“Independent Counselors in Georgia represent clients small and large and are usually very senior professionals with decades of expertise,” said Mitch Leff of Leff & Associates, who created the awards. “ICEY stands for ‘Independent Counselors Elevate You’ and we felt it was important to highlight the work these professionals provide across almost a dozen categories. We expect the number of entries to grow as word spreads about the new Icey Awards!”

The 2025 ICey Award Winners Are:

Best Nonprofit Campaign

- Icey - Fletcher PR, Wellroot Family Services, Christmas Giving 2024

- Pretty Cool - Leff & Associates, Tunnel to Towers to Open Atlanta Veterans Village

Best Written Work

- Icey - NEW's PR, Arlington Memorial Park Opens Nation's First-of-Its Kind Mausoleum

- Pretty Cool - Spotlight Communications, Giving Tuesday: A Day to Invest in the Arts, Invest in our Future

Best Podcast

- Icey - Strategic Global Media, "Second Act Stories" Podcast

- Pretty Cool - Leff & Associates, "4 Questions Journalist Spotlight"

Best Thought Leadership Campaign

- Icey - Fitzgerald PR, Fitzgerald PR helps the Caregiver's Journey Soar

- Pretty Cool - ConnectingYOUto PR, Unplugged for Self Care

Best Business Campaign

- Icey - The PR Studio, Media Relations Keeps Cutting Edge Firewood a Hot Topic

- Pretty Cool - NEW's PR, Leveraging Media Relations to Increase CCBB membership

Best Ongoing Campaign

- Icey - Leff & Associates, The Verdict is in for Emory Law

- Pretty Cool - Fitzgerald PR, Fitzgerald PR helps the Caregiver's Journey Soar

Best Small Event Campaign

- Icey - Tadpole Communications, Dreamhack Returns to Atlanta

- Pretty Cool - Leff & Associates, Gaming Convention MomoCon Sets New Attendance Record

Best Entertainment Campaign

- Icey - My Global Presence, Rome International Film Festival

- Pretty Cool - Sage PR, Georgia Production Partnership

Best Photo

- Icey - Haute Choc'lat Multimedia Group, R.I.C.E Awards Lifetime Honoree Xernona Clayton/Red Carpet 

Best Lifestyle Campaign

- Icey - The PR Studio, Media Relations Keeps Cutting Edge Firewood a Hot Topic

- Pretty Cool - ConnectingYOUto PR, Unplugged for Self Care

Best Work of the Year - The “Maverick” Award

- Strategic Global Media, "Second Act Stories" Podcast

- NEW's PR, Arlington Memorial Park Opens Nation's First-of-Its Kind Mausoleum

Journalist of the Year

- Michael Kanell, retired Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter.