WE Communications and Smarts Lead the Way on 2023 ICCO Global Awards Shortlist

The International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) is pleased to announce today the shortlist for the ICCO Global Awards, with WE Communications and Smarts leading the way with five shortlisted entries each. A further four agencies were shortlisted four times – DNA Brand Architects, Kurio, Milk & Honey, and joint submissions received from Hope&Glory and Broadcast Revolution.

The Awards are recognised by 40 PR associations around the world, representing 82 countries. Entries into the awards are judged by an elite panel of top international PR practitioners who consider the excellence and effectiveness of PR work from across the world. Tight measures ensuring no conflict of interest, and judges representing every continent of the globe, ensure a robust judging process across all categories.

Manuel Hüttl, Partner and CEO Germany, Milk & Honey and 2023 Global Awards Jury Chair said:

“There can be no doubting the creative and impactful campaigns that have been executed over the past twelve months. With businesses encountering so many unexpected challenges - teams, individuals, and leaders have flourished and delivered.

Judges have been impressed with the variety of work and imaginative approaches taken to a range of communication challenges that span vastly different cultures and countries. This is indeed one of the most international and diverse PR awards programmes. What all the winners share is measurable, successful outcomes that delivered tangible results. I thoroughly enjoyed judging this year and was thrilled to see the creativity in the industry in such great health.”

The winners will be announced by host Samira Ahmed in a black tie ceremony taking place on 29^thNovember at The Waldorf Hotel in London, where communicators will join to celebrate the world’s best campaigns, teams, and people.

The awards are sponsored by Notified, CARMA, AMEC, GWPR, thenetworkone and tickets for the award are available on the ICCO website: https://awards.iccopr.com/ceremony; or HERE.

ICCO will also induct outstanding contributors to the PR professional into the PR Hall of Fame (PRHOF) as well as special new award in partnership Global Women in PR.

Full shortlist below:

Campaign Awards

Best B2B Campaign

• FleishmanHillard and Akamai - From bandwidth to bad actors: Positioning Akamai at the cutting-edge of cybersecurity
• Gowling WLG -Tomorrow's World, Corporate Communications Team
• Mastercard Hungary and Uniomedia Group - Cashfree Zone
• Netprofile & Etteplan - Green Transition Coming Up!
• Wärtsilä Energy with Kurio and Greenhouse Communications - #Leapfrogging4Africa

Best Broadcast Campaign

• Client: Budapest Airport | Agencies: Lounge Group + Media Factory - Fly to Work!
• International Copper Association with APCO Worldwide - The Pathway to Net Zero
• Virgin Media O2 in partnership with British Heart Foundation (supported by Hope & Glory and Broadcast Revolution) - Brenda Edwards at the heart of live saving CPR campaign
• Virgin Media O2 and Good Things Foundation, Hope & Glory, Missive and Broadcast Revolution - Creating a National Databank

Best Consumer Campaign

• Skoda Auto Slovensko- The Most Beautiful Sounds of Slovakia
• Uniomedia Group- Analoggers Anonymus
• Smarts -World Class, Global Finals 2022

Best DE&I Campaign

• Ketchum - I Am Cracker Jill
• VMWare India and Avian WE - Creating an Equitable Workforce
• Smarts -Diageo Bar Academy: Building a Thriving Hospitality Sector That Works For All

Best Digital and New Media

• Helen with Kurio -This Influencer Does Not Exist – But Can Go Viral
• Netprofile and STK- Driving the Green Transition in Electrotechnical Trade

Best Employee and Internal Communications Campaign

• Action Global Communications – UAE - Got. Got. Need!
• EY Austria -EY Sustainability Boardgame 2.0
• Omnicom PR Group and CNH Industrial – Biking New Ground

Best Environmental & Sustainability Campaign

• WE Worldwide and African Parks - Announcing the most ambitious rhino rewilding programme globally
• Omnicom PR Group and Essity - (Un)Sustainable Terrestrials
• EY Austria- EY Sustainability Boardgame 2.0
• Rantau+ & Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd - Driving Socioeconomic Value of the Klang River through Environmental Rejuvenation
• Gowling WLG – Tomorrow's World, Coportate Communications Team
• Wärtsilä Energy with Kurio and Greenhouse Communications - #Leapfrogging4Africa

Best Influencer Marketing Campaign

• DNA Brand Architects -Nivea For Your Shade Of Beautiful
• Helen with Kurio- This Influencer Does Not Exist – But Can Go Viral
• Smarts -Colour Injection Collection

Best Media Relations Campaign

• DNA Brand Architects– Nivea For Your Shade Of Beautiful
• DNA Brand Architects- Tastic Sounds of My Heritage
• MY PR & Abitare Co. - From "Ways of design" to "Away from design"

Best Not-for-Profit Campaign

• ACG PRO, Vodafone Hungary Foundation - Bright Sky
• Lambert Global and PROI Worldwide for USSEC - Promoting Transferability Around the Globe for USSEC
• NFSSM Alliance and Avian WE - Sabka Haq Swachhta
• Ukrainian PR Army- Where Are Our People?

Best Public Affairs Campaign

• ILFAT and Chase India- Indian Leadership Forum Against Trafficking (ILFAT
• Konektor Digital s.r.o. - Konektor Digital & Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs Czech Republic

Best Purpose Campaign

• ACGPro- Bright Sky
• CENTURY TUNA and COMCO SOUTHEAST ASIA - Save Our Planet, Save Our Seas – The Century Tuna’s “Saving Our Seas” Campaign
• foodpanda Myanmar and Community Partners International (CPI) with RICE Communications Myanmar - ‘End TB Together’ - Quest to Raise Tuberculosis Awareness in Myanmar
• Mastercard Türkiye and Weber Shandwick - Pitches of Hope
• Skoda Auto Slovensko - The Most Beautiful Sounds of Slovakia - Michael Gajdos, WLB, Socialists, PHD
• Virgin Media O2 in partnership with British Heart Foundation (supported by Hope & Glory and Broadcast Revolution) - Brenda Edwards at the heart of live saving CPR campaign

Best Technology Campaign

• WE Communications and Vodacom Africa.Connected - Connecting everyone on the African continent
• Virgin Media O2 and Good Things Foundation, Hope & Glory, Missive and Broadcast Revolution - Creating a National Databank

Best Use of AI

• Helen with Kurio- This Influencer Does Not Exist – But Can Go Viral
• Telekom Hungary and Uniomedia Group - Cologne by AI
• Weber Shandwick Turkey- Client: Gilead Turkey - One Voice

Event, Launch or Stunt Campaign

• ACG PRO and Vodafone Hungary - Theatre should belong to everyone
• FleishmanHillard UK and Icelandair - Iceland: Around the Corner
• MVM Group with Lounge Group - MVM Future Talks
• Resideo– Make the home a safer place
• Smarts – Sorry Surrey
• Imagem Corporativa– European Day Case

Strategy and Evaluation in a Campaign

• Ketchum- I Am Cracker Jill
• Netprofile and STK: Driving the Green Transition in Electrotechnical Trade- Driving the Green Transition in Electrotechnical Trade

Further Campaign Awards to be announced at the awards ceremony

• Crisis and Issues Management
• Best Healthcare Campaign
• Best Corporate or Finance
• Automotive and Transport

Special Awards

Championing Diversity Award

• Ketchum UK
• Milk & Honey PR

Improving Society and the Reputation of Public Relations

• PR Brunch- Shaping Perspectives, Shifting PR Further
• PRVA (Austria) in cooperation with: GPRA (Germany), LSA (Switzerland), Austrian Climate Protection Academy, ORCA and partners - Developing an International Charta for Sustainability and Climate protection communications
• Omnicom PR Group - Essity - (Un)Sustainable Terrestrials
• Ukrainian PR Army
• Milk & Honey PR

Individual Awards

PR Leader of the Year

• Kirsty Leighton, Milk & Honey PR
• Caroline Hsu, The Hoffman Agency
• Viroslava Novosylna, Slova Tech PR
• Lubomir Alamanov, SiteMedia Consultancy Bulgaria

Rising Star of the Year

• Anna Savchenko, Ukrainian PR Army
• Gergana Ganeva, SiteMedia Consultancy Bulgaria
• Lera Krutskykh, Slova Tech PR

Team Awards

Agency of the Year - Small/Medium (Europe, Americas, Africa and Asia)

• 4CO
• Kurio
• RICE Communications
• SiteMedia Consultancy Bulgaria
• Milk & Honey PR

Agency of the Year - Large (Europe, Americas, Africa and Asia)

• Cavendish
• FleishmanHillard
• ON PURPOSE
• Smarts
• WE Communications
• Value 360 Communications
• DNA Brand Architects

To be announced on the night:

ICCO and GWPR Angela Oaks Award

ICCO Hall of Fame