2019 PRSA Pittsburgh Renaissance Award Winners: The Complete List

On Thursday, January 31, more than 200 of Pittsburgh’s most talented communicators gathered together at the 2019 Renaissance Awards held at the Senator John Heinz History Center.

The annual ceremony — which honors the best of the region’s communications campaigns, tactics and individual practitioners — was moderated by Nicole Paxinos, PensTV host and master of ceremonies.

This year PRSA Pittsburgh distributed more than 50 honors to organizations — ranging from agencies and corporations to hospitals and nonprofits, including Westinghouse, Allegheny Health Network, UPMC Health Plan, Iron City Beer, Seton Hill University, Bank of America, Home Depot and more.

PRSA Pittsburgh thanks its generous sponsors: Havas PR, Burson Cohn & Wolfe, EM-Media, and Point Park University.

Awards and Judging

Top entries received a “Renaissance Award” distinction and runners-up received an “Award of Merit.” Several categories had multiple winners, depending on the numeric scores provided by the judges.

• Entries were independently evaluated by a panel of judges from the Public Relations Association of Mississippi and scored upon impact.

See the complete list of winners below. 

2019 PRSA Pittsburgh Renaissance Award Winners

Individual Awards

• PRSA Rising Star Award – Jordan Mitrik, Brunner
• PR Entrepreneur of the Year – Aaron Easler, Top Hat
• PR Disruption Award – Iron City Beer
• PRSA Member of the Year – Deanna Tomaselli, Havas PR
• Communicator of the Year – Brian Ludwick, Bank of America
• Bob O’Gara Student Scholar – Morgan McCoy, Point Park University
• PRSSA Chapter of the Year – Waynesburg University PRSSA
• Hall of Fame Award – Courtney Myers, Havas PR
• PR Team of the Year- Allegheny Health Network Public Relations Team
• Best in Show – Gatesman, Instilling Prestige in Michigan Ross Through the First-Ever MBA Summit

Campaigns

B2B Campaign

• Renaissance Awards
  • Havas PR, Adapting to Younger Eyes
  • Havas PR, Transitions PRO Instagram Launch
  • Havas PR, Transitions Style Colors and Style Mirrors Product Launch
  • WordWrite Communications, McClintock & Associates’ StoryCrafting & Brand Relaunch
• Award of Merit
  • Pipitone Group, Meti-Span Building Barriers Advertising Campaign

Content Marketing Campaign

• Renaissance Awards
  • Brunner, The Home Depot Rental Brand Launch
  • Top Hat, Iron Restoration: The Comeback of Iron City Beer

Crisis Communications

• Renaissance Award
  • WordWrite Communications, YMCA CPR Plan

Digital Campaign

• Awards of Merit
  • Pipitone Group, ACAA “Real” Campaign
  • Top Hat, Iron Restoration: The Comeback of Iron City Beer

Events

• Renaissance Awards
  • Gatesman, Instilling Prestige in Michigan Ross Through the First-Ever MBA Summit
  • Burson Cohn & Wolfe, There’s a New Bank in Town: Bank of America’s Retail Entrance
  • Pipitone Group, Jumbo Coater Grand Opening Campaign
• Awards of Merit
  • Burson Cohn & Wolfe, Bank of America Suits Up at The Big Game
  • Field General, Coffee with Valerie
  • Seton Hill University, Seton Hill University Centennial Campaign

Influencer Relations

• Renaissance Awards
  • Burson Cohn & Wolfe, Automation for All: Leviton’s Decora Smart Solutions Shines Bright with Help from Influencers
  • Brunner, FY18 Musselman’s and Lucky Leaf Influencer Programs
  • Havas PR, Adapting to Younger Eyes
  • Top Hat, Iron Restoration: The Comeback of Iron City Beer

Integrated Marketing Campaign

• Renaissance Awards
  • Brunner, The Home Depot Rental Brand Launch
  • Gatesman, Driving Positive Brand Perception for Duquesne Light Company
  • Top Hat, Iron Restoration: The Comeback of Iron City Beer
  • UPMC Health Plan, UPMC Health Plan Emergency Department Diversion Marketing
  • UPMC Health Plan, UPMC Preventive Screenings Marketing Campaign
• Awards of Merit
  • MarketSpace Communications, “Meet The Georges” Campaign
  • Jam X Creative, Pittsburgh Pickles Primanti’s Love Media Relations

Internal Communications

• Awards of Merit
  • Gatesman, Launching a New Brand for a 154-year-old company
  • Westinghouse Electric Company, Servant Leadership at Westinghouse

Media Relations

• Renaissance Awards
  • DDI, Global Leadership Forecast 2018
  • Havas PR, Curiosity CubeTM Ignites Scientific Passion
  • Havas PR, Driving Buzz for Scene75’s Pittsburgh Opening
  • Havas PR, Turn the Page for “Unshattered”
• Awards of Merit
  • Burson Cohn & Wolfe, Making It Happen: Sustaining Leviton’s Position As A Tech Innovator Through Media Relations
  • Burson Cohn & Wolfe, Breaking Down Self-Driving Car Misconceptions One Rider at a Time
  • Blender, Inc., Putting down roots to help our region grow
  • Gatesman, Activating National Media Relations to Position Northwell Fertility
  • Havas PR, Make Room for Recess

New Products & Services Communications

• Renaissance Awards
  • Burson Cohn & Wolfe, Meet Erica: Bank of America’s AI-Driven Virtual Financial Assistant
  • Havas PR, Transitions Style Colors & Style Mirrors Product Launch
  • Top Hat, Iron Restoration: The Comeback of Iron City Beer
• Award of Merit
  • Pipitone Group, Acuity Low-Iron Glass Product Launch Campaign

Reputation Management

• Renaissance Awards
  • Burson Cohn & Wolfe, Closing an Historic Pittsburgh Factory with Dignity
  • Havas PR, Curiosity CubeTM Ignites Scientific Passion
  • Burson Cohn & Wolfe, There’s a New Bank in Town: Bank of America’s Retail Entrance into the Pittsburgh Market
  • Top Hat, Iron Restoration: The Comeback of Iron City Beer
• Awards of Merit
  • Allegheny County Airport Authority, The State of PIT Airport
  • Pipitone Group, “Know the Code” Campaign

Social Media Campaign

• Renaissance Awards
  • Havas PR, Transitions PRO Instagram Launch
  • Top Hat, Iron Restoration: the Comeback of Iron City Beer
• Award of Merit
  • UPMC Health Plan, UPMC AnywhereCare Thermometer Giveaway Campaign

Tactics

Annual Report

• Award of Merit
  • Allegheny County Airport Authority, 2017 Annual Report: Transforming Pittsburgh’s Airports

Multimedia Content

• Renaissance Awards
  • Top Hat, Iron & Coal (Photography)
  • Top Hat, It’s Different, Like Always (Video)
  • Top Hat, Make it Pittsburgh-er (Video)
  • Top Hat, We Were There (Video)

Promotional Content

• Award of Merit
  • MarketSpace Communications, Fiesta Website

Written Content

• Renaissance Award
  • Havas PR, Transitions Style Collection Guide
• Awards of Merit
  • MarketSpace Communications, Brewery Guide Website
  • Allegheny County Airport Authority, Why We Love Mister Rogers . . . But Aren’t Naming Pittsburgh International Airport After Him
  • Top Hat, What’s Old is Cool Again: Harnessing Nostalgia to Build Hype