July 29 -- An Evening for Journalism to Shine

Most people active at the National Press Club know the key dates we build our year around. There's the gala inaugural, which was held Jan. 24, and Spring Hoot, which was May 1.

Looking ahead, there's the 5K on Sept. 5, Fourth Estate dinner with Gwen Ifill on Oct. 15 and the Book Fair and Authors' Night Nov. 17.

Yet one of the best, and most special, nights of the Club year is only days away -- the Journalism Awards Dinner on Wednesday, July 29.

This is a tradition that began in the 1970s that the Club proudly carries on -- now in its 42nd consecutive year.

It has always been a personal favorite of mine.

Most journalists have attended plenty of media and awards dinners. Some are glitzy, featuring celebrities, keynote speeches and corporate sponsorships.

The Club's dinner has always stood out to me as being none of that. At this event, it is the work itself -- and the journalists that produced it -- taking center stage.

People who work at well-known journalism organizations will be recognized. These include the Wall Street Journal, Seattle Times, Reuters, USA Today and the Baltimore Sun, and PBS, CNN, NBC and NPR.

But each year at this event, I learn about fine work being done at entities I know less about, such as Mine Safety and InsideClimate News.

Many of the best and most loyal Club members serve on award panels to select the winners. They volunteer dozens of hours to carefully read through submissions. Many of these volunteers, like myself, consider it an honor to recognize our colleagues' work. Will Lester, a desk editor and former political writer for The Associated Press, leads this effort, ably assisted by Club staff member Joann Booze.

Also, in the course of the evening, the Club awards journalism scholarships to young people and the John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award to reporters.

This year's winners of the press freedom award are Austin Tice, who has been detained in Syria since 2012; Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post reporter who has been imprisoned in Iran for more than a year; and Khadija Ismayilova, an Azerbaijani reporter jailed since December 2014.

The evening's intense focus on great journalism, the next generation of journalists and press freedom make it extra special for me. It is the evening of the year, perhaps more than any other, that makes me proud to be a National Press Club member.

If you are a journalist, or like journalism, you should go to this event. The audience provides the appreciation, standing ovations and spirit that make the event so special. Get your tickets here. It's only $50, including your drinks and dinner -- a modest price by D.C. standards.

I will be excited to see you there.