2025 First Amendment Award Event Honorees Announced

The Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications has announced the recipients of its annual awards, to be presented at the School’s Annual First Amendment Award Event on Thursday, October 23 at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College.

Sean Young of Conway will receive the First Amendment Award. Young, owner of Leavitt’s Country Bakery, was nominated for his pursuit of First Amendment rights in a lawsuit involving a student-painted mural on his business. The town had deemed the mural an unapproved commercial sign, but a judge later ruled the town had violated Young’s First Amendment rights.

Melanie Plenda, director of the Granite State News Collaborative, will be recognized with the Quill & Ink Award. This honor, not presented annually, is reserved for individuals who have made significant contributions to educating the public about the First Amendment.

The event will feature a keynote address by Jake Sullivan, who served as U.S. National Security Advisor under President Joe Biden. Sullivan previously served as director of policy under President Barack Obama and as national security advisor to then–Vice President Biden. A Yale Law graduate and faculty member at Harvard’s Kennedy School, Sullivan lives in Concord with his wife, U.S. Representative Maggie Goodlander.

This year’s judging panel included 2024 First Amendment Award winner Harrison Thorp, editor of The Rochester Voice; retired New Hampshire Supreme Court Justice Richard Galway; Attorney Gregory Sullivan, a member of the Loeb School’s Board of Trustees; and Annmarie Timmins, senior reporter at New Hampshire Public Radio.

The First Amendment Award Event will take place from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and is open to the public. Tickets are $75 and must be purchased in advance.

Sponsors for this year’s program include keynote sponsor The Brodsky Prize for Excellence in Student Journalism; First Amendment Honoree Sponsor Eversource; Friends of the Nackey S. Loeb School sponsors The Elliot, The McQuaid Family, Spectrum Marketing, Saint Anselm College’s NH Institute of Politics, and the Union Leader Corporation; and Five Freedoms sponsors Anagnost Companies, Borislow Insurance, Business & Industry Association, Charles Douglas III, Curbstone Financial Management, NH Beverage Association, Pamela Diamantis and Morey Goodman, Northeast Delta Dental, Sheehan Phinney, and Wieczorek Insurance.

Additional sponsorship opportunities are available.