The 20th Annual Mak Awards

Makovsky

Makovsky Celebrates 20^th Annual ‘Mak Awards’ Rewarding Excellence in Public Relations Campaigns

Employees present the year’s best PR campaigns to leading communications industry experts

NEW YORK – April 2017 – Makovsky, a leading integrated communications firm, celebrated its 20^th anniversary of the ‘Mak Awards,’ an initiative to recognize and reward excellence in public relations campaigns, in its midtown Manhattan office on March 21, 2017.

The Mak Awards recognize public relations excellence at Makovsky in the same way the PRSA’s Silver Anvil, for example, does for the industry. Makovsky employees are encouraged to submit the year’s most innovative and compelling public relations campaigns to present to leading communications industry experts across the same verticals Makovsky practices – Health, Financial + Professional Services, Energy + Sustainability, Technology, Digital, and Corporate + Consumer. Past judges have included leading industry brands from Pfizer to IBM, GE Capital, JPMorgan and Johnson & Johnson. This year’s judges hailed from leadership roles among the following companies: Hess Corporation, Quest Diagnostics, RB (Reckitt Benckiser Group), KPMG, Eagle Pharmaceuticals and Ness Digital Engineering.

“The Mak Awards is one of the most important initiatives we undertake at Makovsky every year,” said Makovsky President and Founder, Ken Makovsky. “It is so important to recognize the excellent work our employees do for our clients with the highest level of passion, creativity and loyalty.”

Each year, Makovsky gives out three awards. The winning team receives a “Mak” trophy and a cash prize of $5,000; second place takes home a trophy and a $3,500 cash prize; and honorable mention accepts a trophy and $1,000 cash prize. The judges are provided with a two-page summary of each campaign entry that sets forth the situation, the strategy, the techniques used and the results in advance of the awards. The judges then meet to hear 25-minute presentations by each of the finalists, where they can also ask questions of the presenters. As soon as the presentations are over, the judges confer to choose the winner(s).

The 2017 Mak Awards winners were announced at Makovsky’s March 28^th staff meeting. The winner circle included:

• 1st Place: The top prize was awarded to Makovsky’s Energy team for their work organizing a black-tie gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art honoring ten heroes—individuals and organizations—for their extraordinary contributions to the global campaign against violent extremism. This memorable 400-person event was successfully executed in under a month by the Makovsky team on behalf of the Global Hope Coalition. 

• 2^nd Place: The second-place prize was awarded to Makovsky’s Corporate + Consumer team for their work with PogoTec to launch PogoCam, the world’s smallest and lightest camera attachable to eyewear.

• Honorable Mention: Honorable Mention was awarded to the Financial + Professional Services team for their work with Trinseo, a global specialty chemicals and materials company. The team was tasked with raising investor awareness after Trinseo posted record earnings for 2016. The team coordinated Trinseo’s first ever Investor Day and their successful efforts to broaden Trinseo’s investor base. The team also expanded print coverage, and secured multiple broadcast appearances for the CEO on leading business shows including CNBC’s “Power Lunch.