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Awards of Excellence Categories

The National Awards are divided into three sub-categories:

  • Communications Programs, which comprise numerous smaller projects;
  • Communications Projects, which support an overall campaign or program, and,
  • Special awards which recognize organizational excellence.

Each sub-category contains several individual award categories, into which a campaign may be entered a maximum of four times.

While submitting a program or project* for consideration, you’ll also have the opportunity to compete for:

Best in Show
Best Creativity and Innovation
Best Sustainable Development Initiative

Please note, entering will not count towards the four category maximum; however, each add-on submission will incur an additional fee.  Click here to access the awards submission platform

 

Categories and past winners

Communications Programs

This category celebrates excellence in media relations on a limited budget. For consideration, media relations programs should exhibit improvement of an organization’s media profile measured against desired objectives, the adept management of issues involving media coverage, or the development of a successful media relations campaign. Eligible campaigns must have a total spend of under $25,000 CAD.

2025 Winners
Silver: CAA & CAA Insurance "Auto-Theft Strategy 2024" 
 

This category celebrates excellence in media relations on a moderate budget. For consideration, media relations programs should exhibit an improvement of an organization’s media profile measured against desired objectives, the adept management of issues involving media coverage, or the development of a successful media relations campaign. Eligible campaigns must have a total spend of between $25,001 and $75,000 CAD.

2025 Winners
Gold: Mila and TACT, "Pause Giant AI Experiments" 
Bronze: Securian Canada and Kaiser & Partners, "Behing the Gig: Securian Canada Insights" 

This category celebrates excellence in media relations on a large budget. For consideration, media relations programs should exhibit an improvement of an organization’s media profile measured against desired objectives, the adept management of issues involving media coverage, or the development of a successful media relations campaign. Eligible campaigns must have a total spend of more than $75,000 CAD.

2025 Winners
Gold: Rethink PR & Molson, "See My Name" 
Silver: IKEA Canada, "SHT" 
Bronze: Zeno Group Canada, Philadelphia Bagel Wholes" 
This category recognizes communications programs relating to the unique challenges of the non-profit / NGO sector and / or a specific goal therein.


2025 Winners (No category breaks - new for 2026) 
Gold: Proof Strategies & Electical Safety Authority, "Your EV Deserves Better" 
Silver: Movember Canada x Weber Shandwick Canada, "Moustache Mission" 
Bronze:  Lung Health Foundation and Edelman, "Our Lungs Make Our Lives" 
This category recognizes communications programs relating to the unique challenges of the non-profit / NGO sector and / or a specific goal therein.


2025 Winners (No category breaks - new for 2026) 
Gold: Proof Strategies & Electical Safety Authority, "Your EV Deserves Better" 
Silver: Movember Canada x Weber Shandwick Canada, "Moustache Mission" 
Bronze:  Lung Health Foundation and Edelman, "Our Lungs Make Our Lives" 
This category recognizes communications programs relating to the unique challenges of the non-profit / NGO sector and / or a specific goal therein.

2025 Winners (No category breaks - new for 2026) 
Gold: Proof Strategies & Electical Safety Authority, "Your EV Deserves Better" 
Silver: Movember Canada x Weber Shandwick Canada, "Moustache Mission" 
Bronze:  Lung Health Foundation and Edelman, "Our Lungs Make Our Lives" 

This category celebrates programs focused on internal audiences. Winners will have improved the relationships between employees and management by providing a better understanding of the organization's strategic plan and the importance of their role therein, or both! Submitted programs may also be aimed at rallying personnel around the strategic planning or improving employee/management morale, motivation and interest towards the organization.

2025 Winners: 
Gold: Northland Power, "Transforming Internal Communications with The Pulse" 
Silver: British Columbia Institute of Technology "BCIT Don't Get Hooked Campaign" 
Bronze: Alberta Blue Cross, "2024 Employee Giving Campaign" 

This award recognizes an individual or group of students who have demonstrated an understanding of the principles of public relations, evidenced through a project they have worked on. Submissions must be accompanied by a letter of recommendation from a professor or program coordinator.

2025 winner
Not awarded.

This category celebrates community programs (e.g. philanthropy, volunteerism, partnerships) that have enabled an organization to build and maintain positive and sustainable relationships with key individuals, groups or organizations within its communities.

2025 Winners
Silver: Simon Falardeau, Strategic Communications Consultant, "The April 8, 2024 Eclipse: Protect Your Eyes and Enjoy." 
Bronze: IKEA Canada with Edelman Canada, "SHT" 

To qualify in this category, submissions must feature programs targeted at government agencies or similar bodies, or programs demonstrating the effective use of public affairs to change the opinion and/or enlist the help of the public to influence government policy or regulations.

2025 Winners
Gold: Town of Whitby - Communications and Creative Services, "Whitby's 'Care Closer to Home' Campaign" 
Silver: Club des petits déjeuners and TACT, “L’explosion des besoins alimentaires dans les écoles du Québec” 
This category seeks to recognize advocacy-based communication programs that focus on sustainable development and increasing awareness of economic, social and environmental issues. Qualifying entries may include programs where the primary objective was to address and enhance the long-term well-being of specific communities or the environment.

2025 Winners
Silver: ChangeMakers & Government of Nunavut, "Escape the Vape" 
Communication programs submitted to this category should demonstrate proactive planning and effective strategies to predict and manage trends, issues and attitudes of special interest groups and/or mitigate the harmful impact of emergency situations on an organization’s ongoing operation.

2025 Winners
Silver: Munro/Thompson & Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government, “Cold Chain Incident Issue Management” 
Bronze: The City of Red Deer, "Canada Post Strike" 
 

In complex health care environments, effective communications initiatives can impact patient safety, quality of care and patient satisfaction. This award recognizes excellence in health communications, public relations and engagement. To be deemed eligible, the campaign must demonstrate a connection to a health care issue or communications need.

2025 Winners
Gold: Lung Health Foundation and Edelman, "Our Lungs Make Our Lives" 
Silver: Obesity Canada, Eli Lilly Canada and GCI Canada, "Reshaping the obesity narrative: The cost of inaction and impact of stigma" 
Silver: Interior Health Communications & Engagement, "Give your kids their best shot" 
Bronze: GSK + Porter Novelli, "AsktoBsure" 

This award celebrates outstanding achievement in Canadian digital communications. Winners will have created cutting edge digital communications programs that successfully connect with their target audiences to engage communities, launch or raise awareness of products, or manage issues or crises.

2025 Winners
Gold: Zeno Group Canada, "Love Your Lunch Day" 
Silver: Proof Strategies & Electrical Safety Authority, "Your EV Deserves Better" 
Bronze: Novartis Canada and Golin Health x Edelman Canada, "My Krew Canada" 
This award recognizes the close connection between the various fields beneath the marketing umbrella. Winners of this award will have integrated public relations, marketing and advertising strategies to help market brands, products, services or places to external audiences.

2025 Winners
Silver: Proof Strategies & Electrical Safety Authority, "Powerline Safety" 
Bronze: Craft Public Relations, "Nintendo Switch x Maitreyi Ramakrishnan" 
This category recognizes outstanding communications campaigns that rely on influencers to impact the public’s awareness, attitudes, opinions and/or behaviour. Submissions should both outline the methods used to attract influencers and get them to share their experiences with your brand with followers, and explain in detail how this tactic directly advanced the campaign’s objectives.

2025 Winners
Gold: Paradigm, Edgewell Personal Care, "Mighty o.b. Make a Comback with Gen Z" 
Silver: McDonald's Canada x Weber Shandwick Canada, "It's a McDonald's Thing" 
Bronze: GSK + Porter Novelli, "AsktoBsure" 
Winners in this category will have created communications programs that include brand development, re-positioning, or re-branding of an established brand (either a product, service, or corporation) through the use of strategic public relations.

2025 Winners
Gold: Craft Public Relations, "Atypique's Sober Dance Party, Featuring Aj McLean" 
Silver: Craft Public Relations & Tim Hortons, "The Last Timbit, A Tim Hortons 60th Anniversary Musical" 
Silver: Paradigm, Edgewell Personal Care, "Mighty o.b. Makes a Comeback with Gen Z" 
 
This category recognizes outstanding campaigns specifically designed to support and promote the launch of a new product or service. Submissions should include an overview of how this campaign generated awareness and product/service recognition through the use of strategic public relations planning and execution.

2025 Winners
Gold: Craft Public Relations & Rakuten Kobo, "The Canadian Launch of Kobo Colour eReaders" 
Silver: Mondelez x Weber Shandwick Canada, "OREO Space Dunk" 
Bronze: Craft Public Relations, DDMG & Tim Hortons, "The Launch of Flatbread Pizza" 
 
This category celebrates communications programs focused on external audiences. Winners will have created an outstanding program for their external target audience to engage communities, launch or raise awareness of products or services, or manage issues or crises.

2025 Winners
Silver: Town of Whitby - Communicatons and Creative Services, "Whitby's 'Care Closer to Home' Campaign" 
Bronze: Apostrophe, "Community-Led Collaboration Project" 
This category recognizes a campaign or program aimed at building a culture of inclusion for an organization, with internal and/or external stakeholders. Campaigns or programs can include specific topic-based initiatives, special events or wider strategies to advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion goals.

2025 Winners
Bronze: Victoria Police Department, "Women of VicPD" 

Campaigns submitted to this category should demonstrate the use of cross-channel integration, e.g. digital, traditional and/or social media, to achieve an organization’s communications objectives. Submissions should include a rationale for the channels used, targeted audiences and statistics or other means of quantifiable measurement that meet the stated objectives.  No budget/grassroots.

2025 Winners (No category breaks in 2025, new for 2026): 
Gold: Town of Whitby Communications and Creative Services, "Whitby's 'Care Closer to Home' Campaign" 
Silver: Proof Strategies & Electrical Safety Authority, "Your EV Deserves Better" 
Bronze: University of Toronto, "U of T Communications for celebrating Geoffrey Hinton's Nobel Prize in Physics"

Campaigns submitted to this category should demonstrate the use of cross-channel integration, e.g. digital, traditional and/or social media, to achieve an organization’s communications objectives. Submissions should include a rationale for the channels used, targeted audiences and statistics or other means of quantifiable measurement that meet the stated objectives.


2025 Winners (No category breaks in 2025, new for 2026): 
Gold: Town of Whitby Communications and Creative Services, "Whitby's 'Care Closer to Home' Campaign" 
Silver: Proof Strategies & Electrical Safety Authority, "Your EV Deserves Better" 
Bronze: University of Toronto, "U of T Communications for celebrating Geoffrey Hinton's Nobel Prize in Physics"

Campaigns submitted to this category should demonstrate the use of cross-channel integration, e.g. digital, traditional and/or social media, to achieve an organization’s communications objectives. Submissions should include a rationale for the channels used, targeted audiences and statistics or other means of quantifiable measurement that meet the stated objectives.
​

2025 Winners (No category breaks in 2025, new for 2026): 
Gold: Town of Whitby Communications and Creative Services, "Whitby's 'Care Closer to Home' Campaign" 
Silver: Proof Strategies & Electrical Safety Authority, "Your EV Deserves Better" 
Bronze: University of Toronto, "U of T Communications for celebrating Geoffrey Hinton's Nobel Prize in Physics"
Campaigns submitted to this category should demonstrate the use of cross-channel integration, e.g. digital, traditional and/or social media, to achieve an organization’s communications objectives. Submissions should include a rationale for the channels used, targeted audiences and statistics or other means of quantifiable measurement that meet the stated objectives.
​

2025 Winners (No category breaks in 2025, new for 2026): 
Gold: Town of Whitby Communications and Creative Services, "Whitby's 'Care Closer to Home' Campaign" 
Silver: Proof Strategies & Electrical Safety Authority, "Your EV Deserves Better" 
Bronze: University of Toronto, "U of T Communications for celebrating Geoffrey Hinton's Nobel Prize in Physics"

Communications Projects

This category celebrates excellence in the art of publication. Both internal and external pieces may be submitted for consideration, so long as they are relatively low cost and primarily text. Regardless of its intended audience, judges will look for clear, concise and imaginative writing, paired with effective use of graphics and that the piece demonstrates high editorial standards and overall creativity.

2025 Winners
Gold: Cooke Inc., "Cooke Newsletter - Spring 2024" 
Silver: City of Welland "Wonders of Welland" 
Bronze: Town of Okotoks, "Town of Okotoks 2023 Annual Report" 
Bronze: University of Toronto, "University of Toronto Magazine" 
This category recognizes the effective and creative planning and execution of events supporting a public relations campaign with a budget of under $25,000.

2025 Winners (no category breaks - new for 2026) 
Gold: Craft Public Relations & Tim Hortons, "Tim Hortons Pet Merch Collection Event" 
Silver: Paradigm, Edgewell Personal Care, "Come Alive with Hawaiian Tropic" 
Bronze: McDonald's Canada x Weber Shandwick Canada, "Toronto Raptors: Power of 3's" 
This category recognizes effective and creative planning and execution of events supporting a public relations campaign with a budget of $25,001 to $75,000.

2025 Winners (no category breaks - new for 2026) 
Gold: Craft Public Relations & Tim Hortons, "Tim Hortons Pet Merch Collection Event" 
Silver: Paradigm, Edgewell Personal Care, "Come Alive with Hawaiian Tropic" 
Bronze: McDonald's Canada x Weber Shandwick Canada, "Toronto Raptors: Power of 3's" 
This category recognizes effective and creative planning and execution of events supporting a public relations campaign with a budget over $75,000.

2025 Winners (no category breaks - new for 2026) 
Gold: Craft Public Relations & Tim Hortons, "Tim Hortons Pet Merch Collection Event" 
Silver: Paradigm, Edgewell Personal Care, "Come Alive with Hawaiian Tropic" 
Bronze: McDonald's Canada x Weber Shandwick Canada, "Toronto Raptors: Power of 3's" 

Organizational Excellence 

Entries must relate to initiatives that have been carried out by an in-house team in the two years prior to the regular Award submission deadline for the current year.
Your submission should consist of no more than 1,000 words and provide an overview of the following criteria:
  • The number of employees in your public relations and communications management team (1-5 employees) as well as the annual budget;
  • A short overview of business / team strategy;
  • A description of your team’s commitment to ethical communications and professionalism;
  • A highlight of your recent achievements;
  • A summary of a campaign you’re particularly proud that followed the R-A-C-E formula to achieve measurable results.
2025 Winners (no size category)
Gold: City of Leduc: Communications and Marketing Services 
SIlver: Alberta Energy Regulator: Engagement and Communications Branch 
Bronze: British Columbia College of Nurses & Midwives: BCCNM Communications Team 

Entries must relate to initiatives that have been carried out by an in-house team in the two years prior to the regular Award submission deadline for the current year.
Your submission should consist of no more than 1,000 words and provide an overview of the following criteria:

  • The number of employees in your public relations and communications management team (1-5 employees) as well as the annual budget;
  • A short overview of business / team strategy;
  • A description of your team’s commitment to ethical communications and professionalism;
  • A highlight of your recent achievements;
  • A summary of a campaign you’re particularly proud that followed the R-A-C-E formula to achieve measurable results.

2025 Winners (no size category)
Gold: City of Leduc: Communications and Marketing Services 
SIlver: Alberta Energy Regulator: Engagement and Communications Branch 
Bronze: British Columbia College of Nurses & Midwives: BCCNM Communications Team 

Entries must relate to initiatives that have been carried out by an in-house team in the two years prior to the regular Award submission deadline for the current year.
Your submission should consist of no more than 1,000 words and provide an overview of the following criteria:

  • The number of employees in your public relations and communications management team (1-5 employees) as well as the annual budget;
  • A short overview of business / team strategy;
  • A description of your team’s commitment to ethical communications and professionalism;
  • A highlight of your recent achievements;
  • A summary of a campaign you’re particularly proud that followed the R-A-C-E formula to achieve measurable results.

2025 Winners (no size category)
Gold: City of Leduc: Communications and Marketing Services 
SIlver: Alberta Energy Regulator: Engagement and Communications Branch 
Bronze: British Columbia College of Nurses & Midwives: BCCNM Communications Team 

Entries must relate to initiatives that have been carried out by a sole practitioner/solo practice in the two years prior to the regular Award submission deadline for the current year.
Your submission should consist of no more than 1,000 words and provide an overview of the following criteria:

  • Confirmation of yourself as a solo practitioner/sole proprietorship (=1) as well as an annual budget;
  • A short overview of business strategy;
  • A description of your commitment to ethical communications and professionalism;
  • A highlight of your recent achievements.
  • A summary of a campaign you’re particularly proud of that followed the R-A-C-E formula to achieve measurable results.


Entries must relate to initiatives that have been carried out by a communications agency in the two years prior to the regular Award submission deadline for the current year.
Your submission should consist of no more than 1,000 words and provide an overview of the following criteria:

  • The number of employees in your public relations and communications management team (2-10 employees) as well as annual budget;
  • A short overview of business / team strategy;
  • A description of your team’s commitment to ethical communications and professionalism;
  • A highlight of your recent achievements;
  • A summary of a campaign you’re particularly proud that followed the R-A-C-E formula to achieve measurable results.

2025 Winners
Gold: Monogram Communications 
Silver: Apostrophe 
Bronze: Coldwater Communications 

Entries must relate to initiatives that have been carried out by a communications agency in the two years prior to the regular Award submission deadline for the current year.
Your submission should consist of no more than 1,000 words and provide an overview of the following criteria:
  • The number of employees in your public relations and communications management team (between 11-30 employees) as well as annual budget;
  • A short overview of business / team strategy;
  • A description of your team’s commitment to ethical communications and professionalism;
  • A highlight of your recent achievements;
  • A summary of a campaign you’re particularly proud that followed the R-A-C-E formula to achieve measurable results.
2025 Winners
Gold: Casacom 
Silver: Zeno Group Canada
Bronze: Craft Public Relations  

Entries must relate to initiatives that have been carried out by a communications agency in the two years prior to the regular Award submission deadline for the current year.
Your submission should consist of no more than 1,000 words and provide an overview of the following criteria:

  • The number of employees in your public relations and communications management team (31 plus employees) as well as annual budget;
  • A short overview of business / team strategy;
  • A description of your team’s commitment to ethical communications and professionalism;
  • A highlight of your recent achievements;
  • A summary of a campaign you’re particularly proud that followed the R-A-C-E formula to achieve measurable results.

2025 Winners
Bronze: ChangeMakers 
Bronze: Proof Strategies Inc. 

Add-on Categories
 
2025 Winners
Zeno Group Canada, "Love Your Lunch Day" 

2025 Winners
Zeno Group Canada, "Love Your Lunch Day"

2025 Winners
Cooke Inc: "Cooke Newsletter - Spring 2024"