Del Oro Award Winners - Past & Present
2017 Del Oro Awards
PRSA San Antonio hosts the 15th Annual Del Oro Awards on May 11, 2017 to recognize the best in public relations for 2016! Award winners are listed below.
- Tex Taylor Lifetime Achievement: Dr. Ali Kanso El-Ghori, Professor, Communication, University of Texas at San Antonio
- Public Relations Professional of the Year: Stephanie Finleon-Cortez, Chief Development and Communications Officer, Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas
- Public Relations Professional of the Year: Heather Adkins, Vice President and Chief Communications/Marketing Officer, UT Health Science Center
- Public Relations Champion: Annette Rodriguez, Chief Executive Officer, Children’s Shelter in San Antonio
- Community Service: Sonia Quirino Canales, H-E-B Diversity & Inclusion Manager
- Horizon Award: Kimberly Flores, Communication Analyst, Alamo Colleges District
La Plata Campaigns Awards of Excellence (Achieved scores of 36 out of 40 or higher, or 90% of available points)
Maren Minchew Public Relations | Building a Legacy G.W. Mitchell Construction’s 95th Anniversary
Step In Communication | Giraffe Ambassador Program for Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch
Communities in Schools of San Antonio | Stuff the Bus School Supply Drive
Texas Public Radio | Dare to Listen
The CE Group, Inc |La Familia Cortez Restaurants 75th Anniverary
La Plata Campaigns Awards of Merit (achieved scores of 32 out of 40 and higher or 80% of available points )
The DeBerry Group | H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards
#2700fostercare | The Children’s Shelter
The CE Group, Inc. | Christmas Light Fest 2016
Visit San Antonio | Transformation of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center
El Bronce Tactics Awards of Excellence (Achieved scores of 36 out of 40 or higher, or 90% of available points)
Northwest Vista College | Overhauling NVC’s Employee Magazine
Texas A & M International University | 2016 Annual Report
San Antonio Water System | H2Oaks Center Grand Opening
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio | `Mission`
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio |`Healing starts here`
The DeBerry Group | Reimagine the Alamo: Archaeology 2016
The DeBerry Group | Reimagine the Alamo Social Media 2016
SWBC | SWBC's 3Sixty Magazine
The University of Texas at San Antonio | Sombrilla Magazine
The CE Group, Inc. | Christmas Light Fest
VIA Metropolitan Transit | Vision Zero Pledge
VIA Metropolitan Transit | VIVA holidays
The CE Group, Inc. | La Familia Cortez Restaurants 75th Anniversary
El Bronce Tactics Awards of Merit (achieved scores of 32 out of 40 and higher or 80% of available points)
KGBTexas Communications | IBC Bank Celebrates 50th Anniversary
UTSA Libraries | The Official Roadrunner Survival Guide
The University of Texas at San Antonio | Innovative teaching methods by UTSA professor Kinitra Brooks
The University of Texas at San Antonio | Gdovin Cancer Research
The University of Texas at San Antonio | UCM 2015 Annual Report
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio | `Out of the Dark`
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio | `The Dead Teach the Living`
Hemisfair | Hemisfair Annual Report
Stephen Chavez and Naomi Rios | ISHLT 36th Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions
The DeBerry Group | Dr. Smith's PEOPLE Advertorial
VIA Metropolitan Transit | Mascot Rally Media Kit
2016 Del Oro Awards
PRSA San Antonio hosted the 14th Annual Del Oro Awards on May 12, 2016 to recognize the best in public relations for 2016! Award winners are listed below.
Del Oro Individual Awards
Barbara Cheaney | Catholic Life Insurance
Tex Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award
Robert Blount, Jr. | MITRE Corporations; Bexar County School Boards Coalition
Public Relations Champion
Janet Holliday | The CE Group
Public Relations Professional of the Year
Felisha Bea Sanchez | Communities in Schools, San Antonio
Horizon Award
Louise Locker | The Elf Louise Christmas Project
Community Service Award
La Plata Campaigns Awards of Excellence (Achieved average scores of 90 and above)
Creative Noggin and Clarity Child Guidance Center | 1 in 5 Minds – Mental Health Month Campaign
San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau | SACVB Brings World Heritage Designation to Global Stage
Step In Communication | Houston Street Charities Ticket Sales Campaign
La Plata Campaigns Awards of Merit (Achieved average scores of 80 and above)
Cherokee Nation Technology Solutions | Air Force Emerging Contaminants Campaign
KGB Texas Communications | Sensible Pay for SA
San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau | Bachelorette: San Antonio
Wingstop San Antonio | Kawhi’s Krew
El Bronce Tactics Awards of Excellence (Achieved average scores of 90 and above)
City of San Antonio Waste Management Department | Pay as You Throw Program
UT Health Science Center San Antonio | Mission
City of San Antonio Waste Management Department | Danny and Bin
Palo Alto College | Mariachi Flash Mob
The Cancer Therapy and Research Center | 2015 CTRC Annual Report
The CE Group | The St. Anthony Hotel
UTSA Libraries | Bringing a Historic San Antonio Collection to Life
The CE Group | The St. Anthony Grand Re-Opening
Intercultural Development Research Association | IDRA Newsletter
San Antonio Zoo and Creative Noggin | Giraffes are Back Grand Opening
El Bronce Tactics Awards of Merit (Achieved average scores of 80 and above)
The Children’s Shelter | Harvey E. Najim Hope Center
The Children’s Shelter | #Keeping Kids in Families Press Conference
Texas A & M International University | Texas A &M International University Annual Report
Texas A & M International University | The Mythbuster Campaign
Texas A & M International University | Phantom of the Opera TV PSA
UT Health Science Center San Antonio | Newsroom
UT Health Science Center San Antonio | The ‘lost’ population
City of San Antonio Waste Management Department | Don’t’ make your blue cart frown
Palo Alto College | 2014-15 Fact Book
San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau | Missions World Heritage Media Kit
San Antonio Zoo and Creative Noggin | Zoo Lights Holiday Nights
San Antonio Zoo and Creative Noggin | Zoo Lights Holiday Nights Inaugural Event
Auxiliary Marketing Services for Kitchen Designs by Giovanni | Website Relaunch
2015 Del Oro Awards
PRSA San Antonio hosted the 13th Annual Del Oro Awards on May 7, 2015 to recognize the best in public relations for 2014! Award winners are listed below.
Del Oro Individual Awards
Leo Zuniga | Alamo Colleges
Tex Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
Melissa Vela-Williamson | KGBTexas
Public Relations Professional of the Year
Kimberly Sherfey Maldonado | The Atkins Group
Horizon Award Recipient
El Bronce Awards of Merit:
- Creative Civilization, AFIA Grand Opening (Media Kits category)
- Creative Civilization, Vista Ridge Remarks for Mario Hernandez (Speeches category)
- Creative Civilization, STEER Op Ed (Op Ed category)
- Creative Civilization, CTCA Rose SAJVAN (Speeches category)
- The CE Group, Intimate Impressionism from the National Gallery of Art – The McNay Art Museum (Media Kits category)
- UT Health Science Center, Making lives better - the campaign for the teacher of health (Print Publication Special Purpose category)
- Texas A&M International University, Graduation Selfie Wall Project (Other Social Media category)
El Bronce Awards of Excellence:
- Creative Civilization, NVSBE National Veteran Small Business Engagement - Social Media (Other Social Media Category)
- Creative Civilization, SAWS Water Pipeline (Op Ed category)
- Texas A&M International University, The 2014 President’s Report (Annual Report category)
La Plata Awards of Merit:
- Creative Civilization, 40th Anniversary Celebration SAEDF (Special Events category)
- Creative Civilization, SAEDF Investment Mission to Japan (Global Communications category)
- Proterra Advertising, Proterra Ignites Media Relations for Langley & Banack in the Eagle Ford Shale (Media Relations category)
- San Antonio CVB, From Travel and Leisure to the Today Show (Media Relations category)
La Plata Awards of Excellence:
- Creative Civilization, Ann Frank Inspire Academy Dedication Open House (Special Events category)
- Creative Civilization, Pre-K for SA (Community Relations category)
- Northwest Vista College, Fall 2014 NVC Degree Completion Campaign (Internal Communications category)
- StepIn Communication and Childsafe, Cardboard Kids 2014 (Social Media Campaigns category)
- ESD & Associates, The Big Give SA - PR (Community Relations category)
- Palo Alto College, PAC Fest 2014 (Social Media Campaigns category)
- USAA/FleishmanHillard, 2014 USAA "Your Future You" Contest (Social Media Campaigns category)
- San Antonio Zoo, Egret Crisis = Zoo Opportunity (Crisis Communication category)
- San Antonio CVB, Tasting Table - San Antonio series (Media Relations category)
Congratulations to all of our 2015 Del Oro Award winners!
2014 Del Oro Awards
PRSA – San Antonio hosted the 12th Annual Del Oro Awards on May 8, 2014 to recognize the best in public relations for 2013! Alanna Sarabia of News 4 WOAI served as the mistress of ceremonies and the event was held on a beautiful evening at Casa Hernán in downtown San Antonio! The chapter presented a total of 32 awards across various categories and highlighted the following practitioners for their individual achievements in public relations:
Anne Keever Cannon, APR
Tex Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
Mary DeLay | UT Health Science Center
Public Relations Professional of the Year
Melissa Sorola | Time Warner Cable
Community Service Award Recipient
Jeannette Garcia | Frost & Sullivan
Horizon Award Recipient
Follow the link for a complete list of all the winners. A sincere thank you to all our sponsors and Casa Hernan for their generous support. Please click here to see photos from the event and thank you to all who participated!
2013 Del Oro Awards
PRSA – San Antonio hosted the 11th Annual Del Oro Awards on May 9, 2013 to recognize the best in public relations for 2012! Natalie Tejeda of KENS-TV served as the master of ceremonies and the event was held on a beautiful evening at the Bright Shawl in downtown San Antonio! The chapter presented a total of 24 awards across various categories and highlighted the following practitioners for their individual achievements in public relations:
Robert Sheldon, APR | Creative Communications Consultants, Inc.
Tex Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
Renata Serafin, APR | Northwest Vista College
Public Relations Professional of the Year
Patricia Jimenez | Villa de San Antonio
Community Service Award Recipient
Maren Minchew | Proterra Advertising
Horizon Award Recipient
A special thank you to our sponsors for their generous support. Please click here to see photos from the event and thank you to all who participated!
2012 Del Oro Awards
The San Antonio Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America holds a special event annually to celebrate the best in public relations. The 10th Annual Del Oro Awards Banquet honored four public relations professionals and several others for their outstanding work in 2011.
Tex Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
Christie L. Goodman, APR, IDRA
Public Relations Professional of the Year
Mary Ullmann Japhet, San Antonio Sports
Community Service Award Recipient
Javier A. Flores, City of San Antonio
Horizon Award Recipient
Krystal L. Jones, San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau
For a complete list of winners, volunteers, and sponsors from this event, please go here.
2011 Del Oro Awards
The San Antonio Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America held its annual Del Oro Awards banquet in May 2011. See the winners.
2010 Del Oro Awards
The San Antonio Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America held its annual Del Oro Awards banquet on May 6, 2010. See the list of 2010 La Plata and El Bronce winners. We also honored the following public relations professionals at our 2010 Del Oro Awards Banquet and Silent Auction.
Paige Ramsey-Palmer, APR
2010 Tex Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
David Gabler
2010 Public Relations Professional of the Year
Stephen Chavez
Community Service Award Winner
Kathrynne “Katie” Hornstrom
2010 Horizon Award Winner
2009 Del Oro Awards
PRSA San Antonio hosted a banquet on May 7 at the Bright Shawl to recognize winners of the chapter’s seventh annual Del Oro Awards contest. San Antonio Express-News writer Edmund Tijerina served at the master of ceremonies. The chapter presented 26 trophies or awards of excellence and 18 certificates of merit in the La Plata division for PR campaigns and the El Bronce division for PR tactics. Three practitioners received Del Oro Awards for outstanding individual achievement in public relations. See the winners
2008 Del Oro Awards
The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) San Antonio Chapter hosted a gala recognizing the stars of public relations to honor winners of the sixth annual Del Oro Awards program.
The Del Oro awards were presented to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the profession. And La Plata and El Bronce Awards were presented to more than 30 organizations for outstanding campaigns and tactics, respectively. Winners represented organizations, diverse in the PR community, including agencies, educational institutions, the health care providers, government agencies, religious groups and independent PR consultants.
See the news release
See the winners
2007 Del Oro Awards
The Public Relations Association of America San Antonio Chapter hosted a gala recognizing the stars of public relations to honor winners in their fifth annual Del Oro Awards program. The evening paid tribute to four individual Del Oro award winners as well as 36 organizations, which won awards for outstanding public relations campaigns and tactics. Winners represented PR agencies, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, financial institutions, the health care industry, religious groups, and independent PR consultants.See the winners
2006 Del Oro Awards
The San Antonio Chapter of PRSA hosted a gala recognizing the stars of public relations at its fourth annual Del Oro Awards. The evening began with a tribute in recognition of a PR star who died earlier in the year. Marilyn Potts, APR, served as president of the PRSA chapter last year and was an active member both in San Antonio and her former hometown of Wichita, Kan. See the winners
2005 Del Oro Awards
The San Antonio Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America presented more than 25 awards for outstanding public relations campaigns, tactics and individual leadership at its upcoming Del Oro Awards banquet. The chapter’s third annual awards program celebrates the achievements of many public relations practitioners in San Antonio. This year's event was sponsored in part by Business Wire, Crumrine Printers, Inc., Garcia360, SeaWorld of Texas and the Westin La Cantera. See the winners
2004 Del Oro Awards
The San Antonio Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America presented more than 20 awards for outstanding public relations campaigns, tactics and individual leadership at the recent Del Oro Awards dinner. The chapter’s second annual awards program celebrates the achievements of many public relations practitioners in San Antonio. This year's event was sponsored in part by Methodist Healthcare and the Westin La Cantera. See the winners
2003 Del Oro Awards
The San Antonio chapter of the Public Relations Society of America established our chapter-level awards program in 2003, which had been a dream of this chapter for many years. The board decided to issue awards in three categories: Del Oro (The Gold), La Plata (The Silver) and Las Bronce (The Bronze). See the winners.