On September 17, the 39th annual PRSA-NY Big Apple Awards sold out Sony Hall in Midtown Manhattan. Every crystal award presented that night was designed in our studio, along with the signage that guided guests through the room.
Here's how 84 awards and a full set of event graphics came together in 10 weeks.
The numbers at a glance 84 Crystal awards in total:
15 Under 35 — Norfolk Wedge
6 Individual Awards — Pepin
18 Honorable Mentions — Crosby Circle
45 Campaign Awards — Vertical Wedge
The brief
CommPRO, which produces the Big Apple Awards for PRSA New York, brought us in to design two things: the awards and the room.
The awards are crystal, engraved by a specialist printer in 4 styles, one for each honor. Each award style has a fixed engraving area and a minimum font size. Every winner name, entry title and category has to fit inside it, legibly, with no second chances once the crystal is cut.
The room needed signage: directional signs, table cards, sponsor boards and anything else the night called for.
A record year
PRSA-NY called 2026 a record year of growth, and we felt it from the first file. When the winner list arrived, the PRSA-NY team's note summed it up:
A LOT more awards this year!
Campaign awards nearly doubled, from 23 to 45. Honorable mentions rose from 14 to 18. New subcategories meant longer titles to fit on the same crystal, and entry titles kept changing as winners confirmed their details.
Ten weeks, step by step
Jul 8: Kickoff. The awards were planned as a 2.5-week cycle.
Jul 17: First award batch sent for review.
Jul 24: File review call with the printer.
Aug 11–12: 15 Under 35 awards, delivered the day after the names arrived.
Aug 21–24: 6 individual awards, with two layout options for the Lifetime Achievement award.
Sep 1–9: Event signage and the photo booth frame.
Sep 14–17: Late additions turned around the same day, right up to the gala.
Craft decisions
On engraved crystal, small details decide whether a file works. A few moments from this year:
A logo built for crystal.
The 2026 logo had to be adapted to the engraver's requirements. We rebuilt it and asked that the original file go to the printer for a check before production.
When bold didn't fit.
The printer needed all engraved text in bold, but bold type made the Lifetime Achievement line too long. We broke it into three lines, so it stayed legible and inside the engraving area.
Catching a duplicate.
We spotted the same honoree appearing twice on the honorable mentions. It turned out to be two separate honors with the same title, which would have been easy to drop by mistake.
Files that print first time.
We matched colour profiles and export formats to the print vendor's upload requirements, to keep the turnaround fast and avoid rework.
New this year: the photo booth frame
This year we also designed the frame for the gala's digital photo booth, sponsored by Coyne PR.
The brief was a balance: make the sponsor stand out, and make sure every photo was clearly from the Big Apple Awards. We delivered several directions. The PRSA-NY team's reaction was "SO MANY FUN OPTIONS." We then refined the chosen design so the logos and text sat safely inside the frame and stayed readable on every share.
The night
This year, our team was in the room. After years of working with CommPRO by email and video call, we attended the gala and met the team in person.
The evening was sold out and black-tie optional, hosted by Gio Benitez of ABC News under the theme "Where Stories Move Hearts, Minds and Markets." The room celebrated 63 campaign honors for 30 agencies, brands and nonprofits, six individual honorees and the 15 Under 35 class, who drew some of the loudest cheers of the night.
Seeing the awards presented, and the signage at work in the venue, was the best possible end to ten busy weeks.
What's next
Next year the Big Apple Awards turn 40, and we can't wait to see what that celebration brings.
Planning an awards night, gala or conference? We design engraving-ready awards, event signage and sponsor graphics that hold up to tight deadlines and last-minute changes.
Photo credits: www.commpro.biz and www.globenewswire.com
