The INA Distinguished Service Award is presented each year at the association's annual convention to the individual(s) in the state who, in the opinion of the selection committee, best meet(s) the following criteria:

1.    The nominee must be an employee or former employee of or contributor to an Iowa newspaper or associated with a university, college or newspaper association having close ties with Iowa newspapers;
2.    The nominee shall have contributed greatly to his or her newspaper, and/or to his or her community and or the newspaper industry in general;
3.    Longevity should have little effect on the nominee's qualifications;
4.    Individuals who have received the INA's Master Editor-Publisher award are not eligible to win the Distinguished Service Award.

I nominate the following individual for consideration by the selection committee to receive the INA Distinguished Service Award:

This award is open to all members of the newspaper staff! Potential candidates might be advertising directors, circulation managers, back shop superintendents and press operators, as well as news and sports editors, publishers and business managers.
The award is one of the most prestigious awards given to newspaper professionals in Iowa. The selection committee of past recipients is instructed to be very demanding. The award(s) will be presented at the Past Presidents' Luncheon during the INA Convention on February 4, 2027. 
Nominations not selected will also be considered in 2027 and 2028. Some people may have been nominated for this award in the past but did not receive it due to a lack of information about the nominee. Nominators should feel free to re-nominate such individuals and include more details about their qualifications. 
Contributions should be over a period of time and all three areas (newspaper, community and industry) are considered.

A complete nomination will include the following:

•    A letter of support from the nominator
•    Basic resume of the nominee's service to the newspaper and the community
•    Additional letters of support from community members, co-workers or others
•    Other materials that support the nominee's application

DEADLINE FOR NOMINATION: JULY 31, 2026

Mail to:

Iowa Newspaper Association

Attn: Jana Shepherd

319 E. 5th St.

Des Moines, IA 50309

jshepherd@inanews.com

or uploaded to Dropbox HERE: