The Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA) today announced the opening of submissions for the 2026 HPRA National ¡BRAVO! Awards, the national program recognizing excellence in multicultural communications. Winners will be announced during the annual awards program in November. This year, HPRA introduces a new Campaign of the Year honor: every eligible category submission will automatically be considered for the top award, with no separate entry or additional fee required.
The 2026 call comes at a pivotal moment for the industry, emphasizing authentic, culture-led communications. For over a decade, the ¡BRAVO! Awards have honored campaigns that engage communities with cultural depth, respect, and measurable results. The program recognizes agencies, brands, and nonprofits that go beyond translation to build trust and center Latino stories. HPRA National President Sonia V. Diaz noted, “Over the past 12 years, the HPRA ¡BRAVO! Awards have shown the power of work rooted in culture, truth, and purpose. Latino communities are driving the future of the nation’s growth, and our industry has a responsibility to meet that force with respect, discipline, and creativity.”
The ¡BRAVO! Awards serve multiple purposes: documenting work shaping the communications field, creating visibility for culture-led campaigns, and funding scholarships for emerging talent. Since its inception, the program has awarded more than $41,000 in scholarships to 13 recipients. The awards also honor leaders and journalists who use their platforms to showcase Latino-led storytelling across newsrooms, agencies, boardrooms, and public life. Past honorees include civil rights icon Dolores Huerta, filmmaker Jessy Terrero, and journalists such as Alicia Menendez, Ilia Calderón, and María Elena Salinas.
The 2026 awards categories span the full spectrum of communications work, including public relations campaigns, marketing programs, influencer engagement, public affairs, social equity, healthcare, entertainment, sports, nonprofit, digital media, and integrated marketing communications. New this year, the program welcomes work that reflects the breadth of the community, including Afro-Latino, Indigenous, Caribbean, Central American, South American, and bicultural experiences. Strongest entries will demonstrate how communicators used language, creators, music, sports, food, news, and community life to reach audiences with respect.
Key categories include Agency of the Year, honoring business success through client work and talent development; Campaign of the Year, awarded to the highest-scoring campaign across all categories; and specialized categories such as Film, Music & Entertainment, Healthcare & Nutrition, Influencer Engagement, and Social Equity. The Nonprofit Campaign category is open to nonprofit organizations and agencies representing them, focusing on awareness, engagement, fundraising, or public education.
Entries must be submitted through the official HPRA National ¡BRAVO! Awards platform, where an independent panel of senior communications professionals from agencies, brands, academia, and nonprofit sectors will judge entries. Eligible campaign work must have run between January 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026. Submission deadlines are as follows: Early Bird Deadline on June 9, 2026; Standard Deadline on July 10, 2026; and Late Deadline on August 7, 2026 (with a late fee). Finalists will be announced on September 15, 2026. To access the 2026 Awards Toolkit and begin an entry, visit https://bravo.hprausa.org.
For sponsorship or press inquiries, contact bravo@hprausa.org or visit www.hpra-usa.org. The HPRA, founded in 1984, is the premier organization for Hispanic public relations professionals in the U.S., offering professional development, national scholarships, chapter programming, and industry recognition.
