The Catholic Media Association honored Columbia with 45 awards for content published in 2024, including 10 first-place awards spanning a variety of categories — from reporting to photography to layout — and second place for General Excellence, National Magazine. The awards were announced at the closing banquet of the annual Catholic Media Conference, held in Phoenix June 24-27.
Columbia received several first-place awards for its coverage of the National Eucharistic Revival, including the cross-country National Eucharistic Pilgrimage and National Eucharistic Congress in summer 2024. Judges praised Columbia’s “broad and deep coverage” of the Eucharistic Revival for going “beyond simply telling the whats and wheres and … returning to the whys. These articles provide a lot of basic Catholic belief regarding the Eucharist in engaging stories and information.”
Columbia also won first place for Best Essay: Light and Life Amid Loss by Amy Welborn, Best Personality Profile of a Religious Leader: Hero of Hill 875: Father Charles J. Watters by Joseph Pronechen, Best Reporting on Rights and Responsibilities: Journey of Joy by Columbia staff, and Best Sports Reporting: In the Big Inning by Columbia staff.
At the banquet, Columbia editor Alton Pelowski announced Jeffrey Barker of the Archdiocese of Seattle’s Northwest Catholic as the winner of this year’s Blessed Michael Award for Distinguished Journalism. The award, presented each year in recognition of outstanding writing on volunteer efforts, honored Barker for his feature article “I’m just an instrument: After she and her children survived communist Vietnam, Van Phan pledged to always serve God.”
The Knights of Columbus also received recognition at the 59th Annual Gabriel Awards, hosted the previous evening, June 26: Warriors to Lourdes: “A Part of Our Healing Process” was awarded first place for Documentary Series, and Warrior for Christ: The Life of Joe Reali received an honorable mention for Documentary Short.
View a complete list of the 2025 Catholic Media Awards.