And the Award Goes To ...

It’s awards season in Hollywood, and who doesn’t love movies and the Oscars? Every day, NPCA rolls out the red carpet for national parks — the daily performances by park landscapes and wildlife are breathtaking and awe-inspiring, and the full and complicated U.S. history protected by park sites deserves our continued respect.

Just like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, NPCA has an A-list of projects and people. As the film industry gears up for the 98th Academy Awards ceremony March 15, we shine the limelight on some pretty cool honors of our own.

“Snow Bear,” short listed for Best Animated Short Films

NPCA was thrilled to partner in 2025 with the creators of “Snow Bear,” one of the 15 shortlisted films for this year’s Best Animated Short Film category of the Academy Awards. Set in a rapidly changing world, “Snow Bear” tells the story of a polar bear in an unforgiving environment on his quest to find a friend. This film, hand-drawn over several years, powerfully illustrates the climate challenges facing our national parks and the wildlife who live there.

Although “Snow Bear” didn’t make the final round of nominations for an Academy Award, NPCA enjoyed the opportunity to educate the public and encourage folks to take action in support of parks. The film team’s Instagram post includes a glimpse behind the making of the film, as well as a shout out to NPCA.

2025 Heritage Champion

Outgoing President and CEO Theresa Pierno received a 2025 Heritage Champion award in February from the Alliance of National Heritage Areas. For more than a decade, NPCA has worked to strengthen the country’s National Heritage Areas — places designated by Congress where natural, cultural and historic resources combine to form a nationally important landscape. Examples include the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, and the Great Basin National Heritage Area of Nevada and Utah.

NPCA’s advocacy led to passage of the National Heritage Area Act in 2023, which established the National Heritage Area System within the National Park Service. There are currently 62 National Heritage Areas.

The Bill Wade 1872 Award

The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks honored NPCA’s John Garder, senior director of budget and appropriations, Government Affairs, with The Bill Wade 1872 Award, which recognizes dedication, leadership and partnership in advancing federal support for national parks. The Coalition, which comprises current, former and retired employees and volunteers of the National Park Service, said Garder has been “an unwavering advocate” for the federal agency and “a trusted voice on Capitol Hill and an authoritative presence in the media.” In announcing the award, the Coalition said Garder “has elevated critical issues ranging from appropriations to the impacts of staffing shortages and government shutdowns. His research, insight, and partnership have been invaluable to the Coalition’s advocacy efforts.”

Notable Leader in Sustainability

Senior Midwest Regional Director Crystal M.C. Davis was named a Notable Leader in Sustainability by Crain’s Cleveland Business, a regional source for business news in Ohio. Her work in advancing policies that protect natural and cultural resources strengthens national parks, while also conserving water resources and uplifting communities. The news outlet highlighted her among “visionaries whose leadership makes the Akron and Cleveland areas a hub for sustainable progress.”

Woman to Watch

Samantha Nygaard, NPCA Appalachian Senior Program Manager, is named a 2026 Woman to Watch by YWCA of Charleston. She is a cornerstone of NPCA’s Appalachian programming, rallying communities on behalf of national park protection and preservation and building deep, lasting connections and community pride.

The 33rd Annual North American Travel Journalists Association Awards

NPCA’s National Parks magazine and its podcast “The Secret Lives of Parks” were each recognized in this 2025 competition.

• Nicolas Brulliard, senior editor of National Parks magazine, won gold for his travel story “Four Walks in the Park,” about his adventures in Rocky Mountain National Park.
• Jennifer Errick, former associate director of digital storytelling, won silver for “Before the Gate,” her podcast about threats facing the remote Sea Islands of South Carolina, some of the first African American-owned lands in the country.
• Todd Christopher, senior managing director, Digital & Editorial Strategy, won honorable mention for “A Brief Shining Moment,” about the April 2024 eclipse, an event he reported on from Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park in Texas.
• Julia Busiek, a regular contributor to the magazine, won gold for “Peak Parenting,” a travel story about visiting Pinnacles National Park with her baby in tow.

2025 MarCom Awards

The international Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals’ MarCom Awards competition honored Staff Writer Linda Coutant for her writing and production work. The blog “80 Years Since the Bombings of Japan” earned gold in the Educational Blog Post category, while Park Notes monthly e-newsletter’s June issue earned gold in the Non-Profit Newsletter category.

2025 Folio: Eddie & Ozzie Awards

National Parks magazine earned two honors through FOLIO’s Eddie and Ozzie Awards: WINNER in the Accessibility and Public Service category for the story “Free Wheeling” by Katherine DeGroff, and FINALIST for the first-person narrative “Four Walks in the Park” by Nicolas Brulliard.

2025 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition

Overseen by the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation, this competition honored NPCA’s National Parks magazine overall, as well as for a specific article in the Spring 2025 issue.

• Silver (second place) for overall travel coverage/general magazines. The judge commented the magazine is “packed with places to go, inspiring stories, personal essays and even a little poetry. And there are plenty of surprises, too, including the delight of taking time to inhale the scents of Arches National Park, how advocates and technology are making parks more accessible for wheelchair users and the U.S. poet laureate’s parks project that might have you finding poetry in unexpected places.”

• Gold, U.S./Canada Travel, for “Wading In” by Dorian Fox. The judge’s comments on this story about Virgin Islands National Park included the following: “Fox’s voice is poetic without pretense, seamlessly weaving his reporting with family memory … This piece, written in lyrical prose, features a deep emotional arc and a tangible sense of place that is emotionally powerful, stylistically elegant and has a timeless quality.”

Webby Awards

This international competition honors excellence on the internet. NPCA’s Strategic Partnerships & Marketing team connects like-minded companies to NPCA’s work and was honored with the following:

• People’s Voice Winner for Social, Education & Science (Video): Parks Delivered with Yellowstone Bourbon. To connect people to national parks, NPCA and Yellowstone Bourbon launched a series of videos delivering the calm and beauty of parks to viewers. The one-minute videos featured relaxing, inpirational park imagery, giving viewers a chance to unwind and have a mini park experience, no matter their location.

PRNEWS’ Nonprofit Awards

This competition distinguishes the most innovative campaigns and initiatives in the nonprofit sector. Also presented to Strategic Partnerships & Marketing team:

• 2025 Winner for Social Media Campaign: Park POV with Travelodge® by Wyndham. The series featured influencers traveling to Biscayne, Kings Canyon and Rocky Mountain national parks who shared their experiences while emphasizing responsible ways to visit parks.

• 2025 Honorable Mention for Diversity & Inclusion: Pride in Our Parks with Underwood Wine. This partnership campaign included three Pride events in Biscayne, Olympic and Indiana Dunes national parks and supporting digital engagement to enhance inclusivity in national parks so parkgoers can feel welcome, safe and represented within our parks.

PRNEWS’ Impact Communications Awards

This competition honors communicators who use their platforms to better their community and the global community at large. The Strategic Partnerships & Marketing team was honored by this group as well for these works:

• 2025 Honorable Mention for Video Storytelling: Park Sessions with Yellowstone Bourbon. This series featured country, folk and Americana musicians with a love for national parks discussing their personal feelings on the importance of national park protection in the park itself and performing songs they had written with a connection to the outdoors.
• 2025 Honorable Mention for LGBTQIA2+ Campaign: Pride in Our Parks with Underwood Wine, highlighted above.