All The Winners From PRIA’s 2015 Golden Target Awards

Last night saw the 39th Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) Golden Target Awards (GTAs) held at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, Hobart, Tasmania, as part of PRIA’s 2015 National Conference, Huge Transformations.
The packed house hosted consultancy and in-house senior Public Relations leaders at the industry’s night-of-nights – the pinnacle of the annual PR awards program.
The night was hosted by Dr Melanie Irons, UTas, who also spoke during the main PRIA annual conference earlier that day, who thanked GTA co-chairs Angela Coombes and Grant Smith, for their unending support and hard work in managing the program. Representatives from Isentia, Arthur J. Gallagher, Copyright Agency and PRIA’s own council and board volunteers, helped present the long list of awardees.
Big category campaign winners on the night included Rowland; Hardman Communications; PR Edge; Weber Shandwick; HBF; Red Agency; VIVA! Communications; Cannings Purple; Bayer Australia; Ogilvy Australia; Sydney Convicts Rugby Club; and icon.pr.
Ava Lawler, managing director, Australia at Weber Shandwick, said: “We are grateful to our client, Accor Hotel, who had the courage to support a truly innovative and integrated campaign. We are also fortunate to have an inspired, smart team that worked tirelessly to drive tangible, business-focused results.
Erik Denison, media and public relations manager, Sydney Convicts Rugby Union Club said: “Winning this award is a deep honour and we hope it will continue to help elevate the issue of homophobia in sport and motivate continued change.”
There were big individual award winners in Dr Melanie James, University of Newcastle, winning Educator of the Year; Emma Kershaw, Dairy Australia, winning Top sPRinter of the Year; and Arthur Delbridge LFPRIA & Paul Rushton-Clarke MPRIA, sharing the National President’s Award, presented by PRIA Life Fellow and Tasmanian local, Greg Ray.
Group winners consisted Patrick Macdonald, Regatta Hotel, winning In-house Team of the Year; James Wright, Red Agency, winning Large Consultancy of the Year (for the second consecutive year); with the penultimate gong going to Fee Townshend, PR Edge, who took home the National Campaign of the Year with ‘Yellow Pages: RUOK? Covers Partnership’. Susan Redden Makatoa, Ogilvy PR, accepted two GTAs, including the International Campaign of the Year, for Ogilvy’s work with Al Jazeera English in freeing Peter Greste.
“For the team, especially Steve Reilly and Michael Hartmann who put in hundreds of hours, this was a once-in-a-lifetime event. It was our privilege and our honour to have played a part in bringing Peter home. Freedom of the press was absolutely core to this campaign, so we wholeheartedly supported it,” said Susan Redden Makatoa, group managing mirector – Corporate, Ogilvy PR.
James Wright, Group COO, Havas Worldwide and Managing Director, Red Agency (pictured above), said: “We are humbled and honoured to go back-to-back as consultancy of the year. It’s a testament to the dedication, passion and expertise we have across the consultancy that is delivered day in, day out, that has enabled us to pick up these consecutive wins. We have a vision to redefine the meaning and role of PR in today’s world and you can see that in the work we are doing. I want to thank all of my team for their supreme efforts in making this happen.”
Joanne Painter, managing director, icon.pr. said: “As an agency committed to sustainability and positive behaviour change campaigns, winning a Golden Target Award for Love Food, Hate Waste was particularly thrilling.
“Winning a Golden Target Award is the pinnacle achievement for any PR consultancy and we feel very privileged to have been recognised by our peers. With six awards and one GTA trophy, last night was the biggest in Icon’s history – and proof that our integrated approach to PR can achieve big things for clients.”
Here’s a list of all the winners:
Category | Title of Entry | Company | Entrant | State | Result |
Big Budget | A Taste of Harmony 2015 | Haystac Public Affairs | Haystac Public Affairs | NSW | Commended |
Transurban’s Acquisition of Queensland Motorways Limited | Rowland | Kelly Robinson | QLD | Winner | |
Business to Business Marketing | Digital Roadies Take Centre Stage | Weber Shandwick Australia | Ava Lawler | NSW | Commended |
Mondelez International Mobile Futures | Red Agency | Natasha Carroll | NSW | Commended | |
Expectations vs Reality of Retirement in Australia | Ogilvy Public Relations | Ogilvy Public Relations Australia and Mercer | NSW | Highly Commended | |
Commonwealth Bank Agri Insights | Hardman Communications & Commonwealth Bank of Australia | Hardman Communications | NSW | Winner | |
Community Relations | Child and Parent Centres: The communications challenge for an innovative new community services model | Department of Education | Jane Machin-Everill | WA | Commended |
City of Armadale to Get to know #TheDale | Clarity Communications | Anthony Hasluck | WA | Highly Commended | |
Gold Coast Light Rail – Community Relations | P4 Group | P4 Group / GoldlinQ / Department of Transport and Main Roads | QLD | Highly Commended | |
Standing up for a better deal. How NSW Farmers rewrote the book on political campaigning in country NSW. | icon.pr | Joanne Painter | VIC | Highly Commended | |
Train tunnels, trucks and the toolkit to build trust – Sydney Metro Northwest | Thiess John Holland Dragados and Transport for NSW | Thiess John Holland Dragados and Transport for NSW | NSW | Highly Commended | |
Yellow Pages: RUOK? Covers Partnership | PR Edge | Fee Townshend | VIC | Winner | |
Consumer Marketing | Buderim’s Hottest Ginger | Agent 99 Public Relations | Agent99 Public Relations | NSW | Commended |
Rebuilding Trust in Malaysia Airlines in Australia and New Zealand | Crossman Communications | Jackie Crossman | NSW | Highly Commended | |
Tackling Obesity: The Impromy Health and Weight Loss Program | Ellis Jones | Ellis Jones | VIC | Highly Commended | |
Content Marketing | Love Food, Hate Waste’ – how content marketing is helping to change waste behaviours | icon.pr | Joanne Painter | VIC | Commended |
Unilever Food Solutions – Back of House | PPR | Michael Pooley | NSW | Highly Commended | |
Digital and Social | Standing up for a better deal. How NSW Farmers rewrote the book on political campaigning in country NSW. | icon.pr | Joanne Painter | VIC | Highly Commended |
ibis PLAY | Weber Shandwick | Ava Lawler | NSW | Winner | |
Experiential | LWP Property Group: ‘Bringing Communities to Life’ | Hola PR | Lorelei Campbell | WA | Commended |
Big Bethanie Bake Off | Devahasdin | Sandra Devahasdin | WA | Commended | |
The Bar that Jack Built | Red Agency/Red Guerrilla | Red Guerilla | NSW | Commended | |
Rolling out a ‘redi-revival’: rediATM Big Wednesday Giveaway | Cole Lawson Communications | Erin Rigby | QLD | Highly Commended | |
EASY Tour: HIV Testing Week | Red Agency | James Wright & Samara Kitchener | NSW | Highly Commended | |
House of Suntory Exclusive Takeover Series | Icon International | Sarah Corry | NSW | Highly Commended | |
Hide and Sneakers | HBF | Fleur Wylie & Chantelle Cox | WA | Winner | |
Government Sponsored Campaigns | Raising awareness, reducing waste. Why Victorians Love Food, Hate Waste | icon.pr | Joanne Painter | VIC | Highly Commended |
Seasonal Workers Communications Campaign | Fairwork Ombudsman | Carly De Assuncao | VIC | Highly Commended | |
EASY Tour: HIV Testing Week | Red Agency | James Wright & Samara Kitchener | NSW | Winner | |
Health Organisations | Meningococcal Australia: Know.Check.Act Campaign | SenateSHJ | Nerida Thorburn and Jodie Wrigley | NSW | Commended |
Healthy Bones Action Week 2014: ‘Stronger Together’ | Dairy Australia | Kelly Ward | VIC | Commended | |
Supporting the world’s largest and most rigorous investigation into anorexia nervosa | VIVA! Communications | Kirsten Bruce | NSW | Commended | |
Enlarging awareness of enlarged prostates:are you a “More than once a night” man? | GSK Australia | GSK Australia | VIC | Commended | |
HBF Run for a Reason PR Campaign | HBF | Fleur Wylie | WA | Commended | |
Winter is Coming | NPS MedicineWise | Media & PR Team, Corporate Affairs and Governance | NSW | Commended | |
Sign My Name | Red Agency | James Wright/The Red Agency Team | NSW | Commended | |
Ending HIV: Giant Condom Campaign Activation | ACON | ACON Engagement Strategies Team | NSW | Highly Commended | |
Lungs4Life – Driving adult protection against pneumococcal pneumonia | VIVA! Communications | Kirsten Bruce | NSW | Highly Commended | |
Our Plea for Life | VIVA! Communications | Kirsten Bruce | NSW | Winner | |
Intergrated Marketing and Communications Strategy | Standing up for a better deal. How NSW Farmers rewrote the book on political campaigning in country NSW | icon.pr | Joanne Painter | VIC | Commended |
Not out of the Woods | SenateSHJ | SenateSHJ in partnership with bioCSL | NSW | Highly Commended | |
Nespresso: Milk Expertise | Weber Shandwick | Ava Lawler | NSW | Highly Commended | |
#heartofgold Campaign for WA gold miners | Cannings Purple | Cannings Purple | WA | Winner | |
Internal/Change Management Communications | Yarra Valley Water’s Purpose-led Transformation | Yarry Valley Water | Strategic Communications Team | VIC | Commended |
Building Project BOB | Boeing Defence Australia | Stephanie Hulett | QLD | Commended | |
Stand Up Speak Up | Elders | Fiona Stuckey | SA | Highly Commended | |
Bayer Australia and New Zealand – Ambition 2015 | Bayer Australia Limited | Kirsten Impey, Communications | NSW | Winner | |
Issues Management and Crisis Communication | Rebuilding Trust in Malaysia Airlines in Australia & New Zealand | Crossman Communication | Jackie Crossman | NSW | Commended |
Easter Mondayitis: How good PR helped to prevent a blood supply crisis | Australian Red Cross Blood Service | Blood Service PR Team | VIC | Highly Commended | |
The Release of Peter Greste | Ogilvy Public Relations Australia | Ogilvy Public Relations Australia & Al Jazeera English | NSW | Winner | |
Public Affairs | Australia’s Future Submarine Project | Weber Shandwick Australia | Ava Lawler | NSW | Commended |
Helping #saveaHUSlives – Government funding secured for life-saving treatment for ultra-rare blood disease | VIVA! Communications | Kirsten Bruce | NSW | Commended | |
Stamp’ of Approval – Winning Reform for Australia Post | Australia Post | Jessica Hudswell / Australia Post Corporate Affairs | NSW | Commended | |
Small Budget/Pro Bono | Introducing Sydney to the fine arts of the streets with #chalkurbanart | IMPACT Communications Australia | IMPACT Communications Australia | NSW | Commended |
“What’s Up With Mum?” – Explaining MS to Kids | LBPR Pty Ltd | Lisa Burling, Managing Director | NSW | Commended | |
Queensland Community Foundation – Philanthropy Week 2015 | Rowland | Helen Besly | QLD | Commended | |
Dundee Beach Charity Golf Day | Creative Territory | Tracy Jones | NT | Highly Commended | |
Women’s Legal Services – Dancing CEO’s | The Red Republic | Fleur Madden, The Red Republic | QLD | Highly Commended | |
RAPID Roadshow | P4 Group & HIV Foundation | P4 Group / HIV Foundation QLD | QLD | Highly Commended | |
Kiss Goodbye to MS Campaign 2015 | Cube & MS Research Australia | Anne-Marie Sparrow | NSW | Highly Commended | |
Tackling Homophobia in Sport | Sydney Convicts Rugby Club | Erik Denison | NSW | Winner | |
Start Up | Launching an ‘Australian first’ challenger brand: RateSetter | Sefiani & Kite Communications | Robyn Sefiani | NSW | Commended |
Australia’s First Swim with Humpback Whales Experience | Reflected Image PRoductions | Michelle Smytheman | QLD | Highly Commended | |
Sustainability/Corporate Social Responsibility | Sailing Through Adversity: Biogen & Oceans of Hope ANZ | Palin Communications | Martin Palin | NSW | Commended |
McHappy Day NSW ACT 2014 # OurFamilyPromise | PPR | PPR & McDonald’s NSW/ACT | NSW | Commended | |
SAMSUNG ADAPPT – Adappt for success: Encouraging young Aussies to design the change they want to see in the world. | Edelman | Edelman | NSW | Highly Commended | |
Towards a more sustainable Victoria. Raising awareness of ‘ Love Food, Hate Waste’ | icon.pr | Joanne Painter | VIC | Winner | |
PR Educator of the Year | Dr Melanie James | University of Newcastle | Dr Melanie James | NSW | Winner |
Top sPRinters 2015 | Erin Rigby | Cole Lawson Communications | Erin Rigby | QLD | Highly Commended |
Melanie Wellington | N2N Communications | Melanie Wellington | NSW | Highly Commended | |
Emma Kershaw, Industry Promotions Officer, Dairy Australia | Dairy Australia | Emma Kershaw | VIC | Winner | |
In-House PR Team of the Year | Media & PR Team, NPS MedicineWise | NPS MedicineWise | Media & PR Team | NSW | Commended |
HBF Media & Communications Team | HBF Health Ltd | Andrew Walton | WA | Highly Commended | |
Regatta Hotel | Regatta Hotel | Patrick Macdonald | QLD | Winner | |
Micro-Consultancy of the Year | LBPR Micro Consultancy of the Year | LBPR Pty Ltd | Lisa Burling – Managing Director | NSW | Highly Commended |
Medium Consultancy of the Year | Sauce Communications: A Rural Success Story | Sauce Communications | Liane Sayer-Roberts | NSW | Highly Commended |
Large Consultancy of the Year | N2N Communications | N2N Communications | Vanessa Liell | NSW | Commended |
PPR | PPR | Richard Lazar | NSW | Highly Commended | |
Red Agency | Red Agency | James Wright | NSW | Winner | |
National President’s Award | Arthur Delbridge LFPRIA & Paul Rushton-Clarke MPRIA | Arthur Delbridge LFPRIA & Paul Rushton-Clarke MPRIA | Winners | ||
National Campaign of the Year | Yellow Pages: RUOK? Covers Partnership | PR Edge | Fee Townshend | NSW | Winners |
International Campaign of the Year | The Release of Peter Greste | Ogilvy Public Relations Australia & Al Jazeera English | Ogilvy Public Relations Australia | NSW | Winners |
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