First Amendment Awards Event

2026 First Amendment Awards Event

The First Amendment Award is an annual honor presented by the Loeb School to recognize New Hampshire individuals or organizations that have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to defending, protecting, or exercising the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The recipient of the award will be announced following a public nomination process.

The Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications is pleased to announce that Pete Buttigieg will serve as keynote speaker for the 2026 First Amendment Awards Event on Monday, September 21, at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College in Manchester.

• 5 p.m. – VIP Reception (limited tickets)

• 5:30 p.m. – Networking (cash bar and appetizers)

• 6:30 p.m. – Awards Program

This year's event will also recognize Howard Brodsky, chair and co-founder of CCA Global Partners in Manchester, with the Quill & Ink Award for advancing First Amendment education in the Granite State. He and his late son, Jeffrey, co-founded the annual Brodsky Prize for Excellence in High School Journalism in 2018 to encourage journalistic innovation and enterprise in the Granite State.

Tickets are on sale now.

The First Amendment Award recipient is chosen by an independent panel of judges from nominations submitted by the public. This year’s judges are: Melanie Plenda, executive director of the Granite State News Collaborative and 2025 recipient of Quill & Ink award; Justice Richard Galway, retired from the New Hampshire Supreme Court; Attorney Gregory Sullivan, a Loeb School Board of Trustees member and president of the New England First Amendment Coalition; and Annmarie Timmins, senior reporter with New Hampshire Public Radio.

Sponsorship opportunities are available.