The National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation has opened entries for its 2026 Celebration of Service to America Awards, with a new category recognizing how stations are translating their local service missions into the podcast space.
The NABLF is now accepting submissions for community service initiatives that aired or launched during 2025, with the entry window closing March 23, at 11:59p PT. Honorees will be notified in early April, ahead of the Celebration of Service to America Awards Gala scheduled for June 9 in Washington, DC.
The addition of an Original Content Podcast category marks the Foundation’s first formal recognition of station-produced podcasts as vehicles for local service; a shift that acknowledges the medium’s growing role in how stations connect with communities via on-demand digital audio.
For the second year, the Foundation will present the First Informers Award, recognizing one radio station and one television station for performance during emergencies, crises, or natural disasters when stations often become the only reliable source of information for communities facing power outages, evacuations, or rapidly changing threats.
Last year, three of the four top radio station honors went to AM outlets, including iHeartMedia’s WWNC-AM in Asheville for its coverage and community leadership during catastrophic flooding caused by Hurricane Helene.
NABLF President Michelle Duke said, “No other media platform matches the power of local television and radio to reach people in real time where they live and work. Audiences trust their local stations because broadcasters are deeply rooted in their communities – championing local causes, investigating consumer issues, and delivering timely, trusted reporting. We are proud to honor their extraordinary public service.”
