The Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) celebrated Victoria’s best examples of PR at the Victorian State Awards for Excellence at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Wednesday 26 September 2012.

The Awards recognised the State’s top public relations campaigns displaying best practice and excellence in innovation across nine categories including arts, business-to-business marketing, community relations and environmental campaigns.

PRIA Victorian State President, Jack Walden commended the quality of this year’s winners.

“The standard of this year’s entries was exceptionally high. I didn’t envy the judges’ job at all. The winning entries showed the progress that public relations continues to make as a profession.”

“These campaigns are the pinnacle of excellence in the state of Victoria and I congratulate the winners and those receiving commendations. Also, I extend a big thank you to our major sponsor the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre for their generous support,” he said.

Winners will now go through to the national round of the Golden Target Awards, with the final results being announced during the World PR Forum, also taking place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 18-20 November 2012. 

List of winners by category

Arts

Winner: Joanne Painter from icon.pr for The ArtStart Campaign

Business-to-Business Marketing

Commended: Jocelyn Hunter and the Bench PR Team for Xero - The Small Business Hero

Community Relations

Winner: Yasmin Standfield from City of Whittlesea for See Beyond Race social marketing campaign

Commended: Briana Dowling from Public Transport Victoria for Communications and Community Relations for the South Morang Rail Extension Project

Commended: Taimor Hazou, Sheena Campbell, Kylie Cochrane and Clare Robertson from Sinclair Knight Merz for the Rowville Rail Study        

Environmental

Winner: Leanne Mitchell from City of Melbourne for Melbourne's Urban Forest Strategy

Government Sponsored Campaign

Winner: Suzanne Waddell and Donna Morgan from the Regional Rail Link Authority for 2011 July School Holiday rail line closures

Winner: Peter Kent from Porter Novelli for 2011 National Cyber Security Awareness Week

Commended: Paul Tierney, Katrina Smith, John Scully and Juliet Bartels from VicRoads for Are you a road user or abuser?

Health Organisations

Winners: Kelly Ward and Lelde McCoy from Ogilvy Public Relations for 'Just Start Walking' National Chiropractic Care Week 2011

Highly Commended: Sophia Arthur from Andrology Australia for Talk about your tackle: a campaign about ‘nothing’ encourages men to talk about their health

Internal Communications

Commended: Andrew McGinnes from Jetstar Airways for Jetstar Jump!

Issues Management/Recovery Communications

Highly Commended: Bronwen Clark from BCPR for Restoring confidence in the Barengi Gadjin Land Council

Public Affairs

Winner: Porter Novelli Team for Fight Dementia

Highly Commended:  Penny Fannin and Elizabeth Williams from The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research for Discoveries Need Dollars: the campaign to protect medical research funding in Australia

Media are welcome to attend the awards evening for interviews, photography, filming,
please contact Neil O’Sullivan on 0452 460 933 to arrange entry

For more information about the Awards or any of the entries please contact Neil O’Sullivan on 0452 460 933 or email neil.osullivan@pria.com.au

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