Celebrate American Media Award

The Celebrate America Media Award acknowledges journalists and publications that successfully convey critical information on urban strategies to the American public. These honorees strive to make America a better place through the creative communication of innovation and successful advancements in American communities.

Neal Peirce is the lead writer among American journalists on the dynamics of state and local government, with a special focus in recent years on metropolitan regions — their political and economic dynamics, and their emerging national and global roles. Earlier in his career, Neal was the political editor of Congressional Quarterly and then one of the founders of National Journal. He wrote a 10-book series on America’s states and regions culminating in The Book of America: Inside 50 States Today (W.W. Norton, 1983).

In 1975, Neal began — and continues today — the first national column focused on state and local government themes, syndicated by the Washington Post Writers Group. With Curtis Johnson, he has co-authored the Citistates Reports on compelling issues of metropolitan futures for leading newspapers in 25 regions across the nation, among them the Seattle Times, Dallas Morning News, Philadelphia Inquirer and St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Neal was lead author of the 1993 book, Citistates. Beginning in 1995, Neal was chairman of the Citistates Group, a network of journalists, speakers, and consultants who believe that successful metropolitan regions are today’s key to economic competitiveness and sustainable communities.

In 2014, Neal expanded his leadership to global urban strategies with the launch of Citiscope, founded with a mission to spur innovation and to help cities work better for all their people through the power of independent journalism.