Szpekowski awarded in communications contests

Pat Szpekowski, APR, president of PR Strategies & Communications/PmS advertising, inc., a full service advertising agency and public relations firm in Elgin, recently received recognition from the Catholic Press Association and the National Federation of Press Women for excellence in communications.

She received a first place recognition for writing in the category of "Best coverage of a routine, sacramental event: weekly Diocesan newspaper, circulation 25,000 or less", from the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada at the Catholic Media Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. Szpekowski has served as a freelance correspondent for The Observer, the weekly Diocesan newspaper of the Diocese of Rockford, Illinois, for the past seven years.

In addition, the National Federation of Press Women recently announced that Szpekowski won a third place in the public relations/advertising category of corporate brochure. The recognition was for writing and creative work for the firm's client, Aquatic Therapy and Wellness located in Algonquin. In their critique of the brochure, judges commented that “the colors and use of graphics work very well and the copy tells the reader exactly what the services are, making it easy to understand”.

Szpekowski is an author and accredited public relations professional of the Public Relations Society of America.

She is a 20-year member of the National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) and its state affiliate, the Illinois Woman's Press Association (IWPA). Both organizations are dedicated to professional excellence and the highest ethical standards in the communications field, and to the rights and responsibilities of the First Amendment.