TORONTO, June 12, 2019 /CNW/ – More than 290 people attended the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC)/Toronto’s 2019 OVATION Awards Gala on May 29.
The OVATION Awards recognized the finest examples of communications talent, projects and campaigns undertaken by the GTA’s communications industry over the past year. The gala evening, themed “Celebrating Communications Excellence,” was hosted by hilarious stand-up comedians Dena Jackson and Barry Taylor.
“This year’s list of winners demonstrates that when great minds connect strategic thinking and creative execution with measurable results, the impact on the business is immeasurable,” said Stephanie Thornbury, ABC, IABC/Toronto Vice-President, OVATION Awards. “Congratulations to all the winners for this tremendous achievement.”
Continuing the trend of showcasing their work, IABC/Toronto received more than 200 submissions from individual communications practitioners, agencies and corporations in the GTA, with awards being presented for their innovative approach and outstanding impact.
In total, 53 Awards of Excellence, 56 Awards of Merit and six Awards of Distinction were recognized along with presentations for the People’s Choice Award and the Bobbie Resnick Student of the Year Award. Open to all members and non-members for voting, the People’s Choice Award recognizes the best communications campaign of the year as voted by its peers. This year’s winner of the People’s Choice Award was Weber Shandwick Canada for its The Woods Parka Lodge media relations campaign. The 2019 Bobbie Resnick Student of the Year was awarded to Shane Madill, a Centennial College student. This award recognizes a student from an accredited institution who demonstrates excellence in communications and the greatest potential to be the best all-round future professional.
Entries were judged by a panel of senior communications professionals. Two separate judges carefully reviewed each entry independently and then jointly reviewed the submission and results. The judging criteria for the submissions included clear objectives, originality and demonstrated results.
IABC/Toronto announced the following Awards of Distinction winners:
2019 Boutique Agency of the Year
- ruckus Digital
2019 Small Agency of the Year
- Craft Public Relations
2019 Mid-Sized Agency of the Year
- Strategic Objectives
2019 Large Agency of the Year
- Weber Shandwick Canada
2019 Communications Department of the Year
- The Regional Municipality of York
2019 Not-for-Profit Communications Department of the Year
- The Canadian Payroll Association
View the 2019 Award of Excellence and Award of Merit winners.
The 2019 IABC/Toronto OVATION Awards were sponsored by ContactMonkey (Platinum Sponsor), Fusion Design Group(Gold Sponsor), Stoquart Americas (Gold Sponsor) and the McMaster-Syracuse MCM Program (Bronze Sponsor).
About IABC/Toronto
Setting a standard of excellence since 1970, the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is a vibrant global membership association with thousands of members from around the world, representing many of the Global Fortune 500 companies. IABC/Toronto is recognized as the association’s largest chapter in the world with nearly 1,000 members. The chapter provides members with the tools and resources to excel at all levels of their communication engagements. For more information, visit http://toronto.iabc.to/.
SOURCE International Association of Business Communicators
For further information: Stephanie Thornbury, VP, OVATION Awards, toronto-ovationawards@iabc.to, or John Gilson, VP, Communications and Digital Media, toronto-communications@iabc.to.