Ari Shapiro

Journalist. Radio Personality. Author. Singer.

Ari Shapiro has been a question on Jeopardy, and an answer in the New York Times crossword puzzle.

The host of NPR’s “All Things Considered” since 2015, Shapiro has filed stories from above the Arctic Circle and aboard Air Force One. He’s covered wars in Iraq, Ukraine and Israel, and his debut memoir, “The Best Strangers In the World”, was an instant New York Times bestseller.

He has also performed as a singer in some of the world’s most storied venues, from Carnegie Hall to the Hollywood Bowl to Red Rocks.

This exclusive gala event will honor Shapiro as the 2025 Denver Press Club Damon Runyon Award recipient.

Hosted by 9 News meteorologist Chris Bianchi, CPR News Senior Host Ryan Warner will also sit down with Ari for an intimate, entertaining and informative interview.

Ticket prices and pre-sale date to come.

Sponsorship options include: a VIP pre-dinner event with Ari, and a signature sponsor to host his gala table. Sponsorships are also available for gala table hosts for Chris Bianchi and Ryan Warner. If you are interested in additional sponsorship opportunities, please contact Skyler McKinley (at skyler@denverpressclub.org). If you would like to be notified when tickets go on sale, please contact Heather Rule Grady (at gradyrule.mac@mac.com).

The Damon Runyon Award has been presented annually by the historic Denver Press Club each spring since 1994.

The award is named after Damon Runyon, a legendary journalist who grew up in Colorado, worked at The Denver Post and Pueblo Chieftain, and became a member of the Press Club in 1907.

Runyon later went on to fame and glory in New York City as a columnist for Hearst newspapers. He is best-known for a collection of stories called “Guys and Dolls,” which later turned into a Broadway musical and a movie.

The Runyon Award banquet is the major fundraiser of the historic club, which is the oldest in the nation. Proceeds go toward the club’s historic preservation and five scholarships for $1500 and one — the John C. Ensslin Memorial Scholarship — for $3,000. The scholarships are reserved for college journalists from universities in Colorado.