Ridgefield Park, New Jersey–(Newsfile Corp. – June 26, 2026) – Bulldog Reporter is proud to announce the winners of the 2026 Bulldog PR Awards, recognizing outstanding achievements in public relations and communications over the past year.
As the only PR awards program judged exclusively by working journalists, the Bulldog PR Awards provides a uniquely media-focused evaluation of the campaigns, agencies, teams, and professionals shaping the future of communications.
For more than 25 years, the Bulldog PR Awards have celebrated excellence in storytelling, strategic communications, media relations, and measurable PR impact.
Grand Prize Winners
Each year, the Bulldog PR Awards honor one Grand Prize winner in each major program group. To be eligible, entrants must submit entries in multiple categories and earn Gold recognition in at least two categories within the same group.
This year’s Grand Prize winners are:
- Best Campaign of 2025: ACT Now Illinois – After School Funding Campaign by Stomping Ground Strategies
- Best PR Agency of 2025: French/West/Vaughan
- PR Star of 2025: Jaclyn Driscoll, Stomping Ground Strategies
“The best campaigns think beyond the obvious. The best teams are diverse in makeup and perspective. And the best leaders do more than manage work,” says Tom Hallman Jr., a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and long-standing Bulldog PR Awards judge. “They support junior professionals and help inspire the next generation of public relations practitioners. They create environments where creativity is not stifled, where experimentation is encouraged, and where obstacles are understood as part of mastery.”
“This year’s Bulldog Awards drew a strong field, and a select few entries truly stood out for demonstrating real-world change and authentic community engagement,” says Christopher Elliott, Bulldog PR Awards elite-round judge and nationally syndicated columnist. “The strongest campaigns moved beyond influencer partnerships and thought leadership to drive real innovation. And the entries that impressed the judges most backed up their work with credible, measurable outcomes rather than impression counts alone. The bar keeps rising, and the best of this year’s submissions show where the industry is headed.”
“This contest will, of course, recognize winners. But there are no losers here. Every agency, team, and leader represented in these entries made a meaningful difference over the past year,” Hallman continued. “The work showcased here helped organizations achieve their goals, strengthened relationships, and created connections that might not otherwise have been made. Congratulations to all who entered, and especially to this year’s honorees.”
“One of the most exciting developments this year was seeing how PR teams are successfully integrating AI, data, audience insights, and traditional media relations into campaigns that deliver measurable business outcomes.” added Richard Carufel, editor of Bulldog Reporter and Bulldog PR Awards judge.
The full list of 2026 Bulldog PR Awards winners is below.
Campaign Categories
Grand Prize – Best Campaign of 2025
ACT Now Illinois – After School Funding Campaign by Stomping Ground Strategies
Best AEO results in a campaign, narrative or thought leadership
Gold: Gabriel Marketing Group
Best Beauty, Fashion or Lifestyle Campaign
Gold: AMP3 Public Relations
Best Brand Launch
Gold: SKDK – Kohler Health & Dekoda Launch
Silver: LifeSci Communications Rebrand of CliNEXUS
Bronze: Porter Novelli Mexico – Secret Cherry Blossom Launch #TeCuentoMiSecreto
Best Business to Business Campaign
Gold: Violet PR – Momentum at Mach Speed: Leveraging a Defining Aviation Win for North Carolina
Silver: Wireside Communications – B2B, F2F (Face to Face): The Infineon Event Series
Best Business to Consumer Campaign
Gold: SolComms LLC – Whisking Cultural Relevance for Baked by Melissa
Silver: SolComms LLC – Establishing Bogg Beyond the Beach
Best Campaign on a Shoestring Budget
Gold: Violet PR -The U.S. City Bridging Borders: How Topeka Tackled Tariffs
Silver: French/West/Vaughan – FWV Cashes In on Holiday Moments with Minimal Budget (Pendleton Whisky)
Bronze: RJ Walker & Co – The Wall Street Cowboy, lead by Maury Chasteau-Simien & Ryan Walker
Best Community Engagement Campaign
Gold: SKDK -Save PRI! Campaign
Silver: Chandler Chicco Agency – Pretty Hurts: Meningitis Awareness Through Entertainment
Bronze: HUNTER – Here for Healthy Schools: SOMO Campaign
Best Community Relations Campaign
Gold: Violet PR – Ready for Takeoff: Commemorating Pittsburgh’s New Airport Opening in 2025
Silver: CIPR Communications – Tourism Kamloops Freeride Fund
Best Content Marketing Campaign
Gold: Clearlink – CableTV.com
Best Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives Campaign
Gold: TEAM LEWIS – The Slice we are Missing
Silver: Agency Guacamole
Best Food & Beverages Campaign
Gold: SolComms LLC – Whisking Cultural Relevance for Baked by Melissa
Best Government/ Public Service Campaign
Gold: French/West/Vaughan – FWV Brings the Grim Reaper to Life for “Booze It & Lose It” Holiday Campaign (North Carolina Department of Transportation Governor’s Highway Safety Program)
Best Green/ Environmental/ Sustainability Campaign
Gold: Hawthorne Strategy Group
Best Healthcare Campaign
Gold: Chandler Chicco Agency – Pretty Hurts: Meningitis Awareness Through Entertainment
Silver: Havas Red – Opill on Campus: How Opill Met Gen Z Where It Lives
Bronze: SolComms LLC – How Teal Health Brought the World’s First At-Home Pap Smear Device from FDA Approval to Nationwide Availability
Best Holiday Campaign
Gold: Dittoe Public Relations
Silver: Clearlink – CableTV.com
Best Integration of PR and Marketing
Gold: Stomping Ground Strategies – ACT Now Illinois – After School Funding Campaign
Silver: Chandler Chicco Agency – Pretty Hurts: Meningitis Awareness Through Entertainment
Bronze: Clearlink – CableTV.com
Best Integration of Traditional and New Media
Gold: French/West/Vaughan – FWV Turns Everyday Litter into a Headline-Worthy Launch (Healthy Pet’s ökocat)
Silver: Porter Novelli – “Gracias a Ti” – 35 Years of PEDIGREE® in Mexico
Bronze: Hawthorne Strategy Group
Best Issue/ Cause Advocacy Campaign
Gold: Stomping Ground Strategies – ACT Now Illinois – After School Funding Campaign
Silver: Sonova/Phonak – Phonak Global Ambassador Program, Ambassador Sara Mearns
Best Lead-Generating Campaign
Gold: Stomping Ground Strategies – Woodstock Institute Small Business Owner Outreach Campaign
Best Local/Hyperlocal Campaign
Gold: Hawthorne Strategy Group
Silver: SideCar PR – Rhingo the Rhino Naming Campaign
Silver: The Herald Group – Insurance Information Institute
Bronze: Porter Novelli Mexico – Secret Cherry Blossom Launch #TeCuentoMiSecreto
Best Media Relations Campaign
Gold: The Harbinger Group – Strengthening Illinois’ Teacher Pipeline: The 2025 Golden Apple Awards Campaign
Silver: Technica Communications’ PR Campaign Drives 350% Lead Growth and TIME Best Invention Recognition for Jetson Air
Bronze: French/West/Vaughan – FWV Drives Local Impact for Stephen Curry’s UNDERRATED Golf Tour
Best Newsjacking Campaign
Gold: SolComms LLC – Navigating Dame Through the Displeasure of Trump’s Tariffs
Silver: Havas Formula – QDOBA Chief Guacamole Officer
Bronze: SolComms LLC – From Mompreneur to Mogul – How Kim Vaccarella Became Retail’s Leading Woman
Best Not-for-Profit/ Association Campaign
Gold: Uproar by Moburst – Painting a Picture of Success for the Orlando Museum of Art
Silver: French/West/Vaughan – FWV Media Blitz a “Smart Move” for Raleigh Economic Development
Best Public Affairs Campaign
Gold: Stomping Ground Strategies – ACT Now Illinois – After School Funding Campaign
Silver: Pac/West Strategies – Coloradans for Energy Access
Bronze: Hawthorne Strategy Group
Best Special Event or Publicity Stunt
Gold: French/West/Vaughan – Runway Ready: Turning Performance Socks into a Cultural Moment (Feetures)
Silver: Agency H5 – Brach’s Egg Hunt Hiders
Bronze: Porter Novelli Mexico -Secret Cherry Blossom Launch #TeCuentoMiSecreto
Best Technology/Software Campaign
Gold: AutoStore – The World’s First Robot-Run Farm
Silver: Tier One Partners – Building US Thought Leadership for a UK AI Security Upstart: Tier One and iProov
Bronze: Wireside Communications – Tonic: From Stealth to Standout: Launching Tonic Security into a Crowded AI Cybersecurity Market
Best Thought Leadership Campaign
Gold: C-Strategies, Inc.- Mark Ishaug, Thresholds
Silver: FleishmanHillard – “Elevating the Voice of White House History for America 250 and Beyond”
Silver: VSC – VSC for Establishing Noetica as Leading Authority on Capital Markets Intelligence.
Bronze: SolComms LLC – From Mompreneur to Mogul – How Kim Vaccarella Became Retail’s Leading Woman
Best Use of Hyper-Personalization
Gold: Stomping Ground Strategies – Turning Constituent Voices into Targeted Digital Action for State Senator Chris Belt
Best Use of Influencers
Gold: Chandler Chicco Agency – Pretty Hurts: Meningitis Awareness Through Entertainment
Silver: French/West/Vaughan – FWV and Pendleton Whisky Turn Up the Heat on Outdoor Grilling
Bronze: Porter Novelli – Lucas Lenwas Launch
Best Use of Personality/Celebrity
Gold: Agency H5 – Laffy Taffy Laff Line
Silver: HUNTER – ‘An Ode-r to Refs’ Campaign
Bronze: HUNTER – Mucinex® Kickstart to Greatness
Best Use of Research – Business/Consumer
Gold: Clearlink – WhistleOut.com
Silver: Tier One Partners – From CIO to C-Suite: How Deloitte Reframed Enterprise Tech Leadership and Owned the Narrative: Deloitte and Tier One Partners
Best Use of Video/Multimedia
Gold: French/West/Vaughan – Palette of the West: FWV Supports Pendleton Whisky in Shaping Western Art and Culture
Silver: French/West/Vaughan – FWV Amplifies “Click It or Ticket” Initiative through Sounds of Safety (North Carolina Department of Transportation Governor’s Highway Safety Program)
Bronze: Chandler Chicco Agency – Pretty Hurts: Meningitis Awareness Through Entertainment
Most Innovative Media Relations Campaign
Gold: LifeSci Communications & F2G_Will Fungi Be the Last of US
Agency Categories
Grand Prize – Best PR Agency of 2025
French/West/Vaughan
Agency That Gets Results
Gold: High Vibe PR
Silver: MikeWorldWide
Best Boutique Agency
Gold: High Vibe PR
Silver: Laura Burgess Marketing
Bronze: Capwell Communications
Best Client Service/Client Relations
Gold: Violet PR – Client Service That Builds Places
Best New Agency
Gold: SixAM Strategies
Best PR and Communications Agency Team of the Year
Gold: REQ
Silver: SolComms LLC
Business to Business (B2B) Agency of the Year
Gold: Aircover Communications
Business to Consumer (B2C) Agency of the Year
Gold: French/West/Vaughan
Large Agency of the Year
Gold: French/West/Vaughan
Silver: Havas Formula
Bronze: Publicity For Good
Midsize Agency of the Year
Gold: ROKK Solutions
Silver: 10 to 1 Public Relations
Bronze: Segal Communications
Most AI-Ready Agency
Gold: CIPR Communications
Silver: Approach Marketing
Bronze: Capwell Communications
Most Innovative Agency
Gold: 10 to 1 Public Relations
Silver: French/West/Vaughan
Small Agency/ Sole Practitioner of the Year
Gold: Laura Burgess Marketing
Individual and Team Categories
Grand Prize – PR Star of 2025
Jaclyn Driscoll, Stomping Ground Strategies
Leader of the Year (Agency)
Gold: Rick French – French/West/Vaughan
Silver: Bilal Kaiser – Agency Guacamole
Bronze: Bruno Solari – SolComms LLC
Media Relations Professional of the Year
Gold: Becky Carroll – C-Strategies, Inc.
Silver: Lisa Vanella – Syneos
Bronze: Erika Lopez – SolComms LLC
PR Star Under 40
Gold: Jaclyn Driscoll – Stomping Ground Strategies
Silver: Lara Cooper – C-Strategies, Inc.
Bronze: Elizabeth Snyder – SolComms LLC
PR Up and Comer
Gold: Trinity Chase Hunt – SolComms LLC
Silver: Camila Rivero – Mekky Media Relations
Bronze: Craig Stirland – Clearlink
Public Relations Professional of the Year
Gold: Isabella Morreale – SolComms LLC
Silver: Elizabeth Snyder – SolComms LLC
To learn more about the Bulldog PR Awards, visit bulldogawards.com and sign up to receive updates on future programs and deadlines.
About Bulldog Reporter
Bulldog Reporter has been providing news, best practices, and insights to PR and communications professionals since 1980. Filled with insights on topics critical to PR pros and communicators – including media relations, crisis communications, influencer marketing, AI, and emerging industry trends – the Bulldog Reporter daily newsletter delivers actionable content and timely industry news.
About the Bulldog PR Awards
The Bulldog PR Awards, the only PR awards program judged exclusively by working journalists, celebrate the best and brightest in corporate communications and public relations. Bulldog Reporter and the Bulldog PR Awards are subsidiaries of Agility PR Solutions, a provider of media outreach, monitoring, and measurement solutions for PR and communications professionals.
Media Contact
Richard Carufel
Editor and Awards Judge, Bulldog Reporter
richard.carufel@bulldogreporter.com
1-888-270-4776
