Six leading Bulgarian PR agencies grabbed first prizes in BAPRA Bright Awards 2011, Bulgaria's most prestigious PR contest judged by top-class international experts.

M3 Communications Group, the largest Bulgarian PR agency, triumphed with the "PR Agency of the Year" award at the glamorous ceremony in the Sheraton Sofia hotel organized by the Bulgarian Association of PR Agencies (BAPRA).

PR agency DeConi won the prize in the "Sustainable Development Campaign" category; APRA Porter Novelli triumphed in two categories - "Innovative Campaign" and "Special Event"; AMI Communications received the first prize for "Communications Campaign of the Year"; mobile phone operation Vivacom won in the category for a "Campaign Realized by an Internal Department."

"We organized the BAPRA Bright Awards 2011 with inspiration generated by the enormous efforts that all of us invested into our work over the past year, by the creativity and exciting ideas in our projects, our belief that only together we can make the PR market in Bulgaria better, more ethical, and more beneficial," BAPRA Chair Maxim Behar stated at the Bright Awards 2011.

"In order to have a successful competition, however, one needs strong competitors, and an independent and professional jury. This year we have 11 indisputable PR professionals who assessed highly the level of Bulgarian PR business," he emphasized.

A total of 25 PR agencies with a total of 65 projects and campaigns participated in the second edition of the BAPRA Bright Awards 2011. In comparison, the 2010 edition of the BAPRA Bright Awards features 22 agencies with 59 bidding projects.

The BAPRA Bright Awards jury is chaired by the world's most renowned PR analyst Paul Holmes, founder and CEO of the Holmes Report, an editor and publisher with more than 20 years of experience in analyzing PR techniques and providing PR counseling.

BAPRA Bright Awards is the first PR contest in Bulgaria with a jury made up of international judges. In addition to its Chair Paul Holmes, the jury features experts from the USA, UK, Romania, Germany, Slovakia, Denmark, Finland, the Republic Republic, France, Russia, and Belgium, including influential figures in global PR and members of the International Communications Consultancy Organization (ICCO).

The Bulgarian Association of PR Agencies was founded in 2001. Its members subscribe to an Ethics Code focused on guaranteeing transparency, honesty, professionalism, and loyalty to clients and colleagues.