Hispanic Public Relations Association® Honors Industry's Best and Awards Scholarships at 26th Annual PRemio Awards

Public Relations Society of America's First Hispanic CEO and Chair-Elect, Rosanna Fiske, and General Mills Headline Honorees

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA), the leading non-profit organization founded to advance the careers of Hispanics in the field of communications, celebrated an evening of excellence at its 26th Annual PRemio Awards and Scholarships Gala held Thursday, October 7, 2010 in Los Angeles, CA. The organization honored Hispanic industry leaders, the best in Hispanic public relations campaigns and awarded scholarships to student entering the communications field.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101013/DC80930)

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20101013/DC80930)

The evening's theme, 2010: A New Chapter Begins, celebrated the national expansion of HPRA. Earlier this year, HPRA expanded its footprint nationally with the launch of a New York chapter and the opportunity to co-present with the Hispanic PR Blog the first-ever Hispanic PR and Social Marketing Conference in Dallas.

This year's Public Relations Professional of the Year honoree is industry trailblazer Rosanna Fiske for her unprecedented achievement as the first Hispanic to be appointed as the Public Relations Society of America's (PRSA) 2010 CEO and Chair-Elect. General Mills was presented with the Corporation of the Year award for its commitment to the U.S. Hispanic market through its "Que Rica Vida" program.  Other awards included: Young PR Professional of the Year Alfredo Lee Escudero of VPE Public Relations, and Journalist of the Year, Silvia Ichar, editor and publisher of PARA TODOS Magazine.

The event also honored the Hispanic work being done in the industry. The 2010 Campaign of the Year winners by category included:

• Food and Beverage: RL Public Relations + Marketing for its work with the Milk Processor Board
• Technology: Edelman for its Windows 7 Hispanic Launch work with Microsoft
• Public Education – Corporation: Lopez Negrete for its work on behalf of MASECA
• Sports: FORMULATIN for its work with Tecate's fight weekend tie into Mexican Independence Day
• Integrated Marketing Communications: RL Public Relations + Marketing for its work with Verizon Wireless' "My Fabulous Quince"
• Corporate Media Event: The Jeffrey Group for its "FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour" on behalf of the Coca-Cola Company

In addition, as a way to foster Hispanic talent, HPRA presented $10,000 in scholarships to five Southern California Hispanic students pursuing a career in Public Relations and related communications fields. Also, this year, HPRA introduced a community service scholarship award in memory of industry leader and community activist Esther Renteria, co-founder of the National Hispanic Media Coalition and a former HPRA president.

The evening's celebration was made possible by sponsors Goya Foods; RL Public Relations + Marketing; Sportivo; Southern California Edison; The Walt Disney Company; Wells Fargo; VPE Public Relations; State Farm; Staples; Sempra Energy and The Gas Company; Union Bank; Verizon Wireless; Ketchum; Edelman; PRSA; Kaiser Permanente; Bank of the West; Hill and Knowlton; and HPRA's official newswire distribution partner PR Newswire.

About Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA)

HPRA was founded in 1984 as a non-profit organization to establish a network of Hispanics employed in the public relations profession. With more than 250 members, HPRA represents public relations, marketing and advertising professionals from agencies, government, non-profit and corporate companies. HPRA is dedicated to the advancement of Hispanic professionals and provides educational seminars and programs throughout the year. The organization has awarded more than $220,000 in scholarships to Hispanic students pursuing a career in communications.  HPRA strives to be a resource for communications professionals and for those seeking insights into the Hispanic market.  For more information please visit www.hpra-usa.org.

SOURCE Hispanic Public Relations Association