Rick Christie, executive editor of The Palm Beach Post, will be honored with the prestigious Bernays Presidents Award, which is given annually by the Gold Coast PR Council (GCPRC) to a person or organization for truly outstanding performance.

The GCPRC said Christie was selected for "keeping the daily newspaper running and relevant, breaking one major news story after another, during a time when the viability of print journalism is under constant attack, both politically and financially."

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The 61-year-old award-winning journalist was tapped to lead The Post in December 2020. And as Deputy Regional Editor for USA TODAY Network Florida-Georgia, he also oversees the network's statewide Sports coverage, as well as the Palm Beach Daily News, Treasure Coast Newspapers (TCPalm) and Florida Today.

Christie was a business reporter for The Post in the 1980s, and state editor in the early 1990s before moving to the Cox Newspapers Washington Bureau as an assistant national editor and later, foreign editor. In 2001, he moved back to The Post where he has held several newsroom leadership positions, including editorial page editor.

"It's truly an honor to be recognized by the GCRPC; especially since most people view media and PR as being on opposite sides of the fence," Christie said. "At The Post (and Palm Beach Daily News) we don't believe that.

"Yes, we both have our jobs to do as professionals," he said. "But we both also share a strong commitment to making Palm Beach County residents aware of what is happening in their communities. And that's a good thing."

The Presidents Award has been presented since 2005 by the GCPRC, South Florida’s largest independent organization of public relations, marketing and communications professionals in Palm Beach, Broward and Martin counties. The awards are named for Edward J. Bernays, considered the "father of modern public relations."

Christie will be honored at the 17th annual luncheon at 11:30 a.m. on July 20 at the Delray Beach Golf Club. Tickets are $35 and can purchased at the GCPRC web site.

Other honors will be presented in 10 competitive categories, along with three additional special awards chosen by the organization's board of directors:

• PR Star, which goes to a person or organization that made an extraordinary difference last year.

• The Founders Award, which goes to a person or organization that has made a lasting contribution to GCPRC.

• A new award that will be revealed at the luncheon.

The 10 competitive Bernays Award categories and nominees are:

1. Best project by or on behalf of a nonprofit organization (large)

• The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum / History Alive

2. Best project by or on behalf of a nonprofit organization (small)

• Palm Beach Civic Association / Palm Beach TV

• The Buzz Agency / The Symphonia At Home

3. Best PR campaign by a large company or firm

• David DiPino & Palm Beach Health Network Physician Group / Physician Profiles 2021

• Palm Tran / Paradise Pass

• The Buzz Agency / Elisabetta’s: Opening a Restaurant at the Height of the Pandemic

4. Best PR campaign by a small company or firm

• Karen Galanaugh, APR (Galanaugh & Company Marketing Public Relations, LLC / Brandywine’s Zoo’s Madagascar Habitat Unveiling VIP Reception and Lemurs & Lagers Public Celebration and Fundraiser  

• Katnip Marketing / Viki Zarkin Book Author Promotion

• Media Maven / The Midas Touch

5. Best crisis management

• Carbonell Awards / Listening, Responding, Rebuilding 2021

• Palm Beach Civic Association / Greater Flood Risk, Prevention Requirements a Costly Fact of Life for Island Residents

6. Best social media campaign / for profit

• Boardroom Communications / Merrick Manor: Live, Love, Local

• David DiPino & Palm Beach Health Network Physician Group / Physician Spotlights

• Media Maven / Become a Media Maven Podcast 

7. Best social media campaign / nonprofit

• Anne M. Gannon, Constitutional Tax Collector Serving Palm Beach County / 2021 MV-Express Vehicle Registration Kiosk Social Media Marketing Campaign

• Palm Tran / Ride with Pride on Palm Tran’s First-Ever Rainbow Bus

8. Best special event

• City of Boynton Beach / Kinetic Art

• Discover The Palm Beaches & Cultural Council for Palm Beach County / New York City ‘In the Mix’ Media Activation

• Kaye Communications / Moms & Pups ‘Bark & Brunch’

• Palm Beach Civic Association / Our Changing Ocean

• Palm Beach Civic Association / Panel on Water Quality Issues, 6/28/21

• Palm Tran / New Day, New Way, Delray! Grand Opening

9. Best marketing material / print

• City of Boynton Beach / E-Newsletters

• Labor Finders International / 2021 Fall TAC: ‘Aromas and Scents of Fall’

• Palm Beach County Public Affairs / PBC Day 2021

• Palm Tran / 2021 Annual Report: Focusing on Our Community

10. Best marketing material / video or digital

• Boardroom Communications / Panorama Perks

• Lion Country Safari / Lion Country Safari Website Redesign

• Palm Beach Civic Association / Civic Association Looks Back on 2020-21: A Year of Uncertainty, Adversity and Achievement

• Palm Beach Civic Association / Could Palm Beach Follow the Desalination Path Chosen by Jupiter’s Water Utility?

• Palm Beach Civic Association / Exciting, Informative and In-Person: Civic Association Launches its 2021-2022 Season

• Palm Tran / Get On Board with Palm Tran

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Post Executive Editor Rick Christie wins Bernays Presidents Award