Celebrating excellence in public media: 58th Public Media Awards

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The National Educational Telecommunications Association proudly announces the 58th annual Public Media Awards winners, recognizing the exceptional achievements of member stations in community engagement, content, education, and marketing and communications.

A mosaic of relevant content that reflects both creativity and diversity that paint rich stories of truth and consequence. Piece-by-piece and member-by-member, we come together as choreographers of the public good, to spark more imagination and inspiration than we ever could have alone.

“Congratulations to all the Public Media Award winners and honorees. Their work is truly impactful,” said NETA President Eric Hyyppa. “In a time when connection and community matter more than ever, stations are bringing public media’s mission to life in powerful ways, reflecting the values and vision of the system by serving communities with integrity, innovation, and a deep commitment to storytelling that matters.”

With the exception of the overall excellence categories, stations compete within divisions based on their station size. Awards are judged by a group of expert panelists from within the public media system, as well as industry professionals working outside of public media.

View the PMA58 winners’ gallery.

58th Public Media Award Winners:

EDUCATION CATEGORIES

Educational Resources for the Classroom
• Division 1 – PBS Wisconsin, PBS Wisconsin Education Early Learning Resources Website
• Division 2 – KBTC, Ability Awareness

Educational Resources for the Community
• Division 1 – South Carolina ETV, When I See Myself, I See…
• Division 2 – WVUT-TV, A Part of This Neighborhood

Teacher Professional Learning
• Division 1 – Arkansas TV, Unveiled: Daisy Bates & Johnny Cash
• Division 2 – Ocean State Media, Rhode to Independence

Learning Events
• Division 1 – South Florida PBS, South Florida PBS Young Maestro's Concert
• Division 2 – WVIA Public Media, Youth Voices

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CATEGORIES

Local Project
• Division 1 – PBS Wisconsin, PBS Wisconsin America@250 Initiative
• Division 2 – PBS Michiana - WNIT, Tiny Tee Off

National Project
• Division 1 – Arizona PBS, What Happened in AZ? The American Revolution

Community Initiative
• Division 1 – WHRO, WHRO The Voice
• Division 2 – VPM, VPM - Racism: Challenging Perceptions - 2025 Refresh

Kids & Family
• Division 1 – Arizona PBS, "Super Why!" Summer Camps
• Division 2 – WSKG, Be My Neighbor Day 2026

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS CATEGORIES

Integrated Media Campaign
• Division 1 – PBS North Carolina, A Sacred Thread
• Division 2 – WVIA Public Media, Making NEPA Home Marketing Campaign

Special Event
• Division 1 – WEDU, Triumph: Tampa's Untold Chapter in the Civil Rights

Movement Screenings
• Division 2 – Prairie Public, State of the Station: The Road Ahead for Prairie Public

Promotion
• Division 1 – Idaho Public Television, Idaho Public Television Generic Station Sizzle
• Division 2 – NorCal Public Media, Public Media: Your Town Square

Social Media
• Division 1 – PBS North Carolina, NC Weekend Season 23
• Division 2 – New Hampshire PBS, The Program Fund

Annual Report
• Division 1 – AZPM, AZPM 2024-2025 Annual Report to the Community
• Division 2 – VPM, VPM's 2025 Annual Report

CONTENT CATEGORIES

News & Public Affairs
• Division 1 – OPB, Class of 2025: Growing Up in Oregon Schools
• Division 2 – PBS Michiana - WNIT, The Voting Minute

Cross-Platform Content
• Division 1 – GPB, Marked!
• Division 2 – WSKG, Making: An Artistic Expression of Our Creative Community

Cultural Feature
• Division 1 – Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Everlasting: The Life and Legacy of Medgar Evers
• Division 2 – PBS Michiana - WNIT, South Bend: Built by Baseball

Historical Feature
• Division 1 – WPSU, The Whiskey Rebellion
• Division 2 – KMOS, The Hardin Cemetery Disaster

Topical Feature
• Division 1 – OPB, First Descent: Kayaking the Klamath
• Division 2 – WVIA Public Media, Making NEPA Home

Education
• Division 1 – South Carolina ETV, History in a Nutshell
• Division 2 – PBS North, What Do You Do With a Laurentian Divide?

Visual Arts
• Division 1 – AZPM, Rani Olsen - Getting Free
• Division 2 – WLAE, Michalopoulos - The Art of Celebration

Performing Arts
• Division 1 – OPB, 50 Years of tradition, talent, and community: North Portland's Jefferson Dancers celebrate a milestone
• Division 2 – PBS Western Reserve, The World According to Polka: Season 3

Digital Media
• Division 1 – OPB, Uncovering Boarding Schools
• Division 2 – WGTE, Sessions

Short Form
• Division 1 – WNET, Rising Artist: Josué Martinez
• Division 2 – Ocean State Media, Salps in Rhode Island

Podcast
• Division 1 – Houston Public Media, Party Politics - Court vs. Commander in Chief: Power on Trial
• Division 2 – WGTE, Lake Effect

Visual Design
• Division 1 – Alabama Public Television, Jeffrey's Southern Ghosts
• Division 2 – PBS Western Reserve, By Nature's Design

Radio – News & Public Affairs
• Division 1 – Buffalo Toronto Public Media/WBFO, Where Did the Money Go?
• Division 2 – VPM, VPM News - Quadaire Patterson wants full citizenship for people convicted of crimes

Radio – Society & Culture
• Division 1 – WHRO, Christmas in Colonial Virginia
• Division 2 – WKU Radio, What Should you do when a white nationalist group comes to town?

Radio – Environment
• Division 1 – GPB, ‘That Land is always gonna be changed.' Screven County farmers fear new gas
pipeline's impact
• Division 2 – NorCal Public Media, Climate Week Series 2026

Radio – Local Storytelling
• Division 1 – Buffalo Toronto Public Media/WBFO, Where Did the Money Go?
• Division 2 – NorCal Public Media, The Velvet Bandit: Sonoma County's Banksy

INDEPENDENT PRODUCER CATEGORY
• Alpheus Media & Wyoming PBS, Call of the West

OVERALL EXCELLENCE CATEGORIES

Excellence in Education
• WVIA Public Media, WVIA Education

Excellence in Community Engagement
• South Carolina ETV, Connecting South Carolina: Community Engagement Across the Palmetto State

Excellence in Marketing & Communications
• South Carolina ETV, Connecting Communities: SCETV's Integrated Marketing Experience

Excellence in Content
• LPB, LPB's 50th Year of Excellence in Content

Excellence in Engagement Campaigns – New for 2026!
• WHRO, Making History Where History Was Made

About NETA:

The National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) is a professional association representing more than 300 member stations in nearly every state, the Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia. NETA provides leadership, general audience content, educational services, professional development, and trusted financial management services, including human resources and benefits administration, to individual public media licensees, their affinity groups, and public media as a whole. For more information, visit netaonline.org and follow us on X @NETA_Tweets, Facebook @NETAstations, Instagram and Threads @NETA_grams, and LinkedIn @NETAbusiness.