19 to receive organization’s top honors for 2023 work
The Religion Communicators Council (RCC) proudly announces the 2024 Wilbur Award recipients, recognizing exceptional work by 19 media outlets completed in 2023 by the secular (non-religious) media in the fields of print and online journalism, book publishing, podcasts and radio, television and film.
The Wilbur Award is the top honor provided by the RCC and is presented annually to recognize the most outstanding work in the communication of religious issues, values, and themes in secular media. Each winner will receive an individually crafted stained-glass Wilbur trophy.
The awards will be presented Friday, April 5, in Louisville, KY, at the Muhammad Ali Center, during the RCC’s annual convention, “95 Years of Harnessing our Collective Power.” The Wilbur Award presentation is open to the public at a cost of $125 per person; those interested in attending can register at Register – Religion Communicators Council (rccregistration.org)
“I encourage anyone working in the communications field to attend the Wilbur award presentation, as it is truly a celebration of inspiring stories as told by some of the best professional secular communicators working today,” states RCC Board of Governors Chair Teresa Faust. “Their work, compassion for their sources and dedication to sharing a look at faith-based issues and themes is compelling.”
RCC’s Wilbur Award coordinator and RCC Board of Governors member Brad Pomerance notes, “I am so impressed with the scope and depth of the awardees’ work in telling so many important stories with religious and inspirational themes. It is an honor for RCC to recognize such quality work done in 2023 and to encourage the continuation of such quality, compassion and professionalism in the coverage of faith and religion into the future.”
Pomerance adds, “With entries from six different countries and eighteen states, I’m also overjoyed at the media outlets that we will be honoring as Wilbur award recipients, as they are some of the most well-known and well-respected.”
The Wilbur honorees include: AIB Network; Al Jazeera English; Ananay Paramount; Associated Press/AP; Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/CBC; CBS News; Del Mar Investments; Journey Films; Los Angeles Times; Miraflores Films; National Public Radio/NPR; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Religion News Service/RNS; Terrace Films; VOX; and The Walrus.
In addition to the Wilbur honorees, the RCC is pleased to also recognize several media outlets with Awards of Excellence and Awards of Merit, including American Diversity Report; APP TV; Associated Press/AP; The Believer; The Boston Globe; Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/CBC; CBS News; Franklin Road Academy; GNAT-TV, The Guardian; The Hechinger Report; HuffPost; The Journal of CESNUR; KidSpirit; La Macha; National Public Radio/NPR; New Decade Films; Oklahoma Today; Pico Union Project; PRX, Religion News Service/RNS; Sandberg Media; Ruth Broyde Sharone; and We are the Tree of Life.
The Religion Communicators Council has presented Wilbur Awards annually since 1949. Juries of media professionals, coordinated by council members across the country, evaluate submissions on content, creativity, impact and excellence in communicating religious values. The award is named for the late Marvin C. Wilbur, a pioneer in religious public relations, longtime council leader and former Presbyterian Church executive.
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Contact:
Ginny Hizer
Religion Communicators Council (RCC)
513-607-3194
[email protected]
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Religion News Service or Religion News Foundation.
