Tourism and Events Queensland’s (TEQ) Best Job in the World campaign has been inducted into the PR News’ Platinum PR Awards Hall of Fame at an awards ceremony held in New York City at Grand Hyatt New York.

The Best Job in the World campaign, which sought to appoint a caretaker to the Island of the Great Barrier Reef, launched in 2009 to an unprecedented level of national and international media interest, successfully propelling Queensland, and in particular the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef, into the global tourism spotlight.

TEQ Chief Executive Leanne Coddington welcomed the accolade saying it further highlighted the organization’s role in presenting the unrivalled beauty of Queensland’s destinations.

“The Best Job in the World experience has been an extraordinary success story for TEQ and Queensland, showcasing the spectacular tourism experiences of the Whitsundays and Great Barrier Reef,” said Ms. Coddington. “We’re proud that the campaign has been inducted into the PR News’ Platinum Hall of Fame. It underscores many of TEQ’s innovative marketing initiatives to promote Queensland as one of the world’s leading travel destinations.”

Beating out almost 35,000 applicants from all over the world, Ben Southall, a 34-year-old British charity events organizer, was announced as the winner of the Best Job in the World on May 6, 2009 and from there, embarked on a six-month whirlwind journey of travel, social media, and interview opportunities. His experience was also captured in a six-part series that aired on National Geographic around the world.

The campaign, which achieved more than $400 million in global publicity value for Queensland, attracted coverage from a number of distinguished media outlets including the BBC, CNN, Good Morning America and Canada TV, plus an array of Australian and other international media.

“I believe the simplicity behind the campaign, and the ease at which it translated across global boundaries, made the Best Job in the World such a success,” said Ms Coddington.

The PR News’ Platinum PR Awards highlight the most outstanding communicators, initiatives and organizations who have set industry standards for excellence across all areas of public relations. According to PR News, selected finalists are from corporations, agencies and non-profits, both large and small, that took chances, made tremendous strides in their communications efforts and understand the power of public relations.

"For us at PR News, and for our community, the Platinum PR Awards serve annually as a celebration of the year's top PR teams and as an ideal showcase for their most successful campaigns," says Steve Goldstein, editorial director of PR News. "There were so many terrific entries this year, and once again we were reminded that creativity and inspiration rule in communications."

About Tourism & Events Queensland

TEQ is the Queensland Government’s lead marketing, destination and experience development, and major events agency, working toward achieving $30 billion in annual overnight visitor expenditure by 2020.