the! award is a regional competition through which the Croatian Public Relations Association (HUOJ) recognises projects in public relations and communications across Southeast Europe. It is intended for communication professionals employed by companies and other organisations, as well as independent professionals, and aims to contribute to the development of professional standards in the industry by evaluating their work.
This year’s competition covered eight categories: strategic communication projects, integrated campaigns, employer branding and internal communication, advocacy and political campaigns, multi-stakeholder and multi-sector collaboration, social impact and sustainability, digital communication and event communication. Following the first round of judging, 31 of the 33 submitted projects reached the final. An online showcase was organised for the finalists on 22 October, featuring project presentations and questions from the jury
The awards were decided by an international jury of experts from Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia, chaired by Marina Čulić Fischer. The judging considered the quality of strategy, creativity of execution and results achieved.
The results were announced at the opening of the 25th KOMferencija in Split. A total of 25 awards were presented, comprising three golds, 12 silvers and ten bronzes.
Gold in the employer branding and internal communication category went to Kaufland Hrvatska for Kaufland Radio, a radio show for store employees. The remaining two golds were awarded in the social impact and sustainability category: to the Slovenian project Let’s clean Slovenia: Digital edition, created by o28, komunikacijska skupina and Ekologi brez meja, and to One tree matters by One Crna Gora.
In the same category, silver went to Your posture is your future, a project by agency Millenium promocija and Croatia Poliklinika, and Nasvet za lep svet!, a campaign by agency Herman & partnerji and Slovenia’s Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy. Bronze awards went to Mental Hygiene, delivered by Komunikacijski laboratorij and Wiener osiguranje VIG, and #SaveYourSkin, a project by Millenium promocija for La Roche-Posay.
In the strategic communication projects, programmes and campaigns category, silver went to ING-GRAD IPO, created by Val grupa komunikacije and ING-GRAD. Bronze awards went to Abeceda komunikacije and Croatian Caritas for Save the Kuna From Ruin, Donate it For 1 000 Joys, as well as Millenium promocija and Tokić grupa for Tokić IPO Communication.
All three awarded projects in the multi-stakeholder and multi-sector collaboration category received silver. They included Museum Zone, a collaboration between the Croatian History Museum and Zagreb Airport, with communication support from Val grupa komunikacije. Silver also went to Love Is a Kiss, Not Food, a childhood obesity prevention campaign delivered by Abeceda komunikacije and Poliklinika Salvea, and World Unseen Serbia, a project by agency Smart Vision for Canon.
In the advocacy, public policy communication and political campaigns category, silver was awarded to agency Manjgura and SDP Makarska for Zoran before Zohran – how to defend the city from the infrastructures of power in 60 days. In digital communication, social media and AI-driven communication, Represent Communications and Premium Pet received silver for The Animal Uprising, a campaign advocating a ban on consumer pyrotechnics.
The event communication category produced four silver awards. Agencies Olaf&McAteer and Piper PR Agency were recognised for A1 Kinoteka – “Unseen Wonder”: Premiere of the 40th digitally restored film, a project for the Yugoslav Film Archive and A1 Serbia. Silver also went to Komunikacijski laboratorij and Wiener osiguranje VIG for House of Experiences, Represent Communications for The Ocean Race Europe 2025 Boka Bay, and Herman & partnerji and Mendota Invest for Emonika Groundbreaking Ceremony. Bronze went to Millenium promocija and Run Croatia for The 10th Edition of Zagreb Advent Run.
Five bronze awards were presented in the integrated campaigns category. The winners included reThink: the Fire&Stone launch, created by KIND PR and EGO IDEAM, and CKB GO campaign by Crnogorska komercijalna banka. Bronze awards also went to Let’s Be Real, delivered by Millenium promocija for the Croatian Banking Association, Speak Up About Money by Addiko Bank d.d. and agency CTA komunikacije, and the national educational programme AI ti to možeš, created by Hrvatski Telekom and Komunikacijski ured Colić, Laco i partneri.
