YEREVAN – The fourth annual Armenian PR Association Diaspora Mass Media Award was given to the Baikar Weekly, an Armenian-language sister publication of the Armenian Mirror-Spectator, on December 19 at the Armenian General Benevolent Union building in Yerevan. According to the organizers, the goal of the awards is to elevate the role of specialists in public communications and encourage new technology and methods of communications, as well as to note omissions in the field.
This year there were 16 categories of public relations awards. Nouneh Sarkissian, wife of the current president of Armenia, received the award of Woman of the Year. Singer, composer, actor and public figure Charles Aznavour was recognized as an Armenian “brand.” The Golden Apricot Film Festival won the cultural PR award, while the Minecraft program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs won the digital PR of the year award.
The 2019 CONIFA European Soccer Cup being hosted in Artsakh was given the image PR of the year award, while two PR initiatives received awards: the field dedicated to the 2,800th anniversary of Yerevan donated by the Vardanyan Family Philanthropic Foundation and the “Bavakan E” [That’s Enough] campaign against gender-based abortions by the Doping advertisement agency (http://www.doping.am/). The Public Radio of Armenia was awarded the Mass Media Award of Armenia for its Komitas 150 Years/Minutes program. The World Congress on Information Technology 2019 won the PR event of the year award.
President of the Artsakh Republic Bako Sahakyan and Armenian National Assembly deputy Naira Zohrapyan from the Prosperous Armenia Party both received political figures of the year award, while Armenia’s Health Ministry won the state structure of the year award. Anna Naghdalyan of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs won the press secretary award, while the Ararat Challenge of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative won the PR technology of the year award. Japanese Ambassador Jun Yamada won the friend of Armenia award.
Astghik Avetisyan, president of the Armenian PR organization (https://www.armpr.org/) and director of the PR and Communications Technology master’s degree program at Yerevan State University’s Department of Journalism, explained to the assembled audience of journalists, intellectuals and political figures that the selection process for the awards had three stages. The award committee was formed of local and international specialists, with German-Armenian speechwriter Dr. Wazrik Basil serving as president. Its members include Hrachuhi-Mary Poghosyan (Professor, University of California, Los Angeles, Head of the Center for the Promotion of Innovation and Research), Miro Khanzadyan (American-Armenian PR specialist and founder of GlobalHye & Associates), Naira Nazaryan (head of PR for Beeline Armenia), Khachik Galstyan (Doctor of Political Sciences and PR specialist), Ruzanna Ivanyan (Candidate of Political Sciences and Associate Professor, Department of Journalism and Media Technologies, St. Petersburg State University of Industrial Technology and Design) and Astghik Avetisyan.
