By Sonni Efron

George Will has won the W.M. Kiplinger Distinguished Contributions to Journalism Award from the National Press Foundation.

“George Will’s principled conservatism has been a beacon of constitutional defense in these turbulent times,” said judge Knight Kiplinger, editor emeritus of Kiplinger publications.

The Kiplinger Award honors those who have strengthened American journalism through their leadership and vision. The award was named for Willard M. Kiplinger (1891-1967), who staunchly supported the right of reporters to exercise their independent judgment on political and economic affairs and who famously held that “a good reporter is the noblest work of God.”

Last year, the prize went to Bob Woodward of The Washington Post. Previous winners include Judy Woodruff and Al Hunt, Clarence Page, Seymour Hersh, Frank Deford, Tom Friedman and Ben Bradlee.

NPF judges noted that Will, who won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary more than 40 years ago, has arguably had the longest career of great influence of any major syndicated columnist and pundit still active in American journalism today.

“A Will column, even without a byline, is recognizable for its style, erudition, grounding in history and the occasional word that sends the reader to the dictionary,” said judge Peter Copeland.

Will earned the honor in 2020 in part for divorcing his conservative philosophy from political partisanship, judge John Walcott said.

Said Kiplinger: “His writings over the past five years have shown Will at his best – fiercely independent, a principled conservative who defrocked Trump as a phony conservative and the GOP as a ‘cult.’  Will’s standing as an unabashed and cerebral conservative has given him unique credibility in his attacks on what [President Donald] Trump has done to the U.S. Constitution.”

Will and the other National Press Foundation award winners will be honored at a virtual awards ceremony on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021.

Among Will’s more memorable 2020 columns:

Republicans, are you tired of winning yet?

Trump must be removed. So must his congressional enablers.

Trump doesn’t just pollute the social environment with hate. He is the environment.