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On November 19, 2025, the <\/span>Russell Kirk Center <\/span>gathered at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. with a full crowd for the second\u00a0 annual Richard D. McLellan Free Speech Prizes gala honoring 2025 grand prize winner Kristen Waggoner.<\/p>\n The gathering also featured recipients of the research and writing Fellowship awards to Mickey Shapiro Free Speech Fellows Luke Sheahan, Jennifer Bryson, and Samuel Goldman, and Dick & Ethie Haworth Free Speech Fellows Josiah Joner, Peter Bonilla, and Thomas Matthew Vozar.<\/p>\n For those unable to join us for this memorable evening celebration, we’re pleased to share a complete recording of the event program below. 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McLellan Prizes<\/i><\/b>\u00a0is a unique educational program administered by the Russell Kirk Center.\u00a0<\/b>Its aim is to help reshape the national conversation on issues surrounding the durability and prospects for the American tradition of free speech and expression as guaranteed in the U. S. Constitution\u2019s First Amendment.<\/p>\n The McLellan Prizes draw attention to the central importance of the free speech tradition, particularly recognizing those doing the most important and exciting work in that area. These Prizes seek to support talented thinkers, creators, and communicators capable of rearticulating the perennial importance of the First Amendment, and transmitting a better understanding of the freedoms it secures for all.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n