Honoring Excellence in CA Media Coverage
The John Swett Media Awards celebrates outstanding coverage of community and campaign issues each year that have impacted California’s public schools, community colleges and the labor movement.
Thanks to CTA members interacting with the media, vital issues make it from the classroom to the newsroom, allowing the public and its elected representatives to understand the issues facing California’s public education and the labor movement. The John Swett Media Awards requires local chapters of CTA to nominate works by media professionals. Newspaper, radio and television editors, reporters, producers, directors and bloggers are all encouraged to be nominated.
History
Named after the founder of CTA and the state’s fourth superintendent of public instruction, the John Swett Media Awards are CTA’s highest honor for media professionals for their outstanding coverage of California’s public education and the labor movement.
John Swett founded CTA in 1863 and elevated the teaching profession as he served as California’s fourth superintendent of public instruction. For the first time, public schools became free for all to attend during his four-year term. The John Swett Media Awards emphasizes the same kind of commitment to professionalism Swett gave during his life of advocacy for all educators and students.
Nomination Process
Nominations may be made by any CTA chapter president (local affiliate) or Service Center Council chairperson. Media representatives cannot nominate themselves or their colleagues. They are, however, encouraged to make inquiries about the possibility of nominations.
Local CTA chapters are urged to monitor the media in their areas, to collect samples of good journalism or make note of unusually good or thorough coverage, and to recommend that their local presidents complete and submit nomination forms.
Judging of Nominees
Entries are judged by panels of independent media professionals outside of CTA and of CTA Members recommended by the CTA Communications Awards Subcommittee and approved by the CTA Board of Directors. Past John Swett Media Awards judges have included publishers, editors, and reporters from newspapers, journals, magazines, and wire services, as well as people in every aspect of radio and television broadcasting. Judges base their decisions on their own professional expertise and experience. Their decisions are final.
Categories
- Best News Story/Series (Print or Digital)
- Best Feature/Series (Print or Digital)
- Best Published Photograph (Print or Digital)
- Best Column, Editorial or Opinion Post (Print or Digital)
- Best Investigative Reporting (Print or Digital)
- Best News Story/Series (Broadcast or Podcast)
- Best Feature/Series (Broadcast or Podcast)
- Best Student Journalism (in all forms)
2025 Award Recipients
- Certificate of Merit – Jordan Georgeson, Gold Country Media, “Del Oro Girls Basketball Coach Farooq Resigns” and “‘It’s a Witch Hunt’: Del Oro’s Whitmore Departs From Baseball Team”
- Swett Award – Justine McDaniel and María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, “In Cities Targeted by ICE, Empty Desks and School Disruptions Follow”
- Swett Award – Jennah Pendleton, Sacramento Bee, “Why St. Hope Public Schools Lost 70% of Its Teaching Staff in One Year” and “St. Hope Charter Schools Agreement up for a Thursday Vote”
- Certificate of Merit – Sierra Lopez, Bay Area News Group, “West Contra Costa Schools Prepare for Teacher Strike Thursday” and “Thousands of West Contra Costa Teachers, Staff Begin Strike”
- Certificate of Merit – Joshua Silla, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, “Duarte Unified School District Is Ending Year With Teachers, District at Odds Over a New Contract” and “As Duarte Unified Contract Impasse Drags On, Teachers Say They Are Taking on Multiple Jobs”
66th Annual John Swett Awards in Photos
From left: Geoff Morganstern (nominator), Elizabeth Hind, Oxford Academy, Leslie Littman, CTA Vice President, Students Nathan Perera, Celine Park, and Haley Nguyen, Angela Der Ramos, CTA Director/ At-Large, and Randa Wahbe, Communications Committee Chair.
From left: Corey Penrose, CTA/ABC (nominator alternate), Leslie Littman, CTA Vice President, Richard Bammer, The Vacaville Reporter, Angela Der Ramos, CTA Director/ At-Large, and Randa Wahbe, Communications Committee Chair.
From left: Leslie Littman, CTA Vice President, Andie Judson, ABC10, Rebecca Ledoux, Twin Rivers United Educators (nominator), Randa Wahbe, Communications Committee Chair and Angela Der Ramos, CTA Director/ At-Large.
