Inside the 2025 Jesse H. Neal Awards: Trends, Challenges & the Future of B2B Journalism

1. With diverse categories spanning many industries, how do you maintain consistency and fairness in evaluation?

Two things, primarily. First, we select a numerically large number of judges, close to 150 top-notch journalists. This makes it very likely that judges will have some familiarity with the broad contours of the market they're judging. Second, we emphasize journalistic achievement, not topic expertise. Vertical B2B media is similar in form to mass B2B media, such as the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, The Economist, Financial Times and others. Our judges are all high-ranking, experienced and accomplished journalists. They know the components of a well-crafted piece of journalism. 

2. What trends or themes did you notice across this year’s entries—such as an increase in investigative work, multimedia content, or data journalism? 

It's really all of the above. Entry trends evolve over time, but not as much year to year. All of the journalism techniques you mentioned are reflected in the Neal Awards within their own categories. Measurement and KPIs, plus AI, are two areas that are gaining steam as is journalistic entrepreneurship. Overall, two things stood out in 2025. First, B2B journalism is moving in the direction of lead generation. Content created by editors is increasingly required to produce qualified leads. This practice is new for many journalists, and some don't take to it naturally. The second area that was hot for 2025 was, not surprisingly, politics and government. We added categories for best coverage of the 2024 election, and another for regulatory and legislative coverage in the context of the served market. Both were very popular this year.  

3. How does the SIIA support the long-term careers of award winners and fellows beyond the ceremony itself?

One of our awards is a partnership with Northwestern University's Medill School where the recipient is paired with an executive and spends a week at the University for a course in B2B media. We also post winners online for promotion and provide assets for winners to share in their own social-media feeds. We encourage all winners, plus their bosses and colleagues, to tout their recognition. It conveys expertise on the part of the journalists and expresses the commitment and values of the parent company. In effect, it creates an aura of success and through that, drives revenue. 

4. In your view, what are the biggest challenges and opportunities facing B2B journalism today?

There are many. As mentioned above, lead-gen writing can be perceived as "marketing" writing, and some journalists are not comfortable with it. And then there's the areas mentioned in your second question. In short, B2B journalism is transitioning to a whole range of new skillsets, and media organizations have to train their people and hire those who have those skills. Social-media journalism is a technique of its own, as is the brief snippet style of TikTok and YouTube Shorts. The opportunities are abundant. You could just take the positive side of all these challenges. A different challenge exists in some markets, namely those that cover politics, Congress, and the bureaucracy as their beat. There's a tone of hostility towards the media, even to what are essentially B2B brands like Politico. 

5. Are there plans to expand the Jesse H. Neal Awards to include new media types such as podcasts, newsletters, or AI-assisted reporting? 

Two of these three are already existing categories. We assess categories every year and since I've managed the program, we’ve added 4-6 new categories each year while dropping those that are no longer appealing to our entrants. We see a lot of opportunity in continuing this, even to the point of categories directed at enthusiast consumer media. 

6. What role does the SIIA Media division play beyond hosting the awards? 

We're a full-service trade association that serves media operators across the enterprise. We produce conferences, host councils for specific disciplines and provide both networking and education - enhancing a sense of a community with shared opportunities and challenges. We also have additional recognition programs, including a B2B Hall of Fame. We publish proprietary research and a twice-weekly newsletter. We represent the industry's interests in the legislative and regulatory sphere. 

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