The Sept. 26 ceremony lauds the best in local journalism from the past year and community award honorees

Tickets for the 2024 Touchstone Awards are available for purchase at toledopressclub.com, with discounts available for Press Club members, nominees and students.

Hosted annually by the Press Club of Toledo, the Touchstone Awards celebrate the best in local journalism and communications across print, television, radio, social media and public relations. The ceremony will take place Thursday, Sept. 26 at the Valentine Theatre and is observing 26 years of commemorating the work of area journalists and communications professionals.

Tickets are $100 for nonmembers, $75 for Press Club members and $45 for Touchstone nominees and students. Parking in the North Superior Street lot, located across the street from the Valentine Theatre entrance, is included with ticket purchase.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with gourmet grazing, cocktails and a raffle featuring donations from Metroparks Toledo, TolHouse and other local organizations. The ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. in the historic theater.

In addition to giving journalism and communications awards, the Press Club of Toledo recognizes individuals for their service and contributions to the greater Toledo community at the ceremony. The 2024 community award honorees are:

Barbara Hendel, society editor at The Blade, is the recipient of the Norm Cartwright Award, which is named after a founding member of the Press Club of Toledo and honors outstanding efforts to promote the Press Club’s principles;

Ambrea Mikolajczyk, real estate developer and owner of ARK Restoration and Construction, is the recipient of the Contributor Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the community, specifically someone who has made a significant impact on the quality of life in Northwest Ohio over the past year;

Debra Monagan, president ex officio of Communica, is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes a lifetime of outstanding contributions to the community in all aspects, including business, public service and philanthropy; and

Mark Zaborney, retired reporter from The Blade, is the recipient of the Golden Touchstone Award, which recognizes lifetime achievement in the field of journalism in Northwest Ohio. 

The Touchstone Awards is the sole fundraiser for the Press Club of Toledo’s scholarship fund. Two scholarships will be awarded at the ceremony to students from The University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University who epitomize service and dedication to the profession of journalism.

The 2024 Touchstone Awards is supported in part by The Blade, Adams Street Publishing, Communica, Nuestra Gente Community Projects, Owens Corning, SSOE Group and media sponsor BCAN/BCSN.

The Press Club of Toledo is pleased to announce the 2022 Touchstone Award Winners.

In front of a sold-out crowd at the Valentine Theatre on Oct. 4, the Press Club of Toledo celebrated its 50th anniversary by recognizing community leaders, journalists, and public relations professionals.

Emcee Shaun Hegarty started the night with a moment of silence for Jeff McKinnis, stating, “We honor Jeff McGinnis, assignment editor of the Toledo City Paper, who passed away one week ago tonight. He was a nominee and winner of the Touchstone Awards, and he will be sorely missed.”

Candice Harrison, president of the Press Club of Toledo, shared the organization’s legacy and how she made history as the first Black president, stating, “The Press Club of Toledo has been honoring journalistic and community achievements since 1999. Tonight, we add a distinguished set of honorees to our terrific list.”

The Press Club of Toledo’s Board of Directors selects the Community Awards winners, and the recipients are as follows:

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

The award that recognizes a lifetime’s worth of outstanding contributions to the community in all aspects, including business, public service, and philanthropy, was awarded to Mary Fedderke, vice president of development at the United Way of Greater Toledo, for her incomparable service to the Toledo non-profit community.

CONTRIBUTOR AWARD

This award recognizes outstanding contributions to the community, specifically someone who’s significantly impacted the quality of life in Northwest Ohio over the past year. It was awarded to Will Lucas, community champion and owner of Creadio and TolHouse, and Moussa Salloukh, community champion and owner of Souk Mediterranean Restaurant, for their contributions to the growth and development of the Toledo region and media impact in 2022.

NORM CARTWRIGHT AWARD

Named after a founding member of the Press Club of Toledo, this award honors outstanding efforts to promote the press club’s principles. It was awarded to Kurt Franck, president, general manager, and executive editor of The Blade.

TOUCHSTONE AWARDS

Winners for this year’s award categories were judged by journalists and media professionals from San Diego, and the winners are as follows:

Print-Daily

• Hard News – Luke Ramseth of The Blade
• Feature – Nicki Gorny of The Blade
• Sports – Mark Monroe of The Blade
• Arts & Entertainment – Jason Webber of The Blade

Print Non-Daily

• Hard News – Lila Waterfield of Toledo City Paper
• Feature – Mary Rose Kulczak of Toledo Area Parent
• Sports – Nathaniel Light of Toledo City Paper
• Arts & Entertainment – Dave Kubacki of Toledo City Paper

Photojournalism

• Videography – Mary Bilyeu and Phillip L. Kaplan of The Blade
• Print – Rebecca Benson of the Blade

Television

• Hard News – Brian Dugger, Kalie Marantette, Silas Tsang, and Eric Rerucha of WTOL 11
• Feature – Tiffany Tarpley of WTOL 11
• Sports – Justin Feldkamp of BCSN
• Arts & Entertainment – Allie Ray of BCAN

Radio

• Single report – Brad Cresswell of WGTE Public Media
• Show/Series – Brad Cresswell of WGTE Public Media
• Podcast – Qarie Marshall of WGTE Public Media

Best Use of Social Media

• Tim McMahon of BCAN

Best Use of Digital Media

• Kaitlin Durbin and Joe Landsberger of The Blade

Student Television

• Tiara Medley of The University of Toledo

Student Print

• BG Falcon Media

Student Social or Digital Media

• Falcon Radio and Music Industry Club

Best Public Relations Campaign

• Mallory Crooks of the Ability Center

Bernard F. Judy Scholarship

• Tiara Medley, The University of Toledo
• Nia Lambdin, Bowling Green State University

The Press Club of Toledo thanks its generous sponsors for supporting the Touchstone Awards and the future of journalism through the annual scholarship program that recognizes student journalists at the University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University.

Touchstone Awards sponsors included: Buckeye Broadband/BCSN/BCAN, Chrys Peterson Consulting, Communica, WTOL 11, Imagination Station and SSOE.

About Press Club of Toledo
The Press Club of Toledo exists to promote the advancement of ethical journalism and to foster fellowship among representatives of the media and those they cover. The Press Club of Toledo has a diverse membership including journalists, reporters, anchors, writers, editors, media managers and public relations professionals. The Press Club of Toledo offers professional development opportunities, industry leaders and influencers access, in-person and online networking and members-only events. For more information or to donate, visit toledopressclub.com.