CF wins Florida’s top public relations award for ‘Take the Reins’ campaign

The College of Central Florida’s Marketing and Public Relations team was recognized by the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) with the highest honor across the state this week at the 2026 Annual Golden Image Awards Gala.

CF’s Marketing and Public Relations team submitted for their marketing campaign “Take the Reins: Quality Enhancement Plan.” At the gala, CF earned a Judges’ Award (presented to entries that demonstrate impressive return on investment), a Golden Image Award (presented to the top-scoring entry in the Integrated Marketing category), and the Dick Pope All Florida Golden Image Award (the highest honor, given to the overall best PR program across the state).

The FPRA Golden Image Awards represent the highest level of statewide recognition, and honor outstanding public relations programs throughout Florida. CF was pleased to be recognized among many industry giants including Universal Studios, Florida Department of Transportation, AdventHealth, Sachs Media, University of Florida, Premier Sotheby’s International Realty and many more.

The “Take the Reins” campaign supported the launch of the College of Central Florida’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), a new career and transfer readiness initiative for CF students as part of the college’s 10-year reaffirmation process with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). With “Take the Reins,” CF students can earn a series of microcredentials in high-demand skills such as communications, leadership, technology and responsible AI literacy (TRAIL), critical thinking and more.

“I’m so pleased to see the hard work of our CF team members be recognized in such a meaningful way,” said Rachel Cote, APR, CF director of marketing, public and community relations. “Take the Reins is having a real impact on our students’ career and transfer success, and we were grateful to have the opportunity to showcase the project at a statewide level.”

As part of the campaign, the CF Marketing team cultivated “Take the Reins” Brand Ambassadors among employees, utilized high-visibility environmental branding to normalize “Take the Reins” in the daily student experience and leveraged student-first storytelling to make “Take the Reins” objectives easier to understand.

To learn more about “Take the Reins,” visit www.CF.edu/TakeTheReins.

For more information about the Florida Public Relations Association, visit www.fpra.org.