— Bellwether Public Relations, a Lansing, Mich.-based strategic communications agency, won the Silver Anvil for Best Boutique Agency at the 2026 Anvil Awards ceremony Thursday night in New York City.

The award, presented by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), is widely considered the public relations industry’s highest honor, the equivalent of a Pulitzer Prize for communications. The Silver Anvil recognizes organizations that have successfully addressed contemporary issues with exemplary professional skill, creativity and resourcefulness. The award marks the seventh Silver Anvil for the Bellwether team.

“This recognition means the world to our team, but what matters most to us is the impact behind it,” said Andie Poole, APR, partner at Bellwether Public Relations. “We do this work because we believe in making the world a little better than we found it, and these campaigns moved the needle in ways that will benefit Michiganders for years to come.”

Bellwether was recognized for a portfolio of work that demonstrates the firm’s ability to win on some of Michigan’s toughest public policy challenges. Highlights from the award entry include:

Fix MI State / “Save Our Jobs. Fund Our Roads.” — For the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association, Bellwether led a campaign to end decades of legislative gridlock on road funding. Grounded in statewide polling showing 87% of Michiganders viewed road funding as important, the campaign unified contractors, construction workers and union members behind a singular economic message. A landmark rally drew more than 5,000 workers to the Michigan Capitol, heavy equipment encircled the building, and a creative “Pothole Payback” contest personalized the cost of inaction for Michigan drivers. The campaign generated nearly 1,000 media mentions, 1.5 billion impressions and more than 3,400 direct constituent messages to lawmakers, and helped secure a $1.85 billion annual increase in road and bridge funding in the FY 2026 state budget while protecting an estimated 30,000 jobs.

Protect MI Care Coalition — When federal proposals threatened Medicaid coverage for more than 2.6 million Michiganders, Bellwether partnered with the Michigan League for Public Policy to launch a rapid-response public affairs campaign. Within 30 days, the team assembled a coalition of more than 275 organizations statewide. The campaign generated more than 5,000 personalized letters and 4,000 phone calls to Michigan’s congressional delegation, secured more than 280 earned media placements with nearly 650 million impressions.

The Best Boutique Agency win comes on the heels of Bellwether’s 2024 Silver Anvil for its work with the Michigan EITC Coalition to expand the state’s earned income tax credit, a campaign that delivered an estimated $385 million in additional support to Michigan’s working families. The firm also won Silver Anvils in 2019 for Voters Not Politicians’ Proposal 2, which ended partisan gerrymandering in Michigan, and in 2020 for the I Vaccinate campaign, which encourages Michigan parents to protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases.

In 2022, PR veterans Josh Hovey, APR, Angela Minicuci, APR, and Andie Poole, APR, purchased the agency from its founding partners. In October 2024, the company rebranded from Martin Waymire to Bellwether Public Relations, a name that reflects both its Michigan roots and a clear focus on what comes next.

“We hold the Silver Anvil in the highest regard — not simply as an award, but as a benchmark,” said Angela Minicuci, APR, partner at Bellwether Public Relations. “We strive to do ‘Silver-Anvil-worthy’ work for every client: work informed by insight, thoughtfully planned, brought to life with purpose, and evaluated against meaningful benchmarks. Earning seven Silver Anvils as a boutique agency reflects that commitment. It represents the standard we set for ourselves and the outcomes we expect to deliver.”