NEW YORK, Sept. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PRSA-NY today announced the six distinguished leaders who will receive 2026 Individual Awards at the 39th Annual Big Apple Awards Gala on Thursday, September 17, at Sony Hall in New York City.
This year’s honorees represent journalism, business, communication, innovation, mentorship and public service, with careers that demonstrate the extraordinary influence trusted communicators and leaders can have on organizations, institutions and society.
The 2026 Individual Honorees are:
Sharon Moshavi, President’s Award
Sharon Moshavi, President of the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and Co-CEO of the Plus alliance, will receive the PRSA-NY President’s Award, recognizing her leadership and commitment to strengthening journalism at a time when trusted, independent information has never been more important. A journalist herself, Moshavi spent more than 15 years as a reporter, including over a decade as an international correspondent based in Delhi, Jerusalem and Tokyo, before joining ICFJ in 2007 and becoming its president in 2021. Her career reflects a deep commitment to supporting journalists around the world, expanding access to reliable information and helping journalism innovate and adapt while remaining grounded in its essential public service mission.
Aaron Kwittken, Mentoring Award
Aaron Kwittken, Partner and Global Head of AI and Innovation at FGS Global, will receive the PRSA-NY Mentoring Award, honoring a career that has combined entrepreneurship, innovation and a longstanding commitment to developing and championing the next generation of communication leaders. Over more than three decades, Kwittken has founded and built businesses, advised major organizations and helped lead the profession’s embrace of emerging technology and AI. A past president of PRSA-NY and former adjunct professor at NYU, he has consistently made mentorship and service a part of his leadership. That commitment extends from the workplace to the classroom and his community, including establishing the Kwittken Fund for Strategic Communication Internships and Mentoring at George Washington University to help students gain career-building experience and mentorship, as well as serving as a volunteer firefighter in his local community. Throughout his career, Kwittken has created opportunities for emerging talent, generously shared his experience and encouraged others to think bigger about their careers, their potential and the future of the profession.
Ray Day, PRSA-NY Lifetime Achievement Award
Ray Day, Vice Chair of Stagwell and Executive Chair of Allison Worldwide, will receive the PRSA-NY Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing more than three decades of leadership across some of the world's most influential companies and brands. Day has served as a chief communication officer and senior leader at organizations including IBM and Ford Motor Company, and today helps shape the future of one of the industry's major global networks. Throughout his career, he has championed communication as an essential business discipline, built and led high-performing teams and helped elevate the role and influence of communication leaders in the C-suite.
Rana Foroohar, The Daniel J. Edelman Award for Social Impact
Rana Foroohar, Global Business Columnist and Associate Editor at the Financial Times, and CNN’s Global Economic Analyst will receive The Daniel J. Edelman Award for Social Impact, sponsored by Edelman. One of today's most respected voices on economics and global business, Foroohar has spent her career examining the intersection of markets, technology, politics and public policy. Through her journalism, commentary and books, she has consistently examined how economic and technological power shapes society and individual lives, challenging conventional thinking and bringing clarity and perspective to some of the most consequential issues of our time.
Judy Smith, The Barbara Way Hunter Trailblazer Award
Judy Smith, Founder and CEO of Smith & Company, will receive The Barbara Way Hunter Trailblazer Award, sponsored by HUNTER, honoring a groundbreaking career that has helped redefine crisis communication while opening doors for generations of leaders who followed her. Known around the world as a trusted crisis advisor, Smith has counseled presidents, world leaders, Fortune 50 CEOs and high-profile individuals through some of their most challenging moments. Before founding Smith & Company, she served as Deputy Press Secretary and Special Assistant to President George H.W. Bush, becoming the first Black woman to brief the White House press corps, and her remarkable career later inspired the hit television series Scandal. A lawyer, entrepreneur, strategist and counselor, Smith has built her career around judgment, trust and the power of communication when the stakes are highest.
Jano Cabrera, The Harold Burson Award
Jano Cabrera, Chief Communications Officer of General Mills, will receive The Harold Burson Award, sponsored by Burson. The award recognizes a communication leader whose career reflects the strategic counsel, judgment and leadership embodied by Harold Burson, one of the profession's most influential figures. Cabrera's career has taken him from presidential politics and the White House to global consulting and the C-suite, with senior roles at Burson-Marsteller and McDonald's before joining General Mills. A PRWeek Hall of Fame inductee, Cabrera has built his career around understanding the business, listening carefully and earning the trust required to counsel leaders through change, opportunity and complex reputational challenges.
“The talent represented by this year’s honorees is extraordinary - these are true legends in their fields. What makes this group even more remarkable is the profound impact they’ve had on the institutions, industries and people around them,” said Paul Cohen, PRSA-NY President. “They have strengthened independent journalism and access to reliable information; mentored and inspired generations of young talent; elevated communications as an essential business discipline; held power to account and illuminated some of the defining issues of our time; broken barriers and counseled leaders when the stakes were highest; and helped our profession navigate enormous change. At a moment when trust is fragile, truth is too often under attack and the way people receive information is changing before our eyes, we need examples like these. I could not be prouder that PRSA-NY is honoring Sharon, Aaron, Ray, Rana, Judy and Jano.”
The 39th Annual Big Apple Awards Gala will take place September 17 at Sony Hall in New York City. This year’s theme, “Where Stories Move Hearts, Minds and Markets,” celebrates the power of communication and storytelling to influence organizations, communities and culture.
The evening will bring together leaders from across public relations, corporate communication, agencies, media and business to recognize the 2026 Individual Honorees, celebrate the year’s outstanding Big Apple Award-winning work and honor the next generation of the profession.
Tickets and tables are now available for the September 17 celebration at Sony Hall. Secure your tickets or table and join PRSA-NY in celebrating this extraordinary group of leaders and the very best of New York’s communication community.
Purchase tickets and tables here.
Sponsors for 2026 Big Apple Awards
PRSA-NY is grateful for the support of its members and the broader PR community, including Big Apple Awards sponsors Edelman, HUNTER, Burson, MikeWorldWide, 360PR+, Truescope, Davis + Gilbert LLP, Baker Tilly x Anchin, The Museum of Public Relations, D S Simon Media, Coyne PR, Bospar and Notified. Sponsorship opportunities are available at a variety of levels to join the Sponsor Honor Roll. Contact fays@commpro.biz to learn more.
About PRSA-NY
The Public Relations Society of America, New York Chapter (PRSA-NY), is one of the largest and most influential chapters of PRSA. Serving communication professionals throughout the New York metropolitan area, PRSA-NY provides professional development, education, networking and recognition programs designed to advance the profession and the people who shape it.
Media Contact:
Justine Mrsich
Justine.mrsich@outlook.com
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