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The awards banquet, emceed by Heidi Collins, FOX 9 anchor, and Brant Skogrand, APR, Minnesota PRSA immediate past president and PRSA Midwest District chair, was attended by more than 260 public relations and communications professionals from area agencies, corporations, nonprofits, government and freelance sectors.

This year's Best of Show award was presented to the Minnesota National Guard and Interagency Employment Working Group for its efforts behind the "Hire Minnesota's Veterans" campaign. After increasing levels of unemployment among post-9/11 veterans, the Minnesota National Guard organized "Hire Minnesota's Veterans" to help today's veterans translate and polish their skills and link them with employers. Through this program, the Guard initiated the military-focused Interagency Employment Working Group and created a three-step process for veterans and employers that consolidated existing programs and bridged gaps with new resources. As a result of the campaign, unemployment among a pilot unit with the 1st Brigade Combat Team dropped from 19 percent to 1.3 percent. The campaign earned more than 20 million media impressions about veteran employment and the benefits of hiring veterans.

 

Programs

Programs awards honor the best overall public relations campaigns. The highest scoring entries in the Programs Awards category are eligible for the top honor of the evening – Best of Show.

  • Community Relations (Business/Industry) Save-A-Lot Shows Families How to Fuel Up for Less, Save-A-Lot Food Stores with Carmichael Lynch Spong
  • Community Relations (Government/Nonprofit) Sparking Creativity and Amazement at an All-Nighter in the Twin Cities, Northern Lights.mn with Carmichael Lynch Spong
  • Institutional Programs (Business/Industry) A Window into the Presidency: Marvin's 2012 Campaign, Marvin Windows and Doors with Fast Horse
  • Institutional Programs (Government/Nonprofit) Hire Minnesota's Veterans, Minnesota National Guard with Interagency Employment Working Group
  • Special Events/Observances (Less than Seven Days - Business/Industry) Bringing RSTechED to the Manufacturing Masses, Rockwell Automation with Padilla Speer Beardsley
  • Special Events/Observances (Less than Seven Days - Government/Nonprofit) Inspiring Congressional Support of a Life-Saving Cause, Be The Match with Padilla Speer Beardsley
  • Special Events/Observances (More than Seven Days - Business/Industry) Making The Midwest Nutty for Nut Goodie, Pearson Candy Company with Fast Horse
  • Special Events/Observances (More than Seven Days - Government/Nonprofit) Lighting the Way - Better Business Bureau's Centennial Celebration, Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota
  • Public Service (Business/Industry) Beautiful Minds at Any Age, DSM Nutritional Products with Carmichael Lynch Spong
  • Public Service (Government/Nonprofit) Hire Minnesota's Veterans, Minnesota National Guard with Interagency Employment Working Group
  • Public Affairs (Business/Industry) Making the Case for the People's Stadium, Minneapolis Homefield Advantage with Padilla Speer Beardsley
  • Public Affairs (Government/Nonprofit) Inspiring Congressional Support of a Life-Saving Cause, Be The Match with Padilla Speer Beardsley
  • Marketing Services (New - Budget Greater than $75,000) Fitness to Fit You: Igniting a Member Revolution, Healthways with Risdall Public Relations
  • Marketing Services (Established - Budget Greater than $75,000) Save-A-Lot Shows Families How to Fuel Up for Less, Save-A-Lot Food Stores with Carmichael Lynch Spong
  • Marketing Products (New - Budget Less Than $75,000) Sustainability in the Stall: Making Beige TP the New Green, Cascades Tissue Group with Kohnstamm Communications
  • Marketing Products (New - Budget Greater Than $75,000) Land O'Lakes Bridges the Butter Generation Gap, Land O'Lakes with Exponent PR
  • Marketing Products (Established - Budget Less Than $75,000) Making The Midwest Nutty for Nut Goodie, Pearson Candy Company with Fast Horse
  • Marketing Products (Established - Budget Greater Than $75,000) Scoring a Marketing Touchdown with Red Gold, Red Gold with Lemke Anderson
  • International Public Relations Bon Appetit! Olives and Olive Oil Add Joie de Vivre, International Olive Council with Exponent PR
  • Internal Communications  Millions of Reasons One Purpose, Repositioning Prime Therapeutics, Prime Therapeutics
  • Integrated Communications (Products) Creating Unstoppable Preference for America's Most Reliable HVAC Brand, Trane Residential Solutions with Carmichael Lynch Spong
  • Integrated Communications (Services) Save-A-Lot Show Families How to Fuel Up for Less, Save-A-Lot Stores with Carmichael Lynch Spong
  • Industry Campaign of the Year (Consumer Products) Land O'Lakes Bridges the Butter Generation Gap, Land O'Lakes with Exponent PR
  • Industry Campaign of the Year (Consumer Services) Save-A-Lot Shows Families How to Fuel Up for Less, Save-A-Lot Stores with Carmichael Lynch Spong
  • Industry Campaign of the Year (Technology) Stratasys Asks the World "What's Possible?" with 3D Printing, Stratasys with Weber Shandwick
  • Industry Campaign of the Year (B2B) Revving Up Anticipation for a Fungus Fighter, BASF Crop Protection with Padilla Speer Beardsley
  • Industry Campaign of the Year (Healthcare) HeartRescue Project Inspires Virtual - and Real-Life - Heroes, Medtronic Foundation with Exponent PR
  • Industry Campaign of the Year (Nonprofit) Hire Minnesota's Veterans, Minnesota National Guard with Interagency Employment Working Group

Elements

Elements Awards recognize outstanding individual components or tactics 

  • Brochures Facts vs. Fiction Busting Myths about Kibble Ingredients, Purina Veterinary Diets with Exponent PR
  • Special Purpose Publications  A Look Inside: Minnesota's Health Insurance Exchange, Minnesota Medical Association
  • Multimedia Thought Leadership: Collaborative Consumption Trend, Campbell Mithun
  • Annual Reports (Business/Technology) Hormel Foods 2011 Corporate Responsibility Report, Hormel Foods with Burson Marsteller
  • Annual Reports (Government/Nonprofit) Celebrate, Minnesota Zoo
  • Media Kits ($15,000 or less)
    Stylmark Media Kit Illuminates New Light Box Technology
    Stylmark with Risdall Public Relations
  • Media Kits (More than $15,000) New Study: If Kids Won't Eat Salmon, Give Them a DHA Supplement, DSM Nutritional Products with Carmichael Lynch Spong
  • Newsletters Experts in Expertise, WinField with Exponent PR
  • Magazines (External) "C" the World Through CHS, CHS Inc. with Exponent PR
  • Media Relations (Business/Industry - Budget Less Than $75,000) Stratasys Asks the World "What's Possible?" with 3D Printing, Stratasys with Weber Shandwick
  • Media Relations (Business/Industry - Budget More Than $75,000) Fiber One Battles Cravings, Sweetly, Fiber One with Exponent PR
  • Media Relations (Government/Nonprofit) Giving North American Consumers More Reasons to Say "Olive-You", International Olive Council with Exponent PR
  • Feature Writing Every Bushel Counts x 2, The Mosaic Company with Broadhead
  • Technical Writing Making GI Science Digestible for Busy Veterinarians, Nestle Purina PetCare with Exponent PR
  • Speech Writing Emphasizing the Caring in CaringBridge, CaringBridge with Fast Horse
  • Websites Leading the Way in Website Reliability, Trane Residential Solutions with Carmichael Lynch Spong
  • Research, Measurement and Evaluation New Study: If Kids Won't Eat Salmon, Give Them a DHA Supplement, DSM Nutritional Products with Carmichael Lynch Spong
  • Social Media Sparking Creativity and Amazement at an All-Nighter in the Twin Cities, Northern Lights.mn with Carmichael Lynch Spong
  • Creative Tactics One Giant Pledge, Green Giant (General Mills) with Olson