December, 2015- Gold Coast PR Council Announces Nominees for 12th Annual Bernays Awards
GCPRC’s Prestigious President’s Award 2016 Goes to the ‘Culture Keepers’ at the Three Daily Newspapers
- Rod Hagwood, Sun-Sentinel
- Jan Sjostrom, Palm Beach Daily News
- Leslie Streeter, Palm Beach Post
(December 15, 2015) The Gold Coast PR Council, South Florida’s largest independent organization of public relations and marketing professionals, today announced the nominations for the upcoming 12th annual Bernays Awards, as well as the recipients of its prestigious President’s Award. All of the awards will be presented at GCPRC’s Bernays Awards Luncheon on Friday, January 29, at the Embassy Suites Ballroom in West Palm Beach.
Winners of GCPRC’s President’s Award 2016
The only Bernays honor in which the recipient(s) are announced in advance, the annual President’s Award is is considered to be GCPRC’s biggest honor and it goes to an individual(s) or organization(s) that has a time-tested track record of working with South Florida’s PR, Marketing &/or Media Community.
Previous winners include Boca Magazine publishers John & Margaret Mary Shuff (2015), Florida Weekly & The Coastal Star (2014), Lynn University (2013), Forum Publications (2012), Business Wire (2011), Palm Beach Post Notables & Sun-Sentinel Society Scene (2010), Palm Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau PR Committee (2009), Gale Howden (2008), Jeff Zbar (2007), Gulfstream PRSA & PRSA Palm Beach (2006) and for their hurricane coverage Boca Raton News, Palm Beach Post, Sun-Sentinel, WPEC-TV, WPBF-TV & WPTV (2005).
GCPRC’s Board of Directors unanimously voted to give the 2016 President’s Award to the “Culture Keepers” at the three daily newspapers for their outstanding and ongoing coverage of South Florida’s arts and entertainment community:
* Rod Hagwood, Sun-Sentinel
* Jan Sjostrom, Palm Beach Daily News
* Leslie Streeter, Palm Beach Post
Nominees for GCPRC’s Bernays Awards 2016
Best Nonprofit/Charity Project or Campaign – Small
+ American Disabilities Foundation, Inc. – Boating & Beach Bash for People with Disabilities
+Deborah Bottorff – Palm Beach International Film Festival
+Durée & Company – MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) Broward Chapter’s 2015 Walk Like MADD Dash 5K Fort Lauderdale
+ Kaye Communications – Great Doggie Dine-Out & Paws Fest
Best Nonprofit/Charity Project or Campaign – Large
+ Kravis Center for the Performing Arts – LIGHT: The Holocaust & Humanity Project
+ Mounts Botanical Garden – Nature Connects: Art with LEGO Bricks
+Pugliese PR – American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Foundation Patient Self-Management Solutions
+ The Buzz Agency – Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation’s World Marrow Donor Day Campus Ambassador Campaign
Best PR Campaign by a Large Company or Firm
+ Durée & Company – Patricia and Philip Frost Museum of Science Closing
+ Tenet Florida Physician Services – Dr. Jonathan Hersch, First in Florida to Offer Medical Rotator Cuff System
+ The Buzz Agency – Chef vs. Chef at Max’s Harvest
+ The Buzz Agency – Press Announcement of Tiger Woods’ The Woods Jupiter Opening at Harbourside Place
Best PR Campaign by a Small Company or Firm
+ JLM Communications – Avocado Grill
+ Pantelides PR & Consulting – Perfect Vodka
+ The Ehlers Group – Superhero Saturday
Best Internal Communications
+ Clerk & Comptroller, Palm Beach County – Financial Wellness Campaign
+ Constitutional Tax Collector, Palm Beach County – Constitutional Tax Collector’s In-Service Day 2015 – Learn, Grow, Excel, Repeat
Best PR Blogger
+ Newsy Parents – How to Swim in 5 Days with Baby Otter
(Note: There was only one nomination in this category so Newsy Parents is an automatic winner.)
Best Social Media Campaign
+ Constitutional Tax Collector, Palm Beach County – Twitter@TAXPBC
+ JM Family – #ToyotaInTampa
+ Mugsy PR – Find Coach Kevin
+ Mugsy PR – Social Media Smackdown
+ The Buzz Agency – Allianz Championship Social Media 2015
+ The Buzz Agency – SunFest 2015
Best Special Event
+ Boynton Beach CRA – VIP Concierge Event “Be Our Guest”
+ Deborah Bottorff & Debby Coles-Dobay – 2015 Boynton Beach Kinetic Art Symposium and Exhibit
+ Clerk and Comptroller, Palm Beach County – Operation Green Light (state-wide)
+ INNOV8 Events Agency – Port of Palm Beach 100th Anniversary Gala
+ Rotary Club Downtown Boca Raton – Inaugural Boca Raton Mayors Ball
+ Quad S. Solutions, LTD. – Wellington Cares Inaugural Luncheon
Best Marketing Material
+ Boynton Beach CRA – Project Seahorse Video
+ Deborah Bottorff – Fish Have Schools Too! Pocket Folder
+ City of Boynton Beach – 2014 Annual Report & 2015 Calendar
+ Constitutional Tax Collector, Palm Beach County – Four E’s Puzzle Mural
+ FAU Division of Research – Institute for Sensing and Embedded Network Systems Engineering at FAU (I-SENSE) Video
+ Labor Finders International – The Labor Finders 2015 TAC Program: We’re Partying Like Its 1975
+ School District of Palm Beach County – Facts at a Glance Brochure
+ School District of Palm Beach County – Marketing Toolkit for Schools
+ Spectrum PR – Palm Beach County Early Care & Education Workforce Study 2015
In addition to the President’s Award and the awards presented in the nine competitive categories, the following awards will also be presented at the luncheon on January 29:
+ Judges Award, which will be selected by this year’s four Bernays Award judges: J.W. Arnold (2016 president of PRSA Greater Fort Lauderdale Chapter), Kami Barrett (2015 president of PRSA Palm Beach), Adrienne Moore (past president of FPRA) and Teana McDonald (GCPRC board member). Both J.W. Arnold of PRDC and Teana McDonald of 3E Connections are previous Bernays Award winners.
+ Founders Award, which goes to a person or organization that has been extraordinarily supportive of GCPRC. The winner of this award is selected by GCPRC’s Board of Directors.
+ PR Star Award, which goes to a person or organization that has has a truly outstanding year in 2015. The winner of this award is selected by GCPRC’s Board of Directors.
Bernays Awards Luncheon 2016
Sponsored by Business Wire, GCPRC’s 12th annual Bernays Awards Luncheon will be held on Friday, January 29, 2016, from 11:30 am to 1 pm, in the Ballroom at the Embassy Suites, 1601 Belvedere Road in Wes Palm Beach.
The cost to attend is $40 for GCPRC members, $45 for nonmembers, and $50 at the door.
People can RSVP online at or by emailing .
About Gold Coast PR Council:
Founded in 2003, GCPRC is South Florida’s largest independent group of PR, marketing and communications professionals from Palm Beach, Martin and Broward counties. GCPRC hosts lunch meetings on the third Tuesday of each month. For more information, please visit .
Media Contact:
Gary Schweikhart
PR-BS, Inc.
561.756.4298 /