“Heroes of the 50 States”

Next Nomination deadline: August 15, 2018

2017 Inductee Michael Giudicessi, Iowa

Previous inductees 2016   Sam D. Kennedy - Tennessee 2015   Pete Weitzel — Florida 2014   John Paff —  New Jersey 2013   Brian Sonntag —  Washington 2012   Toby Nixon  —  Washington 2011   John R. Finnegan Sr.  —  Minnesota 2010   Robert J. Freeman  —  New York 2009   Mitchell W. Pearlman  —  Connecticut 2008   Bill F. Chamberlin  —  Florida 2007   Frosty Landon  —  Virginia 2006   Byron M. Baer  —  New Jersey 2005   John Kuglin  —  Montana  2004   Herb Strentz  —  Iowa 2003   Michael Donoghue  —  Vermont 2003   Sue Hale  —  Oklahoma 2003   Robert Johnson  —  New Mexico

 

There are heroes among us. They are heroes who may or may not be well known within their respective states and communities, but whose labors have gone largely unrecognized elsewhere. They are heroes whose efforts have kept state and local government records and meetings open and accessible to their fellow citizens.

Heroes of the 50 States: The State Open Government Hall of Fame is a joint venture by the Society of Professional Journalists and the National Freedom of Information Coalition. It was developed by leaders in both organizations as a way to recognize long-term contributions of individuals to open government in their respective states.

Specifically, induction into the Hall recognizes “long and steady effort to preserve and protect the free flow of information about state and local government that is vital to the public in a democracy.”

Formal induction occurs at the annual  FOI Summit.

Eligibility

The State Open Government Hall of Fame is open to anyone who has made a substantial, sustained and lasting contribution to open government or freedom of information within one particular state. Even if the nominee has been active in national efforts or national organizations, the judges will only consider accomplishments at the state level.

Nominees may come from government, the media, the non-profit sector, the legal profession, or any other area of endeavor that involves citizen access to government records, meetings and procedures.

Nominees may be living or deceased; active or retired.

Nominations

Deadline for nominations for the 2018 Hall of Fame is August 15, 2018.

All nominations should include the following:

• Cover letter identifying the nominee and the person or group making the nomination.
• Adequate support material to demonstrate the worthiness of the nominee.

Please send all nominations material to:

• "Heroes of the 50 States"
• c/o National Freedom of Information Coalition - NFOIC
• 3208 Weimer Hall
• PO Box 118400
• University of Florida - College of Journalism and Communications
• Gainesville, FL  32611-8400
•  
• Phone: 352.294.7082
• nfoic@nfoic.org
•  

Judging

All nominations are evaluated by a Screening/Selector Committee that includes a representative of SPJ, a representative of NFOIC and at least one additional at-large Selector. To ensure the integrity of the process, Screeners/Selectors only become known to each other in the latter stages of judging in any given year.