TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Last night, the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) Toronto chapter celebrated Toronto’s most talented and innovative public relations and communications practitioners at the annual Achieving Communications Excellence (ACE) Awards Ceremony. Taking place virtually this year, the awards showcased outstanding work in the practice of public relations, receiving 147 high-caliber submissions from a variety of agencies, corporations, individuals and not-for-profits in the Greater Toronto Area.
“I would like to give a big congratulations to the many winners and finalists at this year’s ACE Awards,” said Nancy MacMillan, President, CPRS Toronto Chapter. “The ACE Awards is one of CPRS Toronto’s most exciting nights of the year, and it was a great honour to be surrounded by an incredible group of inspiring practitioners.”
The ACE Awards highlight skill, innovation, and intelligence within the public relations and communications industry. The awards recognize communications campaigns in diverse categories including events, media relations, digital media, healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion. This full presentation celebrating the winners in each category can be found here.
“We would also like to acknowledge and express gratitude towards our dedicated volunteers as well as this year’s sponsor, McMaster University. Without their support, the ACE Awards would not be possible,” said MacMillan.
The 2022 ACE Award recipients included:
Finalists, Best Campaign of the Year
- Craft Public Relations and Earth’s Own; The Plant Challenge
- Mint Agency and UM Canada; Her for She
- Proof Strategies and Audible; Audible Indigenous Writers’ Circle
Finalists, Best Creative Campaign of the Year
- IKEA Canada and Hill+Knowlton Strategies; Proud to Play
- Jake’s House and Edelman Canada; Introducing the ASD Band
- Zeno Group Canada and Barilla Canada; Barilla Pastaport
Best Integrated Communications Campaign, COVID-related
- Gold – LABOUR; WeRPN Nursing During COVID-19
- Silver – Insurance Bureau of Canada, Paradigm and, True Media Canada; Pandemic Assistance for Small Businesses
- Bronze – Deborah Wilson, Jessica Pellerin, Louise Brooks; Billy Bishop Airport-Restart & Reassure
Best Use of Media Relations, COVID-related
- Silver – LABOUR; WeRPN Nursing During COVID-19
- Silver – Kaiser & Partners and ADP Canada; Workplace Insight Surveys
- Bronze – LifeWorks and Kaiser & Partners; Mental Health Index Campaign
Brand Development Campaign of the Year
- Gold – Upfield Canada and Edelman; Oat Yes We Did! Becel® with Oat Beverage
- Silver – APEX PR and BIC; BIC Gel-ocity Back-to-School Campaign
- Silver – Town of Whitby; 2022 Budget Community Engagement
- Bronze – LifeWorks and Kaiser & Partners Inc.; Morneau Shepell Rebrand to LifeWorks
- Bronze – Coke Canada Bottling and Middle Child; Coke Canada Bottling Local Bottler Campaign
- Bronze – The PR Department and Radiant; ShareWord Global Brand Launch
- Bronze – Narrative and Volvo Car Canada; World Free Car Day
Community Relations Campaign of the Year
- Gold – Agnostic and Metro Ontario; Lincoln Heights Store Re-Opening
- Bronze – Coke Canada Bottling and Middle Child; Coke Canada Bottling Holiday Truck Tour
Canadian Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Campaign of the Year
- Gold – Proof Strategies and Audible; Audible Indigenous Writers’ Circle
- Gold – Jake’s House and Edelman Canada; Introducing the ASD Band
- Bronze – Crayola Canada and Argyle; #MyColour
- Bronze – Veritas and Labatt Breweries of Canada; #TapeOutHate
CSR or Cause-Related Campaign, Best
- Gold – Jake’s House and Edelman Canada; Introducing The ASD Band
- Silver – Canadian Red Cross; Be That Someone
- Silver – Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada and Weber Shandwick Canada; RMHC National Cookie Day
- Silver – San Pellegrino and Strategic Objectives; San Pellegrino Chef Collective
- Silver – Canadian Cancer Society and Hill+Knowlton Strategies; Canadian Cancer Society’s Dry Feb
- Bronze – Carol Levine, Stephanie Engel, energi PR Jewish General Hospital Foundation; Le Week-end Pour Combattre Le Cancer
Digital Communications Campaign of the Year
- Gold – Mint Agency and UM Canada; Her For She
- Bronze – Climate Proof Canada and Paradigm; It takes both offence and defence to win
- Bronze – Proof Strategies and NGen; Careers of the Future
- Bronze – Golin and Arterra Wines Canada; Turning Wines into Wins with Wine Rack
Employee Engagement / Internal Communications Campaign of the Year
- Gold – McDonald’s Canada and Weber Shandwick Canada; Elevate McDonald’s Employee Engagement
- Bronze – McDonald’s Canada and Weber Shandwick Canada; MyMcDonald’s Rewards
Employee Engagement / Internal Communications Campaign Of the Year, COVID-related
- Silver – Kaiser & Partners and CDW Canada; CDW Canada Internal Communications
Government Relations / Public Affairs Campaign of the Year
- Gold – Climate Proof Canada and Paradigm; It Takes Both Offense and Defense To Win
- Silver – Royal LePage and North Strategic; Solving Canada’s Housing Supply Crisis
- Bronze – GE Hitachi and Argyle; Small Footprint, Big Impact
Healthcare Campaign of the Year
- Gold – Baycrest, Hill + Knowlton Strategies, BBDO and Hearts & Science; Baycrest Fear No Age
- Silver – GSK and Edelman; Advil’s #AfterMyShot/#ApresMonVaccin
- Bronze – LABOUR; WeRPN Nursing During COVID-19
Healthcare Campaign of the Year, COVID-related
- Gold – LABOUR; WeRPN Nursing During COVID-19
Human Resource or Benefits Campaign, Best
- Silver – Proof Strategies and Canadian Red Cross; Be That Someone
Investor / Financial Relations Campaign of the Year
- Silver – Kaiser & Partners and Sleep Country Canada; Showcasing Sleep Country’s Strategy
Media Relations, Best Use of (Under $50,000)
- Gold – IKEA Canada and Hill+Knowlton Strategies; Green Friday
- Gold – Royal LePage and North Strategic; Solving Canada’s Housing Supply Crisis
- Gold – Veritas and Labatt Breweries of Canada; This Game Is For Us All
- Gold – Craft Public Relations and Tim Hortons; The Launch of Timbiebs in Canada
- Silver – LABOUR; WeRPN Nursing During COVID-19
- Silver – Kaiser & Partners and LHH Canada; LHH Canada Labour Force Survey
- Silver – Briar Wells Cisco Canada and Agnostic; Cisco Canada Hybrid Work Index
- Silver – Novo Nordisk Canada and Argyle; Don’t Put Your Health on Hold
- Bronze – energi PR and Canadian Cancer Society; World Cancer Day
- Bronze – Pomp & Circumstance; Ontario Beef 2021 Media Relations
- Bronze – Craft Public Relations; Canadian Launch of Big Brain Academy
Media Relations, Best Use of (Over $50,000)
- Gold – Interac Corp. and Hill+Knowlton Strategies; The Feel-Good Phenomenon
- Gold – Craft Public Relations and News Media Canada; National Newspaper Week 2021
- Gold – LifeWorks and Kaiser & Partners; Mental Health Index Campaign
- Gold – McCormick Canada; Get Outside with Club House
- Silver – NATIONAL Public Relations; A Breath in the Sky
- Bronze – McDonald’s Canada and Weber Shandwick Canada; Drive Thru Say I Do
- Bronze – APEX PR; Mydoh App Media Relations Award
- Bronze – Mint Agency and UM Canada; Her For She
- Bronze – Pomp & Circumstance; Park Hyatt Toronto Re-Opening
- Bronze – Crayola Canada and Argyle; #MyColour
- Bronze – Porter Novelli Canada; Forward Together
- Bronze – RE/MAX Canada; Liveability and Realtor Professionalism
Marketing Communications Campaign of the Year
- Gold – Craft Public Relations and Earth’s Own; The Plant Challenge
- Gold – Proof Strategies and Canadian Red Cross; Be That Someone
- Gold – Craft Public Relations; Creating the Tim Hortons Holiday Bear
- Gold – Walmart Canada and APEX PR; 2021 Walmart BTS Campaign
- Gold – Zeno Group Canada and Barilla Canada; Barilla Pastaport
- Gold – Proof Strategies and NGen; Careers of the Future
- Silver – PRAXIS; Launch of Black Bowmore DB5 1964
- Silver – Slips, Trips and Falls Campaign Team; Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board
- Silver – Walmart Canada and APEX PR; 2021 Walmart Apparel Campaign
- Silver – UPS Canada and Argyle; Come Back Strong
- Bronze – McDonald’s Canada and Weber Shandwick Canada; MyMcDonald’s Rewards
- Bronze – Electrical Safety Authority and Hill+Knowlton Strategies; Powerline Safety
- Bronze – The PR Department and Breakthrough Communications; Amarula’s National Cookie Exchange
- Bronze – Agnostic and Truss Beverage Co.; Local Cannabis Beverage Outlet
- Bronze – Government of Northwest Territories and Argyle; Speak the Tooth
- Bronze – Warner Bros. Pictures Canada: Sandy Power and Christopher Lewchuk ; The Matrix Resurrections
- Bronze – Pomp & Circumstance; She’s Mercedes Power Suit Project
New Product or Service Launch Campaign of the Year
- Gold – Craft Public Relations; Monogram x Patrick Kriss Partnership
- Gold – Craft Public Relations; Introducing the Impossible Whopper to Canada
- Gold – IKEA Canada with Hill+Knowlton Strategies; Proud to Play
- Silver – Zoglo’s and Strategic Objectives; Relaunch of Zoglo’s
- Silver – APEX PR; Mydoh App New Product Launch of the Year
- Silver – LifeWorks and Kaiser & Partners; AbilitiCBT Pandemic Program Launch
- Bronze – SodaStream and Edelman; Bublé Drops
- Bronze – Veritas and Labatt Breweries of Canada; Bud Light Seltzer Launch
Publication, Best
- Bronze – Kaiser & Partners, Scott Newlands Design and Sleep Country Canada; 2020 Annual Report
Student Public Relations Campaign or Event of the Year, Executed
- Bronze – Eleanor Willner-Fraser, Monika Haresh, Kathy Yang, Sevdia Rama and Natalia Franco, Centennial College; Face-to-Face February
Student Public Relations Communications Plan of the Year
- Silver – Luxshana Sivaneswaran and Gustavo Lopes; 100 Sweaty Sweats
- Bronze – Ama Asamoah, Kathleen Bennet, Sara Hopkinson, Amanda Serpa and Sasha Sheludko, Humber College; Madawaska Adventures Communication
- Bronze – Amanda Cheung; Arielle Rodrigues, Addy Sison, Albina Sufaj, Javier Pardo, Centennial College; The Women We Know
Special Events or Experiential Marketing, Best Use of
- Gold – Veritas and Labatt Breweries of Canada; This Game Is For Us All
- Silver – Kia Canada and Strategic Objectives; #KiaElectricSound
- Silver – Warner Bros. Pictures Canada: Sandy Power and Christopher Lewchuk; The Matrix Resurrections
- Bronze – Narrative and KITKAT Chocolatory; Made 4 U
Social Media Campaign, Best, and/or Influencers, Best Use of
- Gold – Craft Public Relations and Tim Hortons; The Launch of Cold Brew
- Silver – McDonald’s Canada and Weber Shandwick Canada; McDonald’s From Home
- Silver – ruckus Digital; Taste of the Tropics
- Silver – ruckus Digital and DoorDash, Inc.; DoorDash Partnership Marketing Campaign
- Silver – APEX PR and Levi’s® Canada; Levi’s® Canada Ambassador Program
- Silver – SodaStream and Edelman; Bublé Drops
- Bronze – McDonald’s Canada and Weber Shandwick Canada; Smarties McFlurry
- Bronze – ruckus Digital; DoorDash Courageous Conversations
- Bronze – Golin and PetSmart Canada; Introducing the PetSmart Pawsse
Writing, Best
- Silver – Kaiser & Partners and SecureKey; Frontiers in Blockchain
CPRS Toronto Leadership awards
- Lois Marsh Award – Jenny Shin, Milestones Public Relations
- Volunteer of the Year – Mahlet Sintayehu
- PR professional of the Year – Lisa Pasquin, Craft Public Relations
- Student of the Year – Kathy Yang, Centennial College
About CPRS
Founded in 1948, the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) Toronto Local Society is a not-for-profit association of professionals dedicated to the practice, management and teaching of public relations and communications. Comprising 13 local societies, CPRS’ mission is to build a national public relations and communications management community through professional development and accreditation, collaboration with thought leaders, a commitment to ethics and a code of professional standards, advocacy for the profession, and support to members at every stage of their careers.
