We were extremely pleased this year to match the 13 awards the Martin Waymire team and our clients won at the 2017 PACE Awards. But this year we also did well in the 2018 PACE Awards People’s Choice Awards — winning first place for campaigns and tying for first on tactics. That meant taking home 15 glass trophies for public relations excellence in competitions with agencies and organizations from across Mid-Michigan and the East Central United States — definitely a reason to celebrate!
Martin Waymire won five first-place “Pinnacle Awards” in the Public Relations Society of America Central Michigan Chapter’s 2018 PACE Awards competition, including for the Fix MI State campaign and the I Vaccinate campaign. The company also won top awards for several tactics, including the I Vaccinate website and a social media campaign encouraging Michigan parents to get their children immunized during National Immunization Awareness Month, as well as a series of op-eds promoting legislation to allow dental therapists to practice in Michigan.
In addition, Martin Waymire won multiple awards in PRSA’s “Diamond Awards” competition for the East Central states of Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, including a first-place Diamond Award for a campaign to promote the Michigan State Housing Development Authority’s Step Forward Michigan program.
In total, the firm won 12 PACE Awards and three Diamond Awards, all given out April 12 at the annual PACE Awards event in Lansing. The awards included:
- First-place Diamond Award for the campaign entry, “Michigan State Housing Development Authority’s Step Forward Michigan Program.” The client is MSHDA/Michigan Homeowner Assistance Nonprofit Housing Corporation.
- Merit Award for the Diamond Awards campaign entry, “Restore the Michigan Infrastructure Fund.” The client is the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association.
- Merit Award for the Diamond Awards tactics entry, “Michigan College Access Network On-Demand Snapchat Geofilter.” The client is the Michigan College Access Network.
- First-place Pinnacle Award for public affairs campaign in the PACE Awards for the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association’s Fix MI State campaign.
- First-place Pinnacle Award for public service campaign in the PACE Awards competition for the I Vaccinate campaign. Clients are the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services and the Franny Strong Foundation.
- First-place Pinnacle Award for editorials/op-ed columns tactic in the PACE Awards competition for the Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health’s MI Dental Access op-ed series.
- First-place Pinnacle Award for website tactic in the PACE Awards competition for the I Vaccinate website. Clients are the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services and the Franny Strong Foundation.
- First-place Pinnacle Award for social medium tactic in the PACE Awards competition for “Engaging Michigan parents during National Immunization Awareness Month.” Clients are the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services and the Franny Strong Foundation.
- Award of Excellence for public affairs campaign in the PACE Awards competition for the Michigan Council for Maternal and Child’s Health’s MI Dental Access campaign.
- Award of Excellence for public service campaign in the PACE Awards competition for the Michigan College Access Network’s campaign, “Increasing the number of college graduates in Michigan.”
- Award of Excellence for video programs tactic in the PACE Awards competition for the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association’s Fix MI State “The Journey of Number Two” video.
- Award of Excellence for editorial/op-eds columns tactic in the PACE Awards competition for Voters Not Politicians op-eds, “Politicians shouldn’t choose their voters.”
- Award of Achievement for organizational relations campaign in the PACE Awards competition for the Michigan ACE Initiative.
- Winner of the People’s Choice Award for Campaigns in the PACE Awards competition for the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association’s Fix MI State Campaign.
- Tied for winner of the People’s Choice Awards for Tactics in the PACE Awards competition for the social medium tactic, “Engaging Michigan parents during National Immunization Awareness Month.” Clients are the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services and the Franny Strong Foundation.
In addition, Michigan State University senior Katie Bylin was named the 2018 Student Practitioner of the Year at the PACE Awards. Katie has been a student practitioner at Martin Waymire since May 2017 and has played an integral role on our staff. We wish her the best as she graduates and moves on to new challenges.
Each and every award listed above represents a client who is working to make Michigan a better place, which is what we’re all about at Martin Waymire. We’re grateful to all of the amazing organizations, companies and coalitions that trust us to help them achieve their goals.
