The Society of Professional Journalists has named Julia Wildman, a senior at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, as the recipient of the 2026 Robert D.G. Lewis First Amendment Award. 

Wildman is honored for her outstanding work advancing press freedom and transparency in student journalism.

“Our student honoree exemplifies the talent, curiosity and courage that will shape the next generation of newsrooms,” said SPJ National President Chris R. Vaccaro.

The Lewis First Amendment Award recognizes a student SPJ member who has demonstrated exceptional dedication defending the First Amendment through journalism.

Named for former SPJ President and Freedom of Information advocate Robert D.G. Lewis, the award includes complimentary registration to SPJ26, the society’s upcoming annual conference, and a $350 travel stipend.

SPJ26 will be held Oct. 1-4 in Columbus, Ohio. Click here for more.

Wildman is president of Colorado Mesa University’s SPJ campus chapter. During the chapter’s first active semester, she helped grow its presence on campus, raising more than $1,000 and leading efforts to promote First Amendment awareness, support student journalists and encourage engagement with the role of a free press.  

As editor-in-chief of the university’s student newspaper, The Criterion, Wildman played a key role in advocating for transparency and accountability on campus. Working alongside the editor-in-chief of the university’s student magazine, she helped mobilize more than 100 students, faculty and staff members to oppose a proposed student government bill that raised concerns about public access and transparency. Their efforts brought attention to the issue and resulted in the bill being removed from the student government’s agenda. 

“I educated the other media organizations as well as the non-media groups impacted about how to keep [student government] accountable and in compliance in the future,” Wildman said. “Most people I spoke with had no idea that these laws existed. It brought our independent media organizations closer together and helped strengthen our collective presence in the face of adversity.” 

Under Wildman’s leadership, the chapter organized Sunshine Week programming and a free campus screening of the First Amendment-focused documentary “Truth Be Told,” creating opportunities for students to engage with press freedom issues. In the past year, The Criterion earned regional and national recognition, and a member, Kylie Hoffman, received the SPJ Colorado Pro Chapter’s 2026 Sheldon Peterson Scholarship for broadcast journalism.  

Wildman is a summer news intern for The Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction.

SPJ also named Kim Komenich, associate professor at San Francisco State University, as the recipient of the 2026 Distinguished Teaching in Journalism Award.

Click here for more on these awards.

---

• STAY IN TOUCH WITH SPJ COLORADO PRO: Online, Facebook, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Instagram
• YOUTUBE VIDEOS of our past events.
• JOIN US: Become a member of national SPJ and add Colorado Pro chapter membership for free. Details here.