The first prize of the EPACA contest was handed over by European Parliament’s Vice President Silvana Koch-Mehrin to Luis Aguado Alba during EPACA’s Annual General Meeting. 

The EPACA 2011 Contest,   with the topic “why am I proud to be a lobbyist”, aimed to highlight the Public Affairs profession and bring recognition to young practitioners. Young talents under 30 and working for consultancies member of EPACA were invited to take part in shaping our profession by sharing their views and experiences in an essay competition.
The Jury was composed of EPACA Professional Practice panel members, Lisette Tiddens (former Secretary General of CPME), Tom Spencer (Executive Director of ECPA) and John Bowis (former MEP).

Luis Aguado Alba, from MAS Consulting, was unanimously designated by our Jury as the winner. His essay showed both originality and talent.
Luis said he will use his prize for a training program in Washington or an academic program in Spain. He said: “I am overwhelmed to receive this prize. Participating in this contest was a fantastic experience”

Chairman of EPACA Jose Lalloum said: “The essays we received were of great quality.  We have a promising new generation of practitioners, which reflects the vibrant interest in our profession”

Runners up in the contest were Sebastian Kaemmer, from Cambre Associates (ranking in second), and Kaja Ciglic from APCO Worldwide (ranking third).

Notes to the Editor:
The European Public Affairs Consultancies Association (EPACA) is the representative trade body for public affairs consultancies working with EU institutions.
It was launched at a general assembly on 28 January 2005, following a process of consultation among all signatories of a professional Code of Conduct. This Code had been informally maintained by these consultancies for 12 years, and is the basis for all such codes in the EU affairs marketplace.
The association establishes formal self-regulatory arrangements, including a professional practices panel for disciplinary hearings. It currently consists of 39 companies with over 600 staff, and represents a high proportion of the professional PA services providers in the EU market place.