HPRA Celebrates Latino Excellence in Communications at the 2025 ¡BRAVO! Awards

The Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA) honored trailblazers in communications, journalism, and advocacy during the 2025 ¡BRAVO! Awards Gala. The event brought together industry leaders to celebrate excellence, creativity, and leadership in advancing authentic Latino narratives.

Emceed by speaker and Emmy Award–winning journalist Eliecer Marte, the organization celebrated the program’s 11th anniversary, which also honored HPRA scholarship recipients and multicultural campaigns.

The evening’s highest honors went to exceptional campaigns and teams that set a new standard for creativity, cultural relevance, and measurable impact.

This year’s winners included:

• Digital or Media Platform PR Program: Hispanic Heritage Foundation – Fritanga Podcast
• Film, Music & Entertainment: H+M Communications – From Miami to the World: How the 305 Ignited Latine Turnout Nationwide and Made Sony Pictures’ Bad Boys: Ride or Die a Box Office Champ
• Influencer Engagement: H+M Communications – From Miami to the World: How the 305 Ignited Latine Turnout Nationwide and Made Sony Pictures’ Bad Boys: Ride or Die a Box Office Champ
• Integrated Marketing Communications Campaigns: H+M Communications – From Miami to the World: How the 305 Ignited Latine Turnout Nationwide and Made Sony Pictures’ Bad Boys: Ride or Die a Box Office Champ
• Internal Communications Programs: NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises – 2024 Paris Olympics Internal Communications Program
• Lifestyle: résonant/DEX – My Way to Tajín It! – The Tajinization of America
• Multicultural PR Program: H+M Communications – From Miami to the World: How the 305 Ignited Latine Turnout Nationwide and Made Sony Pictures’ Bad Boys: Ride or Die a Box Office Champ
• New Product/Service Launch: Chemistry Cultura – Chemistry Cultura Launches Ozama Rum
• Non-Profit Campaigns: Twin Minds Media – Latinas in Tech Summit 2024 — Her Tech, Her Future
• Social Equity: League of United Latin American Citizens – Latino Voices Online: LULAC’s Push for Equity and Empowerment
• Sports Campaign of the Year: Chemistry Cultura – LiS: Latinos in Sports™: Connecting Leagues, Teams, and Brands with the Powerful Hispanic Fan
• Agency of the Year: H+M Communications – Winning with Purpose: How H+M Communications Delivered More, Won More, and Set the Standard

The night’s big winner was H+M Communications, which took home five campaign awards, including the prestigious Agency of the Year. With this year’s wins, H+M Communications becomes the most decorated agency in the history of the ¡BRAVO! Awards program, including four Agency of the Year honors.

“These campaigns embody what the ¡BRAVO! Awards are all about—strategic excellence rooted in purpose, innovation, and community impact,” said Sonia Diaz, HPRA National President. “Their work reflects how powerful brands can be when Latino audiences are engaged meaningfully and authentically.”

Honoring Visionary Leaders

This year’s program also honored distinguished professionals who have championed multicultural communications, advocacy, and diversity, equity, and inclusion in the industry.

• President’s Award: Dolores Huerta, civil rights leader and icon, for her lifelong dedication to social justice and workers’ rights.
• Pioneer of the Year: Karina Martinez, DRAFTED co-founder, for elevating the voices and visibility of Latinas in sports.
• DEI Champion: Adrianne C. Smith, founder of the Cannes Can: Diversity Collective (CC:DC), for her commitment to creating spaces that give visibility to creators whose talents have been co-opted through Cannes Can.
• Journalist of the Year: Julio (Julito) Ricardo Varela, acclaimed journalist and author, for serving as a leading voice on Latino issues and building a lasting digital community and journalism space over the past 20 years.

Celebrating Emerging Talent: 2025 Scholarship Winners

HPRA also honored the recipients of its 2025–2026 HPRA Scholarship, recognizing exceptional students pursuing degrees in communications, public relations, and marketing. The 2025 scholars include Ashley Rodriguez (Florida International University), Jessica Loma (University of Minnesota), Alejandra Liberio (The George Washington University), and Rosa Rivas (University of North Texas).

The 2025 ¡BRAVO! Awards and Leadership Cumbre were made possible thanks to the contributions of Aflac, H+M Communications, Moët, Telemundo, LULAC, HispanicPro, Diversity Action Alliance, Luna Lite Drone Show Technologies, and SteadyImage.