The National Press Foundation established the Editor of the Year Award in 1984 to recognize significant achievements that enhance the quality of journalism in the United States. The award is open to any U.S.-based editor at a local or national news organization. The award includes a cash prize of $5,000. The prestigious award is given for imagination, professional skill, ethics and an ability to motivate staff.

NPF judges selected Bill Owens, former executive producer of the CBS newsmagazine “60 Minutes,” to receive the 2025 Benjamin C. Bradlee Editor of the Year Award.

Owens was only the third person to lead the No. 1 news program in its 57-year history when he resigned from “60 Minutes” in April 2025 citing infringement on his journalistic independence.

“At ‘60 Minutes,’ he advanced a long and rich culture of rigorous storytelling without fear or favor. His integrity and intellect continue to serve as a model for the profession,” NPF judges said.

Suki Dardarian, editor and senior vice president of the Minnesota Star Tribune, won the Editor of the Year Award for 2024. Dardarian accepted the award at the National Press Foundation Annual Journalism Awards Dinner on Feb. 20, 2025.

As the decline of local newspapers accelerates, Dardarian’s leadership of the Star Tribune and the 43 years she has spent producing impactful journalism for local communities stand out for their excellence, NPF judges said.

Monica Richardson, then Vice President of Local News at McClatchy and former Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald Executive Editor, won the 2023 Benjamin C. Bradlee Editor of the Year Award. Under her leadership, the Miami Herald won a Pulitzer Prize in 2022 for its coverage of the collapse of the Surfside condo building and for Editorial Writing in 2023 for a series on Florida officials’ failures to deliver on taxpayer-funded services.

Manny García, who led the Austin American Statesman’s audacious and inclusive coverage of the Uvalde school shooting, won the 2022 Benjamin C. Bradlee Editor of the Year Award.