Established 46 years ago by the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the PBA Media Awards recognize journalistic excellence in news and feature reporting in broadcast, print and podcast media of the legal system and its operations. The competition also honors editorials and commentaries.
This competition is coordinated by the PBA Bar/Press Committee and honors journalists who accomplish the following through their work:
- Foster greater public understanding of our legal system
- Inform and educate citizens as to the roles of society and the law, the courts, law enforcement agencies and the legal profession
- Disclose practices or procedures needing correction or improvement so as to encourage and promote efforts to improve and modernize our laws, courts and law enforcement agencies
Entry Rules:
All Pennsylvania reporters, editors, broadcasters and publishers are eligible to enter the competition by submitting material published or broadcast between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, in a newspaper or other media outlet with at least 50% of its coverage area located within the state.
Categories:
There are six categories for judging:
- Newspapers: 30,000 or more circulation
- Newspapers: Under 30,000 circulation
- Editorial/Commentary
- TV: Philadelphia and Pittsburgh Markets
- TV: All Other Markets (not including Philadelphia and Pittsburgh)
- Radio and Podcasts: All Markets
Judging:
The PBA Media Awards Competition Judging Committee is composed of lawyers, judges, journalism professors and print media representatives. The committee will choose the winning entries for each category based on the following:
- Informational/Educational Value
- Thoroughness
- Organization
- Writing/Reporting Effectiveness
- Excellence in Writing/Reporting
Rules:
Each entrant may submit up to three articles in any category. An entrant submitting more than one article must submit a separate entry form for each article.
Only the creator of an entry or an editorial officer of the media organization that published the entry may submit a nomination.
Members of the Pennsylvania Bar Association may submit names of reporters who provided notable coverage about legal issues. PBA staff will contact reporters and/or their editors directly to request that article(s) be entered into the competition.
If the total number of allowable entries per category is exceeded, entries will not be considered.
- Each entry must include a completed official entry form and a brief summary of the entry.
- Please use the entry form. The deadline for entries is Aug. 22, 2025.
- All attachments to be judged may be submitted via the online entry form or emailed to: PBAawards@pabar.org.
- Article URLs to non-password protected content may be included in the description of entry field on the entry form or emailed to PBAawards@pabar.org.
- If a password is required to access content, please provide that on the entry form.
Prizes:
The first-place winner in each category receives $400 and a certificate and the second-place winner in each category receives $100 and a certificate.
For Additional Information:
Contact the Morgan Barr or Stephanie Titzel with any questions at morgan.barr@pabar.org or Stephanie.titzel@pabar.org.