The themes were clear: innovation with purpose, enduring impact and a future in safe hands

On a hot July evening, the 2025 Communiqué Awards brought together the best in our industry to celebrate exceptional achievement.

As the room buzzed with energy, this year’s Awards unfolded against a backdrop of excitement, anticipation and Get Lucky by Daft Punk!

With over 200 entries judged by more than 140 experts, including 30 new judges, the programme reflected our sector’s resilience and creativity in a rapidly shifting landscape. There was also a notable increase in the range of agencies entering, with this diversity resulting in more agencies and teams winning awards than ever before. A trend widely noted and warmly applauded on the night.

The themes were clear: innovation with purpose, enduring impact and a future in safe hands. Together, these qualities signal where our industry is heading and how it continues to raise the bar for excellence in health communications.

Innovation in health communications is more than novelty. It is about solving real problems for healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients. This year’s winning work excelled at making the complex accessible, demonstrating that great ideas begin with empathy and insight.

The Progress Award exemplified this, tackling one of the industry’s most persistent barriers: the complexity of medical jargon. This was not innovation for its own sake, but innovation to ensure vital information reaches those who need it most, in a way they can act upon. Using artificial intelligence as a tool for equity of understanding, dense scientific language was transformed into clear, personalised communications. As Nick Lamb, creator of Patiently AI and winner of the category, told us: “Over 40% of UK adults struggle to understand written health information. I built Patiently AI for anyone who’s ever left a doctor’s appointment thinking: ‘Wait, what did that mean?’ It turns complex medical notes into simple, personalised advice you can actually understand.”

Creativity alone is not enough. The work that stood out in 2025 showed a maturity in how impact is defined and measured, going beyond counting outputs to achieving systemic shifts, patient benefit and policy influence.

Across the breadth of winning work, we saw campaigns that tackled stigma and cultural barriers, sparking health conversations in contexts where discussion had often been taboo. Other initiatives built leadership capacity in specialist healthcare roles, while several projects drove policy and system change through unified advocacy. We also saw integrated public health campaigns that engaged diverse audiences, reaching policymakers, professionals and the public. Some work brought overlooked health risks into mainstream conversation, raising global awareness of critical health issues and grassroots organisations were strengthened through strategic and creative support. These achievements show that impact today is not just about reach or recognition, but about creating measurable change in behaviours, systems and opportunities for better health. Success requires clear definitions, rigorous measurement and transparent sharing of outcomes, ensuring we remain accountable to the patients, caregivers and HCPs we serve.

If the entries this year are any indication, the future of health communications is bright, diverse and ethically ambitious. Emerging themes included the responsible use of AI, strategies designed for intersectional audiences and an increased focus on mental health, prevention and health equity.

The Early Career Achiever category provided one of the evening’s most encouraging signals. All the finalists showcased not just early talent but a readiness to take risks, challenge norms and innovate with purpose. As Beth Masters, this year’s winner, said: “Winning this award is an incredible honour and a reminder of why I love what I do. For me, healthcare communications is about championing the voices that too often go unheard, to drive progress, challenge stigma and shape a healthier, more inclusive future. I’m so proud to be a part of an industry that’s driving meaningful impact for people every single day.”

This new generation is stepping into an industry that increasingly sees communications not as a support function, but as a strategic driver of reputation, trust and change. We could not be more confident in the talented hands that will guide its next chapter.

The Communiqué Awards are more than a celebration. They are a benchmark for excellence, continually lifting our industry higher. Each year, they challenge agencies, companies and individuals to demonstrate not just creativity, but also the courage to innovate and the discipline to measure impact.

As co-chairs, we are delighted to confirm we will be back for a third season in 2026 and look forward to another year of collaboration, creativity and reimagining what is possible in health communications.

While we cannot reveal next year’s theme just yet, we can promise it will challenge us all to cast our minds forward and think even bigger.