13 Pittsburgh Magazine Entries Are Finalists for Regional Awards
Winners will be announced during the Golden Quill dinner and awards ceremony on Monday, May 18, at Rivers Casino on Pittsburgh’s North Shore.
PM FOOD EDITOR KRISTY GRAVER PRESENTS HER 2025 GOLDEN QUILL AWARD. | PHOTO BY SEAN COLLIER
A number of Pittsburgh Magazine features are finalists in the 2026 Press Club of Western Pennsylvania Golden Quill Awards.
Thirteen total submissions by magazine staff are in the running across nine subcategories within Division 4’s Excellence in Written Journalism, and one entry is a finalist within the Excellence in Visual Achievement category.
The Press Club of Western Pennsylvania receives more than 1,100 entries each year from across Western Pennsylvania, as well as parts of Ohio and West Virginia.
“We were delighted to see that the magazine has 13 finalists for the Golden Quill awards. I’m not sure if it’s a record, but it’s close!” says Betsy Benson, publisher and vice president of Pittsburgh Magazine. “More importantly, the list represents the high quality and wide range of the work we strive for here.”
The Golden Quills contest honors dozens of journalists and news outlets across the region for their excellence in storytelling. This year marks the 62nd ceremony.
Last year, Pittsburgh Magazine took home two awards. In 2024, it won five.
Winners will be announced during the Golden Quill dinner and awards ceremony on Monday, May 18, at Rivers Casino on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. That evening, the Press Club will also honor winners of its President’s Award and Service to Journalism Award and recognize recipients of the Bob Fryer Memorial Scholarship and the Press Club Scholarship.
Pittsburgh Magazine’s finalists are as follows:
Excellence in Written Journalism, Division 4
Enterprise/Investigative
“Laughing matters”
Amy Whipple
Traditional Feature
“Benefits with friends”
Ryan Rydzewski
Business/Technology/Consumer
“Users guide to the new terminal”
Virginia Linn
“Moovin’ on up”
Kristy Graver
“Made in Pittsburgh”
Meg St-Esprit
History/Culture
“Look up”
Mark Houser
Arts/Entertainment
“3 years in Donora”
Cristina Rouvalis
Lifestyle
“Best restaurants”
Emily Catalano
Sports
“Hades on the Hulton”
Cristina Rouvalis
Profile
“Pittsburgher of the Year: Christina Cassotis”
Cristina Rouvalis
Columns/Blogs
“Dahn Memory Lane
Virginia Montanez
“PGH Eats”
Kristy Graver
Excellence in Visual Achievement
Page Design – Print
“Jazz legends”
Huck Beard
Pittsburgh Magazine is also a finalist in two categories within the University of Missouri School of Journalism’s National City & Regional Magazine Awards competition. Virginia Montanez is a finalist for the Herb Lipson Award for Column Excellence for her “Dahn Memory Lane” column, and Cristina Rouvalis is a finalist in the profile category for her feature on airport CEO Christina Cassotis.
The winners will be honored at the awards ceremony on the closing night of the annual conference, May 30-June 1 in New Orleans.
