PRSA Celebrates Comm Excellence at 2026 Anvil Awards
June-July 2026
PRSA recognized the profession’s top strategic communications campaigns and tactics on May 14 during the 2026 Anvil Awards ceremony at the Edison Ballroom in New York City, honoring work that demonstrated creativity, measurable impact and leadership across a wide range of industries and social issues.
The Silver Anvil Awards honor the year’s most exceptional strategic public relations campaigns and organizational excellence, while the Bronze Anvil Awards recognize outstanding tactics that contribute to the success of broader communications programs and initiatives.
This year’s entries reflected the broad influence of strategic communications across industries and issue areas, with campaigns addressing public health, sustainability, transportation, education, corporate citizenship, community advocacy and cultural storytelling.
PRSA CEO Matthew Marcial, CAE, APR, 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 Chair Heide Harrell, MA, APR, presented the evening’s top honor, the Best of Silver Anvils Award.
The 2026 Best of Silver Anvils Award — the profession’s highest honor for public relations programming — was presented to the American Academy of Pediatrics for its Vaccine Confidence campaign.
Developed in response to declining childhood immunization rates and the spread of vaccine misinformation, the campaign combined evidence-based messaging, social listening, targeted media outreach and rapid-response communications strategies to strengthen public trust and support informed decision-making among families and communities. (See Page 9 for more on this campaign.)
“We are proud to recognize this year’s Anvil Award winners for the extraordinary creativity, strategy and purpose-driven work they represent,” Harrell said. “From advancing public health and strengthening communities to responding during moments of crisis, these campaigns demonstrate the critical role communications professionals play in shaping understanding, building trust and driving meaningful impact. The Anvil Awards continue to showcase the very best of our profession and the power of strategic communications to make a difference.”
In total, PRSA presented 42 Silver Anvil Awards, 21 Bronze Anvil Awards, 60 Silver Anvil Awards of Excellence and 21 Bronze Anvil Awards of Commendation during the ceremony. Find the full list here.
PRSA also thanks the evening’s sponsor: Burson.
