Entry period is open for 2016 Wilbur Awards

The Religion Communicators Council (RCC) is accepting entries for the 2016 Wilbur Awards. Secular communicators have until Feb. 5, 2016 to submit work produced during 2015 for consideration in one of the oldest recognition programs in religion communication. The council has presented Wilbur Awards annually since 1949. They honor excellence by individuals in secular media […]

The Religion Communicators Council (RCC) is accepting entries for the 2016 Wilbur Awards. Secular communicators have until Feb. 5, 2016 to submit work produced during 2015 for consideration in one of the oldest recognition programs in religion communication.

The council has presented Wilbur Awards annually since 1949. They honor excellence by individuals in secular media – print and online journalism, book publishing, broadcasting, and motion pictures – in communicating religious issues, positive values and themes.

Winners in 2015 represented Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins publishing; CBS Television News; St. Louis Post-Dispatch; WATE-TV, Knoxville, Tennessee; Religion News Service; The Huffington Post and WLRN-Miami Herald News as well as motion picture producers, bloggers, and book authors.


The 2016 awards will be presented April 2 in New York City, during the council’s national convention. Winners receive a handcrafted stained-glass trophy and national recognition for their work.

Secular communicators may enter work in seven categories. Juries of media professionals coordinated by Religion Communication Council members across the country evaluate submissions on content, creativity, impact and excellence in communicating religious values.

The presentation of the awards will include a special Wilbur Award given to The Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell, former head the National Council of Churches and former Director of Religion at the historic Chautauqua Institution. The honor will recognize Campbell’s over 30 years of public and behind-the-scenes work in all forms of media.

The award is named for the late Marvin C. Wilbur, a pioneer in religious public relations and longtime council leader. For more information on the Wilbur competition or entry details, go to the Wilbur Awards page on the RCC web site.

RCC logoAbout the Religion Communicators Council

The Religion Communicators Council is an interfaith association of more than 400 religion communicators working in print and electronic communication, advertising, and public relations. Members represent Bahá’í, Christian, Hindu, Jewish and Muslim faith communities. Founded in 1929, the council is the oldest public relations professional association in the United States.

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