Editor’s note: City & State wins 5 awards from the New York Press Association

Please join me in celebrating the latest round of awards won by the City & State New York team. Publisher Tom Allon and I returned home from the 2025 New York Press Association Spring Conference in Saratoga Springs last week with five well-deserved honors for our talented journalists.

They included the following: 

• First Place, Division 1, Coverage of Education: City Hall Reporter Sahalie Donaldson, Senior City Hall Reporter Annie McDonough, City Editor Holly Pretsky and Editor Peter Sterne.City & State won for its stories about the Israel-Hamas war college protests and submitted the following stories:
  • Ask the Experts: How did pro-Palestine protests impact New York’s colleges?
  • Student activists said they want divestment from Israel. What does that mean?
  • Tracking campus protests in New York
  • More than two-thirds of protesters arrested at Columbia and City College released with summonses
  • Here’s what New York elected officials are saying about the Columbia University protests
  • What the judges said: “Thorough and even-handed coverage of a complicated issue. This group of stories did as good a job of explaining this story as any I’ve read in the national press.”

• Second Place, Division 1, Best Column: Publisher Tom AllonCity & State won for the following submissions: 
  • Opinion: The emperor has new clothes
  • Opinion: New York Times editorial board to end long losing streak
  • Opinion: What will Andrew Cuomo do next?
  • What the judges said: “Good, thorough analysis pieces about local politics and politicians. Fact-filled, relevant commentary.”

• Third Place, Best Personality Profile: City Hall Reporter Sahalie DonaldsonCity & State won for this magazine cover story of former New York City First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, The vibe at City Hall is Thank God for Maria Torres-Springer
  • What the judges said: “In-depth piece, well written; elegant photography and page design support the theme of the piece. Readers surely were appreciative of this impressive work.”

• Third Place, Best Podcast: Publisher Tom Allon and Julie SamuelsCity & State won for Tom Allon’s podcast on the tech industry, co-hosted by Julie Samuels, president and CEO of Tech:NYC: How’d they do it? Tech in the cities podcast
  • What the judges said: “Really professional sound, and a good mix of news and a conversational, bantering style without ever becoming boring.”

• Third Place, Best Feature Story: City Hall Reporter Sahalie DonaldsonCity & State won for this magazine cover story about New York City Eric Adams’ religious faith and how it plays into his politics: Eric Adams walks in faith: What that means for NYC and his reelection bid
  • What the judges said: “An interesting look at Eric Adams. The writer put forth incredible effort to track down the close sources necessary to showcase his faith. Fabulous work.”

Please check out this award-winning content from the City & State team. Our first place win is especially meaningful because of its connection to this intense and historic news cycle. The wins for Sahalie Donaldson are also a commendable follow-up to her winning second place in the Rookie of the Year category in 2023. The team is also especially proud of our publisher and founder Tom Allon’s contributions over the past year.

Please congratulate our winners! City & State has a lot to celebrate and remains committed to delivering the best politics, policy and personality content in New York.