Honors an individual who is new to the field of nonprofit news (less than two years) and is contributing to the success of their organization through innovation.

2025 Award Winner

Mara Wilson

The Dial

In two years as managing editor and overseeing audience growth and newsroom operations, Mara Wilson has transformed The Dial, Editor-in-Chief Madeleine Schwartz said in the nomination letter. 

Wilson has expanded The Dial’s audience by establishing the publication on social media and aggregation platforms as well as forming and facilitating partnerships that make it “a truly international organization,” Schwartz said.

Wilson launched a listserv for The Dial’s 200+ contributors, editors and translators. She has shown ingenuity and a balance of risk-taking and levelheadedness that “allows her to push The Dial toward experimentation while bolstering the structures that allow it to run day-to-day,” Schwartz said. “Mara is a game-changer in the field of nonprofit journalism.”

Finalist

• The Sick Times, Heather Hogan