On Thursday, Jan. 30, the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the premier organization servicing communications, marketing and public relations professionals in southwestern Pennsylvania, hosted its 2025 Renaissance Awards. Josh Taylor, of KDKA, emceed the annual ceremony for the third time.
Each year, the Renaissance Awards honors local organizations, agencies, businesses and communicators in Pittsburgh for their innovative work across all aspects of public relations and marketing communications.
This year’s ceremony recognized more than 75 different communication campaigns and tactics created in 2024 from brands such as Duquesne Light Company, Allegheny Health Network, Slippery Rock University and more.
In addition to honoring creative work, PRSA Pittsburgh awarded its annual Bob O’Gara Scholarship, named after the late Bob O’Gara, long-time Point Park University professor and titan of Pittsburgh communication professionals. The $2,000 scholarship, given this year to Aaliyah Thomas, honors exceptional communications students in the Pittsburgh area.
“It is always an honor to gather with such an amazing group of Pittsburgh communicators,” said Brian Ackermann, president of PRSA Pittsburgh. “Seeing the hard work and dedication they put in over the past year is a testament to our commitment to the industry and to our clients as professionals. Pittsburgh may be a small city, but the talent we have here is undeniable.”
Brunner took home a double Best-in-Show win, receiving perfect scores for two of their Get Spicy: Church’s Texas Chicken Audience-Centric Spicy campaigns.
See below for a complete list of this year’s award recipients.
2024 PRSA Pittsburgh Renaissance Award Winners
Individual Awards
- Hall of Fame – Shannon Baker, Gatesman
- Communicator of the Year – Alisha Hipwell, WesBanco
- PR Entrepreneur of the Year – Nathan Wadding, Kindling Culture Agency
- Bob O’Gara Student Scholar – Aaliyah Thomas, Slippery Rock University
- PRSSA Pittsburgh Chapter of the Year – Slippery Rock University
- PR Disruption Award – Andrew Conte, Ph.D., Point Park University
- PRSA Member of the Year – Sara Bauknecht , Chatham University
- Renaissance PR Team of the Year – Gatesman
Campaigns
Renaissance Awards:
- Kirkpatrick Group – PPG Specialty Coatings & Materials Trade Media
- Pittsburgh International Airport – Icelandair Launches at PIT
- HAVAS Red – Curiosity Cube Helps Inspire Tomorrow’s Scientists
- Burson – Bank of America Preferred Rewards Lifestyle Benefits Press Trip
- Krakoff Communications, Inc. – CONSOL Energy Not So Fast Campaign
- Burson/Bank of America – Bank of America: Empowering Americans on Their Financial Health Journey
- The Motherhood – Empowering Underserved Adults to Build Community & Break into New Careers
- The Motherhood – It’s a Hoot! Launching a New Gaming Brand Through a Holiday Influencer Campaign
- The Motherhood – Wonder, Explore, and Learn Together: Influencers Bring Awareness to Remake Learning Days for PA Families
- Gatesman – USG: Building High – Quality Partnerships Through Influencer Relations
- Brunner – We Get Riders
- Gatesman – CORE: Donor Blitz Event Takeover Saves 400+ Lives
- XSquared Media – Bethlehem Haven: Housewarming Gala Nonprofit Campaign
- Burson/Special Olympics Three Rivers Region – North American Softball Champions
- Duquesne Light Company – Duquesne Light is keeping its promise to customers with a new marketing campaign
- Highmark Health – Our Remarkable Team members Campaign
- Highmark Health – Highmark Health Regional Action Plan Campaign
- Highmark Health – Highmark Health’s “Meet Sidekick, your generative AI tool” campaign
- Pittsburgh International Airport – Terminal Modernization Project Tour Program
- Highmark Health External Communications Team – Menal Well-Being Launch
- Burson – SPAM® Korean BBQ Flavored – Product Launch
- Brunner – Get Spicy: Church’s Texas Chicken Audience-Centric Spicy Campaign
- Burson/Mercyhurst – Carpe D1em
- Oyster Creative Co. – WesBanco Rings the Bell: Nasdaq Activation
- Pipitone – Vitro Architectural Glass Social Media Reboot
- Brunner – Get Spicy Block Party: Church’s Texas Chicken Audience-Centric Social Campaign
- Oyster Creative Co. – ATI Gritty Traditions, Polish New Social Media Comics
Awards of Merit:
- Kirkpatrick Group – PPG Protective & Marine Coatings Trade Media Program
- Highmark PR Team – Highmark Inc., FBI Team up to Stop Senior from Falling Victim to Fraud
- Highmark PR Team – Highmark Help Families be Smart Shoppers for Affordable Care Act Health Insurance
- Kirkpatrick Group – Glidden 2025 Color of the Year
- BLD Marketing, Inc. – Nichiha USA Media Relations Campaign
- 9 Rooftops Marketing – Fred Rogers Productions Launches New Seasons of Shows with Parenting Influencers
- 9 Rooftops Marketing – Celebrate Like You Mean It with the PA Lottery!
- Mindful Kreative – Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books Ambassador Program
- Pittsburgh International Airport – Keep Pittsburgh Dope
- Highmark Wholecare – 2024 Western and Central PA March for Babies
- Pipitone – Sloan United Restroom Resource Email Campaign
- Brunner – Strategic Financial Empowerment for Small Businesses: WesBanco’s Audience-Centric Content Campaign
- AHN/Highmark Health – AHN PR team response to Trump assassination attempt fallout
- Mindful Kreative – Keystone Space Collaborative 2023 Annual Conference
- Beyond Spots & Dots – Urban Air North Huntingdon Grand Opening Celebration
- Gatesman – See It, Be It: Gatesman Celebrates #IWD
- Pittsburgh International Airport – PIT-Frontier Integrated Marketing Campaign
- Duquesne Light Company – Bringing Teams Together, Advancing Leadership Trust in a Hybrid Work Environment
- Duquesne Light Company – Duquesne Light Company Launches New Outage Map
- Burson/Slippery Rock University – Creating Leader Communicators at Slippery Rock University
- AHN/Highmark Health – Allegheny Health Network, Highmark Health and the Mario Lemieux Foundation Establish “The Mario Lemieux Center for Heart Rhythm Care”
- Gatesman – Gen Z Reframed, Powered by Gatesman
- Gatesman – Engaging Influencers to Get Eyes on a New Frames Collection
- Gatesman – PRTX Bus Rapid Transit Communications
- Pittsburgh International Airport – Keep Iceland Dope Influencer Campaign
- Beyond Spots and Dots – Discover Clarion County Facebook Presence Revitalization
Tactics
Renaissance Awards:
- Piptone – HARP’s (Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh) 150th Anniversary and Day of Giving
- BAM Advertising & Marketing – Building Results Through Community Engagement: How the Changemaker Hub Empowered Tipping Point & The People Of Wheeling
- Brunner – Empowering Small Businesses to Take Control of Their Financial Futures: WesBanco Business Banking Blogs
- Burson – Daily, Monthly, and Annual Reporting on Forever Chemicals
- Pipitone – Light of Life Op-Ed: A Plea for a Compassionate, Transformational Response to Addressing Homelessness in Pittsburgh
- XSquared Media – After 37 years on Walnut Street, contemporary fashion boutique e.b. Pepper to close
- Gatesman – SHOP ‘n SAVE “3 Day Sale” Promotional Campaign
- Oyster Creative Co. – Oyster Creative: ATI Social Media
- Pittsburgh International Airport – PIT 2023 Year in Review Video
- Gatesman – CNX Foundation – August 2024 Events Promotion
- Brunner – Get Spicy: Church’s Texas Chicken Audience-Centric Social Videos
- XSquared Media – Applying the “of course” social trend to direct primary care education
Awards of Merit:
- Krakoff Communications, Inc. – CONSOL Energy NotSoFast Media Kit
- Eat’n Park Hospitality Group – Eat’n Park 75th Anniversary Special Section in Pittsburgh Magazine
- Krakoff Communications, Inc. – Canon McMillan Brag Book
- Mindful Kreative – Mindful Kreative 2024 Trends Report
- Beyond Spots & Dots – The Beyond Spots & Dots Client Dashboard
- AHN/Highmark Health – Allegheny Health Network, Highmark Health and the Mario Lemieux Foundation Establish “The Mario Lemieux Center for Heart Rhythm Care”
