The Peter S. Popovich Award is given by the board of the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists annually to the person or organization that exemplifies the fight for First Amendment rights.
The award, MN SPJ’s most prestigious, honors the life of Peter Popovich, a legislator, jurist, and tireless advocate for First Amendment rights.
Popovich served in the state House of Representatives from 1953-1963. One of his legacies as a legislator is Minnesota’s Open Meeting Law. Throughout the rest of his career, Popovich remained an effective and aggressive advocate for openness in government and free speech issues. Popovich is the only person in the state’s history to serve as chief judge of the state Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals.
1979 The Minnesota Supreme Court & Chief Justice Robert Sheran
1980 Newell Grant, Publisher Tri-State Daily News, Wahpeton-ND
1981 Rodgers Adams, Star and Tribune Freedom of Information Committee
1982 Jeanette McDougal, Data watch of Minnesota
1983 T.J. Western; WCCO TV and Radio; St. Cloud Times
1984 Mark Baker, Editor, Lake Region Press and Lake Region Echo
1985 John R. Finnegan, St. Paul Pioneer Press and Dispatch
1986 Star and Tribune First Amendment Committee
1987 Duane Rasmussen, Forest Lake Times, ECM Post Review
1988 John Fisher, Annandale Advocate; Debra Flemming, Owatonna People’s Press
1989 The Minnesota Daily and Marshall Tanick, Attorney
1990 Peter S. Popovich, Chief Justice, Minnesota Supreme Court
1991 Patricia Hirl Longstaff
1992 Robert Franklin, FOI Director Minnesota SPJ
1993 Kevin Burke, Chief Judge, Hennepin County
1994 Mark Anfinson, Media Attorney
1995 Jim Pumarlo, Red Wing Republican Eagle
1996 The Minnesota Daily and Michelle Ames, Editor; John Stanoch, District Judge, Hennepin County
1997 Donald R. Casey, St. Cloud Times
1998 Reps. Matt Entenza and Bill Macklin; Sen. Richard Cohen
1999 Lucy Dalglish, FOI Director, Minnesota SPJ
2000 Tim McGuire, Editor, Minneapolis Star Tribune
2001 Randy Lebedoff, Minneapolis Star Tribune
2002 John Borger, Media Attorney
2003 Bill Lawrence and Mark Bartel
2004 Donald S. Gemberling, former Director, Minnesota Department of Administration, Information Analysis and Policy Division
2005 Walter Kuckes, Avon, MN
2006 Rep. Mary Liz Holberg; Sen. Don Betzold
2007 Gary Hill, former KSTP-TV journalist and current Communications Director for the Majority Caucus with the Minnesota Senate
2008 Mary Flister, Open government advocate – Maplewood, MN; Robbie La Fleur, Director – MN Legislative Reference Library
2009 The Echo student newspaper, Faribault High School: Kelly Zwagerman, adviser; Vicky Carillo, Christen Hildebrandt and Ben Jackson, editors
2010 Randy Furst, Star Tribune
2011 Jane E. Kirtley, Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law, School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota
2012 Glenn Howatt & Richard Meryhew, Star Tribune
2013 The Timberjay Newspapers, Marshall Helmberger, Publisher
2014 Joan Gilbertson & Art Hughes, journalists, advocates for cameras in courtrooms
2015 James Eli Shiffer, Star Tribune
2016 Paul McEnroe, KSTP-TV, formerly Star Tribune
2017 Tony Webster, public records researcher and data activist
2018 Ken Goulart, Larry Gubbe, Tom Funk, Alan Kildow, Sonya Braunschweig and other members of a citizens group in Victoria, Minn.
2019 Lori Sturdevant, Star Tribune
2020 Leita Walker, attorney
2021 NO AWARD GIVEN
2022 Jared Goyette, freelancer
2023 Peter Callaghan, MinnPost
2024 Mary Jo Webster, Star Tribune
2025 The staff of the Minnesota Reformer
Updated January 2026