Ragan’s Zenith Awards inaugural class of finalists announced
From AI‑powered campaigns to culture‑building programs, these contenders will take the stage at the Zenith Awards Gala in Austin on Nov. 12.
From AI‑powered campaigns to culture‑building programs, these contenders will take the stage at the Zenith Awards Gala in Austin on Nov. 12.
Communicators have never been busier — or more critical. As Ragan notes, today’s communications professionals are “guiding corporate reputation in a world of global mistrust,” managing sweeping media changes and helping organizations tackle everything from cultural flashpoints to AI integration. That high-stakes environment inspired Ragan Communications to launch the Zenith Awards, a new honors program spotlighting exceptional achievements across internal communications, public relations, marketing and mixternal communications. The program debuts this year during Communications Week and celebrates campaigns, teams and leaders who use strategy, creativity and innovation to move the industry forward.
The Zenith Awards aim to be one of the most comprehensive programs in the field, with more than 60 categories covering crisis response, AI‑powered campaigns, social‑justice storytelling, internal culture‑building, reputation management and more. “As the pinnacle event for communications professionals, Communications Week provides the perfect opportunity to celebrate excellence in our field with the Zenith Awards,” said Diane Schwartz, CEO of Ragan Communications. Finalists emerged after a rigorous review of entries that demonstrated strategic thinking, creativity, execution and measurable impact across a wide range of sectors.
These standout campaigns and communicators will be honored at the inaugural Zenith Awards Gala, taking place Wednesday, Nov. 12, at the Hyatt Regency Austin. The red‑carpet celebration — part of Communications Week — promises unforgettable moments as winners are revealed on stage, opportunities for connection with fellow finalists and industry leaders and an inspirational atmosphere worthy of their achievements. All finalists will be recognized during the evening, and winners will be unveiled live, celebrating the innovation, strategy and storytelling that set a new standard for excellence.
A diverse panel of industry leaders weighed the submissions. Among the jurors are:
- Danielle Hughes, vice president of communications for BODYARMOR
- Ellen Gerstein, senior director of content strategy and engagement at Pfizer
- Kathy Kisiel, national senior director of staff effectiveness and volunteerism at the American Heart Association
- Sarah Comstock, executive director of employee experience and communications at Ally Financial
- Gerry Rodriguez, EVP and U.S. head of brand purpose + impact at Edelman
- Craig Thomason, director of global employee and executive communications at Merck
- Joan Cetera, vice president of communications for PepsiCo Foods North America
- Adam Kiefaber, senior director of content at Worldpay
- Rachel Spates, director of communications and employee engagement at Sun Life
- Abbey Shilling, communications director at Land O’Lakes
Their collective experience across healthcare, finance, consumer goods, technology, and global marketing ensures that the finalists reflect best‑in‑class strategic thinking and measurable impact.
Read on for the full list of finalists across campaigns, categories and team honors, and mark your calendar for Nov. 12 when winners are crowned at the Hyatt Regency in Austin.
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AWARDS OF DISTINCTION
CAMPAIGNS & CATEGORIES
AI – Use of • Annual Report • Brand Storytelling • Branded Content • Change Communications • Community Relations • Content Marketing • Crisis Communications • CSR • Digital Communications • Employee Communications • Employee Engagement • Employer Branding • Event/Experiential • Executive Communications • Government Influencer • Marketing • Integrated Communications • Internal Communications • Intranet • Marketing • Measurement & Evaluation • Media Relations • Nonprofit • Platforms & Tech • Podcast • Public Affairs/Issues Management • Public Relations • Reports • Reputation Management • Social Media • Special Event • Thought Leadership • Video • Visual Storytelling
INDIVIDUALS & TEAMS HONOREES
Agencies of the Year • Communicators of the Year • Leaders of the Year • Marketers of the Year • Communications Teams of the Year • Marketing Teams of the Year • Rising Stars
AWARDS OF DISTINCTION
Arca Continental Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages: Employee Engagement: Peek Under the Cap of the Texas Coca-Cola Bottler
BODYARMOR Sports Nutrition: POWERADE “It Takes More” March Madness
Bon Secours Mercy Health: Campaign of the Year
Broadsheet Communications: Raptive Keep It Real
Broadsheet: Positioning Newsweek as the Fastest-Growing News Publisher on the Web
Havas Street: Brooks x runDisney — Springtime Surprise
Insurance Information Institute: Georgia Tort Reform Campaign
The MRKT: Building a Blockbuster: How Multicultural PR Fueled a Minecraft Movie’s Cultural Impact
CAMPAIGNS & CATEGORIES
Deloitte: GenAI Social Leadership Pilot
Ruder Finn: rf.aio
Visionet Systems
VyStar Credit Union: Voice of the Member
American Student Assistance (ASA): Empowering Millions of Students to Find Tomorrow, Today
Park National Bank: Park National Bank 2024 Annual Report
Aggreko: Energizing the Track With Aggreko
BODYARMOR Sports Nutrition: POWERADE “It Takes More” March Madness
Help at Home: Celebrating 50 Years of Caring — Help at Home’s 50th Anniversary
Mastercard: Mastercard Newsroom
UCB: Sound of Profound
UCB: Worth Fighting For
Visionet Systems
VyStar Credit Union: Through Your Life
Aggreko: Energizing the Track With Aggreko
Hilti: Pros Know
UCB: Sound of Profound
Intel Corp.: Employee Communications
Microsoft Digital: The Adventure Begins: How We Took Flight With Microsoft Copilot
TVP Communications and Saint Francis University: Red Flash’s Last Dance: A Move From DI to DIII Athletics
Washington University in St. Louis: Hello Workday! How Communications Wased WashU’s Student System Transition
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office: teamHCSO Cares — Hurricane Milton Relief and Recovery Initiative
Jefferson: Jefferson200
Metrolinx: GO-ing to the Concert of the Era
NRG Energy: Meals for a Million
Deloitte: GenAI Social Leadership Pilot
SourceCode Communications: Jenius Bank’s Mind-Money Connection
UW Medicine: Right as Rain Vol. 3
VyStar Credit Union: VyStar Savings Challenge
Advocate Health: Hurricane Helene Communications Response
Dallas ISD: When Lightning Strikes Twice: Dallas ISD’s Crisis Response to a Repeat Tragedy
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office: Crisis Communications During the Newsome High School Lockout
Cisco Systems: Delivering Connection, Empowering Recovery: Cisco’s Crisis Response in Western North Carolina
Havas PR: Wells Fargo Financial Lit Event (Formal Name, Sabor y Sabiduría: Flavorful Lessons in Financial Literacy)
Hyundai Motor America: Hyundai Hope: Child Passenger and Pedestrian Safety Initiative
Hyundai Motor North America: STEM Education in Georgia
NRG Energy: Meals for a Million
CU School of Pharmacy: Mile High Pharmacy Campaign
HubEngage: HubEngage — Brightline
Novitas Communications: Protect Our Paychecks
ServiceNow: Global Employee Communications and Engagement
Cognizant: Impact Awards 2025
Deloitte Services LP: Deloitte Today
Golden 1 Credit Union: Golden Journeys
Lowe’s: Chain Reaction
Pfizer: Praise It Forward
Ruppert Landscape: Rooted in Connection: The RLTV Story
Arca Continental Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages: Peek Under the Cap of the Texas Coca-Cola Bottler
Capital One: Capital One Bank Tech Magazine
Cisco Systems: From 37% to 86%: How We Doubled Cisco’s Community Impact
Cognizant: Impact Awards 2025
Golden 1 Credit Union: Golden Journeys
NRG Energy: Wear Pink, Power Hope
Pfizer: Praise It Forward
ServiceNow: Employee Storytelling
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital: St. Jude Living Our Values
Bon Secours Mercy Health: Campaign of the Year
Entrada Therapeutics: Cultivating an Authentic and Impactful Employee Value Proposition
AGCO Corp: AGCO Investor and Media Tech Day 2024
Barton Malow: Barton Malow — 100th Anniversary Campaign
City of Lancaster: City of Lancaster Poppy Festival
Cloudera: Cloudera’s “Snowbricks” Strategy — Turning Competitor Events Into Brand-Building Moments
Golden 1 Credit Union: Golden Journeys
Jack in the Box: Deadpool x Jack in the Box Mini Chimi Bang Bangs
Qlik: Qlik Connect 2025 — Do Data Differently
Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission: Catalyst 2024 Immersive Experience: “Visible”
TE Connectivity
Washington University in St. Louis: Mock enRoll: WashU Rocks a New Student Information System
Cisco: Four Transformative Trends Shaping HR in 2025
TE Connectivity: Amy Dolan
Aventiv Technologies: Aventiv’s National Correctional Officers and Employees Week Campaign
Defense Threat Reduction Agency: DTRA TSG Operational Readiness Validation
Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency: Regional Climate Action Planning
EvolveMKD and Revance: Phys-Influencers: Where Expertise Meets Influence
EvolveMKD: Meghan Trainor X Motiva
HDMZ: Castle Biosciences & Teddi Mellencamp Collaboration
Cloudera: Positioning Cloudera as an AI Powerhouse With a Unified Event Marketing Strategy
Entertainment Software Association: Entertainment Software Association’s Kids’ Online Safety Campaign
F.N.B. Corporation: F.N.B. Corporation’s New Headquarters
HIMSS: Integrated Communications for HIMSS25
Metrolinx: GO-ing to the Concert of the Era
Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency: NOACA Brand Identity Campaign
SourceCode Communications: Jenius Bank’s Mind-Money Connection
UCB: Shine Forward With Dravet and Shine Forward With LGS
UCB: Worth Fighting For
Aventiv Technologies: Inspire, Align, Deliver: Aventiv’s Internal Communications Campaign to Introduce a New Leader and Business Strategy
Bose Corporation: Celebrating 60 Years of Sound — Bose Corporation
Colonial Pipeline: “Move It” Internal Communications Wellness Campaign
Dallas ISD: Dallas ISD Convocation ‘24 — “Make It Happen” Virtual Event
Deloitte Services LP: Deloitte Today
Golden 1 Credit Union: Golden Journeys
Pfizer: Praise It Forward
Wolverine Worldwide: Vision and Values Internal Launch
Acenda Integrated Health: “Fur Real Impact:” How a Small Team Harnessed Audience Passions for Strategic Engagement
Deloitte Services LP: Deloitte Today
Habanero Consulting: ATCO
Xperi: Empowering Xperi’s Workforce With the Launch of a New Intranet
ADP: ADP’s ONE DAY Campaign
Aggreko: Energizing the Track With Aggreko
Century 21 Real Estate: Joy of Home
Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power: Electric Vehicle “Charging Ahead” Campaign
Maid Brigade: Imagine Campaign
VyStar Credit Union: Through Your Life
OPRG + AstraZeneca: From Awareness to Action: The Measured Path to Brand and Health Impact
Pacific Gas & Electric: How PG&E is Tying Communications Outputs to Business Outcomes to Drive PR Strategy
Providence: Transforming Marketing Attribution in Healthcare at Scale
VyStar Credit Union: Voice of the Member
American Diabetes Association: Scientific Sessions Media Team
Diffusion PR: Navigating the Pipeline to Patient Journey — Norstella x Diffusion
Diffusion PR: Supplementing Smarter — Thorne x Diffusion
EvolveMKD X Endo: Tackling Viking’s Disease With an NFL Legend
H&S Communications: Brianna Hairston
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo: Danielle Grossman and Marisa Saenz
The MRKT: Building a Blockbuster: How Multicultural PR Fueled a Minecraft Movie’s Cultural Impact
Broadsheet Communications: Creating a New Category of Therapy
Genesis Motor America: Playing It Forward: Genesis and U.S. Soccer Foundation Build Mini Pitches for Underserved Youth
HIMSS: Nonprofit Communication Strategy for HIMSS
The Dairy Alliance: Milk’s Got Game
White House Historical Association and FleishmanHillard: Opening Doors to “The People’s House: A White House Experience”
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power: Water Quality Restoration Dashboard
MangoApps: Unifying the Digital Workplace for Every Employee
Ruder Finn: rf.aio
Auto Care Association: Auto Care ON AIR
Big Valley Marketing: Pressing Matters
Cloudera: The AI Forecast: A New Lens on the Future of AI
Compassus: Communications Team
Halteres Associates: Halteres Presents
LG Electronics USA: LG Pro Cast Podcast
Palo Alto Networks: Threat Vector Podcast
Public Affairs/Issues Management
AARP and FleishmanHillard: Fighting for Our Nation’s Caregivers
Broadsheet Communications: Raptive Keep It Real
Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency: NOACA Brand Identity Campaign
Rise Strategy Group: Public Counsel
SMC Communications: BCFFE Renewal Campaign
TVP Communications and Saint Francis University: Red Flash’s Last Dance: A Move from DI to DIII Athletics
Amendola Communications: Amendola Firmly Positions ImpediMed as a Leader in Lymphedema Detection and Management
Amendola Communications: Narrowing Carta Healthcare’s PR Focus for High Impact Coverage
Broadsheet Communications: Raptive Keep It Real
Colonial Pipeline & FTI Consulting: New Corporate Website
Entertainment Software Association: Entertainment Software Association’s Kids’ Online Safety Campaign
Help at Home: Celebrating 50 Years of Caring — Help at Home’s 50th Anniversary
Cisco Systems: FY24 Purpose Report: 40 Years of Impact
DKC
Help at Home: Celebrating 50 Years of Caring — Help at Home’s 50th Anniversary
TVP Communications and Saint Francis University: Red Flash’s Last Dance: A Move from DI to DIII Athletics
Uproar by Moburst: Reframing the Narrative: Uproar by Moburst’s Strategic Uplift for the Orlando Museum of Art
BODYARMOR Sports Nutrition: Matt Rempe x BODYARMOR
Genesis Inspiration Foundation: Digital Renaissance: Genesis Inspiration Foundation’s Transformative Social Media Campaign
Goodwill of North Georgia: Brian Raiford
Goodwill of North Georgia: Marketing Department
Help at Home: Celebrating 50 Years of Caring — Help at Home’s 50th Anniversary
Barton Malow: Barton Malow — 100th Anniversary Campaign
Diffusion PR: Join the Club — Thorne x Diffusion Supper Club + Mocktail Club
Havas Formula, Havas Street, Festool USA: The Legacy Event: Celebrating a Century of Innovation With Festool
Mastercard: 2024 Mastercard Innovation Forum
PlayWise Partners + MAGNA-TILES: MAGNA-TILES Celebrates World’s Tallest Magnetic Tile Tower, Empowers Kids to Build On!
Tulane University: A Historic Gift: Redefining a School, Advancing a University and Elevating a City
Caliber Corporate Advisers: Caliber Corporate Advisers for Grasshopper Bank
Cisco: Four Transformative Trends Shaping HR in 2025
Deloitte: GenAI Social Leadership Pilot
Help at Home: Celebrating 50 Years of Caring — Help at Home’s 50th Anniversary
INK Communications Co.: INK + USAFacts: Redefining Unbiased Thought Leadership in a Polarized Election Year
Aggreko: Energizing the Track With Aggreko
Farnell: Top Tech Voices
Hyundai Hope on Wheels: Hyundai Hope On Wheels and Musicians On Call
Lowe’s: Chain Reaction
ServiceNow: Elite-Level Gifting
University of California, Los Angeles: We Are One UCLA: Chancellor Frenk’s Video Series During the LA Wildfires
Dallas ISD: Senior Profiles: Campbell Chase, Woodrow Wilson High School
Novartis: Four Corners Video Series
INDIVIDUALS & TEAMS HONOREES
Approach
Dreamday
EvolveMD
Factory PR
HAVAS Red Network
Integral
Moore
Rachel Harrison Communications
The Grossman Group
The MRKT
Caterine Barfell, Director of Communications, BODYARMOR Sports Nutrition
Hanna Bautz, Sr. Lead, Next PR
Mary Fiance, VP, Strategic Communications, Muscular Dystrophy Association
Reed Horanburg, Director, Global Employee Communications, TE Connectivity
Andrea Lamelas, Sr. Director of Publicity & Communications, Tubi
Misty M Mitchell-Arizpe de Garcia, Sr. Director of CS Internal Communications, Genesys
Macy Andrews, VP, Purpose Communications, Brand, Events and Marketing, Cisco Systems
Michelle Curran, VP Global of Talent Acquisition, Cloudera
Miranda Foster, VP, Worldwide Communications, Qlik
Nick Karoglou, Head of Communications, LMArena
Matt Moon, Managing Director, Narrative Strategies
Mary Osako, Vice Chancellor, Strategic Communications, UCLA Strategic Communications
Sarah Peck, VP, Communications, GoFundMe
Sandra Sullivan, VP, Campaign Strategy, Muscular Dystrophy Association
Elaine Armstrong, VP of Marketing, Goodwill of North Georgia
Dana Karzan, CMO, VyStar Credit Union
Amalia Maislos Stanton, SVP, Chief Strategic Communications & Marketing Officer, Memorial Hermann Health System
Shweta Ponnappa, SVP Chief Marketing Officer Digital Experience, Providence
Morgan Roth, CMO, Muscular Dystrophy Association
Sara Weaver, VP, Marketing, BODYARMOR Sports Nutrition
Communications Teams of the Year
Bon Secours Mercy Health: Communications Team of the Year
HIMSS: HIMSS Strategic Communications Team
Integer Holdings Corporation: Integer Corporate Communications & Brand Team
TE Connectivity
Tubi: Tubi Comms Team
Xperi: Corporate Communications
Cloudera: How Cloudera’s Marketing Team Got the Company’s Swagger Back
Visionet Systems
Kiah Albritton, Sr. Communications Manager, Digital Strategist, Change Consulting
Em-J Krigsman, Strategic Communications Associate, Narrative Strategies
Jennifer Munoz, Latino Media Engagement Specialist, M-NCPPC, Department of Parks and Recreation, Prince George’s County
Gabe Plesent, Founder and Principal, Press Play Media
Haley Self, Sr. Client Manager, Integral
Courtney Young, Media Relations Manager, Rachel Harrison Communications
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