Echo Awards names inaugural winners in public sector journalism

The Echo Awards announced the winners of its first awards program June 11 in Washington, recognizing journalists and media professionals covering government, policy, technology, defense and public service. The event also honored two lifetime-achievement recipients and introduced a student scholarship for the 2026–2027 academic year at the University of Maryland.

Why it matters: - The inaugural Echo Awards create a dedicated recognition program for public sector journalism, a field focused on government transparency and public understanding. - The awards spotlight reporting that helps leaders, industry partners and citizens follow policy, technology, defense and management decisions. - The program also adds a new scholarship aimed at helping future journalists enter the profession.

What happened: - The Echo Awards announced its first winners June 11 in Washington. - The inaugural program drew 56 nominees from more than two dozen media organizations across nine competitive categories. - The awards process generated hundreds of votes from the government and industry community. - Winners included Drew Friedman of Federal News Network for Best Government Management Journalist and David DiMolfetta of Nextgov/FCW for Best Investigative Journalist. - Amy Kluber of GovCIO Media & Research won Best Government Technology Journalist. - George Seffers of SIGNAL Magazine won Best Defense Journalist. - Jory Heckman of Federal News Network won Best Government Policy Journalist. - Terry Gerton of Federal News Network won Best Broadcast and/or Podcast Host. - Keely Quinlan of StateScoop won Best SLED Journalist. - Ross Wilkers of Washington Technology won Best Government Contracting Business Journalist. - Miranda Nazzaro of FedScoop won Best Up and Coming Journalist.

The details: - The Echo Awards also recognized Anne A. Armstrong for more than 45 years in government and technology journalism and publishing. - Armstrong worked with Federal Computer Week, GCN, Defense Systems and Washington Technology. - Armstrong also co-founded the Federal 100 Awards. - The program honored Tom Temin for a 48-year journalism career, including more than three decades covering the federal government and its operations. - Temin hosted The Federal Drive with Tom Temin, the flagship program of Federal News Network. - Temin also served as editor in chief of Government Computer News and executive vice president of Post Newsweek Tech Media. - The final presentation announced a student scholarship sponsored by Federal News Network. - The scholarship will be awarded during the 2026–2027 academic year at the University of Maryland. - The scholarship is intended to support students pursuing journalism careers after graduation. - The Echo Awards were hosted by Birdsong Partners, Boscobel Marketing Communications, Carahsoft, Focused Image, Merritt Group, RMK Productions, REQ, Sage Communications, W2 Communications and Yes&. - Sponsors included Armis from ServiceNow, Knox Systems, Tanium, O’Dwyer’s, EIN Presswire and BLC Digital Strategies. - More information and the full list of winners are available here. - The Echo Awards also maintain social accounts on LinkedIn, Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook and X.

Between the lines: - The launch signals growing formal recognition for a niche journalism beat that often sits closest to how government actually works. - The scholarship suggests the Echo Awards are trying to build a pipeline, not just hand out trophies. - Honoring senior figures like Armstrong and Temin also frames the awards as both a career milestone and a legacy project for the field.

What’s next: - The scholarship will be awarded in the 2026–2027 academic year. - The Echo Awards are positioned to continue as an annual recognition program for public sector journalism.

The bottom line: - The Echo Awards used its first ceremony to crown nine category winners, honor two longtime leaders and launch a scholarship tied to the future of public sector reporting.