Become a judge for the 2025 LION Publishers Sustainability Awards

Are you passionate about supporting local independent news businesses and recognizing their outstanding achievements? Here’s your chance to make a meaningful impact! LION Publishers is seeking volunteers to serve as judges for the seventh annual LION Publishers Sustainability Awards.

What are the LION Publishers Sustainability Awards?

The 2025 LION Awards will recognize achievements made by local independent news businesses in eight independently judged award categories focused on LION’s pillars of sustainability — journalistic impact, financial health, and operational resilience. Categories include the LION Business of the Year Award, Operational Resilience Award, Public Service Award, Product of the Year Award, and more. These awards aim to highlight the innovative and impactful work being done by independent news organizations across the U.S. and Canada.

Why volunteer as a judge?

Being a judge for the LION Awards offers a unique opportunity to:

• Contribute to the recognition of excellence within the independent news community
• Gain insights into innovative practices and initiatives happening across the industry
• Engage with fellow professionals and leaders in the field
• Play a pivotal role in shaping the success of the awards program by providing actionable feedback based on your experience

Don’t just take our word for it — Todd Stauffer, one of last year’s judges, shared: “Would it be weird to say it was exciting to see the ‘rise of the mundane’ in this year’s awards? Local publications, not too flashy, doing a good job serving the needs of local audiences and finding a way to generate sustaining revenues while doing it. Good show!”

What does being a judge involve?

As a volunteer judge, you will:

• Participate in an optional 30-minute onboarding session to understand expectations and ask questions
• Spend approximately eight hours over five weeks, between April 29 and May 30, completing your judging assignments
• Be assigned to one award category and work collaboratively with two other judges
• Evaluate entries submitted by LION members within your assigned category and revenue tier (Micro, Small, Medium, or Large)
• Review entries and collaborate with fellow judges to determine finalists and winners
• Provide one small paragraph of actionable feedback per entry that will be anonymized and shared with entrants
• Submit your comments for the winner and finalists in your award category

How can you apply?

If you’re interested in volunteering as a judge, please complete this form by March 28, 2025, at 5 p.m. ET.