22-28

The Communiqué Awards returned for its 28th year in July to celebrate excellence in healthcare communications and showcase the work shaping the industry.

Once again held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, the event began with a VIP reception, welcoming hundreds of guests in smart evening wear who were full of excitement about who would be going home as a Communiqué 2026 winner.

The two co-chairs, Catherine Devaney, founder of Curious Health Communications, and Neil Flash, owner of Ignition Consulting, took to the stage to welcome the guests and highlight the chosen theme of the year, ‘Future’, which reflects a sector adapting to rapid change and embracing new possibilities.

They were followed by this year’s host, stand-up comedian Ellie Taylor, who kept the audience laughing and created a fun, lively atmosphere throughout the awards ceremony.

The Awards included 32 categories, celebrating excellence across healthcare comms and medical affairs, alongside individual, team and company achievements. This year, supporting the theme of future, a number of categories have been retired, updated and refined to reflect the sophistication of modern practice, and new awards have been introduced that recognise emerging disciplines across science, creativity and digital capability.

The big winner of the night was Stirred, winning five awards in total! Four of the awards were for their campaign for Wellbeing of Women: Calling Time on Heavy and Painful Periods, with the fifth award being won by Stirred and Curious Health for their campaign for AstraZeneca: Share Good Times Not Flu. Camino and Burson also celebrated wins in more than one category.

The new and refined categories include:

• Excellence in Congress Activation, won by Avalere Health for Johnson & Johnson: Breaking the Cycle in treatment-resistant depression

• Excellence in Behaviour Change, one of the categories won by Stirred for Wellbeing of Women: Calling Time on Heavy and Painful Periods

• Excellence in the Application of Artificial Intelligence, won by Camino for Jazz Pharmaceuticals: EVA – Expert VOD Assistant

• Excellence in the Use of Data and Insights (was Excellence Data Communications), won by Digitas Health: From Data to Insight to Meaningful Public Health Outcomes

• Excellence in Combined Customer Experience (was Excellence in Earned/Owned/Paid), won by Golin for ALK-Abelló: Be Reaction Ready: Transforming Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Through an Integrated Patient Empowerment Campaign

• Excellence in Engagement Through Digital Channel(s) (was Excellence in Engagement Through Social Media). In the under £75,000 category, the winner was GCI Health for Digestive Cancers Europe (DiCE) for IYKYK – European Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. In the over £75,001 category, the winner was Porter Novelli for Merck: Defining a New Approach to Disease Awareness.

In addition, this year, Communiqué is particularly pleased to introduce a new individual award, Healthcare Communications Writer of the Year, celebrating the unique contribution writers make to understanding, connection and progress across the sector. The winner was Ellie Hughes, Senior Scientific Director at Camino Communications, a healthcare writer whose work goes beyond communicating science by shaping how it’s understood and used.

As the Awards drew to a close and the excitement built in anticipation of who would win the coveted final awards, Communiqué Medical Affairs Agency of the Year was awarded to Real Chemistry, with Virgo Health once again scooping the award for Communiqué Communications Consultancy of the Year.
An evening of dancing and networking followed, marking the conclusion of another successful and memorable Communiqué Awards.

01 EXCELLENCE IN USE OF DATA AND INSIGHTS
Sponsored by IQVIA
Winner: From Data to Insight to Meaningful Public Health Outcomes by Digitas Health

02 EXCELLENCE IN GLOBAL EDUCATION MEETINGS/STAND-ALONE EVENTS
Sponsored by Resonant Group
Winner: The Global Mental Health Community Summit 2025: Redefining Mental Healthcare Together by Burson for Boehringer Ingelheim

03 EXCELLENCE IN NATIONAL OR LOCAL EDUCATION MEETINGS/STAND-ALONE EVENTS
Sponsored by Ashley Medical Communications
Winner: Novartis MPN & CML Leaders Programme 2025 by Envision Medical Communications for Novartis UK

04 EXCELLENCE IN PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMES
Sponsored by Bounce Medical Communications
Winner: Pfizer Respiratory VR by Cassette Group for Pfizer

05 EXCELLENCE IN PATIENT PROGRAMMES
Sponsored by 67health
Winner: Calling Time on Heavy and Painful Periods by Stirred for Wellbeing of Women

06 EXCELLENCE IN COMBINED CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Sponsored by Havas Life London
Winner: Be Reaction Ready: Transforming Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Through an Integrated Patient Empowerment Campaign by Golin for ALK-Abelló Ltd

07 THE INIZIO AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN MEDICAL AFFAIRS-LED SCIENTIFIC EXCHANGE
Sponsored by Inizio
Winner: Merck Medical Grand Rounds by Nucleus Global for Merck

08 EXCELLENCE IN PAYER AND POLICYMAKER COMMUNICATIONS
Sponsored by Syneos Health
Winner: Every Moment Matters – Accelerating Newborn Screening for SMA by M+F Health for Novartis UK

09 EXCELLENCE IN PUBLIC HEALTH COMMUNICATIONS
Sponsored by Omnicom
Winner: Share Good Times Not Flu by Stirred with Curious Health for AstraZeneca

10 EXCELLENCE IN HEALTHCARE PARTNERSHIPS
Sponsored by pop Health
Winner: Making Type 1 Diabetes Seen and Understood Through Pop Culture and Play by Burson for Sanofi UK

11 EXCELLENCE IN MEDIA RELATIONS
Sponsored by Weber Shandwick
Winner: Her Final Search by Weber Shandwick for Global Heart Hub (GHH) and Croí Heart & Stroke Charity (Croí)

12 EXCELLENCE IN CONGRESS ACTIVATION *new for 2026*
Sponsored by Digitas Health
Winner: Breaking the Cycle in TRD by Avalere Health for Johnson & Johnson

13 EXCELLENCE IN BEHAVIOUR CHANGE *new for 2026*
Sponsored by Real Chemistry
Winner: Calling Time on Heavy and Painful Periods by Stirred for Wellbeing of Women

14 EXCELLENCE IN THE APPLICATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE *new for 2026*
Sponsored by Fleishman Hillard
Winner: EVA – Expert VOD Assistant by Camino for Jazz Pharmaceuticals

15 EXCELLENCE IN ENGAGEMENT THROUGH DIGITAL CHANNELS – UNDER £75,000
Sponsored by Langland
Winner: #IYKYK – European Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month by GCI Health for Digestive Cancers Europe (DiCE)

16 EXCELLENCE IN ENGAGEMENT THROUGH DIGITAL CHANNELS – OVER £75,001
Sponsored by M+F
Winner: Defining a New Approach to Disease Awareness for Merck KGaA Healthcare by Porter Novelli, a FleishmanHillard Company for Merck KGaA

17 EXCELLENCE IN PRO BONO WORKING
Sponsored by Lucid Group
Winner: Calling Time on Heavy and Painful Periods by Stirred for Wellbeing of Women

18 EXCELLENCE IN INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
Sponsored by Stirred
Winner: BeOne Against Cancer by POP Health Communications for BeOne Medicines

19 EXCELLENCE IN CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
Sponsored by Virgo Health
Winner: Look Beyond the Bias – A Fresh Corporate Proposition for Chiesi UK and Ireland by JPA Health for Chiesi UK and Ireland

20 THE M+F AWARD FOR CHARITABLE CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by M+F Health
Winner: Calling Time on Heavy and Painful Periods by Stirred for Wellbeing of Women

21 EXCELLENCE IN DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION AWARD
Sponsored by Accenture
Winner: “Our aim is to represent the unrepresented” | Shifting Power: A Community-led Model to Transform Black Participation in UK Health Research by Egality for NIHR BioResource’s ‘Improving Black Health Outcomes’ (IBHO)

22 EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNICATION THROUGH CREATIVE EXECUTION
Sponsored by Spectrum Science
Winner: The Things I Will Never Do by Havas Life London for SMA UK

23 PROGRESS AWARD IN HEALTHCARE AND SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS
Sponsored by Arc Bio Communications
Winner: Adventures in Pharma By Camino

24 EARLY CAREER ACHIEVER IN HEALTHCARE COMMUNICATIONS
Sponsored by Avalere
Winner: Nosheen Hussain – OSHEN Communications (self employed)

25 HEALTHCARE COMMUNICATIONS WRITER OF THE YEAR
*new for 2026*
Sponsored by Only the Brave
Winner: Ellie Hughes – Camino

26 HEALTHCARE COMMUNIQUÉTOR
Sponsored by Burson
Winner: Neil Flash – Ignition Consulting

27 HEALTHCARE COMMUNICATIONS ADVOCATE
Sponsored by Arc Bio Communications
Winner: Dr Aziza Sesay

28 THE OMNICOM HEALTH MEDICAL COMMUNICATIONS AWARD FOR IN-HOUSE TEAM OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Omnicom
Winner: Johnson & Johnson (J&J) UK Communications & Public Affairs (CPA) Team

29 COMMUNIQUÉ SMALL CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Obsidian
Winner: Camino

30 COMMUNIQUÉ PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND POLICY CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Camino Communications
Winner: WA Communications

31 COMMUNIQUÉ MEDICAL AFFAIRS AGENCY OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Omnicom
Winner: Real Chemistry

32 COMMUNIQUÉ COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANCY
OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Publicis Health
Winner: Virgo Health

Communiqué 2026:
celebrating excellence in
healthcare communications

This year’s Awards, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on 2 July, included 32 categories

Communiqué 2026: celebrating excellence in healthcare communications

This year’s Awards, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on 2 July, included 32 categories

Communiqué 2026:
celebrating excellence in
healthcare communications