Hispanic PR Association Announces Scholarship Gala Honorees

The Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA), the leading non-profit organization founded to advance the careers of Hispanics in the field of communications, will honor Hispanic industry leaders and recognize the best in Hispanic public relations campaigns at its 27th Annual PRemio Awards and Scholarships Gala to be held Thursday, October 6, 2011 at the Conga Room at L.A. Live in Los Angeles, CA.

This year’s Public Relations Professional of the Year honoree is the team of industry trailblazers Angela and Manny Ruiz for helping advance the Hispanic PR industry by creating the annual Hispanic PR and Social Media Conference. Goya Foods will be presented with the Corporation of the Year award for its 75-year history, commitment, and goodwill to the U.S. Hispanic market through its support of cultural, civic and educational organizations. Other awards include: Journalist of the Year Pulitzer Prize winner Hector Tobar, columnist for the Los Angeles Times, and Young PR Professional of the Year Denisse Montalvan with Ketchum.

In addition, HPRA’s 2011 Campaign of the Year winners will also be announced that evening.

Also, as a way to foster Hispanic talent, HPRA will present $11,000 in scholarships to Hispanic students pursuing a career in Public Relations and related communications fields. The scholarship program was founded 21 years ago, and HPRA-LA has awarded more than $231,000 to Hispanic students entering the field.

“PRemios is the Hispanic PR Industry’s night to shine when we honor the best campaigns and top professionals in the industry,” said Lourdes Rodriguez, HPRA-LA president. “We invite the industry to join us in this annual celebration.”

The evening will be hosted by Mekahlo Medino with NBC Los Angeles and Yarel Ramos with mun2. The event is made possible by sponsors to date: RL Public Relations, Edelman, Southern California Edison, Axis Agency, VPE Public Relations, Staples, Southern California Gas Company, and PR Newswire.