TORONTO, May 2, 2017 /CNW/ - This evening the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) Toronto chapter celebrated the best public relations practitioners in the Greater Toronto Area at the annual CPRS Toronto ACE Awards Gala. The event was attended by over 350 practitioners at Arcadian Court, acknowledging the successes of Toronto's public relations industry.
"This is one of the most exciting nights of the year for the CPRS Toronto community," said Erica Silver, Co-President, CPRS Toronto Chapter. "There was an incredible level of talent in the audience, showing off the high caliber of creative and strategic thinking in this city."
The ACE Awards recognize communications campaigns in various categories, including events, media relations, digital media and student accomplishments. The event concludes with the presentation of the two most prestigious awards: Best PR Campaign of the Year and Best Creative PR Campaign of the year.
Argyle Public Relationships took home the trophy for Best PR Campaign of the Year for their memorable work on Wilson-Christen LLP Sixties Scoop.
SickKids Foundation was honoured as the winners of Best Creative PR Campaign of the Year for the creative flair and passion behind the SickKids VS campaign.
"This event wouldn't be possible without the support of dedicated and passionate volunteers who do everything from judging submissions to planning the perfect Gala night," explained Nancy MacMillan, ACE Awards Chair, CPRS Toronto Chapter. "An ACE Award is a highly coveted achievement that represents skill, innovation and intelligence."
The 2017 ACE Award Recipients include:
Best PR Campaign of the Year
- Argyle Public Relationships for Wilson-Christen LLP Sixties Scoop
Best Creative PR Campaign of the Year
- SickKids Foundation for SickKids VS
Best Digital Communications Campaign of the Year
- Gold – Paradigm Public Relations, MEC and Edgewell Personal Care for Carefree Free to Be Me
- Gold – Weber Shandwick for McDonalds Canada Our Lounge
- Silver – FleishmanHillard for ORBA #SiteUnSeen
- Bronze – Weber Shandwick for McCormick Club House Just Cook
- Bronze – Cohn & Wolfe for Coleman Canada Get Outside Day
Best Use of Media Relations (over $50,000)
- Gold – Pomp & Circumstance PR for Grey Goose Boulangerie Blue
- Silver – APEX Public Relations for Walmart Canada Discover Another Side 2.0
- Silver – Citizen Relations for Molson Canadian #anything for hockey
- Silver – CO-OP for autoTRADER.ca Anyone can buy and sell like a pro
- Silver – Strategic Objectives for Sears Canada Debbie Travis Launch
- Silver – Weber Shandwick for Harley-Davidson Canada Café
- Bronze – Argyle Public Relationships for Canada's Ecofiscal Commission
- Bronze – Cohn & Wolfe for Goody Have a Good Hair Day
- Bronze – GCI Group GCI for Bringing Barbie® You Can Be Anything to Life
- Bronze – Kaiser Lachance for Royal LePage House Price Survey 2015
- Bronze – Citizen Relations for PepsiCo Foods Canada Doritos Ketchup Roses
- Bronze – CO-OP for EarthFresh Foods Inc. Low GR potato Launch
- Bronze – The Colony Project for Ascencia Diabetes Care
- Certificate of Merit
- Pomp and Circumstance PR for Dewars Scotch Egg
- LG-One, a WPP LG dedicated entity represented by GCI Canada for LG Electronics Canada Got Styler
- Argyle Public Relationships for Canadian Multiple Myeloma Patient Database
- DDB Public Relations for Ontario Natural Gas Alliance Extending Summer with Chef Rob Rainford
- DDB Public Relations for Dairy Farmers of Canada: Project Sheep
Best use of Media Relations (under $50,000)
- Gold – Pomp & Circumstance PR for Scotiabank World Cup of National Hockey Fan Village
- Silver – Argyle Public Relationships for Myeloma Canada Research Network
- Silver – Craft Public Relations for Nintendo of Canada Limited The Launch of Pokémon Sun & Pokémon Moon
- Silver – Corus Entertainment for Home to Win
- Silver – Golin Toronto for PetSmart Charities of Canada National Adoption Week-end
- Silver – Holmes PR for Consignor Canadian Fine Art
- Silver – Kaiser Lachance Communications for Auspice Capital Advisors the Value of Crude Oil
- Silver – World Vision Canada for Welcome to Canada
- Bronze – Kids Help Phone for Kids help Phone
- Bronze – Craft Public Relations for Clover Leaf Seafoods
- Bronze – FleishmanHillard for Energizer Camping Program
- Bronze – Hill+Knowlton Strategies for Interac Association: Interac on Apple Pay Launch
- Bronze – Toronto Hydro for Emergency Preparedness Hacks
- Certificate of Merit
- Communications Agency for SOCAN Canada's Music Creation Capital
- InterContinental Hotels Group for InterContinental Hotels Group Holiday Inn Express Sleep In
- City of Vaughan for Winter Maintenance
- Corus Entertainment for Vikings and Josh Donaldson
- elevator communications inc. for Beau's All Natural Brewing Company
- FleishmanHillard for Moneris: Holiday Spending Campaign
Best Use of Special Events
- Gold – DDB Public Relations for CIL Paints Dream It Here Do It Here
- Gold – The PR Department for Maille Canada: Maille Flavour Studio
- Silver – Weber Shandwick for Harley-Davidson Canada 1903 A Harley-Davidson Cafe
- Silver – Paradigm Public Relations and Thermador for Thermador Celebrates 100 Years of Culinary Excellence
- Silver – Citizen Relations for President's Choice Babylicious
- Bronze – energi PR for Astellas Pharma Canada Movember #Baskets For Bros
- Bronze – Bronze – Citizen Relations for PepsiCo Foods Canada Dorritos Inferno
- Bronze – Pomp & Circumstance PR for BACARDÍ Holidega
- Bronze – Centennial College for Up All Night
- Bronze – The Colony Project for La Roche-Posay Become a Skin Checker
- Bronze – Zeno Group for Barilla Canada Make It A Pronto Night
- Bronze – DDB Public Relations for Moët & Chandon TIFF
- Bronze – engagers for Bay of Quinte Tourism
- Bronze – Hill+Knowlton Strategies for Motorola #DifferentPlaysBetter
- Certificate of Merit
- FleishmanHillard for Energizer TIFF 2016
- FleishmanHillard for MARS Rice Grains and Food Truck Challenge
- Pomp & Circumstance PR for Last Great Malts of Scotland
- Toronto Transit Commission for Honest Ed's Tribute
Brand Development Campaign
- Gold -- Strategic Objectives for Sears Canada Brand Reinvention
- Gold -- SickKids Foundation for SickKids Foundation
- Silver – Weber Shandwick for Harley-Davidson Canada 1903 A Harley-Davidson Cafe
- Silver – APEX Public Relations for Walmart Canada 2016 Marketing Communications
- Silver – APEX Public Relations for Walmart Canada Discover Another Side 2.0
- Bronze – Toronto Transit Commission for Toronto Transit Commission
- Bronze – High Road for President's Choice Babylicious
- Bronze – High Road for Clarks Americas, Inc.
- Bronze – Citizen Relations for PepsiCo Foods Canada Doritos Ketchup Roses
- Bronze – Weber Shandwick for McDonald's Canada McCafe Specialty Brand Reignite
- Certificate of Merit
- DDB public Relations for Dairy Farmers of Canada - Project Sleep
- Corby Spirit and Wine for How to Leverage Brand Ambassadors
Community Relations Campaign of the Year
- Silver – Tangerine Bank for #BrightWayForward
- Bronze – Hill+Knowlton Strategies & Plan International for Plan International Canada #GirlsBelongHere
- Bronze – Argyle Public Relationships for Ontario Pork: An Era of Change & Accountability
- Certificate of Merit
- High Road for Alvinston Minor Baseball Club Little Leagues Send A Big Message
- Holmes PR for Scouts Canada Good Turn Week
- GCI Group for Novo Nordisk Canada Inc. Cities Changing Diabetes
- CAA South Central Ontario for Heads Up Ontario
- High Road for CanadaHelps Giving Tuesday
- Corus Entertainment for #GreaterTorontoDay
Crisis or Issues Management Campaign of the Year
- Gold – APEX Public Relations for Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
- Bronze – Kaiser Lachance Communications for Eastmain Resources
- Certificate of Merit
- Tilray Telling the Medical Cannabis Story
Employee Engagement/Internal Communications Campaign of the Year
- Gold – City of Vaughan for Staff Forums – 2016
- Silver – Weber Shandwick for McDonald's Canada Vision 2017
- Silver – Weber Shandwick for McDonalds Canada Our Lounge
- Silver – TVO for My TVO
- Bronze – PepsiCo Foods Canada for PepsiCo Foods Canada Cultivating A Culture of Transformation
- Bronze – Weber Shandwick for Royal Bank of Canada #Make150Count
Government Relations Campaign of the Year
- Gold – Argyle Public Relationships for Wilson-Christen LLP Sixties Scoop
Investor Relations Campaign of the Year
- Silver – Kaiser Lachance Communications for Auspice Capital Advisors
Marketing Communications Campaign of the Year
- Gold – Strategic Objectives for Sears Canada Back To School With Sears
- Gold – The Colony Project for General Mills Smuggleroos
- Gold – DDB Public Relations for CIL Paints Dream It Here Do It Here
- Silver – Strategic Objectives for Sears Canada Launch of New Sears Canada
- Silver – Citizen Relations for President's Choice Babylicious
- Silver – GCI Group (GCI) for Bringing Barbie® You Can Be Anything to Life
- Bronze – Citizen Relations for PepsiCo Food Canada Smart Food Smart Stash
- Bronze – CO-OP for Weed Man Canada 2016 Marketing Communications Program
- Bronze – LG-One, a WPP LG dedicated entity represented by GCI Canada for LG Electronics Canada Holiday Got Styler
- Bronze – Financeit for Financeit - TD Acquisition Indirect Home Improvement
- Bronze – Kwittken for Sleeman Breweries Railside Tour
- Bronze – Veritas Communications for General Mills Canada Bring Back the Bees
- Bronze – North Strategic for AIR MILES Detour
- Bronze – Weber Shandwick for Manulife Vitality
- Certificate of Merit
- Cohn & Wolfe for Coleman Canada Canada Get Outside
- Your Brand Integrated Marketing Communications Inc. for Two Oceans Wines Canada Bachelorette Sponsorship
- Paradigm Public Relations, MEC and Edgewell Personal Care for Carefree Free to Be You
- FleishmanHillard for ORBA #SiteUnseen
- Weber Shandwick for McDonald's Canada Restaurant Experience of the Future
New Product or Service Launch Campaign of the Year
- Gold – Weber Shandwick for McDonald's Canada McCafe WestJet Partnership
- Gold – Strategic Objectives for Sears Canada Debbie Travis Launch
- Gold – Kwittken for Sleeman Breweries Railside Tour
- Gold – FleishmanHillard for Lactantia Butter Campaign
- Silver – DDB Public Relations for CIL Paints Dream It Here Do It Here
- Silver – Weber Shandwick for Manulife Vitality Launch
- Bronze – Weber Shandwick for McDonald's Canada Restaurant Experience of the Future
- Bronze – Hill+Knowlton Strategies for KitchenAid Artisan Mini Launch
- Certificate of Merit
- Argyle Public Relationships for CeraVe Skin Love Cera Ve
- Craft Public Relations for Tetley Canada Ayurvedic Teas
- FleishmanHillard for MARS Rice Grains Food Truck Challenge
- ClutchPR for Turo Launch in Canada
Student Public Relations Communications Plan of the Year
- Bronze – Humber College for Winners Millennial Success
- Bronze – Centennial College for Canadian Parks Council Simply Second Nature
- Bronze – Centennial College for CivicAction Mental Health in the Workplace
- Bronze – Centennial College for WoodGreen Community Services Opportunity Talks
Leadership Awards
- PR Professional of the Year – Janine Allen, Kaiser Lachance Communications
- Young PR Professional of the Year – Eric Thomson, Crohn’s and Colitis Canada
- PR Student of the Year – Priya Khemchandra, Centennial College
- Lois Marsh Award – Carol Panasiuk
SOURCE Canadian Public Relations Society
Robin Smith, [email protected]
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