41st Annual Excalibur Awards - Winners
This year, we turned up the volume on the ideas, stories and strategies shaping our profession as we celebrated The Night of Bold Voices at the 2026 Excalibur Awards Gala. From rising stars and visionary leaders to breakthrough campaigns and enduring community impact, this year’s winners reflect the creativity, courage and influence of Houston’s vibrant communications community. If you would like to reorder an award for yourself or a colleague, please submit your order here. The deadline to place your order is August 7. Don’t miss your opportunity to commemorate this outstanding achievement.
To the 2026 winners: congratulations! Your work spoke with purpose, moved audiences and showed what excellence sounds like when bold voices lead the way.
Grand Excalibur
Visit Galveston
Events and Observances: Rising Together: Galveston's 1900 Storm 125th Anniversary Campaign
Special Awards
• Legacy Award: Mary Benton, City of Houston, Chief of Communications and Senior Advisor to the Mayor
• Solo Practitioner of the Year: Felicia Perez, FAR Public Relations
• Young Public Relations Professional of the Year:
o Eliane Baaklini, Like Minds Communications
o Ivis Batista, Medley, Inc.
Campaign Categories
Community Relations
Silver: Elmore – Harris County Flood Control District's Flood Warning System
Bronze: BakerRipley – BakerRipley Senior Meals Campaign
Crisis Communications and Issues Management
Gold: Carbonara Group – Taming Wild Accusations about a Wildlife Program
Silver: Love Advertising and YMCA of Greater Houston – YMCA of Greater Houston Navigates Federal Funding Shift
Diversity and Inclusion/Multicultural Public Relations
Silver: BoyarMiller's Legal Assistance for Black-owned Business Program – BoyarMiller's Legal Assistance for Black-owned Businesses (LABB) Program
Bronze: Third Ward Cultural District and Medley Inc. – Third Ward Cultural District: Culturally Responsive Storytelling
Events and Observances
Gold: Visit Galveston – Rising Together: Galveston's 1900 Storm 125th Anniversary Campaign
Silver: Elmore – Honoring President Jimmy Carter’s Legacy with Houston Habitat for Humanity
Bronze: Carbonara Group and Covenant House Texas – Covenant House Texas: A New Campus Brings a Renewed Mission
Integrated Communications
Gold: Houston-Galveston Area Council's Commute Solutions Program – Navigating to a Smarter Commute: The 2025 Commute Solutions Rebirth
Silver: Memorial Hermann Health System – 100th Anniversary of Memorial Hermann-TMC
Bronze: Love Advertising for Crime Stoppers of Houston – Crime Stoppers of Houston Million for Million Campaign
Marketing Business to Business
Silver: Carbonara Group and The Signorelli Company – Valley Ranch: Fueling Momentum with a Consistent Growth Story
Marketing Consumer Products and Services
Gold: The Kroger Co. - Texas Division – Kroger x Patti’s Good Life: Turning Cultural Icon Power into Retail Sales
Silver: TDECU Marketing and Communications Teams – TDECU C.J. Stroud Campaign
Bronze: San Jacinto College & Steel Advertising – Fearless: San Jacinto College's New Advertising Campaign
Most Effective Campaign on a Shoestring Budget ($5,000 or less)
Gold: Kids' Meals Inc. – Kids’ Meals Inc. End of Year Campaign
Silver: University of Houston – UH March Madness Social Media 2025
Public Service/Non-Profit/Public Affairs Campaigns
Gold: FAR Public Relations and The Wheelhouse – Rebuilding What Addiction Tried to Break
Silver: Gulf Coast CCS Alliance – Education and Energy: The Keys to Successful Carbon Capture and Storage Approval
Bronze: Elmore – Building Brighter Futures: Spotlighting Houston’s Disconnected Youth Crisis
Reputation/Brand Management
Silver: Houston City College – Houston City College Rebrand
Bronze: The Kroger Co. - Texas Division – Reframing Kroger in Texas: A 70-Year Legacy Meets a New Era of Leadership
University Student Campaign
Gold: Valenti School of Communication, University of Houston – CLASS to Careers
Tactic Categories
Annual Reports
Gold: Elmore – “Designed to Deliver” Thermal Energy Corporation’s 2025 Annual Report
Silver: Consolidated Asset Management Services (CAMS) – CAMS SOAR Report
Bronze: TDECU Marketing and Communications Teams – TDECU 70th Anniversary Annual Report
Blogs
Silver: Quill & Ink – Global Energy Giant Achieves $38.6 Million in Cumulative Recoveries
Bronze: Quill & Ink – The Spiderweb Effect
Brochures
Bronze: Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management – Emergency Preparedness Guide
Editorials/Op-Ed Columns
Silver: Elmore – Promoting the Benefits of Public-Private Partnerships on Park Development through a Houston Parks Board Op-Ed
Feature Stories
Gold: Memorial Hermann Health System – 91-Year-Old Gets Voice Back
Magazines
Gold: University of Houston – University of Houston Magazine
News Release
Gold: Rice University News and Media Relations – Gateway Project News Release
Silver: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center – Breakthrough mRNA research at ESMO
Newsletters
Gold: University of Houston – UH Today
Silver: Memorial Hermann Health System – The Download
Bronze: Rice University News and Media Relations – Rice News
Podcasts/Livestreams
Silver: The Rose Houston, Speke Podcasting and Medley Inc. – "Let's Talk About Your Breasts" Podcast
Social Media
Silver: Leslee Hackett, Texas A&M AgriLife Media Relations – AgriLife in the News — And in the Feed: A 2025 Earned Media Social Campaign
Special Projects
Gold: Quill & Ink – Transformative Trends Shaping the Mining Industry
Silver: Memorial Hermann Health System – Media Center Impact on National Media Coverage
Bronze: Rice University Public Affairs, Athletics and OF&S – Gateway Project Press Conference
Special Publications
Bronze: Quill & Ink – Navigating Auditing Headwinds in Mining eBook
Video
Silver: University of Houston – University of Houston Holiday Card
Bronze: Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management – Ready for Anything Video
Websites
Gold: FAR Public Relations and Easley Consulting Group – CPR and Safety Lady Website Transformation
Silver: Memorial Hermann Health System – MHOne Launch
Bronze: Kids' Meals Inc. – Kids’ Meals Inc. Website Rebrand
