Each year, the PNA and the PNA Foundation conduct many contests and awards programs, recognizing the outstanding achievements of professional and student journalists, sales staff, carriers and company leaders. We celebrate the compelling and creative ways that news organizations cover their communities, engage various audiences, generate revenue and impact the world.
Following is a complete list of our contests and awards:
Lifetime Achievement Award
This award honors outstanding service and accomplishment spanning a career in journalism.
Benjamin Franklin Award for Excellence
This award recognizes individuals who have performed an outstanding service or accomplishment to their newspapers; to the news media industry; to their local communities; or to the PNA, that reflected positively on the news media industry in Pennsylvania.
News Organization of the Year (NOY)
The purpose of NOY designation is to recognize outstanding work across all departments and including all products, with an emphasis on overall excellence.
PNA Hall of Fame
The PNA Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have performed outstanding and distinguished service for the news media industry in Pennsylvania.
Keystone Media Awards – Students
The Student Keystone Media Awards contest recognizes high school, university and college journalism that provides relevance, integrity and initiative in serving readers.
Keystone Media Awards – Professional
These awards reinforce excellence by individuals in the news media profession, by recognizing journalism that consistently provides relevance, integrity and initiative in serving readers and audiences, and faithfully fulfills its First Amendment rights and responsibilities. Further, they stimulate journalists to improve their craft and ultimately improve their community.
Newspaper Hero & Audience Development Person of the Year Awards
Realizing that audience development is key to gaining and retaining readers, and in recognition of the vital role this plays in the news media business, the Foundation has created two new awards to honor the best in Pennsylvania.
PNA Foundation Advertising Contest
This contest recognizes advertising departments across Pennsylvania that continue to produce outstanding printed and digital classified and display ads, campaigns, and special publications worthy of much recognition.
Pennsylvania Bar Association Media Awards (Affiliated Awards)
The PBA Media Awards were established to recognize journalistic excellence in news and feature reporting in broadcast, print and podcast media of the legal system and its operations.
SPJ Keystone Chapter’s Excellence in Journalism Contest (Affiliated Awards)
SPJ Keystone Pro Chapter’s Spotlight Contest annually recognizes the best in journalism.
Plaque Ordering
Purchase the same plaques we issue to the first-place winners in our Student and Professional Keystone Media Awards and the PNA Foundation Advertising Contest, directly from Present A Plaque. Order the black marble pocket plaques with frosted, non-glare acrylic – item #FBPOCM81S (for individual plaques) or item #FBPOCM81 (for a case of 10). You’ll see significant savings if ordering by the case. Plaque orders will be sent directly to you from Present A Plaque via FedEx (ground or 2-day delivery options available).