Ragan's 2026 Zenith Awards Turn the Spotlight on Communicators

Ragan Communications honored communicators, PR professionals and marketers at its 2026 Zenith Awards luncheon, held at The Edison Ballroom in Midtown Manhattan — an event built around a simple reversal: the people who spend their careers making others look good received the recognition themselves.

Diane Schwartz, CEO of Ragan Communications, framed the awards as tangible recognition of work that usually stays behind the scenes.

"The campaigns and work we're honoring today originated long before your award entry," Schwartz said. "It started with a question someone was willing to ask, an idea someone had to defend, a tough conversation, a laugh cry, and a team that challenged each other, trusted each other, and kept going long after the first good idea."

She told the room that the celebration, not the proving of value, was the point of the afternoon.

"You and your team have really demonstrated your value," Schwartz said. "But that is for tomorrow. Today, relish the moment and the time together. Communicators are very good at making everyone else look good. So today, let us return that favor and congratulate yourself and your teams and the people back at the office doing the hard work."

What did the honorees say on stage?

Each honoree responded to a prompt when accepting their award. Caleb Barnhart, managing director at Narrative Strategies, accepted the Agency of the Year award and credited his organization's behind-the-scenes teams.

"The unsung hero behind all this work is the creative insights and paid media teams at our organization," Barnhart said. "We're so proud of the impact we've made."

Laura Fehlhafer, director of communications at Impact Alamance, pointed to partners outside her organization.

"The unsung heroes are the teachers, volunteers and nonprofit leaders who are working day in and day out to make our community a place where everyone can thrive," she said. "We're thankful for their partnership and honored to share their stories and impact."

Jordan Lawrence, senior vice president at DKC Public Relations, described an early strategic decision during the promotion of the Ken Burns documentary "The American Revolution."

"We determined early on that in our divided media landscape, we should try to speak to everyone about our shared history," Lawrence said. "We were able to do that in no small part due to Ken's abilities as a communicator."

What advice did the rising stars share?

The event also recognized younger communicators and marketers. Max Spielman, AI strategist and account executive at Ruder Finn and a Rising Star honoree, shared the best career advice he has received.

"Talk with as many people as you can and put yourself in as many situations that you wouldn't normally be in because you can learn a lot from yourself and others as well," he said.

Olivia Clarke, social media and PR specialist at Nebo, credited her father's guidance.

"Never stop learning," she said. "The most successful people are always looking for ways to learn, challenge themselves and keep growing."

What lessons carry into 2027?

The communications professionals of the year shared the lessons they will carry into 2027. Natalia Rodrigues, manager of public relations at Carnival Cruise Line, said she will remember to appreciate the small moments.

"I think everybody here knows more than anyone how evolving our landscape is and how quickly we move on to the next project, so don't always get to take a beat," she said. "We just really need to appreciate the work that we're doing now."

Rachel Spielman, chief strategy and change officer at Ruder Finn, shared advice from her mother, Ruder Finn CEO Kathy Bloomgarden.

"She doesn't see titles; she sees people, and she treats every interaction with equal respect and curiosity," Spielman said. "She asks herself the same questions she asks of everybody else: 'What new tools can I learn? What can I do differently? How can I do more? What can I do that's never been done before?' And her belief in human potential is awe-inspiring, especially today in the age of AI."

Ragan has published the full list of 2026 Zenith Award winners, a record practitioners can study as a benchmark for next year's entries.