Margaret 'Ma' Murray, one of the most tenacious and outspoken figures in Canadian journalism, continues to inspire the community newspaper industry. She began her career in the 1930's, when she became British Columbia's first female newspaper publisher. Through her beloved paper, the Bridge River-Lillooet News, she became known throughout B.C. as a forthright and outspoken critic of various topics of the day.

Ma Murray never lost her enthusiasm and commitment to her community and the newspaper business. Before her death in 1982 at the age of 94, Ma Murray had owned and operated two newspapers (The Bridge River-Lillooet News and The Alaska Highway News); homesteaded in British Columbia's north; rubbed shoulders with celebrities; appeared in Time Magazine; and won the Order of Canada. She even had a play written about her, "Ma" by Eric Nichol, which played to sold-out houses and rave reviews across the country.

The BCYCNA has been handing out awards for over 80 years, and in 2001, changed the name of its awards gala to honour Ma, an important icon in B.C.'s community newspaper industry.