The winners of the Armenian PR Awards 2021 are announced, based on scientific and diligent research.
The objective of the Armenian PR Awards of the Armenian PR Association is to acknowledge the achievements of the sphere of communications and public relations, to develop and publicize the importance of good communications in Armenia. In these challenging and vulnerable times, it is more than important to give a special significance to the communications literate working methods, in order to reconstruct and to develop the infrastructures of our state.
The extent of the examination, which took the timeframe between January of 2020 and April of 2021, incorporated the carried-out projects by the State Departments, the financial structures of the Republic of Armenia, and the local and international initiatives of the political, cultural, social organizations.
In accordance with the target audiences, the research tools were selected, including interviews and survey research. 1925 respondents (PR specialists, psychologists, political scientists, arts specialists, media representatives, and experts) contributed to the data of the questionnaires. 19 focus groups, involving 2 age groups (23-35 and 35-70, statistically incorporating 42% of males and 58% of females) participated in the research. In the scope of a year, the publications and video materials of different media channels were monitored. Media monitoring was implemented via a “Rumors monitoring” fully automated monitoring system.
According to the president of the Armenian PR Association, Astghik Avetisyan, the applied methodology of the analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data was the principal part of the research group.
“Throughout the previous year, the level of cooperation and trust between the government and the public has declined, which generated an overall atmosphere of ignorance towards the events taking place in the country”.
Later, Avetisyan mentioned: “The demands of the society living in an information era are different: the availability of information shared by the government and participation in decision-making and publicity processes are essential. According to our study, the public’s right to receive truthful information was violated, as the nature of the communication was vertical, which caused declivity of the feedback mechanisms. Non-literate communication generated critical situations in many fields, causing crises in international relations, economics, health, cultural and social spheres, meanwhile giving rise to internal and external conflicts.”
In the result, based on quantitative methods the best 3 nominees for each category were selected. The winner has been identified by the professional international committee led by Dr. Vazrik Bazil (German communications specialist, lecturer, PR consultant and speechwriter). The members of the committee of 2021 are Hrachuhi-Mary Poghosyan (Professor, University of California, Los Angeles, Head of the Center for the Promotion of Innovation and Research), Miro Khanzadyan (American-Armenian PR specialist and founder of GlobalHye & Associates), Ruzanna Ivanyan (Candidate of Political Sciences and Associate Professor, Department of Journalism and Media Technologies, St. Petersburg State University of Industrial Technology and Design), Lilit Shakaryan (lecturer at YSU, Faculty of Sociology), Ashot Aleksanyan (Professor at YSU, Chair of History and Theory of Political Science, invited lecturer in Institute of Political Science of Friedrich Schiller-Jena University in Germany) and Astghik Avetisyan (President of the Armenian PR Аssociation, Head of the PR and Communications Technology master’s program at Yerevan State University, Faculty of Journalism, Associate professor).
The categories and winners of the ceremony are as follows:
State Institution
Human Rights Defender of Armenia (Winner),
Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures of Armenia
Ministry of Emergency Situations of Armenia
Public Figure of the Year
Arpine Hovhannisyan (Winner),
Tigran Abrahamyan (Winner),
Gegham Manukyan
Politician of the Year
Robert Kocharyan (Winner),
Nikol Pashinyan,
Vazgen Manukyan
PR specialist of the Year
Nune Hovsepyan, Human Rights Defender office, (Winner)
Anush Badalyan (“Shengavit” Medical Center)
Lusine Martirosyan (Ministry of Justice of RA)
Mass Media of the Year
“Aravot” newspaper: “Life at the edge of the border”(Winner)
Yerkir Media TV: “The State is State”
Shoghakat TV: “The Church of Our Village”
Diaspora Mass Media
“Azdak”(Lebanon)(Winner),
“Aliq”(Iran)
“Ноев ковчег” (Russia)
Cultural PR of the Year
Hovhannes Tumanyan Museum (Winner)
“Fresco” International Festival
National Gallery of Armenia: Exhibition of Dali and Picasso
The initiative of the year
“Teryan” cultural centre: “Made by Artsakh people”(Winner)
“Bloody Laundry” in Toronto: “Mughdusyan” Art centre
“Culture in the rear”: RA MoESCS
Event of the year
Release of Komitas’ “Holy Liturgy” CD(Winner)
Virtual March dedicated to the 106th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide organized by the Government of the state
Drone Show in Armenia: Evocabank
Crisis management
Crisis in Ucom: “Galaxy” Group of Companies (Winner),
Covid-19 pandemic: Ministry of Health of Armenia
The crisis around The Constitutional Court of RA
Corporate PR
“Armenia Wine” corporation (Winner),
“Viva-MTS”,
“ID Bank”
Innovative PR
Robin Robot: the first Armenian AI Robot(Winner),
Krisp,
RenderForest
PR Technique
“Arm Comedy” TV show (winner),
“Power” movie,
“Old Pashinyan VS New Pashinyan” video series by Ruben Mkhitaryan
Armenian Brand- “PicsArt”
Special Award- Woman benefactor-Natalya Rotenberg
Friend of Armenia-Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France in Armenia H.E. Mr Jonathan Lacote and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands H.E. Mr Nicolaas Jacob Schermers