In the Audio Journalism category, my outrageous and unfiltered Lyndsanity conversation with the Church’s Steve Kilbey took home first prize for best Personality Profile/Interview, Entertainment Personalities (Over 10 Minutes) — which the L.A. Press Club judges described as “a smart, multi-faceted look at a singer and songwriter who gracefully and uniquely describes close to 50 years of survival as an artist” — and in the Online category, my adorable Lyndsanity interview with Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill snagged third prize for best Music Feature, Groups.

My fun Gold Derby opinion piece breaking down my personal 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ballot, which the judges called “excellent” and “from the heart,” scored me my other first-place trophy of the night, for best Entertainment Commentary, Arts. And rounding out my tally was third place for best Music Feature in the Magazines category, for one of my favorite articles of my career: a 25th-anniversary Gorillaz cover story for FLOOD.

I was also delighted and excited to co-present at the ceremony with actor/Travel Channel host Jack Maxwell, in front of a Millennium Biltmore Hotel ballroom audience that included many of my talented peers plus honorees like country superstar Kenny Chesney, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Maria Ressa (who Jack and I had to immediately follow!), ABC sports journalist Rob Fukuzaki, civil rights attorney Carol Sobel, and NBC’s Craig Melvin.

Congratulations to all of the winners, nominees, and presenters, and many thanks, as always, to the Los Angeles Press Club for having me. Click here for the full rundown of categories, results, and judge commentary, and scroll below for direct links to my five winning entries.

FIRST PLACE – AUDIO JOURNALISM: PERSONALITY PROFILE/INTERVIEW, ENTERTAINMENT PERSONALITIES (OVER 10 MINUTES)
Lyndsanity, “The unguarded moments: The Church’s Steve Kilbey opens up about 45-year career, loveless fascinations with Duran Duran and record label ‘f***ing idiots and philistines,’ and more”

FIRST PLACE – ONLINE: ENTERTAINMENT COMMENTARY, ARTS
Gold Derby, “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025: Our voter’s unfiltered official ballot”

SECOND PLACE – ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Lyndsanity, Licorice Pizza Records, FLOOD, Gold Derby, Music Connection

THIRD PLACE – MAGAZINES: MUSIC FEATURE
FLOOD Magazine, “The House Gorillaz Built”

THIRD PLACE – ONLINE: MUSIC FEATURE, GROUPS
Lyndsanity, “How powerpop power couple Vicki Peterson & John Cowsill’s real-life romance was predicted by teenage fan-fiction: ‘You’re either going to find this adorable, or you’re going to run screaming into the night’”

photo: Betsy Annas

I am thrilled to announce that I have received seven nominations for the Los Angeles Press Club‘s 2026 Southern California Journalism Awards, including Entertainment Journalist of the Year! This nomination recognizes my work for Licorice Pizza Records, FLOOD, Gold Derby, Music Connection, and other outlets, as well as for Lyndsanity.

Three of my other nominations are for this very website, the completely independent Lyndsanity.com — including best Blog, Individual.

In the Audio Journalism category, my Lyndsanity interview with the Church’s Steve Kilbey is also up for best Personality Profile/interview, Entertainment Personalities (Over 10 Minutes) — we talked for well over 10 minutes, of course! — and in the Online category, my adorable and heart-warming interview with Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill is up for best Music Feature, Groups.

One of my favorite articles of my career, my Gorillaz cover story for FLOOD, is up for best Music Feature in the Magazines category, and I’ve also received two Online category nominations for my work with Gold Derby: best Music Feature, Solo Artists for my Sean Lennon interview, and best Entertainment Commentary, Arts for a piece breaking down my 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ballot, which was immense fun to write.

For the first time in a while, I am not competing against myself in any categories! But I am proud to be competing against so many colleagues I admire, and I would be happy to lose to any of them. As they say in the business, it’s an honor just to be nominated. And it really, truly is.

Congratulations to my worthy fellow nominees; I’m looking forward to celebrating with you all at the ceremony on June 28. Click here for the full list of categories, and scroll down for the list of my nominations.

ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Lyndsanity, Licorice Pizza Records, FLOOD, Gold Derby, Music Connection

ONLINE: BLOG, INDIVIDUAL
Lyndsanity

MAGAZINES: MUSIC FEATURE
FLOOD Magazine, “The House Gorillaz Built”

AUDIO JOURNALISM: PERSONALITY PROFILE/INTERVIEW, ENTERTAINMENT PERSONALITIES (OVER 10 MINUTES)
Lyndsanity, “The unguarded moments: The Church’s Steve Kilbey opens up about 45-year career, loveless fascinations with Duran Duran and record label ‘f***ing idiots and philistines,’ and more”

ONLINE: MUSIC FEATURE, SOLO ARTISTS
Gold Derby, “Sean Ono Lennon on his ‘Mind Games’ Grammy nomination and stewarding his family’s legacy: ‘I’m trying to do good by my own father’”

ONLINE: MUSIC FEATURE, GROUPS
Lyndsanity, “How powerpop power couple Vicki Peterson & John Cowsill’s real-life romance was predicted by teenage fan-fiction: ‘You’re either going to find this adorable, or you’re going to run screaming into the night’”

ONLINE: ENTERTAINMENT COMMENTARY, ARTS
Gold Derby, “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025: Our voter’s unfiltered official ballot”

On the pre-show red carpet (photo: Alison Martino)

I am thrilled to announce that this here site, Lyndsanity.com, just took home third prize for Entertainment Blog by an Individual Not Tied to an Organization at the Los Angeles Press Club‘s 18th annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards!

As a journalist who went totally independent exactly two years ago, in December 2023, and has been working hard to build the Lyndsanity brand ever since, just being nominated in this stacked category meant so much to me.

I also won second prize for Music Feature, Individual Artists for my Gold Derby Q&A with Sean Ono Lennon about his labor-of-love boxed set for his father’s once-misunderstood Mind Games album, and third prize for Best Arts or Entertainment Regular Podcast for a special Totally ‘80s episode about pop queen Madonna’s punk roots.

Presenting with KTLA’s Melvin Robert (photo: Chris Willman)

But truly, the biggest win for me was being asked to present onstage alongside Emmy- and L.A. Press Club award-winning KTLA journalist Melvin Robert, in front of an audience in the Millennium Biltmore Hotel ballroom that included Paul Anka, Henry Winkler, Marlee Matlin, Richard Marx & Daisy Fuentes, Seth Rogen & Lauren Miller, Kasi Lemmons, Larry Mantle, and so many of my talented, respected peers.

Thank you, L.A. Press Club; I am beyond grateful and honored. And congratulations to my fellow nominees and honorees!