A milestone year for the Golden Target Awards
The Golden Target Awards were first presented in 1976. Fifty years later, they remain Australia’s longest-running national awards program for public relations and communications.
The 2026 program covers 40 categories across campaigns,individuals, teams and agencies. Celia is one of six finalists in Leader of the Year Agency, alongside Dena Vassallo, Richard Brett, Sally Harley, Skye Lambley and Vanessa Liell.
The National Awards Night will run from 6.00 pm to 11.00 pm AEST at the Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park. Winners across the program, including the national platinum awards, will be revealed during the evening.
Leadership at the intersection of PR and AI visibility
Celia launched LEOPRD in April 2025 after seeing a gap between traditional communications and the way people were beginning to discover brands through AI. The agency coined Language Engine Optimisation, or LEO, to describe the work of improving how language models find, interpret and recommend an organisation.
LEOPRD’s first research report examined 18 Australian companies across ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and Perplexity. It found that 62% of brand citations came from third-party credibility signals rather than content published on a company’s own channels.
That finding gives communications leaders a clearer role in the answer economy. Earned media, expert commentary, awards, reviews and consistent public positioning are the evidence AI systems use when they decide which brands to include and how confidently to recommend them.
Recognition for a new model of agency leadership
The CPRA shortlist follows Celia’s 2026 CommsCon PR Professional of the Year award and B&T Women Leading Tech Award in the public relations category. It also comes shortly after PRovoke Media named LEOPRD New Agency of the Year for Asia Pacific.
Taken together, these independent signals recognise both individual leadership and the agency model Celia has built: senior practitioners working across PR, search and AI analysis to solve a fast-changing visibility problem.
Whatever happens on Thursday, being shortlisted in the Golden Target Awards’ 50th year is an honour. We are looking forward to celebrating the people and work moving the profession forward.
Frequently asked questions
What category is Celia Harding shortlisted for
Celia Harding is shortlisted for Leader of the Year Agency in the 2026 CPRA Golden Target Awards.
When will the 2026 Golden Target Award winners be announced
The winners will be announced at the National Awards Night on Thursday 17 September 2026, from 6.00 pm AEST.
Where are the 2026 Golden Target Awards being held
The 50th anniversary National Awards Night will be held at the Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park, 161 Elizabeth Street, Sydney.