September 28, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Adam Kelley (adam.kelley@chsys.org), 205/558-2947

DEVENEY COMMUNICATIONS WINS BEST OF SHOW; TAKES HOME FIVE MEDALLION AWARDS AT THE 2004 STATE PRCA conference

BIRMINGHAM – Deveney Communications of Mobile won the “Best of Show” award and walked away with five prestigious Medallion awards at the 2004 Public Relations Council of Alabama (PRCA) state conference banquet held Sept. 24 at the Birmingham Marriott.

The Medallion Awards competition recognizes the best work of PRCA members with certificates of merit, awards of excellence and Medallion awards, the highest awards given.

Another 16 individuals and public relations organizations won Medallion awards at the event, which is hosted annually by PRCA, a professional organization of 500 members in six chapters across the state – Birmingham (three winners), East Alabama (two winners), Huntsville (two winners), Mobile (seven winners), Montgomery (one winner) and West Alabama (two winners).

Hosted this year by PRCA’s Birmingham chapter (www.prca-b.com), the banquet serves as the culmination of the state conference, annually the largest gathering of professional and student public relations and communication practitioners in Alabama.

Deveney Communications (five) and Children’s Health System (two) were the only winners of multiple Medallion awards.

Other Medallion winners were: the Public Relations Council of East Alabama, Lisa Darnell of the University of North Alabama, Thomas Hospital, Josh Till of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Huntsville’s Marianne Higgins, APR, and Karen E. Yarbrough of Thinking360, the University of Alabama University Relations Department, Michael Tullier, APR, and Patrick Smith of the Auburn Rotary Club and Tom Stipe of the University of Alabama.

Nineteen awards of excellence and 18 certificates of merit were also distributed at the banquet and can be viewed at www.prcaonlonline.com.

All entries must have appeared in the 12-month period beginning Sept. 1, 2003 and ending July 31, 2004. A panel of accredited public relations practitioners from the Public Relations Association of Louisiana (PRAL) judged the entries. Judging was based on factual material and documentation and considered planning, originality, creativity and effectiveness.

PRCA is the state's oldest and largest group of public relations practitioners. The organization exists to further the professional and networking interests of today's public relations and communication professional in private, public and nonprofit businesses and organizations and meets monthly at various locations throughout the metropolitan Birmingham area.

Along with networking, PRCA offers career development and civic improvement opportunities, seeks to mentor college students and works to improve the professionalism of public relations practice through its accreditation program.

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