TIME magazine editor Sam Jacobs was presented with the Daniel J. Edelman award for Social Impact by Richard Edelman at PRSA-NY's 2025 Big Apple Awards on Thursday, Sept. 18 at Sony Hall in Midtown Manhattan.
The honor celebrates reporters whose work demonstrates a commitment to truth, public service and the free press.
The Big Apple Awards, hosted by co-emcees Brian Stelter (CNN) and Jamie Stelter (Spectrum News NY1), recognized the year’s most innovative and effective campaigns, as well as individuals whose achievements have left a lasting mark on the industry.
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| Richard Edelman (R) presents TIME magazine editor Sam Jacobs with the Daniel J. Edelman award for Social Impact at PRSA-NY's 2025 Big Apple Awards on Thursday, Sept. 18 at Sony Hall in Midtown Manhattan. |
| Photo: Video Production & Motion Design |
Jacobs, who has been with TIME since 2013, was named editor in chief in 2023, leading its global newsroom and its journalism across all platforms. He has also served in editorial and reporting positions at Thomson Reuters, Newsweek and The Daily Beast.
“We are the stewards for TIME’s cover, with its famous red border and the most valuable real estate in media,” Jacobs said in accepting the award. “For us, the red border frames our thinking about all we do and about the world.”
He said that TIME uses the red border “to call attention to places where we hope for more leadership—from the homes of East Palestine, Ohio, to the soup kitchens of Gaza City; from the women’s health clinics in rural Afghanistan to the refugee camps of Darfur.”
In a note on Edelman’s web site, Richard Edelman said the Big Apple Awards ceremony gave him “the opportunity to highlight the critical role of an independent press corps in a functioning democracy. I said that Sam and other editors in chief must keep their nerves in the face of political pressure.” He added that “PR people must do their best to provide truthful information to the media."
Al Roker, Bret Stephens, and George Stephanopoulos were past winners of the Edelman award.
Among the other winners of 2025 Big Apple Awards were:
Best Use of Owned Social Media
Winner: Zeno Group for KIND Kids Taps Into Back to School Nostalgia
Best Use of Spokesperson/Influencer
Winner: Carmichael Lynch Relate for Treasure Cave's Recipe for Brand and Category Love
Honorable Mention: Coyne PR & Otsuka America Pharmaceutical for Missy FranklinDives into Kidney Disease Awareness with Otsuka Collaboration
Best Use of Spokesperson/Influencer (Campaign Budgets < $200K)
Winner: 360PR+ for Nasoya Fuels Inspiration and Empowers Women to Explore Tofu with Power of 9 Campaign
Corporate Social Responsibility
Winner: HUNTER for Meals on Wheels America Ends the Wait for Millions of Seniors
Events & Observances (Consumer)
Winner: Carmichael Lynch Relate for A Slicey, Spicy Launch with Montchevre
Honorable Mention: Padilla with Jack Link’s for “Sasquatch in the Skies” National Jerky Day 2024
Events & Observances (Government, Associations & Non-Profits & Campaign Budgets <$200K)
Winner: The TASC Group for Launching New York City's First Pet-Inclusive Shelter for Homeless Families
Honorable Mention: Citizens Financial Group and Hudson Cutler & Co. for Team Citizens Scores a Ten (Year Milestone
Honorable Mention: Padilla with Norwegian Seafood Council for Sea-To-TableRestaurant Week NYC 2024
Experiential Marketing
Winner: Carmichael Lynch Relate for A Slicey, Spicy Launch with Montchevre
Honorable Mention: Coyne PR & CeraVe for CeraVe Embarks on a Multi-City Drama Free Cleansing Tour
Generational Targeted Marketing (Gen Z, Boomer, etc.)
Winner: Zeno Group for Goldfish Goes Viral with Adult Name Change: Chilean Sea Bass
Integrated Communications (B2B)
Winner: From Cocktails to Mocktails: How NCS Drove the Sober Curious Conversation, NCSolutions and Feintuch Communications
Integrated Communications (Consumer Products & Services)
Winner: Stranahan’s Takes Ownership of a New Whiskey Category, Three Cheers PR
Honorable Mention: Blitzing the Region: A Targeted Approach for iovera°, Coyne PR & Pacira BioSciences, Inc.
Marketing Business-to-Business (Campaign Budgets < $200K)
Winner: NCSolutions and Feintuch Communications for From Cocktails to Mocktails: How NCS Drove the Sober Curious Conversation
Honorable Mention: Coyne PR & Chiquita for A Future Without Bananas? Chiquita’s Quest to Prevent a Global Agricultural Crisis
Marketing Consumer Products & Services (Campaign Budgets < $200K)
Winner: Carmichael Lynch Relate for Insomnia Cookies Broke Up With Your Partner So You Didn’t Have To
Marketing Consumer Products & Services (CPG)
Winner: Coyne PR & Haleon for TUMS Makes Gameday Food Dreams a Reality with TUMS Fantasy Foodball Pool
Honorable Mention: Carmichael Lynch Relate for Treasure Cave's Recipe for Brand and Category Love
Marketing Consumer Products & Services (Food & Beverage)
Winner: HUNTER for Hundreds of NYC Street Carts Ditch Their Iconic Pretzels for King’s Hawaiian Pretzel Bites
Honorable Mention: Carmichael Lynch Relate for A Slicey, Spicy Launch withMontchevre
Marketing Consumer Products & Services (Other)
Winner: Thorne x Diffusion for Supplementing Smarter
Media Relations (Cross Platform)
Winner: Padilla with NMDP for Refresh, Reengage, Reeducate: Expanding a BrandStory Through Earned Media
Honorable Mention: Carmichael Lynch Relate for Insomnia Cookies Broke Up With YourPartner So You Didn’t Have To
Honorable Mention: NCSolutions and Feintuch Communications for From Cocktails to Mocktails: How NCS Drove the Sober Curious Conversation
Media Relations (Online)
Winner: Gregory FCA for Leading the Fight Against AI-Generated CSAM Through the Power of Media
Honorable Mention: Three Cheers PR for Breaking Down TINCUP Bourbon to Build it Up
Mental Health & Awareness
Winner: Coyne PR & Otuska America Pharmaceutical for Revolutionizing Digital Therapeutics with Rejoyn
Public Service
Winner: Padilla with Hennepin County for Trash or Cash
Reputation/Brand Management & Engagement
Winner: Carmichael Lynch Relate for Treasure Cave's Recipe for Brand and Category Love
Honorable Mention: NCSolutions and Feintuch Communications for From Cocktails to Mocktails: How NCS Drove the Sober Curious Conversation
Honorable Mention: Citizens Financial Group and Hudson Cutler & Co. for Citizens x Queens Night Market: Building Reputation and Engagement Through Culture
Video (Social Video & Other):
Winner: GCI Health for ViiV x The Skin Deep for Navigating HIV: Real Stories, Real Impact
2025 PRSA-NY Big Apple Individual Awards
Barbara W. Hunter Trailblazer Award: Sam Marchiano, Award-winning Sports Journalist, Professor at NYU’s Tisch Institute of Global Sport, and Founder of the Equality League
Daniel J. Edelman Award: Sam Jacobs, Editor in Chief, TIME
Harold Burson Award: Jon Harris, Executive Vice President, Chief Communications & Networking Officer, Conagra Brands
John W. Hill Award: Barby K. Siegel, CEO, Zeno Group
PRSA-NY Excellence in Mentoring Award: Douglas Simon, CEO, D S Simon Media
PRSA-NY President’s Award: Helio Fred Garcia, President, Logos Consulting Group
2025 PRSA-NY Big Apple Awards 15 Under 35 Recipients:
PRSA-NY’s Big Apple Awards also honored PR professionals who exemplify the highest standards of leadership and achievement in communications. The 2025 15 Under 35 honorees showcased the next generation of talent driving innovation and impact across the industry, while esteemed individual award recipients were recognized for their leadership, influence, and long-standing contributions to the field.
- Erin Cooper, APCO
- Conor Douglass, Attention Comms
- Abbey Scalia, Berk Communications
- Autumn Blackmon-Burk, GCI Health
- Nicole Sullivan, Gregory FCA
- Joyce Kim, IW Group
- Thomas Palladino, HEINEKEN USA
- Yuliya Kim, Mission North
- Danielle Montana, Peppercomm
- Jackson Budinger, The Trevor Project
- Gabby DiCarlo, Vested
- Olivia Zibaitis, Yahoo
- Christina Kim, Yanolja
- Alli Cloutier Kelly, Zeno Group
- Emily Herman, Zeno Group
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