PRSA Celebrates Communications Excellence at 2025 Anvil Awards Ceremony

In a celebration of professional excellence, innovation and impact, PRSA announced the winners of the 2025 Anvil Awards during a prestigious ceremony held on May 15 at the Edison Ballroom in New York City. 

The evening showcased the highest standards of performance in public relations while celebrating the 81st anniversary of the Silver Anvils — long regarded as the profession’s most iconic honor.

PRSA CEO Matthew Marcial welcomed attendees to the signature event. Mike Gross, APR, Fellow PRSA, president at AKCG – Public Relations Counselors, and Jeff Wilson, APR, vice president of social impact at Padilla, both members of PRSA’s Honors and Awards Committee, presented the awards. PRSA’s 2025 Chair Ray Day, APR, vice chair at Stagwell and executive chair at Allison Worldwide, took the stage to present the evening’s top honor, the Best of Silver Anvil.

The Silver Anvil Awards recognize the best strategic public relations campaigns of the year and acknowledge organizational excellence, while the Bronze Anvil Awards honor outstanding tactics that elevate and drive the success of broader programs.

This year, PRSA received 754 entries from across the industry, reflecting the profession’s depth of creativity and unwavering commitment to meaningful communication. After a rigorous peer-review process by a panel of communications leaders, academics and senior executives, 158 finalists were selected — each representing standout work that made a measurable difference in 2024.

Award-winning entries tackled a wide range of issues, from natural disaster response and summer nutrition for children to programs addressing housing insecurity. Esteemed organizations recognized this year include The Coca-Cola Company, Grubhub, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the University of San Diego, the Whitney Museum of American Art and Ally Financial, as well as agencies including Weber Shandwick, Golin, The Grossman Group and Burson.

The evening’s highest honor, the 2025 Best of Silver Anvil Award, was presented to PRR and the Washington State Department of Ecology for their “Use Food Well” campaign — a standout example of public service messaging that produced tangible behavior change and built strong statewide partnerships.

The “Use Food Well” campaign exceeded expectations, generating over 11 million media impressions, establishing 126 partnerships with businesses, nonprofits and local governments, and inspiring 31% of respondents to adopt new food waste prevention behaviors. (See Page 9 for more on this campaign.)

“PRSA recognizing our ‘Use Food Well’ campaign as Best of the Silver Anvils shows the power of the partnerships we have built in Washington,” said Jade Monroe, Food Center lead at the Washington State Department of Ecology. 

In total, PRSA presented 45 Silver Anvil Awards, 22 Bronze Anvil Awards, 62 Silver Anvil Awards of Excellence and 29 Bronze Anvil Awards of Commendation — capping off an inspiring evening that affirmed the power of strategic, purpose-driven communication.

Thank you to the evening’s sponsors: Tony Fay Public Relations, Burson and Coyne PR.

Find the complete list of recipients and photos from the evening at this link.