Articles

2023 Worthy Award Winners

Best of Show

HOLLAND. Collective, Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival: A Campaign of Integrated Success 

Holland Sanders and Ivy Lopez

The Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival, the largest culinary event in North Texas, attracts more than 6k+ food enthusiasts to Fort Worth yearly. In 2022, the festival decided to embark on a five-year strategic journey aimed at going beyond North Texas into the national spotlight.

This mission aligned with the city’s goal of developing FW as a nationally competitive
tourism destination, recognizing the culinary community’s pivotal role in the city’s growth and offerings. To achieve this mission, HOLLAND. collective was tasked with elevating the festival’s reputation and building a seven-month integrated campaign that would support this vital growth.

Challenges included a lack of internal marketing team or budget, addressed by Holland Sanders’ strategic leadership who conceived and executed integrated outbound communication and PR campaigns, sponsored advertising opportunities, and emphasized tactical partnerships.

Professional Awards – Programs

Community Relations

• Worthy Award: HOLLAND. Collective, North Texas Community Foundation + Fund to Advance Racial Equity, Building Bridges of Equity and Understanding (Holland Sanders, Ivy Lopez)

Crisis Communications/Issues Management

• Worthy Award: J.O. Agency, The Tarrant Appraisal District Crisis Communication Strategy (Jennifer Henderson, Christina Vela, Sammy Sosa)

Integrated Communications

• Worthy Award: HOLLAND. Collective, Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival: A Campaign of Integrated Success (Holland Sanders, Ivy Lopez)
• Award of Excellence: PAVLOV Agency, Lightscape’s North Texas debut at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens (Claire Armstrong, Maria Diss, Allan Cardozo, Shelby Rodriguez)
• Award of Achievement: Cook Children’s Health Care System, We Did It: Conjoined Twins Separated at Cook Children’s (Cook Children’s Public Relations Department)

Internal Communications

• Worthy Award: Thrive PR, Every Employee, Every Time: Engaging a Disparate Workforce (Kelly Kirkendoll, Kimberly Harris)

Marketing Communications

• Worthy Award: Thrive PR, Keeping Schools Safe, Healthy and Open (Kelly Kirkendoll, Margaret Puissant, Mackenzie Lynch, Amanda Lindgren, Jessica Gallagher)
• Worthy Award: Balcom Agency, Sinclair Oil’s Filler Moments Campaign (Hilary Breitigam, Eric Redmond, Ashley Woodring, Stephanie Orges, Taylor Potts, Carol Glover, Ashley Freer, Kathryn Hankinson,  Andrew Begay)
• Award of Achievement: J.O. Agency, Graham Hart Home Builder Talon Hills Marketing Campaign (Christina Vela)

Pro Bono Public Relations

• Worthy Award: HOLLAND. Collective, Kinfolk House Project – A Year of Collaborative Impact (Holland Sanders and Ivy Lopez)

Public Service

• Worthy Award: Cook Children’s Health Care System, Safe Sleep Initiative at Cook Children’s (Cook Children’s Public Relations Department)
• Award of Excellence: United Way of Tarrant County, United Way of Tarrant County’s Beat the Heat Day of Action (United Way of Tarrant County)
• Award of Achievement: J.O. Agency, Recognize & Rise It Happens Awareness Campaign (Jennifer Henderson, Christina Vela, Sammy Sosa)

Reputation/Brand Management

• Worthy Award: The S&G Group, American Aero Partners with Navy SEAL Foundation to Promote Scholarship and Shore Up Brand (Sandra Brodnicki, APR, Fellow PRSA, Gigi Westerman, APR, Fellow PRSA)
• Award of Excellence: Cook Children’s Health Care System, We Did It: Conjoined Twins Separated at Cook Children’s (Cook Children’s Public Relations Department)
• Award of Achievement: Master Plan Communications, Inc., Boarding for Breast Cancer’s Love Your Peaks Winter Series Campaign (B4BC Public Relations Team)

Social Media/Digital Communications

• Worthy Award: Thrive PR, Don’t Fraud My Texas (Kelly Kirkendoll, Amanda Lindgren)
• Award of Excellence: PAVLOV Agency, Sun Coast (Maria Diss, Claire Armstrong)

Special Event/Observance

• Worthy Award: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU, Match Day 2023 (Amy Estes, Maricar Estrella, Prescotte Stokes III and Nicole L. Wright)
• Award of Excellence: PAVLOV Agency, 36th Annual MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival (Claire Armstrong, Maria Diss, Khris Kesling, Katie Betik)
• Award of Achievement: J.O. Agency, Mental Health Connection, United Way of Tarrant County & One Safe Place Interrupting Pathways to Mass Violence Event (Jennifer Henderson, Christina Vela, Sammy Sosa)

Student Program

• Award of Achievement: ROXO Agency at TCU, Cook Children’s Medical Center – Prosper (Maddie Harlan, Sofia Votava, Ellie Gonyea, Jessica Badham, Keegan Blodgett, Clare Moorman-Wolfe, Jaidyn Anderson)

Special Public Relations Program

• Worthy Award: Thrive PR, Keeping Schools Safe, Healthy and Open (Kelly Kirkendoll, Margaret Puissant, Mackenzie Lynch, Amanda Lindgren, Jessica Gallagher)
• Award of Excellence: The S&G Group, Leadership Academy Network Manages High Stakes Partner Reputations Before and After Release of Academic Testing Results (Sandra Brodnicki, APR, Fellow PRSA, Gigi Westerman, APR, Fellow PRSA)
• Award of Achievement: Goodwill North Central Texas, GoodCast! Podcast (Justan Martinez, Liz Confiliano, Shay Gipson)

Professional Awards – Tactics

Editorial/Op-Ed Column Report

• Award of Excellence: Master Plan Communications, Inc., Nucor Warehouse Systems – Setting the Standard for Sustainability in an Unsustainability Industry (Nucor Warehouse Systems’ Public Relations Team)

External Video

• Worthy Award: Cook Children’s, We Did It: Conjoined Twins Separated at Cook Children’s (Cook Children’s Health Care System)
• Worthy Award: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU, CommUnity (Prescotte Stokes III and Maricar Estrella)
• Award of Excellence: The Cause Agency, Sisters of St. Mary of Namur Anthem Video (Jennifer Henderson, Michael Ryan, Karen Ryan, Suzin Hines)
• Award of Achievement: Balcom Agency, Dairy Tour 360 (Ashley Freer, Taylor Potts, Carol Glover, Brian Blankenship, Holly Aguilar, Stephanie Orges, Richie Escovedo)

Feature Story/Brand Journalism

• Worthy Award: Cook Children’s, We Did It: Conjoined Twins Separated at Cook Children’s (Cook Children’s Public Relations Department)
• Award of Excellence: Master Plan Communications, Inc., Igloo Coolers Featured in License Global (Igloo Public Relations Team)

Media Relations/Event

• Worthy Award: Cook Children’s Health Care System, We Did It: Conjoined Twins Separated at Cook Children’s (Cook Children’s Public Relations Department)
• Award of Excellence: PAVLOV Agency, Vitalyc Med Spa – Media/Influencer Launch Event (Claire Armstrong, Maria Diss)
• Award of Achievement: The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, HSC Regional Simulation Center Opening (Eric Griffey)

Media Relations/News Release

• Worthy Award: PAVLOV Agency, Street Realty – Rebrand/Relocation News Release (Claire Armstrong, Maria Diss)

Media Relations/Press Kit or Online Newsroom

• Worthy Award: Cook Children’s Health Care System, Raymond Sibling Reunion (Cook Children’s Health Care System)

Newsletter

• Worthy Award: Thrive PR, THE SOURCE: An Employee Newsletter to Inform and Engage (Kelly Kirkendoll, Kimberly Harris and Amanda Lindgren)
• Award of Excellence: United Way of Tarrant County, United Way of Tarrant County’s GET UNITED Newsletter (United Way of Tarrant County)

Other Writing Projects

• Award of Excellence: The S&G Group, American Aero Advertorial Makes Its Landing at Aviation Trade Show (Sandra Brodnicki, APR, Fellow PRSA, Gigi Westerman, APR, Fellow PRSA)

Pro Bono

• Award of Excellence: Story and Strategy, Eliminate the Waitlist for Grieving Children (Kim Brown, APR, Abigail Hoover)

Special Event

• Worthy Award: PAVLOV Agency, Riscky’s BBQ 95th Anniversary (Claire Armstrong, Maria Diss)

Social Media

• Worthy Award: Cook Children’s Health Care System, Cook Children’s “Lifeguard Your Child” Drowning Prevention Display (Cook Children’s Public Relations Department)
• Award of Excellence: PAVLOV Agency, MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival (Maria Diss, Claire Armstrong)

Website

• Worthy Award: Fort Worth Country Day, New FWCD Website – fwcd.org (Sandra Tuomey,
  Caroline Lamsens, Shannon Allen, Reggie Johnson, Interactive Schools)
• Award of Excellence: J.O. Agency, KWC Performs Website Redesign (Christina Vela, Chris Green)

Special Tactic

• Worthy Award: Cook Children’s Health Care System, The Raising Joy Podcast (Wini King, Kristen Pyrc, Laura Van Hoosier, APR, Fellow PRSA, Kim Brown, APR)
• Award of Excellence: The S&G Group, North Texas Health Communities: Community Impact Report Showcases Innovation and Supports Fundraising Efforts (Sandra Brodnicki, APR, Fellow PRSA, Gigi Westerman, APR, Fellow PRSA)

Congratulations to all of our 2023 Worthy Award Winners!

Greater Fort Worth Chapter of PRSA Announces the Recipients of the 2023 Communicator and Public Relations Professional of the Year Awards

 The Greater Fort Worth Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is honored to announce Opal Lee, the ‘Grandmother of Juneteenth,’ as the 2023 Communicator of the Year and Matt Zavadsky, the chief transformation officer at MedStar, as the 2023 Douglas Ann Newsom PRSA Professional of the Year.

Opal Lee is a community leader and activist who has dedicated her life to fighting for justice and equality. She is best known for her tireless advocacy for Juneteenth, a holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. In 2016, at the age of 89, Lee embarked on a 1,400-mile walk from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C. to raise awareness of Juneteenth.

She made this walk annually, calling for Juneteenth to be recognized on a national scale. In 2021, Lee’s dream finally came true when Juneteenth was officially designated as a federal holiday. Her advocacy helped to educate millions of Americans about the importance of Juneteenth and to ensure that this historic event is never forgotten.

Matt Zavadsky serves as the spokesperson for MedStar Mobile Healthcare, an agency providing advanced life support ambulance services across 436 square miles of North Texas. As Public Information Officer at MedStar, Zavadsky is a key figure in coordinating with media and partners, providing crucial information about MedStar’s roles and activities in the community.

Often the first responder at tragic events, Zavadsky’s composed and sympathetic demeanor underlines his exceptional qualities as a spokesperson. With 42 years of experience in EMS, a master’s degree in Health Service Administration, and co-authorship of the book “Mobile Integrated Healthcare – Approach to Implementation,” Zavadsky embodies excellence in public relations and health care communication.

Opal Lee and Matt Zavadsky will be honored at the 10th annual Worthy Awards ceremony on Nov. 3, at the Fort Worth Zoo. The event begins at 6 p.m. and tickets are on sale now.

About the Communicator of the Year Award
The Communicator of the Year award is presented to a community member who has demonstrated significant leadership and communications ability in the greater Fort Worth region.

The recipient must be a role model for communicators and must have made a significant contribution to the community through their communications work.

About the Douglas Ann Newsom PRSA Professional of the Year Award
The Douglas Ann Newsom PRSA Professional of the Year Award is presented to a public relations professional in North Texas who has made significant contributions to the advancement of the public relations profession. The recipient must have demonstrated excellence in public relations practice, leadership, and service to the community.

About the Greater Fort Worth Chapter PRSA
The Greater Fort Worth Chapter of PRSA is an organization dedicated to enhancing the profession of public relations by promoting the professionalism of its members, as well as the public perception of the value of our contribution to the betterment of the community.

PRSA creates a professional environment, serving the needs of its members by providing educational, networking, mentoring and social opportunities for professional growth and development. Learn more at fortworthprsa.org.