The 51st Annual PRism Awards Ceremony and Dinner was recently hosted by the Los Angeles Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA-LA) at the spectacular Taglyan Cultural Complex in Hollywood. The event honors public relations excellence in Southern California and awards were presented in a range of categories representing the best campaigns and tactics executed by PR professionals. A total of 51 PRism Awards, 46 Awards of Excellence and six Special Awards were handed out in a glittering evening program that drew more than 350 of the industry’s top PR practitioners.
“We are so fortunate to work in a place with a rich abundance of high profile, highly regarded and highly successful companies and organizations,” said Jean Gonsoulin, PRSA-LA Chapter president and president of The Gonsoulin Group. “The work PR professionals do in this community often sets the standard for our industry around the world. This night allows us to showcase their exceptional talent.”
The winning entries represented work from corporate entities, non-profit organizations, agencies and independent consultants. A complete list of the 2015 PRISM Award winners and Award of Excellence reci
pients can be found at https://prsala.org/awards-programs/prism-awards/prism-51/.
Two highly coveted awards were handed out at the end of the evening: the President’s Award which goes to the organization or individual who won the most awards, and the Best in Show Award for the top scoring entry from all submissions. Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles swept both awards, with the most winning entries – 7 PRism trophies and 5 Awards of Excellence – and the top entry for “Zero Media Coverage for Franchise Closure.”
In addition to these awards for the best PR campaigns and tactics, PRSA-LA bestowed the Don Perkins Community Service Grant on Aviva Family and Children’s Services, and the chapter presented six PRism Special Awards to honorees who have made exceptional contributions to the field of public relations and related disciplines. The following were honored with on-stage tributes throughout the evening
- PR Professional of the Year: Jill Hazelbaker, formerly of Snapchat, now at Uber
- PR Team of the Year: Metropolitan Water District
- Joseph Roos Community Service Award: Holly Ferris, Ferris Communications
- Outstanding Achievement in Public Affairs: Stephen Macias, MWW
- Outstanding Achievement in Publicity: Alan Nierob, Rogers & Cowan
- Outstanding News Professional: Charles Crumpley, Editor, Los Angeles Business Journal
The evening was hosted by television host, screenwriter and award-winning comedian Bridget McManus and former LA Times editor and current head of Editorial Content Josh Jenisch. The two kept the program moving with humor and fun activities like door prize drawings and superlative awards. But the awards remained the focus and recipients were treated to an Oscars-worthy awards show production that paid tribute to their achievements. In all, it was a memorable evening that no doubt had the PR community talking and reminiscing for days afterwards.
