On Tuesday, October 27, the Stadsschouwburg Haarlem provided the setting for the Dutch PR Awards 2026. A total of 26 awards were presented: eleven gold awards, eight silver awards, and seven annual awards. We were not there ourselves, but of course we want to keep you up to date on the most notable winners. (Curious about last year too? Read These Were the Dutch PR Awards 2025.)
The big winners
Het PR Bureau won the top prize: PR Agency of the Year. The jury particularly praised its consistent approach, which puts earned media first. Founder Jacqueline Bosselaar also took home the title of PR Person of the Year. Counter won three awards—gold in Automotive and Tech, and silver in B2B—while The Romans and HvdM each took home two gold awards.
The other annual awards
Spokesperson of the Year: Steven van Gils (Efteling), who remains calm and clear when addressing sensitive topics such as crowds and nature.
PR Talent of the Year: Rosalie Smit (Wibra).
PR Innovation of the Year: TEAM LEWIS with Orbital, a tool that makes marketing and communications work more structured.
PR Launch of the Year: SportVibes, for the world premiere of the documentary CRUIJFF, which attracted 35,000 visitors (and our managing director was there!).
PR Stunt of the Year: AndAgencyAmsterdam with Le Deux, a fine-dining restaurant where guests only found out afterward that Lidl was the host.
Campaigns that stood out
For Oatly, The Romans created a pickup point for cyclists (Bike Thru), attracting more than eighty journalists and creators to the launch. NewsLab won silver in the FMCG category with the Staatsloterij TeamNL Fan-fare, a campaign that put the supporters—not the athletes—in the spotlight. Nxt agency won gold in the Healthcare category with its campaign for Beter Horen and Tinzo, which focused on digital support for people with tinnitus. The visibility also resulted in people actually using the app.
What the winners have in common
When you compare the cases, three recurring ingredients stand out:
Research as a foundation. Marcommit built its salary transparency campaign on research, while HvdM used the fear of having to repay benefits as its starting point.
Multiple angles. For Qarry and refurbed, Counter developed different stories so that a range of media outlets could find something suited to their readers.
Experiences and people. From a bicycle pickup counter to a dinner for one, the winners gave journalists and the public something to experience instead of simply something to read.
No award was presented in the Crisis Communications category this year. The PR100—which includes no fewer than three Presscloud nominees—the AI100, and the other lists will be announced during the 15th edition of the M100 on December 1 at the Stadsschouwburg Utrecht.
In conclusion
Not every company organizes a world premiere, and that is perfectly fine: several winners proved that creativity, a strong angle, and the right journalists often deliver more than a large budget.
Ready to get started yourself? With Presscloud, you can write your press release, send it to the journalists who are the right fit, and then see exactly where it appears. Who knows—your campaign might be on this list next year!
