Pittsburgh Union Progress’ Steve Mellon came in first place in three categories while fellow striker and PUP reporter Ed Blazina won another on Wednesday night during the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania’s 61st Golden Quill Awards dinner at Rivers Casino, North Shore. One of Mellon’s winning entries also scored a best-in-show award.
The Golden Quills competition honors professional and student excellence in print, broadcast, photography, videography and digital journalism in Western Pennsylvania and nearby counties in Ohio and West Virginia.
PUP’s winning entries are:
Excellence in Written Journalism, News Feature – Division 2: “On a frigid and fiery night one year ago, a train upended lives in East Palestine” by Steve Mellon. The story also won the best-in-show Ray Sprigle Memorial Award for Division 2.
The judge commented: “Mellon uses clever and vivid imagery to paint a full, messy picture of the aftermath of tragedy. This piece relies on a mix of personal narratives to tell a complex story. However, each person’s experience is uniquely memorable thanks to Mellon’s storytelling. The train whistle bookends tie this sprawling piece up in a tidy bow.”
The piece was part of a Pittsburgh Media Partnership collaboration with the New Castle News, which also published it.
Excellence in Written Journalism, Profile – Division 2: “Peering into the darkness, blogger finds the abandoned and vulnerable” by Steve Mellon.
The judge’s comment: “There were some strong entries in this category — it’s hard to beat the image of cemetery workers walking over their own future graves daily — but this deeply reported, nuanced portrait of a local blogger who surfaced a story that made national headlines rises above the rest.”
Excellence in Written Journalism, History/Culture — Division 2: “An explosion 97 years ago today wrecked the North Side; shock waves continue to reverberate” by Steve Mellon.
Excellence in Written Journalism, Public Affairs/Politics/Government – Division 2: “A mom’s tale: More than 12 years of lobbying leads to Pennsylvania law banning drivers from using a hand-held cellphone” by Ed Blazina (who also was a finalist for another story).
The judge’s comment: “Good use of a mom’s story to explain a new distracted driving law.”
PUP’s other finalists include sports writers Brad Everett and John Santa, feature writer Helen Fallon (two stories) and freelance contributor Abigail Hakas (who won two Quills for her work for Chatham University’s Communique).
See the full list of winners and finalists and judges’ comments at www.westernpapressclub.org/about-the-quills.
Also during the awards ceremony, the Press Club honored David Newell, aka Mr. “Speedy Delivery” McFeely on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” with its President’s Award, and Duquesne University journalism professor Maggie Jones Patterson with its Service to Journalism Award.
Point Park University rising junior Gavin Petrone of New Castle (whose Next Generation Newsroom byline has appeared in the PUP) received the 2025 Bob Fryer Memorial Scholarship, and Duquesne University rising junior Naomi Girson of Oakmont the 2025 Press Club of Western Pennsylvania Scholarship.
Point Park’s Andrew Conte was announced as the new Press Club president, following the Tribune-Review’s Luis Fabregas.
The PUP is the publication of the striking workers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
