New Jersey-based public relations firm Violet PR earned six gold awards in the esteemed 2024 Bulldog PR Awards – the only national PR awards program judged exclusively by journalists. Violet PR won ‘Best Industry-Focused Agency,’ ‘Best Business to Business Campaign,’ ‘Best Community Engagement Campaign,’ ‘Best Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives Campaign,’ ‘Best Global Campaign,’ and ‘Most Innovative Media Relations Campaign.’

“It’s an incredible honor that our agency – comprised of just 13 full-time employees – won so many top accolades in this year’s competition,” said April Mason, founder and president of Violet PR. “We uncovered and told national stories about clean energy, immigration and aerospace from places that often go overlooked, including Oklahoma, North Carolina, Kansas and Missouri.”

Violet PR was named the nation’s ‘Best Industry-Focused Agency’ due to its growth from a small practice into a nationally recognized agency specializing in economic development. In 2023, Violet PR onboarded prominent clients including the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, Arlington Economic Development, Invest Newark, Newark Alliance, and the Sugar Land Office of Economic Development. The same year, Violet PR’s largest clients received more than 1,000 news stories and earned over 10 billion impressions.

The firm’s impactful work with Topeka, Kansas, earned gold awards in the ‘Best Community Engagement Campaign’ and ‘Best Diversity & Inclusion Campaign’ categories. With more than 4,000 open jobs and many resources for Spanish speakers, the Greater Topeka Partnership engaged Violet PR to promote the city to legal Hispanic immigrants. Violet PR secured 26 feature stories in English news outlets and 43 in Spanish news outlets about the city’s assets, including The Wall Street Journal, Telemundo, NBC News, The Washington Post and Governing.

“Violet PR has helped put Topeka on the map as a welcoming place for all,” said Bob Ross, senior vice president of marketing, communications, events & analytics at the Greater Topeka Partnership. “Our community leaders are thrilled with the media coverage. We look forward to sharing more stories through Violet PR for years to come.”

Other awards included:

– Best Business to Business Campaign (gold) – “North Carolina’s Clean Energy Boom” on behalf of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC)
– Best Global Campaign (gold) – “Oklahoma: North America’s Ideal Location for Global Business” on behalf of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce
– Most Innovative Media Relations Campaign (gold) – “Flyover Country No More: Putting Kansas City on the Map” on behalf of the Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADC)

The 2024 Bulldog PR Awards, which rank the most outstanding PR and communications campaigns, celebrate public relations and communication excellence. It is the only national public relations contest judged exclusively by working journalists. The judges evaluate the entries based on creativity, originality, strategy, execution and results.