The Southern California Journalism Awards announced its 2026 prizes this week, and I’m deeply honored to have won Best Magazine Columnist. I also picked up a 2nd-place award for feature writing. I sincerely appreciate this little nugget from the judges: “Brad Johnson expertly illustrates what sets compelling signed-column journalism apart from every other kind of news writing. He grabs the reader in the first few words and takes them on a fun, entertaining and deeply informative ride.”
Thank you! And congratulations to all the talented journalists and photographers featured in this year’s program, especially to my old friend Gary Baum, who took the top prize for Print Journalist of the Year (again!). Long live journalism.
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