Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR) has won the Grand Prix, the highest honour at the 2026 International Public Relations Association (IPRA) Golden World Awards, held at the Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens, Greece.
Staff members broke into celebration as the trophies arrived at Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, the main base of IMPR, the publisher of PRNigeria and Spokespersons Digest.
The company earned the global prize for its campaign, ‘AI for Crisis Communication: From Study to Strategy,’ which the jury described as representing the highest standards of public relations practice in 2026.
IPRA President Esther Cobbah said the Grand Prix capped IMPR’s outstanding performance at this year’s ceremony, where the firm also won two Golden World Awards in the AI in Crisis Management and Publication categories.
The prix was received by the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, who was honoured with a special award for his contributions to transparent communication, stakeholder engagement and international best practices in public relations.
In his acceptance message, IMPR’s Chief Executive Officer, Yushau Shuaib, described the Grand Prix as a historic achievement for the company and a landmark moment for Nigeria’s public relations industry.
‘After 10 years of participation and multiple wins at the IPRA Golden World Awards, IMPR has, for the first time, been honoured with the Grand Prix-the highest distinction in public relations-in Athens, the historic city where the Code of Athens was adopted in 1965,’ he remarked.
Shuaib said the successful campaign demonstrates how research-driven public relations can inform institutional reforms and address national challenges. ‘This global recognition is a testament to the trust, collaboration and professionalism of our clients, partners and stakeholders across Nigeria.’
The media expert thanked the Federal Ministry of Information, Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigeria Customs Service, media partners, security agencies, and the research team whose input supported the work.
IPRA Secretary-General Philip Sheppard called the winning campaign a pioneering initiative at the intersection of artificial intelligence and public relations, noting that the 2026 Grand Prix was awarded to IMPR for its contribution to the emerging application of AI in strategic communication.
Sheppard announced that the Global Contribution Award, recognising campaigns aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, went to V+O Greece | SEC Newgate for Mastercard’s ReStart employment initiative.
PR professionals from more than 50 countries attended the event. From Nigeria were IMPR Board Chairman Professor Sule Yau Sule; NITDA spokesperson Hadiza Umar; and Emirate Radio’s Managing Director and Emir of Ilorin’s spokesperson, Dr. Abdulazeez Arowona, among others.
In 2020, IMPR was named the world’s most creative PR agency in the Global Creativity Index published by PRovoke Media. The 2026 prize in Greece began as a project by Mr. Shuaib after he withdrew from the Senior Executive Course at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS).
The research, in collaboration with the CCC and NITDA, examined the threats of AI-driven misinformation, deepfakes, and digital information disorder, with findings translated into a strategic communication framework to strengthen Nigeria’s crisis-response capabilities.
The recommendations informed the inaugural National Symposium on Digital Innovations in Crisis Communication (in November 2025), which convened security agencies, government institutions, media organisations, civil society groups and technology experts.
The symposium laid the foundation for the proposed Crisis Communication Hub (CCHub), a 24-hour, AI-enabled platform designed for social listening, deepfake detection, misinformation monitoring and coordinated crisis communication.