Ready for the 2025 Touchstone Awards? Here’s What to Know

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The Press Club of Toledo can’t wait to celebrate with you at the 2025 Touchstone Awards on Thursday, Sept. 25! Here’s everything you need to know for a fun night out.

Venue
The Valentine Theatre
410 Adams Street, Toledo, OH 43604

Parking
North Superior Street lot – $5 cash per car, directly across from the theatre entrance.
Street parking – Free after 6 p.m. on surrounding streets.

Tickets
Still need tickets? There’s time! Discounts are available for students, nominees and Press Club members. Your evening awaits.

Check-In
Advance tickets: Stop at the welcome table in the theatre lobby and give the name on your ticket confirmation email. No paper ticket needed.
Day-of tickets: Scan the QR code signs at the entrance to purchase digitally and show your confirmation email for entry.

Evening Line-Up
5:30 p.m. – Doors open for gourmet grazing, a cash bar with a variety of beverages for purchase and plenty of mingling.
6:30 p.m. – Awards ceremony begins in The Grand Lobby.

Raffle Fun
Support the Press Club’s scholarship fund and take a chance on great prizes. Raffle tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20 and can be purchased with cash at the raffle table or digitally by scanning the QR code signs. Winners are drawn during the program. Must be present to win.

Honoring Our 2025 Community Award Winners
Robert Smith – Lifetime Achievement Award for exceptional contributions to business, public service and philanthropy.
Diane Larson and Paul Kwapich – Golden Touchstone Awards for lifetime excellence in Northwest Ohio journalism.
John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation – Contributor Award for significant impact on quality of life in Northwest Ohio.

Thanks to Our Sponsors
A heartfelt thank you to WTOL, the Toledo Free Press and Strategy by Fisher for making the 2025 Touchstone Awards possible.

Nominations for Press Club of Toledo 2025 Touchstone Awards now open

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Nominations for the Press Club of Toledo’s annual Touchstone Awards are being accepted now through July 15. There are 20 categories spanning print and online, television, audio production and communications, with divisions for both professionals and students.

To be eligible for a 2025 Touchstone Award, the work must have been produced or published between May 15, 2024 and May 14, 2025. Nominations are judged by a panel of journalism professionals from outside the Toledo region.

Entry fees for Touchstone Award nominations are $10 for students, $25 for Press Club members and $75 for nonmembers. Nonmembers can also submit a nomination and become a first-time individual Press Club member for $50.

New in 2025, the Emerging News Media Professional Award honors an early-career news media professional who demonstrates integrity and a commitment to public service. Nominees must have fewer than five years of professional experience. Nominations will be reviewed by a panel of former Press Club presidents and board members. There is no entry fee for Emerging News Media Professional Award nominations.

Nomination forms for both the Touchstone Awards and the Emerging News Media Professional Award are available at toledopressclub.com.

The 2025 Touchstone Awards ceremony returns to the Valentine Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 25. The ceremony honors the best in local journalism, celebrates community leaders in Northwest Ohio and recognizes the achievements of area journalists and communications professionals from the past year.

This year’s Community Award honorees are the John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation; Paul Kwapich, retired WTOL photojournalist; Diane Larson, retired 13abc news anchor and journalist; and Robert Smith, founder of the African American Legacy Project of Northwest Ohio.

The Touchstone Awards ceremony is also a fundraiser for the Press Club of Toledo’s scholarship fund. Two scholarships are awarded at the ceremony to students from Bowling Green State University and The University of Toledo who epitomize service and dedication to the profession of journalism. The scholarships are named in honor of two longtime Toledo Blade employees: Kurt G. Franck and Bernard F. Judy.

Tickets for the Touchstone Awards ceremony are on sale now at toledopressclub.com, with discounts for Press Club members, nominees and students. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.

Touchstone Awards ceremony returns to the Valentine Theatre Thursday, Sept. 25

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The Press Club of Toledo will celebrate the best in local journalism this fall when it hosts the 2025 Touchstone Awards at the Valentine Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 25. The ceremony marks 27 years of honoring area journalists and communications professionals.

Touchstone Nominations

To be eligible for a 2025 Touchstone Award, work must have been produced or published between May 15, 2024, and May 14, 2025. There are 20 categories across print and online, television, audio production and communications. Nominations will be judged by a panel of journalism professionals from outside the Toledo region.

Touchstone nomination fees are $10 for students, $25 for Press Club members and $75 for nonmembers. Nonmembers can also submit a nomination and become a first-time individual member for $50.

The 2025 ceremony will debut an Emerging News Media Professional Award. The award recognizes new voices in journalism who exemplify integrity and public service. Nominees must have fewer than five years of professional news media experience. Submissions for this award will be judged by a panel of past Press Club presidents and former board members.

Nominations for Touchstone and Emerging News Media Professional awards will be accepted between May 15 and July 15. Visit toledopressclub.com for the online nomination forms.

Community Award Winners

In addition to recognizing excellence in journalism and communications, the Press Club of Toledo honors individuals and organizations for their service and contributions to the greater Toledo community. The 2025 honorees are:

  • Robert Smith, founder of the African American Legacy Project of Northwest Ohio, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing a lifetime of outstanding contributions to the community in business, public service and philanthropy.
  • Diane Larson, retired 13abc news anchor and journalist, and Paul Kwapich, retired WTOL photojournalist, will each receive the Golden Touchstone Award, recognizing lifetime achievement in journalism in Northwest Ohio.
  • The John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation will receive the Contributor Award, honoring outstanding contributions to the community, specifically significant impacts on quality of life in Northwest Ohio over the past year.

Press Club Scholarships

The Touchstone Awards is a fundraiser for the Press Club of Toledo’s scholarship fund. Two scholarships are awarded annually 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 scholarships are named in honor of two longtime Blade employees:

  • Kurt G. Franck, a former executive editor, general manager and vice president at The Blade and Block Communications Inc., who passed away in 2024. Franck was also a former Press Club board member and strong supporter of the club.
  • Bernard F. Judy, a career journalist who served The Blade for more than 40 years, including as editor-in-chief before retiring in 1989. Judy was also a Press Club founder and board member.

Tickets for the 2025 Touchstone Awards are on sale now at toledopressclub.com, with discounts available for Press Club members, nominees and students.

April 17, 2025 – Meet the Press Event

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PRSA – Northwest Ohio Chapter, Press Club Toledo, and AAF Toledo are partnering to host a Meet the Press panel discussion with local media talent. This event will provide attendees with valuable insights on how to best pitch stories and connect with local journalists. The discussion will feature prominent local media professionals who will share their expertise on what makes a compelling story and the best practices for building relationships with journalists. The event will be hosted by Communica on Thursday, April 17, starting at Noon.

Networking will begin at 11:30 AM, giving attendees the chance to connect with other professionals in PR, sales, marketing, and media before the panel discussion begins. This event is ideal for public relations professionals, marketers, business owners, and anyone interested in learning how to effectively engage with local media.

https://www.ticketleap.events/…/meet-the-press-1105928160

PRESS CLUB OF TOLEDO SCHOLARSHIPS

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Application LInk: https://forms.gle/EHnU1VU4kUGCyHZx5

The Press Club of Toledo offers the Kurt G. Franck and Bernard F. Judy Scholarships, awarded annually to a student from the University of Toledo and a student from Bowling Green State University who epitomize the service and dedication to the profession of journalism. 

Kurt Franck was a long-time executive at The Blade, where he began his tenure as managing editor in 2000. He later served as executive editor, general manager and vice president of newspaper operations for Block Communications Inc. before he passed away 2024. Kurt Franck was a former board member and strong supporter of the Press Club of Toledo. 

Bernard Judy was a career journalist at The Blade. He began his career in 1948 and served in many positions including general assignment reporting, editorial writing, associate editor, editorial director, editor and finally editor-in-chief before retiring in 1989. Bernard Judy also was a board member and founder of the Press Club of Toledo.

APPLICANT QUALIFICATIONS

  • From Northwest Ohio or Southeast Michigan
  • A journalism, communications or related major
  • Involved as journalist with campus media and/or local professional journalism organizations
  • Desire to focus your career in journalism

Please complete this application form by the deadline of 5 p.m. Sunday, May 11, 2025 to be considered for the 2025 scholarship award. 

Two $500 scholarships will be awarded. The $500 Kurt G. Franck Scholarship will recognize a UToledo student journalist, and the $500 Bernard F. Judy Scholarship will recognize a BGSU student journalist. 

The 2025 scholarship recipients will be recognized in person at the Touchstone Awards on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025 at the Valentine Theatre.

Contact Scholarship Committee Chair Nicki Gorny at nicole.gorny@utoledo.edu with any questions. 

Speed Networking – January 23, 2025

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The Press Club of Toledo and Communica are hosting a members-only event to help communications professionals connect: Speed Networking. We want to give our members the opportunity to spend time with leaders in their field, whether they are looking for contract work or to find a full-time position in the communications field.

The event will be held on Thursday, January 23rd, from 5:30-7 p.m. at Communica (31 N. Erie St., Toledo). Appetizers and drinks will be available, along with the chance to mingle with other participants. The actual roundtable speed networking aspect of the event will begin at 6 p.m. For those who have never attended such an event, it is an opportunity to meet with many different professionals through timed interactions so that you can meet everyone in the room. Make sure to bring business cards and/or resumes.

If you are not yet a member, you can pay the membership fee before the event or the night of. Annual membership fees are as follows:

Student Membership: $10 – For current students in any discipline.

Retired Membership: $10 – For retired media professionals.

First Year Membership: $25 – For brand new members.

Professional Membership: $40 – Active member who is an employee or contract worker for a newspaper, radio station, television station or news magazine and involved in the direction of or gathering, dissemination, solicitation or photographing of news or other material for publication or broadcast. Also includes those whose principal occupation is in the field of public relations,

promotion, advertising or communication materials.

Associate Membership: $90 – Persons not eligible for active membership but are considered news sources or news makers. It’s an opportunity for professionals who are not in the communications field to join.

Corporate Membership: $500 – If your business pays for a corporate membership, all employees and freelancers who work for that business receive membership benefits, like access to this event!

For questions about membership or the event, reach out at info@toledopressclub.com.