Daniela Messina named Stevie Award winner and Woman of the Year finalist

Daniela Messina, founder and creative director of San Diego-based Messina Agency, was named a 2026 Stevie Award winner and finalist in the Woman of the Year category for Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations. The recognition comes from a global field of more than 1,500 entries and puts Messina in line for Gold, Silver or Bronze results at the November 16 ceremony in New York City.

Why it matters: - The Stevie Award recognition spotlights a San Diego agency founder among a global pool of women leaders in business. - The honor can raise Messina Agency’s profile with potential clients across marketing, creative and communications services. - The final Gold, Silver and Bronze placements will be announced at the awards ceremony in New York City on November 16.

What happened: - Daniela Messina, Founder and Creative Director of Messina Agency, was named a 2026 Stevie Award Winner and finalist in the Woman of the Year – Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations category. - The recognition came in the 23rd annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business. - More than 1,500 entries from organizations and individuals in 56 nations and territories were submitted this year. - Finalists were selected based on average scores from more than 200 business professionals serving on seven judging committees.

The details: - Messina Agency is a San Diego-based multidisciplinary creative agency. - The agency has spent more than two decades serving organizations in financial services, higher education, healthcare, consumer products, professional services and nonprofit sectors. - Messina Agency supports clients with branding, campaigns, websites and digital experiences, email marketing, print, packaging, presentations, events and production. - Daniela Messina also volunteers creative leadership with the American Marketing Association San Diego. - Messina has supported nonprofit organizations through donated and reduced-rate creative services. - Messina was also a San Diego Business Journal Business Woman of the Year finalist. - The company’s announcement points readers to the Stevie Awards finalists list for more information.

Between the lines: - The award places Messina in a category tied to leadership in advertising, marketing and public relations, which underscores both creative work and business leadership. - The scale of the competition suggests the finalist group reflects broad international recognition, not a local or industry-only honor. - The recognition also reinforces Messina Agency’s positioning as an embedded marketing partner rather than a one-off project shop.

What's next: - Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award placements will be announced on November 16 in New York City. - The 2026 finalists list remains available online at Women.StevieAwards.com. - Messina Agency is likely to continue using the recognition to support its visibility with clients and industry peers.