Agency
- Gold: Riff City Strategies
- Silver: Eleven International
- Bronze: Crenshaw Communications
Best Industry-Focused Agency
- Gold: Jaymie Scotto & Associates (JSA)
- Silver: Silverline Communications
Best New Agency
- Gold: Foxglove Communications
- Silver: Disrupt PR
- Bronze: Milk and Honey PR
Best PR and Communications Agency Team of the Year
- Gold: REQ Public Relations Team, REQ
Business to Business (B2B) Agency of the Year
- Gold: Fahlgren Mortine
- Silver: The Bliss Group
- Bronze: Forefront Communications
Business to Consumer (B2C) Agency of the Year
- Gold: Fahlgren Mortine
- Silver: French/West/Vaughan
Most Innovative Agency
- Gold: French/West/Vaughan
- Silver: Forefront Communications
Small Agency/Sole Practitioner of the Year
- Gold: Capwell Communications
- Silver: Powerhouse+Co.
- Bronze: McLean Media
Midsize Agency of the Year
- Gold: 10 to 1 Public Relations
- Silver: C-Strategies Inc.
- Bronze: Greenough
Large Agency of the Year
- Gold: French/West/Vaughan
- Silver: Fahlgren Mortine
- Bronze: The Bliss Group