25 to receive organization’s top honors for 2025 work

The Religion Communicators Council (RCC) proudly announces the 2026 Wilbur Award recipients, recognizing exceptional work by 25 media outlets completed in 2025 within 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 RCC has presented the Wilbur Awards annually since 1949. Secular communicators enter work in several categories. Juries of media professionals, coordinated by council members across the country, evaluate submissions on content, creativity, impact, and excellence in communicating religious values. The ultimate criterion is brilliance in communication about faith and religion with fairness and professionalism, honesty and respect. 

The award is named for the late Marvin C. Wilbur, a pioneer in religious public relations, longtime council leader, and former Presbyterian Church executive.

The Wilbur Awards will be presented Friday, April 17, in Cincinnati, Ohio, during the RCC’s annual convention, “Coming Together: Charting Our Course.” The Wilbur Award presentation is open to the public at a cost of $125 per person; those interested in attending can register at  Religion Communicators Council (rccregistration.org); more about the convention is also posted at that site. Professionals in the field of religious communication are encouraged to attend the full convention; registration closes Monday, April 13.

According to Ryan Koch, president of RCC’s Board of Governors, “For more than seven decades, the RCC’s Wilbur Awards have honored outstanding storytelling in the secular media that explores faith, values, and the human spirit. This year’s honorees carry that remarkable legacy forward with creativity, insight, and conviction.”

Koch adds, “The Wilbur Awards ceremony is always an uplifting reminder of how meaningful, well-crafted communication can foster understanding among people of all beliefs. I encourage anyone in media or communications to join us in celebrating the power of these inspiring stories.”

Brad Pomerance, Wilbur Awards coordinator and RCC Board of Governors member, notes, “The caliber of this year’s Wilbur submissions was deeply encouraging—not only for their excellence, but for the way they illuminate faith and values in a complex world. Many of the entries embody our convention theme, ‘Coming Together: Charting Our Course,’ showing how communication can help us navigate challenges, find common ground, and create a shared path forward. It’s inspiring to see storytellers use their craft to bring people together through understanding and respect.”

Pomerance notes, “The 2026 competition drew a record-breaking number of entries from across the United States and around the world—a testament to the growing global reach of the Wilbur Awards.”

In addition to the 25 Wilbur winning entries, RCC will also be honoring 46 Award of Excellence Recipients and 41 Award of Merit Honorees.  The Award of Excellence is for entries deemed to be of excellent quality and unquestionably worthy of recognition. The Award of Merit is presented for work deemed meritorious and worthy of acknowledgment.

Congratulations to the following 2026 Wilbur Award Honorees:

Written Works – Newspaper Articles + Other Written Works, Extra Long:

Wilbur:

• This school is fighting antisemitism all wrong. Why is it working?
  The Forward; Arno Rosenfeld
• Pastors and Prey
  NBC News Digital; Mike Hixenbaugh, Roberto Daza, Antonia Hylton, Elizabeth Chuck, Suzy Khimm

Excellence:

• How Falun Gong Spread and Transformed China in the ’90s: A Look at the Practice that Spread Globally and Changed the Lives of Tens of Millions
  The Epoch Times; Eva Fu, Samira Bouaou, and Lorrita Liu
• When the Flames Came for an Altadena Church
  Capital & Main; Jessica Goodheart
• Trump’s War on ICE-Fearing Catholics
  Capital & Main; Jeremy Lindenfeld
• ‘Never a photo op he didn’t like’: Jewish NY postmaster grew, shaped USPS letters to Santa program in 1930s, ’40s
  JNS; Menachem Wecker
• How Yeshiva University’s deal with its LGBTQ club collapsed
  The Forward; Louis Keene
• A Jewish farmer drove 600 miles to rescue a century-old synagogue. Now he’s building a new one in a cornfield
  The Forward; Benyamin Cohen
• Anne Frank didn’t live here — she never had the chance
  The Forward; Stav Ziv
• 100 Years of YIVO
  The Forward; PJ Grisar
• Dyke March
  The Forward; Nora Berman
• How Oklahoma’s superintendent set off a holy war in classrooms
  The Hechinger Report; Linda K. Wertheimer
• Houses of Worship Aid Federal Workers
  Religion News Service/RNS; Adelle M. Banks and Jack Jenkins

Merit:

• The podcasters making antisemitism Christian again
  The Forward; Mira Fox
• How a Jewish mother from Flatbush became America’s most recognizable Italian on TV
  The Forward; Andrew Silverstein
• Inclusivity Means All: How Amaana Serves the New Orleans Muslim Disability Community
  The Fetzer Institute; The Fetzer Institute, Global Outreach, Dilshad Ali

Written Works – Newspaper Articles + Other Written Works, Long:

Wilbur:

• Can Catholic colleges and universities stay Catholic?
  Religion News Service/RNS; Heidi Schlumpf, Aleja Hertzler-McCain, Adelle M. Banks
• Religious resistance to “Operation Midway Blitz”
  Religion News Service/RNS; Jack Jenkins
• A US diocese defies trends and ordains its largest class of Catholic priests in decades
  The Associated Press/AP; Tiffany Stanley
• Pope Francis bestowed a special nickname on AP’s Vatican reporter for her often-tough questions
  The Associated Press/AP; Nicole Winfield

Excellence:

• Is there religious revival among Gen Z?
  Religion News Service/RNS; Kathryn Post
• One was born Catholic, another was a West Virginia Protestant — and now they’re all making Jewish art
  The Forward; Simi Horwitz
• A series on Hindu immigrants and visibility
  Religion News Service/RNS; Richa Ravindra Karmarkar
• Bit by bit, small US groups chip away at historic levels of social isolation
  The Associated Press/AP; Peter Smith
• Immigration crackdown stokes fear and solidarity at a Catholic church in DC
  The Associated Press/AP; Luis Andres Henao, Tiffany Stanley and Jessie Wardarski

Merit:

• No Jews allowed: White supremacists are building a segregated community in Arkansas, but is it legal?
  The Forward; Hannah Feuer
• Anti-Shariah conspiracy theories, a staple of 9/11-era rhetoric, resurge around Mamdani
  Religion News Service/RNS; Fiona Anne Andre
• Why So Many Young Men Are Publicly Supporting the Pro-Life Movement: Men are Raising Awareness that They Can, and Should, Have a Voice on Abortion
  The Epoch Times; J. Muscaro, Madalina Vasiliu Kilroy, and Monica Seeley
• ‘Sit in this courtroom if you want to feel good about the world’: Community court marks 1-year anniversary
  Canadian Broadcasting Corp./CBC News; Meghan Grant
• Aberration or Stupidity: Be Kind
  WE ARE THE TREE OF LIFE; Jacqueline Semha Gmach and Ezra AI
• Trump’s Greenland Obsession Overlooks A Spiritual Iceberg
  The Media Project; Julia Duin
• Embracing Sacred Sexuality: Discovering the Divine Within Our Desires
  The Fetzer Institute; The Fetzer Institute, Global Outreach, Don Abram

Written Works – Newspaper Articles, Medium:

Wilbur:

• Gaskin: What women wish their pastors knew about abuse
  Greater Grove Hall Main Streets/Boston Herald; Ed Gaskin

Merit:

• Actually, I’d love for Chabad to ask me if I’m Jewish
  The Forward; Olivia Haynie
• Leo’s Papal Wardrobe Includes An Unexpected, And Growing, Sports Jersey Collection
  Religion Unplugged; Clemente Lisi

Written Works – Newspaper Articles + Other Written Works, Opinion:

Wilbur:

• 50 years after its debut, ‘Hester Street’ reminds us what it means to be American
  The Forward; Simi Horwitz
• A Radical Reimagining of “Never Again”
  The Revealer; Niyati Evers

Excellence:

• Righteous gentiles in the Holocaust were no ‘ordinary thing’
  The Forward; Simi Horwitz

Merit:

• Jews cannot remain silent about the murders of Christians in Congo
  Religion News Service/RNS; Jeffrey Kenneth Salkin
• To my fellow travelers on their Pride journey
  Greater Grove Hall Main Streets; Ed Gaskin
• Resurrection Amidst Rubble: Palestinian Christians This Easter
  Greater Grove Hall Main Streets; Ed Gaskin
• In the Spirit of the Prophets: A New Covenant of Care
  Greater Grove Hall Main Streets; Ed Gaskin
• Gaskin: Project 2025 shapes a Christian vision of government
  Greater Grove Hall Main Streets; Ed Gaskin
• Gaskin: Earth Day in a ‘drill, baby, drill’ world
  Greater Grove Hall Main Streets; Ed Gaskin
• I Faced Antisemitism at Harvard. Don’t Destroy the University in My Name.
  S. News & World Report; Sarah Silverman, U.S. News & World Report
• Becoming A Great Commandment Christian
  Greater Grove Hall Main Streets; Ed Gaskin

Written Works – Magazines:

Excellence:

• The Story of Iraq’s Jews
  Kurdistan Chronicle; Kurdistan Chronicle
• “Is Your Blood Clean?”: The Paranoid Pastor Who Turned His Church into a Violent Cult
  The Walrus; Rachel Browne, Writer; Harley Rustad, Editor; Hailey Choi, Fact-checker; Michael Byers, Illustrator; Allison Baker, Head of Research; Carmine Starnino, Editor-in-Chief

Merit:

• Kurdistan’s Fallen Crosses
  Kurdistan Chronicle; Goran Shakhawan Samko

Books:

Wilbur:

• A Beautiful Year: 52 Meditations on Faith, Wisdom, and Perseverance
  Macmillan / St. Martin’s Essentials; Diana Butler Bass
• Hyphen: Jewish Stories In Our Own Words
  Be’chol Lashon (Global Jews); Julian Voloj – Be’chol Lashon

Excellence:

• The Bible Says So: What We Get Right (and Wrong) About Scripture’s Most Controversial Issues
  Macmillan / St. Martin’s Essentials; Dan McClellan
• Good Soil
  Penguin Random House; Jeff Chu
• The Traveler’s Path: Finding Spiritual Growth and Inspiration Through Travel
  Reformed Journal Books; Douglas J. Brouwer
• Out of Gaza: A Tale of Love, Exile, and Friendship
  University of Nebraska Press; Katharina Galor
• The Best of KidSpirit, Volume XI
  KidSpirit; KidSpirit

Merit:

• The Wisdom I Can’t Teach
  Paul Coyne 

Audio Productions – Audio Only News Stories, Long:

Wilbur:

• “The book every Jew should read before the High Holy Days”
  Religion News Service/RNS; Jeffrey Kenneth Salkin

Excellence:

• Loose Reins, Tight Factions: The Southern Baptist Convention
  Religion News Service/RNS; Amanda Henderson, Bob Smietana, and Jonathan Woodward
• Breaking the Silence: Faith and Mental Health in Black Communities
  National Public Radio/NPR; Katia Riddle, Diane Webber
• Baptizing the Battlefield: Pete Hegseth’s Holy War at the Pentagon
  Religion News Service/RNS; Amanda Henderson, Jack Jenkins, and Jonathan Woodward

Merit:

• Reaction from the faithful and a friend as Robert Prevost becomes Pope Leo XIV
  Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/CBC; Nil Köksal, Chris Howden, Cassie Argao, Leslie Amminson, Austin Webb, and Morgan Passi
• MAKE THE SEASON KIND: Feeding Bodies, Nourishing Community in Port Hope
  Canadian Broadcasting Corp./CBC Radio One; Ramraajh Sharvendiran , Marichka Melnyk
• Bringing science education to the incarcerated
  Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/CBC; Rosie Fernandez, Bob McDonald, Jim Lebans

Audio Productions – Audio Only News Stories, Medium:

Wilbur:

• Catholic nuns, missing babies, a mass grave — and a reckoning with Ireland’s past
  National Public Radio/NPR; Lauren Frayer, Fatima Al-Kassab, Paulo Nunes dos Santos
• A poignant Ash Wednesday after LA wildfires
  National Public Radio/NPR; Jason DeRose, Daniel Burke, Liz Baker

Excellence:

• This Harlem pastor fights mental health stigma — and shares his own struggles
  National Public Radio/NPR; Katia Riddle, Diane Webber
• Election of the first American Pope
  National Public Radio/NPR; Jason DeRose, Sylvia Poggioli, Ruth Sherlock, Claire Giangrave, Scott Detrow, Daniel Burke, Sarah Ventre, Courtney Dorning, Tyler Bartlam
• ICE crackdown in Chicago causes many immigrants to alter routines, even missing church
  Religion News Service/RNS; Adora Namigadde and Aleja Hertzler-McCain

Merit:

• Southern California congregations shelter migrants left in legal limbo
  National Public Radio/NPR News; Jason DeRose, Daniel Burke, Liz Baker
• Latter-day Saints are having fewer children. Church officials are taking note
  National Public Radio/NPR; Ciara Hulet, Andrea de Leon & Daniel Burke

Audio Productions – Long Form, Long:

Wilbur:

• When We All Get to Heaven
  Eureka Street Productions; Lynne Gerber, Siri Colom, Ariana Nedelman, Krissy Clark, Sayre Quevedo, David Herman, and Tim Dillinger-Curenton

Merit:

• When We Were on Fire
  Independent Creator; Lizzie Goldsmith, Addie Zierman, and Aria Sivick

Audio Productions – Long Form, Medium Series:

Wilbur:

• Kindergarten to Grade 12 – Lessons in Life
  Canadian Broadcasting Corp./CBC; Sarah Keaveny Vos

Excellence:

• Being Jewish with Jonah Platt
  Soul Evolution Media LLC; Jonah Platt

Merit:

• God, Glam and the Good Wife: The Rise of the ‘Womanosphere’
  Religion News Service/RNS; Katelyn Beaty, Roxanne Stone, Jonathan Woodward
• Jewish Crossroads
  JPPI – The Jewish People Policy Institute; TAMAR ISH SHALOM 

Audio Productions – Long Form, Medium Single Work:

Wilbur:

• On Pilgrimage With Dorothy Day
  Wisconsin Public Radio and PRX; Shannon Henry Kleiber, Anne Strainchamps, Steve Paulson, Joe Hardtke, Charles Monroe-Kane, Angelo Bautista, Sarah Hopefl

Merit:

• The Haunting of Unreserved
  Canadian Broadcasting Corp./CBC; CBC Unreserved: Rosanna Deerchild, Kim Kaschor, Rhiannon Johnson, Elena Hudgins Lyle, Amanda Gear
• Encounters With St. Augustine
  Canadian Broadcasting Corp./CBC Radio One; Sean Foley, Producer; Greg Kelly, Executive Producer

Audio Productions – Long Form, Short:

Excellence:

• The best of planners
  Canadian Broadcasting Corp./CBC; Caroline Hillier, Lindsay Bird, Liz Hoath, Natalie Dobbin

Merit:

• Losing faith: Rural religious colleges are among the most endangered
  The Hechinger Report; Jon Marcus, senior higher education reporter, The Hechinger Report, and Elissa Nadworny, NPR correspondent

Audio-Visual – News Stories, Long:

Excellence:

• After Helene: Relief and Recovery
  WATE-TV; Don Dare and Dave Wignall
• CBS Sunday Morning: It’s a Wonderful Life
  CBS News; Ted Koppel, Dustin Stephens, Ed Givnish, & Rand Morrison
• CBS Sunday Morning: Making Amends
  CBS News; Ted Koppel, Dustin Stephens, Ed Givnish, Mike Hernandez, & Rand Morrison

Merit:

• Ed O’Keefe Interviews Cardinal Blase Cupich on the election of Pope Leo XIV
  CBS News; Ed O’Keefe, Mary Hager Laird, Anne Hsu, Alana Anyse, Jake Miller, Carol Joynt, Kelsey Micklas, Matthew Jeffries, Pete Gow, Shelly Schwartz
• 60 Minutes: “The Bus on Route 62”
  CBS News / 60 Minutes; Scott Pelley, Nicole Young, Kristin Steve, Ihor Nalyvaiko, Don Lee, Christopher Everson, Eric Kerchner, Peter Berman, Jorge J. Garcia, Michelle Karim
• CBS News: Papal Coverage
  CBS News; CBS News

Audio-Visual – News Stories + Other, Medium + Short:

Wilbur:

• CBS News Sunday Morning: Bearing Witness
  CBS News; Rand Morrison, Executive Producer; Lee Cowan, Correspondent; Amiel Weisfogel, Producer; Carol Ross, Editor
• CBS News Sunday Morning: Inheritance
  CBS News; Rand Morrison, Executive Producer; Lee Cowan, Correspondent; Amiel Weisfogel, Producer; Steven Tyler, Editor

Excellence:

• CBS Sunday Morning: Story For Our Times
  CBS News Sunday Morning; Mo Rocca, Mark Hudspeth, Jason Schmidt, Efrain Robles
• CBS Evening News, Eye on America: Lessons in Forgiveness
  CBS News; Mark Strassmann, Guy Campanile, Jim Axelrod, Brian Bingham, Carlos P. Beltran, Chris St. Peter, Jo Macaluso, Jason Roberts, Tracy Duncan, Jeff Duncan
• The Rise of Non-denominational Christians
  CBS News; Maurice DuBois
• Breaking the Silence: Muslim Suicide Prevention
  The Fetzer Institute; The Fetzer Institute, Global Outreach, Linda Freund
• Guardians of the Sacred Bees
  The Fetzer Institute; The Fetzer Institute, Global Outreach, Noel Rojo, Magdalena Rojo

Merit:

• Blacklisted: The Sacred Magic of Black Cats
  The Fetzer Institute; The Fetzer Institute, Global Outreach, Sullivan Slentz, Julia Pillard, and Silma Suba

Audio-Visual – Long Form:

Wilbur:

• Compass Season 39
  Compass ABC TV; Amanda Collinge Executive Producer

Excellence:

• A SACRED PIECE OF HOME: WASHINGTON D.C.
  Cultural Literacy Associates, LLC; Amita Sarin and Ori Z. Soltes
• This is the CCP’s Greatest Weakness: An interview with Ambassador Sam Brownback on American Thought Leaders
  The Epoch Times; Executive producer and host Jan Jekielek, producer Irene Luo, video editor Gary Bosek, and video editor Weicheng Pan

Merit:

• The Cult of the Saints
  Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC TV); Presenter/Producer: Suzanne Smith, Editor: Danielle Akayan, Researcher: Wendy Boynton, Executive Producer: Amanda Collinge

Audio-Visual, Digital:

Wilbur:

• Being Jewish with Jonah Platt
  Soul Evolution Media LLC; Jonah Platt, host of “Being Jewish with Jonah Platt”

Merit:

• The Secret History of Judaism’s Hasidic Movement
  OpenDor Media; Jeff Handel, Ezra Weiser, Adi Elbaz, Yirmiyahu Danzig, Mo Weiss, Goldie Goldberg, Riaan Stoman
• Are Israelis and Palestinians Fighting Over Religion?
  OpenDor Media; Jeff Handel, Micah Smith, Paula Kweskin, Yirmiyahu Danzig, Adi Elbaz, Jacob Ross, Goldie Goldberg, Riaan Stoman
• The Arabs Who Swore a Blood Oath With Israel
  OpenDor Media; Jeff Handel, Micah Smith, Paula Kweskin, Yirmiyahu Danzig, Esther Baruh, Tzvi Joffre, Goldie Goldberg, Riaan Stoman, Mo Weiss

Audio-Visual > Full Length:

Wilbur:

• Among Neighbors
  Headfirst Arts & Media; Yoav Potash, Producer, Writer & Director | Anita Friedman, Executive Producer
• The Last Irish Missionaries
  Scratch Films; Liam McGrath, Gerry Hoban, Catherine O’Mahony, Emer O’Clery, Bryan Dobson, Dearbhail McDonald

Excellence:

• Juliette Rabbitskin
  Canadian Broadcasting Corp./CBC North Cree Unit; Terrence Duff, Betsy Longchap, Cole Bosum, Étienne Saint-Amour, Jean-Marc Levasseur, Jerome Lafon, Sebastien Lauzon, Michel Picard, Lachlan Madill
• Blind Spot
  The Mitzi Project, Inc.; Blind Spot, The Mitzi Project, Inc., Leonard Gold
• The Ritual
  David Midell, Enrico Natale, Mitchell Welch, Andrew Stevens

Audio-Visual – Entertainment:

Wilbur:

• Long Story Short – Episode: Yoshi’s Bar Mitzvah
  Netflix; Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Noel Bright, Steve A.Cohen, Elijah Aron, Mehar Sethi, Rachelle Williams-BenAry, Jordan Young, Alex Bulkley, Corey Campodonico, Lisa Hanawalt, Laura Donney, David Ichioka, Richard Choi

Images – Photography:

Wilbur:

• More Than Fields: The Spirit of Xochimilco’s Chinampas
  The Fetzer Institute; The Fetzer Institute, Global Outreach, and Noel Rojo

Excellence:

• When the Flames Came for an Altadena Church
  Capital & Main; Barbara Davidson

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About the Religion Communicators Council
The Religion Communicators Council (RCC), founded in 1929, is an association of communications professionals who work for and with a diverse group of faith-based organizations in the areas of communications, public relations, marketing and development.

About the RCC’s Annual Convention
The 2026 annual convention, “Coming Together, Charting Our Course,” will be held April 16-18, 2026, in Cincinnati. Keynote presentations and workshops will include topics such as interfaith dialogue, website and social media analytics, how to keep up with new technologies, crisis management, photography, fundraising, and polarization and conflict, and more. For more information,  Convention 2026 | Religion Communicators Council.

Contact:
Ginny Hizer
Religion Communicators Council (RCC)
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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 RNS or Religion News Foundation.