Award Details
Contact
Teresa Shaak
Phone
717-703-3003
Registration is now open for PNA’s 100th Anniversary Gala on Nov. 13.
Congratulations to the 2025 Benjamin Franklin Award for Excellence Award recipient – Sharon Sorg!
View the 2025 PNA Awards Press Release.
Sharon Sorg was selected for her outstanding service that reflects positively on the Pennsylvania news industry, the community at-large or to the mission of PNA. Sorg holds the titles of executive vice president/newspaper operations for CNHI and publisher for The Herald (Sharon) and New Castle News.
“While I am honored to be chosen as the 2025 Benjamin Franklin award recipient, this recognition would not be possible without those I have had the honor of working beside throughout the years,” she said. “They have shared my passion for local journalism, joined me in many community endeavors and accepted the many challenges our industry has faced with a fierce confidence that makes me incredibly proud.”
Purpose of the Award
The Benjamin Franklin Award for Excellence recognizes individuals who have performed an outstanding service to his/her newspaper, to the news media industry in general, to his/her local community, or to the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association that reflected positively on the news media industry in Pennsylvania. Nominees may include news media owners and employees, legislators, community leaders, business leaders, and university/college administrators.
Award Criteria
The criteria for this award are flexible to accommodate a wide range of circumstances and situations. Some examples would include:
- How well a candidate reacted in times of a natural disaster
- Undertaking a legal battle for his/her newspaper
- Lobbying efforts for a news media cause
- Innovative methods of selling, marketing, or producing newspaper products
- Outstanding community, college, or non-profit service
The work for which the candidate is being nominated should be current within the past one to two years.
Nomination Guidelines
Nominations must be made in writing with biographical information included, along with any appropriate supporting documentation explaining the reasons the nominee should receive the award. Letters from the nominee’s peers and coworkers supporting the nomination may also be included. Deadline for nominations was Friday, Aug. 15 and should’ve been emailed to teresas@pa-news.org or mailed to:
Benjamin Franklin Award for Excellence
c/o Teresa Shaak
Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association
4000 Crums Mill Rd., Suite 101, Harrisburg, PA 17112
- No limitations are placed on the length of information submitted. However, conciseness and clarity are suggested.
- Artistic qualities of the nomination submissions (such as the use of graphics, photographs, etc.) will not be considered in the selection of the award recipient.
- Any staff member of a PNA news media organization may submit a nomination.
PRESENTATION: The recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Award will be honored at PNA’s 100th Anniversary Gala on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, at the Hershey Country Club, and inducted into the PNA Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025. Details about the event available in September.