PRSA Announces 2014 Silver Anvil Award Finalists

NEW YORK, April 3 -- The Public Relations Society of America issued the following news release:

The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) announced that 156 public relations campaigns have been designated as finalists for its esteemed Silver Anvil Award. A diverse panel of 150 senior professionals from across the United States gathered in New York on March 21 to judge the entries.

In 2014 public relations agencies of varied sizes once again had a strong showing. Ketchum was named a finalist in more than twenty categories, while Carmichael Lynch Spong, Exponent PR, Fleishman-Hillard, and PadillaCRT each had finalists in five or more categories.

Other notable finalists include The Human Rights Campaign, for its "Marriage at the U.S. Supreme Court: A Transformative Moment for Equality" campaign; Progressive Insurance, for its "Keys to Progress: One day, 37 cities and 59 vehicles to help veterans in need" campaign; and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District for its "Selling water safety to save lives: Army engineers collaborate to combat water-related fatalities" campaign.

The top campaign in each category will win the Silver Anvil, while other finalists in the categories will take home Silver Anvil Award of Excellence. The winners will be announced at the PRSA 2014 Silver Anvil Awards Ceremony on June 12 at the AXA Equitable Building in New York.

"The PRSA Silver Anvils continue to set the benchmark for excellence in the public relations profession and we saw very high levels of innovation, creativity and sophistication in this year's entries," said PRSA 2014 chair Joe Cohen, APR. "Some of this year's campaigns will help set new best practices as PR professionals continue to capitalize upon the opportunities presented within today's transformative media environment while staying true to enduring principles of PR. We congratulate each and every finalist for their exceptional work and look forward to celebrating this distinct accomplishment with them at the Silver Anvil Awards Ceremony in June."

Bestowed annually since 1944, the Silver Anvil Award is the oldest and, some say, most prestigious awards competition for outstanding achievement in public relations, based on its rigorous judging criteria and emphasis on measurement and evaluation.

Meant to symbolize the forging of public opinion, the Silver Anvil Award recognizes outstanding professional achievement in 16 categories and over 60 sub-categories. Entries are judged on their research, planning, execution and evaluation, while also taking factors such as creativity, ethics and budget into consideration.

In line with PRSA's support of the Barcelona Principles and the accompanying measurement guidelines issued by the International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC), Silver Anvil-winning programs should have Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely (SMART) objectives, demonstrate a tangible contribution to the organization, impact the target audience in a desired way and link public relations activities to specific business outcomes that support organizational goals.

For more information on the Silver Anvil Awards or tickets to the Silver Anvil Awards Ceremony, please contact John Gumbinger at (212) 460-1438.

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