Celebrating Dayton's Industry Excellence: 2026 Gem City PR Awards Winners Announced!

Today marked another big milestone for the Miami Valley's PR, marketing, and communications community, as we officially wrapped up the 2026 PRSA Dayton Gem City PR Awards season with an inspiring celebration.

The Dayton area is home to an extraordinary wealth of talent. From brilliant strategic campaigns to the masterminds navigating our daily media landscape, today was all about honoring the dedication, creativity, and impact of our local PR, communications, and marketing professionals.

Your work speaks for itself in your daily accomplishments, and we are deeply honored to celebrate these achievements alongside your industry peers.

Please join us in congratulating this year's exceptional winners!

Best of Show Winner

Kristen Bowser, Dayton Children's Hospital – "Above and Beyond Week"

Individual Award Winners

• Communications Professional of the Year (The Smitty): Julie Thompson, APR
• Newsmaker of the Year: Kelly Blankenship, DO
• Media Friend of the Year: Cheryl McHenry
• Young Professional of the Year: Colleen Skiles

Gem City PR Award Winners

• Ashley Junkunc, Dayton Children's Hospital – "Inside the Mathile Center" Series
• Emily Bennett, Shift•ology Communication – Shift•ology Communication + Global Impact STEM Academy Digital Recruitment Campaign
• Emily Bennett, Shift•ology Communication – Shift•ology Communication + Mercy Health – Springfield Men's Health Expo
• Emily Bennett, Shift•ology Communication – Shift•ology Communication + Mercy Health – Springfield Cardiovascular/Cardiothoracic Service Line Campaign
• Julie Thompson, Dayton Christian School – "A Life That Educated for Eternity"
• Julie Thompson, Premier Health – Premier News Now
• CareSource Social Media Team, CareSource – "On Your Mark, Get Set, Share! Amplifying CareSource Culture Through Social Media"
• Katy Carrico, City of Beavercreek – Explore Beavercreek
• Bob Sadowski, APR, myCUmortgage – myCUmortgage Direct-to-Member Marketing Program
• Bob Sadowski, APR, myCUmortgage – 2025 myCUmortgage Partner Conference
• Bob Sadowski, APR, myCUmortgage – Mort the Mortgage Mentor's Blog
• Bob Sadowski, APR, myCUmortgage – Carolinas Credit Union League Video
• Kim Quill, Dayton Children's Hospital – "Fight the Flu!" Integrated Campaign
• Stacy Porter, Dayton Children's Hospital – Mathile Center for Mental Health and Wellness Opening
• Kristen Bowser, Dayton Children's Hospital – "Above and Beyond Week"

Congratulations to the teams and individuals behind these outstanding and impactful campaigns and projects!

A Heartfelt Thank You

Thank you to everyone who submitted entries, nominated their peers, attended the luncheon, and who keep raising the bar for our industry. A special thank you to our sponsors for making this celebration possible: Montgomery Co. Veterans Services, Dayton Children’s Hospital, and Minuteman Kettering.