IndieWire earned six nominations for the 2026 SoCal Journalism Awards, celebrating the best entertainment journalism from 2025.
IndieWire is heading into the 2026 SoCal Journalism Awards with six nominations, spotlighting its entertainment coverage from across the 2025 calendar year.
The nominations were announced on Monday. May 11. by the LA Press Club. which also runs the National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards.. The recognition is designed to honor standout reporting. criticism. and online storytelling in entertainment journalism—setting the stage for what’s expected to be a closely watched awards season.
Among the site’s most prominent nods, IndieWire’s staff received a nomination for Best Website for its year-round coverage of the entertainment industry. The category reflects the broader editorial push behind the outlet’s constant stream of reviews, reporting, and analysis.
IndieWire TV critic Ben Travers also earned a nomination, this time for Best Criticism of TV. The focus of his submission is his work covering new releases throughout 2025, underscoring how the outlet’s criticism continues to track what audiences were actually watching.
The outlet’s podcast and reporting teams were represented as well.. Ryan Lattanzio and Anne Thompson were nominated in the Entertainment Reporting category for an episode of IndieWire’s podcast. “Screen Talk.” Their story. titled “Neon’s Tom Quinn Reveals His Oscar-Whisperer Secrets Ahead of the Cannes Awards. ” points to how entertainment journalism in 2025 blended industry access with event-driven timing.
Another nomination went to Alison Foreman in the Entertainment News: Film/Broadcast category for her story about a fan-style endurance challenge tied to Stephen King’s new adaptation.. “I Survived ‘The Long Walk’ Treadmill Challenge — What 5 Miles with the New Stephen King Classic Felt Like” reflects a different side of coverage—one that turns pop-culture releases into lived experience.
Multiple nominations also landed with former weekend editor Rance Collins. whose work continues to span film history. lifestyle. and digital journalism.. He was nominated in the News Feature: Film/Broadcast Related category for “When Hollywood ‘Went Gay All of a Sudden’: TCM Highlights Films That Track Queer Evolution. ” a piece focused on how programming can map cultural change through cinema.
Collins also received a nomination in the Lifestyle Feature category for “How Cinespia Turned a Cemetery Into L.A.’s Weekend Hot Spot.” That recognition highlights how entertainment outlets are increasingly covering the places where culture actually happens, not just the screens where it’s seen.
Beyond those categories. Collins was also nominated for Online Journalist. Independent/Freelance. with recognition tied to his reporting at IndieWire as well as the Beverly Press. Los Angeles Magazine. and Variety.. Meanwhile. the nominations extended into film criticism as Beandrea July was nominated in the Criticism of Film (over 1. 000) words category for her work at IndieWire as well as SEEN Journal.
This year’s list of nominations arrives with additional weight because IndieWire previously set a high bar at the SoCal Journalism Awards. Last year, the site was nominated for a record 11 awards and ultimately won four at the 67th ceremony.
Among last year’s wins were honors including Best Website and News Organization Exclusive to the Internet. recognizing the outlet’s full staff.. IndieWire also picked up a Criticism of TV award for Ben Travers. along with a News Feature. Film/Broadcast Related award for Brian Welk for reporting on how states use tax credits and other methods to attract film and TV productions.
Last year’s wins also included Regular Podcast for an episode of the “Filmmaker Toolkit” Podcast featuring Sarah Shachat and Trevor Wallace. reinforcing that IndieWire’s presence isn’t limited to traditional writing.. The outlet’s success suggests a sustained editorial strategy that treats podcasting and long-form reporting as equally central to its identity.
The 68th SoCal Journalism Awards are set for June 28 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, where this year’s nominees will find out how their 2025 work resonates with the judging community.
For IndieWire, the six nominations reflect both breadth and specialization—ranging from Best Website and TV criticism to entertainment reporting, lifestyle features, online freelance work, and long-form film criticism.
IndieWire SoCal Journalism Awards 2026 entertainment journalism Ben Travers film criticism Screen Talk podcast LA Press Club