HPRA Celebrates 30th Anniversary, Applauding Best In Hispanic PR With National Bravo! Awards

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA), the leading non-profit association founded to advance the careers of Hispanics in the field of communications, awarded top honors in the world of Hispanic PR tonight at its annual PRemio Awards and Scholarship Gala and National ¡Bravo! Awards.

"Tonight with great fanfare we celebrated 30 years of HPRA's accomplishments and role as the voice and champion of Latinos in PR," said HPRA National President Stephen Chavez, principal at Chavez Marketing & Communications. "Each of our honorees demonstrated a unique, creative and culturally relevant approach to reaching the diverse Hispanic community."

2014 HPRA National ¡Bravo! Award Winners included:

"Goya World of Flavors"
Category: Integrated Marketing
República

"#Health4All Campaign"
Category: Public Education (Corporate)
The California Endowment

2013 U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Annual Convention:
"America's Business Future"
Category: Non-Profit
Edelman

"Starbucks Caramel Flan Latte Hispanic Program"
Category: Food & Beverage
Edelman Multicultural

"Colgate® Optic White ® Making 'Tu Sonrisa' Your Best Accessory"
Category: Fashion & Beauty
Cohn & Wolfe INFUSE

"Cuida Tu Diabetes, Cuida Tu Corazón"
Merck with GCI Health
Category: Healthcare & Nutrition

"Hispanicize Positive Impact: Celebrating Latinos Who Do Remarkable Good Deeds"
Category: Media Event (Corporate)
Balsera Communications

California Department of Industrial Relations Wage Theft
Category: Public Education Non-profit
Imprenta Communications Group, Inc.

Each year, HPRA/Los Angeles Chapter recognizes outstanding achievements of a PR professional, a journalist, and a corporation that has demonstrated above and beyond creativity and commitment to reach Latino audiences in a program called PRemio Awards. This year's honorees included:

Journalist of the Year
Robert J. Lopez, former City Editor at the Los Angeles Times

Corporation of the Year
Lexus

PR Professional of the Year
Victor M. Franco, recently retired Vice President of Public Affairs, KVEA-TV/Telemundo

"In 1984, HPRA was born out of the need to promote and advance the few Latino voices in communications at the time," said Maricela Cueva, HPRA Los Angeles president, vice president of VPE Tradigital Communications. "Today, we proudly pay tribute to the numerous accomplished communicators and their significant achievements – it truly is a celebration for both HPRA and our profession."   

In addition, HPRA Los Angeles presented $11,000 in scholarships to Hispanic students pursuing a career in Public Relations and related communications fields as a way to foster Hispanic talent.  Over the years, HPRA has awarded more than $250,000 in scholarships.

The event is made possible by sponsors: The Coca-Cola Company, Southern California Edison, The California Wellness Foundation, Goya Foods, Anthem Blue Cross, Hispanicize, PR Newswire, KVEA-TV/Telemundo, Nielsen, RL Public Relations, and Lopez Negrete.

About Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA)
The Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA) is the foremost organization of Hispanic public relations practitioners in the U.S.  HPRA is a resource for communications professionals and for individuals seeking Hispanic market expertise.  It is dedicated to the recognition and advancement of Hispanics in public relations through year-round programs, professional development seminars and networking.   For more information please visit www.hpra-usa.org.

SOURCE HPRA