CHICAGO, June 7, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Public Relations Society of America Chicago Chapter (PRSA Chicago) honored the best in public relations at its annual PRSA Skyline Awards Celebration last night. Each year, the celebration recognizes the best communications practitioners, campaigns and tactics in the Chicago area.
Public Communications Inc. and the Chicago Architecture Foundation took home the night's top award, winning the Best of Skylines for their entry titled, "Unprecedented Access with Openhouse Chicago," a campaign which resulted in welcoming nearly 25,000 individuals who made more than 85,000 self guided visits to 131 different locations across Chicago -- all in two days.
In addition to Skyline Awards, PRSA Chicago honored three individuals whose achievements and contributions in the field of public relations have stood out during the last year.
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Jim Skinner, CEO for McDonald's, the world's largest food service company, was named Executive of the Year.
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Ron Culp, Director for the Graduate PR and Advertising Program at DePaul University, was recognized as the Public Relations Professional of the Year.
- Alexandra Demers, Senior Media Executive for Edelman, received the Young Professional of the Year award.
In addition, the winners of the annual PRSA Chicago Scholarship Award were announced.
Winners were chosen based on creativity and understanding of basic key public relations principles. Three scholarships were granted to students, all of whom were derived from Columbia College Chicago. The first place award of $1,500 was granted to Marissa Walters, who currently works at Grace Public Relations, serves as vice president of Columbia PRSSA Chapter Logistics.
Second place and $1,000 was granted to Hilary Jurinak, Vice President of Communications for Columbia College's PRSSA Chapter.
Ashley Lavore, Vice President of Special Events for Columbia College's PRSSA chapter, was given the third place award of $750.
"All our honorees -- from our Best of Skylines winner embodying the region's top work, all the way to our scholarship winners, who represent the future of our industry -- showcase the creative and strategic excellence that Chicago-area PR professionals have to offer," said Debbie Harvey, PRSA Chicago board president and executive director at GolinHarris. "We look forward to raising the bar each year, and last night's celebration was no exception."
Winning a PRSA Chicago Skyline Award is Chicago's most prestigious mark of distinction for public relations professionals. The wide range of the evening's honorees included: AAR Corp., Allstate Insurance, The Allstate Foundation & National Safety Council, APP Pharmaceuticals / Fresenius Kabi USA, The Brookfield Zoo, Cantata Adult Life Services, ConAgra Foods, Craftsman, Empathica, Follett Higher Education Group, Hormel Foods, Illinois Tollway, Kimberly-Clark, Magnum Ice Cream (Unilever), McDonald's USA, Merck, The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Seattle's Best Coffee, Topshop, Tropicana Pure Premium and Yum! Brands, Inc.
The event was sponsored by AKA Media Inc.
For more information and a full list of Skyline Award winners, visit www.prsachicago.com.
About PRSA Chicago
PRSA Chicago is the fourth largest chapter in the country. The chapter was founded in 1948 to provide professionals with programs and activities designed to meet their needs for professional development and networking. Today, its nearly 500 members represent a cross-section of industries, with a diverse mix of Fortune 100 corporations, public relations agencies, associations and non-profit organizations. The goal of PRSA Chicago is to advance the profession of public relations, promote high professional and ethical standards and build the reputation of the profession in the Chicago area.
As part of PRSA Chicago, members have access to the national Public Relations Society of America, the world's largest organization for public relations professionals. The Society has nearly 32,000 professional and student members. PRSA is organized into more than 100 Chapters nationwide, 19 Professional Interest Sections and Affinity Groups, which represent business and industry, counseling firms, independent practitioners, military, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional services firms and nonprofit organizations. The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) has nearly 300 Chapters at colleges and universities throughout the United States.
The PRSA Chicago logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=13178