August 4, 2026

2026 winners

2026 SPJ GREEN EYESHADE AWARDS

These are the final results for the 2026 competition.
Award certificates will be sent by U.S. Mail. Allow six weeks for delivery.
Winners will receive an email with instructions for ordering duplicate certificates.

THE 2026 GREEN EYESHADE AWARD

ProPublica | Doug Bock Clark | The Breakdown of Democracy in North Carolina

2026 DIVISION WINNERS

DIVISION A: PRINT & DIGITAL WRITING

ProPublica | Doug Bock Clark | The Breakdown of Democracy in North Carolina

DIVISION B: GRAPHICS & PHOTOGRAPHY

Miami Herald | Susan Merriam, Alex Harris | Floods of Trouble

DIVISION C: VIDEO / TELEVISION

Mississippi Today | Staff | Rankin County Jail Series

DIVISION D: AUDIO / RADIO

WLRN and Miami Herald | Danny Rivero and Brittany Wallman | Killer Train podcast series

DIVISION E: DIGITAL / ONLINE

Mississippi Today | Staff | The Black Box: Inside Mississippi’s opioid spending

DIVISION F: STUDENTS

Institute for Public Service Reporting at the University of Memphis | Erika Konig | An American Nightmare

2026 CATEGORY WINNERS

DIVISION A: PRINT & DIGITAL WRITING

Breaking News Reporting

First Place: The Times-Picayune | The Advocate | Staff | Bourbon Street terror attack
Second Place: Mississippi Today | Leonardo Bevilacqua, Mina Corpuz | Homecoming shootings
Third Place: The Assembly | Greg Lacour, Jeffrey Billman | ICE in NC

General News Writing

First Place: Mississippi Today | Mina Corpuz, Debbie Skipper | The deadly cost of domestic violence
Second Place: The Times-Picayune | The Advocate | John Simerman, Andrea Gallo | Death penalty
Third Place: Mississippi Today | Sophia Paffenroth | Eligible Mississippians often face barriers to Medicaid. Federal cuts will make access harder

Investigative Reporting

First Place: Lagniappe | Scott Johnson | Crash, call, collect: Midtown clinic linked to RICO scheme enterprise
Second Place: Miami Herald | Alex Harris, Susan Merriam | Floods of Trouble
Third Place: Inside Climate News | Dennis Pillion, Lee Hedgepeth | Wired for Profit Series

Serious Feature Writing

First Place: Oxford American | Jordan Blumetti | “The Machine in the Garden,” words and photographs by Jordan Blumetti
Second Place: The Bitter Southerner | Moni Basu | Transfarmation: Fed up with a system that may harm both bird and man, southern poultry farmers consider the future.
Third Place: The Miami Herald | Linda Robertson, Grethel Aguila | Terrorized by her husband, she warned police he would kill her. They failed to stop him

Light Feature Writing

First Place: 225 Magazine | Olivia Deffes | Time after Time
Second Place: American Essence Magazine | Nanette Holt, Natasha Holt | Where Wild Ponies Swim and Dreams Come True
Third Place: Tampa Bay Times | Gabrielle Calise | I Became a Weeki Wachee Mermaid

Feature Series

First Place: ProPublica | Doug Bock Clark | The Breakdown of Democracy in North Carolina
Second Place: Florida Today | Rick Neale, Jim Waymer, Dave Berman | Evolving Space Coast
Third Place: MindSite News | Michele Cohen Marill | Forgotten Children

Profile Writing

First Place: The Miami Herald | Linda Robertson, Grethel Aguila | Terrorized by her husband, she warned police he would kill her. They failed to stop him
Second Place: The Charlotte Ledger | Lindsey Banks, Carroll Walton | Profile collection
Third Place: The Charlotte Observer | Theoden Janes | Collection

Business & Economy Reporting

First Place: The Courier Journal | Olivia Evans, Connor Giffin | Chemicals, mold, bats, broken bones: Workers concerned over safety at BlueOval SK plant
Second Place: The Charlotte Observer | Catherine Muccigrosso, Caitlin McGlade, Adam Bell, Cathy Clabby | Charlotte’s data center surge — pricey, power-hungry and shrouded in secrecy
Third Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel | David Lyons | Collection

Public Affairs & Policy Reporting

First Place: KFF Health News | Fred Clasen-Kelly, Renuka Rayasam, Daniel Chang | Guns, Race, and Profit: The Pain of America’s Other Epidemic
Second Place: Florida Trident | Bob Norman, Michelle DeMarco | Unclean Hands: DeSantis gave company accused of ripping off Hurricane Ian victims $200 million in “emergency” state business
Third Place: The Times-Picayune | The Advocate | Mike Smith | River’s Reckoning

Government Reporting

First Place: The Current GA | Jabari Gibbs | Glynn County D.A. Office in Distress
Second Place: Tampa Bay Times, Miami Herald | Lawrence Mower, Alexandra Glorioso, Justin Garcia | Hope Florida
Third Place: Verite News | Katie Jane Fernelius | FixNOLA collection

Election Reporting

First Place: The Assembly | Bryan Anderson, Jeffrey Billman, Michael Hewlett | Coverage of State Supreme Court Race
Second Place: Centro de Periodismo Investigativo | Damaris Suárez | Puerto Rico Elections Commission Admits 70% of Polling Sites Failed to Transmit Results
Third Place: VoxPopuli | Andrea Charur | Tuan Le’s restaurant chain left trail of evictions, unpaid bills, tax liens, health code violations

Environmental Reporting

First Place: Tampa Bay Times | Zachary T. Sampson, Shreya Vuttaluru, Bethany Barnes | Wasting Away
Second Place: Miami Herald | Alex Harris, Susan Merriam | Floods of Trouble
Third Place: Mississippi Today | Alex Rozier | Dire Forecast: A shifting climate in Mississippi

Health and Science Reporting

First Place: Mississippi Today | Gwen Dilworth | Quick surgeries, scars and facelifts that fade: Complaints pile up about a Jackson plastic surgeon
Second Place: Miami Herald | Michelle Marchante | Miami health collection
Third Place: Type Investigations, Gulf States Newsroom | Drew Hawkins | Trauma-informed nurses help sexual assault survivors. Most hospitals in the Gulf South don’t have them.

Consumer Affairs Reporting

First Place: Miami Herald | Max Klaver | More than half of Miamians can barely make ends meet
Second Place: KFF Health News | Lauren Sausser | South Carolina’s Measles Outbreak Shows Chilling Effect of Vaccine Misinformation
Third Place: Law360 | Daniel Connolly, Daniel Siegal, Orlando Lorenzo, Jason Mallory. | The Law Firm Loophole: How Debt Companies Snare North Carolina Consumers

Deadline Disaster & Crisis Reporting

First Place: The Times-Picayune | The Advocate | Staff | Bourbon Street terror attack
Second Place: Tallahassee Democrat | Staff | A Mass Shooting at FSU
Third Place: Tampa Bay Times | Staff | Ybor City Chase and Crash

Non-Deadline Disaster & Crisis Reporting

First Place: Miami Herald | Jacqueline Charles | Haiti’s Lost Generation
Second Place: The Times-Picayune | The Advocate | Staff | Bourbon Street terror attack
Third Place: KFF Health News | Daniel Chang, Brett Kelman, Holly K. Hacker, and Hannah Norman | Mapping the untold flood risk at U.S. hospitals

Courts, Crime & Law Reporting

First Place: The Times-Picayune | The Advocate | Jillian Kramer, Jeff Adelson | Longing for Justice
Second Place: The Associated Press | Bianca Vázquez Toness | For these incarcerated students, online school has been a disaster
Third Place: The Florida Trib | Nichole Manna | Coverage of JSO brutality

Sports Reporting

First Place: Miami Herald | Jordan McPherson, Greg Cote, Connie Ogle, Milena Malaver | Florida Panthers celebration
Second Place: The Guardian | Ramon Antonio Vargas and David Hammer | ‘Crisis communications’: emails show how NFL’s Saints and NBA’s Pelicans helped New Orleans church spin abuse scandal
Third Place: Birmingham Sports Media | Timothy Belin | Mark Briggs: connected to success

Travel Reporting

First Place: American Essence Magazine | Nanette Holt, Natasha Holt | Where Wild Ponies Swim and Dreams Come True
Second Place: inRegister magazine | Riley Bienvenu Bourgeois, Kelli Bozeman, Hoa Vu | Rest Easy
Third Place: Creators Syndicate | Bonnie Jean Feldkamp | Conservation on American Prairie

Lifestyle Reporting

First Place: INDY | Lena Geller | I Salvaged $6,000 of Luxury Items Discarded by Duke Students. Why Did It Make Me Feel So Terrible?
Second Place: The Assembly | Sayaka Matsuoka | ‘Hot Mess Express’ Saves Lives – One Swiffer at a Time
Third Place: inRegister magazine | Kelli Bozeman, Riley Bienvenu Bourgeois, Kim Meadowlark, Hoa Vu | By Stately Oaks

Criticism & Reviews

First Place: Atlanta Journal-Constitution and ArtsATL | Matthew Terrell | Collection
Second Place: The Associated Press | Andrew DeMillo | Book Reviews
Third Place: The Charlotte Ledger | Lawrence Toppman | Collection

Entertainment Reporting

First Place: Miami Herald | Madeleine Marr | Madeleine Marr – Entertainment reporter
Second Place: com | Matt Wake | Collection
Third Place: The Associated Press | Jonathan Mattise, Kristin M. Hall | Morgan Wallen denied throwing chair off bar roof to police in 2024, footage shows

Food & Dining Reporting

First Place: Sun Sentinel | Phillip Valys | Phillip Valys Food/Dining Reporting
Second Place: Tampa Bay Times | Helen Freund | Collection
Third Place: Stet News | Jan Norris, Joel Engelhardt | Talking turkey and other stories

Data-Driven Reporting

First Place: The Times-Picayune | The Advocate | Jeff Adelson, Jillian Kramer | Longing for Justice
Second Place: Miami Herald | Alex Harris, Susan Merriam | Floods of Trouble
Third Place: Suncoast Searchlight | Josh Salman, Kara Newhouse | Rent-A-Cow

Specialized Writing or Coverage

First Place: The Assembly | Jordan Green | I’ve Seen How the Neo-Nazi Movement Is Escalating. You Should Worry.
Second Place: Capital B | Adam Mahoney | Meta’s AI Data Center Sparks a Crisis in the Bible Belt Over the Power of Faith
Third Place: Miami Herald | Max Klaver | Trailer park eviction collection

News Commentary & Analysis

First Place: Tampa Bay Times | Graham Brink, Jim Verhulst | Pedestrians in Peril
Second Place: Verite News | Drew Costley | I took the National Museum of African American History and Culture for granted. Trump’s threats changed that.
Third Place: Florida Today | John Torres | Collection by John A. Torres

Sports Commentary

First Place: The Daily Independent | William Adams | FOUR DOWN TERRITORY: Football remains King
Second Place: com | Brett Friedlander | Brett Friedlander sports commentary
Third Place: The Tennessean | Gentry Estes | The NFL and ESPN deal is a threat to journalistic integrity. Just look at the SEC

Humor & Satire

First Place: Tampa Bay Times | Stephanie Hayes | Collection
Second Place: Chattanooga Times Free Press | Dana Shavin | Collection
Third Place: The South Florida Sun Sentinel | Pat Beall | Collection

Editorial Writing

First Place: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | David Barham | The President punches down series
Second Place: Tennessee Lookout | Holly McCall | Collection
Third Place: TCPalm / Treasure Coast Newspapers | Laurence Reisman, Blake Fontenay, Adam L. Neal | Collection

Blog, Newsletter, or Digital-First Writing

First Place: Country Roads News | Dan Parks | Data Center Proposal Adds to Challenges for Small Appalachian Community in Transition
Second Place: Axios New Orleans | Chelsea Brasted, Carlie Kollath Wells, Jen Burkett, Kavya Beheraj | Katrina anniversary newsletters
Third Place: States Newsroom | Elisha Brown | Reproductive Rights Today

Public Service in Written Journalism

First Place: Mississippi Today, The New York Times | Mukta Joshi, Jerry Mitchell, Brian Howey, Nate Rosenfield | Abuse of Power: Beyond the Goon Squad
Second Place: Miami Herald and WLRN Public Media | staff | Killer Train
Third Place: Capital B | Adam Mahoney | Roseland’s Oil Disaster

DIVISION B: GRAPHICS & PHOTOGRAPHY

Spot News Photography

First Place: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | Staci Vandagriff | Cave City Tornado
Second Place: TCPalm | Kaila Jones | LEO shooting
Third Place: Tallahassee Democrat | Alicia Devine | A Florida Snow Day

General News Photography

First Place: Miami Herald | Carol Guzy, Carl Juste, Luis Rios | ICE – BROKEN FAMILIES
Second Place: TCPalm | Crystal Vander Weit | Crystal Vander Weit collection
Third Place: Tennessee Lookout | John Partipilo | Collection

Feature Photography

First Place: The Daily Memphian | Mark Weber | Daily Memphian feature photo
Second Place: The Lens NOLA | Gus Bennett | To combat violence, Young Rollers offer a happier alternative: New Orleans culture
Third Place: The Current | Alena Maschke | 2025 Rodeo Photo

Sports Photography

First Place: Mississippi Today | Vickie King | Soul City Cycling
Second Place: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | Thomas Metthe | Sports Collection TM
Third Place: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | Colin Murphey | Sports Collection CM

Photo Essay

First Place: The Associated Press | Brynn Anderson | One single mom’s quest to find housing after an eviction
Second Place: Tennessee Lookout | John Partipilo | A tornado and an immigration sting. The start and end of a life in Nashville.
Third Place: Mississippi Today | Vickie King, Eric Shelton | Mississippi Today Culture Essays

Graphics & Infographics

First Place: Axios New Orleans | Chelsea Brasted, Kavya Beheraj, Jen Burkett | Hurricane Katrina at 20: Here’s where New Orleans evacuees landed
No Second Place
No Third Place

Editorial Cartoons

First Place: Charleston City Paper | Steve Stegelin | Collection
Second Place: Chattanooga Times Free Press | Clay Bennett | The Cartoons of Clay Bennett
Third Place: Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc./WRAL.com | Dennis Draughon | Two Editorial Cartoons by Dennis Draughon

Illustrations

First Place: Alabama Media Group and AL.com | JD Crowe | JD Crowe Impact: Collection
Second Place: The Commonwealth Times | Zoë Luis | The Illustrations of Zoë Luis of the Commonwealth Times
Third Place: INDY | Nicole Pajor Moore | Collection

Magazine Cover Design

First Place: Chattanooga Times Free Press | Matt McClane | Chatter magazine covers
Second Place: inRegister magazine | Riley Bienvenu Bourgeois, Jordan Hefler, Jackie Haxthausen, Hoa Vu | Cover Collection
Third Place: Lynn University; iPulse News | Michael Crary, Scott LeBlanc, Timea Varga-Milyomi | LYNKD Magazine – 2nd Edition

Newspaper Cover Design

First Place: INDY | Nicole Pajor Moore | Collection
Second Place: Chattanooga Times Free Press | Dylan Chesser | Times Free Press covers
Third Place: OutSFL | Julie Palmer | Collection

Inside and Feature Design

First Place: 225 Magazine | Melinda Gonzalez Galjour | 225 Magazine Feature Design Collection
Second Place: Chattanooga Times Free Press | Matt McClane | Chatter magazine designs
No Third Place

Environmental Photography

First Place: MLK50: Justice Through Journalism | Kevin Wurm | xAI Environmental Collection
No Second Place
No Third Place

Data Visualization & Interactive Graphics

First Place: Miami Herald | Susan Merriam, Alex Harris | Floods of Trouble
No Second Place
No Third Place

Artistic & Creative Photography

First Place: Florida Today | Craig Bailey | Lightning around the VAB
Second Place: inRegister magazine | Jackie Haxthausen, Riley Bienvenu Bourgeois | Girl, Interrupted
Third Place: Tallahassee Democrat | Alicia Devine | Sportstraits by Alicia Devine

Public Service in Visual Journalism

First Place: Miami Herald | Carol Guzy, Carl Juste, Luis Rios | ICE – BROKEN FAMILIES
No Second Place
No Third Place

DIVISION C: VIDEO / TELEVISION

Newscast

First Place: CBS Atlanta | Staff | CBS News Atlanta at 11 p.m.
Second Place: CBS Atlanta | Staff | CBS News Atlanta at 6 p.m.
Third Place: WESH 2 | News Staff | WESH 2 News at 4pm: Tornado Touchdown

Breaking News Reporting

No Awards

Investigative Reporting

First Place: ABC 33/40 | Cynthia Gould, Daniel McCraw | Sheriff’s Office Under Investigation
Second Place: WLBT-TV | C.J. LeMaster, Anthony Warren, Keith Honore, Karlos Sanders | 3 On Your Side Investigates: Gaslit Follow-Up
Third Place: WESH 2 | Greg Fox | WESH 2 Investigates Compilation

Feature Reporting

First Place: CBS Atlanta | Brian Unger | Schnauzerfest
Second Place: WTVI PBS Charlotte | Jeff Sonier, Russ Hunsinger | Carolina Impact / Rebuild, Reopen, Restore
Third Place: GPB Sports | Jon Nelson, Will Nunnally, Caio Jardim | Building Towers

Documentary Journalism

First Place: WESH 2 | Nancy Alvarez, Torrey Barnett, Marcie Golgoski, Jacob Wiklund | Saving Our Streets: Her Last Word was Mom
Second Place: FOX Carolina | Catie Bussmann, Scott Freund, Gray Cecil, Amanda Shaw | Craigtown
Third Place: Land Grant Films | Seth Reynolds | The Tennessee Circle Drill

Explanatory Reporting

First Place: Action News Jax | Tenikka Smith Hughes, Diar Gilyana | The Future of Biometric Security
Second Place: WESH 2 | Greg Fox, Mike Kirby | WESH 2 Investigates: Toll Smishing
No Third Place

Short-Form Video Reporting

First Place: Mississippi Today | Staff | Rankin County Jail Series
Second Place: WTVI PBS Charlotte | Jeff Sonier, Russ Hunsinger | Carolina Impact / Rebuild, Reopen, Restore
Third Place: WTVI PBS Charlotte | Jeff Sonier, Russ Hunsinger | Carolina Impact / Made In The Shade

Multimedia Storytelling (Video-Based)

No Entries

Video Series

First Place: WIS News 10 | Hannah Burbank, Russ Congdon, Derek Robinson, Chloe Mungo | “The Making of a Soldier” Collection
Second Place: WTVI PBS Charlotte | Jeff Sonier, Russ Hunsinger, Maxwell Arnall | Carolina Impact / After Hurricane Helene
Third Place: WFLA | Linnie Supall | 50% Rule = Total Loss

Public Service in Video/Television Journalism

First Place: Action News Jax | Staff | Raising Readers
Second Place: ABC 33/40 | Cynthia Gould, Brian White, Daniel McCraw | Public Records Denied
Third Place: WFTS | Adam Walser, Matt McGlashen, Randy Wright, Lisa Blegen Chudzik | “Home Sweet HOA”

DIVISION D: AUDIO / RADIO

Newscast

First Place: WABE | Jim Burress, Christopher Alston, Meilissa Feito, news staff | The Brief for Friday, August 8, 2025
Second Place: WMNF News | Seán Kinane | Seán Kinane – The Scoop
Third Place: WUSF | Cathy Carter | November 10, 2025 Newscast

Breaking News Reporting

First Place: Central Florida Public Media | Joe Byrnes, Joe Mario Pedersen, Nicole Darden Creston | Battle waged over Pulse Rainbow Crosswalk
Second Place: WMNF News | Chris Young | Florida Department of Transportation removes LGBTQ+ street art Collection
No Third Place

General News Reporting

First Place: WUSF | Nancy Guan | A woman’s choice to self-deport from Sarasota pushes her family to consider the same
Second Place: Central Florida Public Media | Joe Byrnes, Rick Brunson, Molly Duerig | Immigration coverage compilation
Third Place: WUOT-FM | Pierce Gentry | Despite federal shutdown, local and state funds keep Great Smoky Mountains National Park open

Investigative Reporting

First Place: WLRN News | Danny Rivero, Brittany Waldman, Aaron Leibowitz, Joshua Ceballos | Emergency – Killer Train
Second Place: Central Florida Public Media | Joe Mario Pedersen | Medically Unnecessary
Third Place: Central Florida Public Media | Staff | Central Florida Seen & Heard: Costly Commute

Feature Reporting

First Place: WLRN News | Alyssa Ramos | Fort Lauderdale’s Suzie Toot tap dances her way to drag’s biggest stage
Second Place: Blue Ridge Public Radio | Laura Hackett | WNC artists celebrate the release of an album recorded in the muck of Hurricane Helene
Third Place: Central Florida Public Media | Molly Duerig | Drinking recycled water? In Central Florida, the day will come

Documentary Journalism

First Place: Due South – WUNC News | Due South Staff | The people whose ballots have been challenged in the NC State Supreme Court Race
Second Place: Alabama Public Radio | Pat Duggins, Lynn Oldshue, James Niiler, Cori Yonge | “…a death, a bridge, and a seat on the bus.”
Third Place: WMNF News | Seán Kinane | Storm Surge: the 2024 hurricane season in Tampa Bay

Explanatory Reporting

First Place: WUNC News | Anisa Khalifa, Jerad Walker | The Broadside – Who gets to be Native in America
Second Place: WABE | Emily Jones | Tracking Georgia’s sea turtles is a long, slow process that just might keep them alive
Third Place: Central Florida Public Media | Joe Mario Pedersen, Molly Duerig | More Florida communities are pulling back from fluoride. Here’s why

Short-Form Audio Reporting

First Place: WABE | Marlon Hyde | 20 years later: How Hurricane Katrina evacuees built businesses in Atlanta
Second Place: WABE | Chamian Cruz | Judges are hungry for this’: Georgia nonprofit is helping moms in prison reunite with their kids and reducing recidivism
Third Place: Blue Ridge Public Radio | Laura Hackett | Are the kids alright? Mental health problems spike for students post-Helene

Podcast Series

First Place: WLRN and Miami Herald | Danny Rivero and Brittany Wallman | Killer Train podcast series
Second Place: WLRN South Florida Public Radio | Jenny Staletovich | Keeper and Killer podcast
Third Place: Rhonda J. Miller Freelance | Rhonda J. Miller | What Democracy Sounds Like

Podcast Episode

First Place: WLRN News | Jenny Staletovich, Merritt Jacob, Lex Leshansky | Keeper and Killer- The Insanity Defense
Second Place: Rhonda J. Miller Freelance | Rhonda J. Miller | Bringing Music Back to North Nashville One Open Mic at a Time
Third Place: Recorded Future News / PRX | Dina Temple-Raston, Sean Powers, Karen Duffin, and Megan Detrie | North Korea’s secret army of hackers

Audio Storytelling with Sound Design

First Place: WLRN News | Helen Acevedo | Personalized Labubus: Miami tattoo artist finds a side hustle in the toy trend
No Second Place
No Third Place

Public Service in Audio/Radio Journalism

First Place: WLRN and Miami Herald | Danny Rivero and Brittany Wallman | Killer Train podcast series
Second Place: WABE | Emily Wu Pearson, Matt Pearson, Molly Samuel | Detained in Georgia Series
Third Place: WUSF | Kerry Sheridan | Leaders at New College and USF work behind the scenes on a campus takeover

DIVISION E: DIGITAL / ONLINE

Social Media Strategy

First Place: WABE | Matthew Pearson, Julien Virgin, Rebecca Etter | Social Media strategy
Second Place: Blue Ridge Public Radio | Stephanie Rogers | Blue Ridge Public Radio Instagram
Third Place: Triangle Business Journal | TBJ’s Instagram efforts | TBJ on Instagram

Data Use in Digital Storytelling

First Place: Axios New Orleans | Chelsea Brasted, Kavya Beheraj, Jen Burkett | Hurricane Katrina at 20: Here’s where New Orleans evacuees landed
No Second Place
No Third Place

Multimedia Presentation

First Place: Verite News | Staff | What Was Lost
Second Place: WLRN News | Jenny Staletovich, Caitie Munoz, Matheus Sanchez, WLRN News Staff | Keeper and Killer Digital Presentation
Third Place: FOX Carolina | Catie Bussmann, Amanda Shaw, Scott Freund, Olivia Thomas | Craigtown

Data Visualization & Mapping

First Place: The Daily Memphian | Laura Testino, Samuel Hardiman, Kelsey Bowen | Daily Memphian data vis & mapping
No Second Place
No Third Place

Digital Newsletters

First Place: The Assembly | Matt Hartman, Korie Dean, Erin Gretzinger, Emily Stephenson | The Quad
Second Place: Mississippi Today | Katherine Lin, Alyssa Bass, Cherry Agarwal, Bethany Atkinson | Mississippi Marketplace
Third Place: The Current GA | Maggie Lee, Susan Catron | Coastal Navigator: a centralized government calendar for Coastal Georgia

Service or Utility Journalism in Digital

First Place: WUNC News | Liz Schlemmer, Elizabeth Baier, Brent Wolfe | Education 101
Second Place: Atlanta Journal-Constitution and ArtsATL | Matthew Terrell | Atlanta Pride: Pageantry, celebration and protest in the heart of Midtown
Third Place: Axios New Orleans | Carlie Kollath Wells, Jen Burkett | 3-minute voter guide: New Orleans mayoral election

Digital Audience Engagement

First Place: Mississippi Today | Staff | The Black Box: Inside Mississippi’s opioid spending
Second Place: WUSF | Meghan Bowman | Your Florida engages with residents to cover the legislature
Third Place: WLRN News | WLRN News Team | ‘No Sabo Kids’ CTA-led Reporting

Public Service in Digital Journalism

First Place: KFF Health News and NBC News | Lauren Sausser, Darius Tahir, Erin McLaughlin, Jason Kane | Deadly Denials
Second Place: Healthbeat | Rebecca Grapevine | In the Heart of the Storm: HIV Reporting from Atlanta During a Year of Turmoil
Third Place: com | Roy S. Johnson | Cancer Chronicles

DIVISION F: STUDENTS

Student News Outlet

First Place: The Daily Beacon | Staff | The Daily Beacon
Second Place: The Volunteer Channel | Gracyn Thatcher, Emma Browning, Alexie Cowan | The Volunteer Channel
Third Place: Caplin News | Staff | Caplin News Collection

Student Journalist of the Year

First Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel, Switchboard Magazine | Uma Raja | Science & Technology Collection
Second Place: American Essence Magazine, WUFT News, The Epoch Times | Natasha F. Holt | Collection
Third Place: Elon News Network | Anjolina Fantaroni | Anjolina Fantaroni

Editorial Leadership

First Place: Lynn University; iPulse News | Staff | iPulse Editorial Leadership
Second Place: The Daily Beacon | Editorial Team | Academic Freedom
No Third Place

Special Projects or Special Coverage

First Place: The Volunteer Channel | Kylia Berry | Voices of Recovery
Second Place: The Volunteer Channel | Aubree Curran, Emma Browning, Gracyn Thatcher | Voices of Valor
Third Place: Caplin News | Brenda Miranda, Nathalia Rojas, Daylyin Staples, Carla Carvallo, Jaime Rubio | Special Collection

Special Print Issue

First Place: The Daily Beacon | Staff | Academic Freedom
Second Place: Spinnaker | Madelyn Schneider, Sasha Koresh, Makayla Haynes, Mindy McLarty | The Underlying Issues Special Edition
Third Place: Elon News Network | Lilly Molina, Sarah T. Moore, Reagan Sizemore | The Pendulum, September 17, 2025

Written Journalism

First Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel, Switchboard Magazine | Uma Raja | Science & Technology Collection
Second Place: The Daily Beacon | Ansley Graves | Collection
Third Place: Caplin News | Anthony Cruz | Collection

Video Journalism

First Place: Lynn University; iPulse News | Lisset Guillen | PBS Pharaoh’s Experience
Second Place: Caplin News | Valentina Gaspari, Esteban Rodriguez | Collection
Third Place: The Volunteer Channel | Emma Browning, Colyer Blackwell, Alexa Durben | University of Tennessee Homecoming Parade

Audio Journalism

First Place: Institute for Public Service Reporting at the University of Memphis | Erika Konig | An American Nightmare
Second Place: WUNC News | Walker Livingston, Sascha Cordner, Brent Wolfe | As an Orange County farm turns to tourism opportunities, neighbors voice concerns
No Third Place

Investigative Journalism

First Place: The Daily Beacon | Olivia Lee, Caden Dyer, Patrick Busch | Academic Freedom
Second Place: The Arkansas Traveler | Miceala Morano | State senators pressured UofA to rescind dean offer, messages reveal
Third Place: Spinnaker | Madelyn Schneider, Sasha Koresh | UNF Ice Agreement Collection

News Writing

First Place: Triangle Business Journal | Lauren Rhodes | Lauren Rhodes for TBJ, summer 2025
Second Place: The Arkansas Traveler | Casey Mann | Arkansas law students protest rescinded dean offer, citing free speech concerns
Third Place: The Commonwealth Times | Bryer Haywood | ‘CRAMMED’; VCU cuts price for quad dorms, students say it’s not enough

Serious Feature Writing

First Place: Switchboard Magazine | Uma Raja | The Holy Thursday Massacre
Second Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel | Uma Raja | Everglades therapy: Veterans combat PTSD by wrangling invasive Burmese pythons
Third Place: The Volunteer Channel | Aubree Curran | March for the Fallen

Light Feature Writing

First Place: MediaLab@FAU | Michael Cook | Fort Lauderdale’s Last Standing Newsstand Fights to Keep Lights On
Second Place: OutSFL | Mary Rasura | Wicked & Trans Muslim Comic
Third Place: Caplin News | Beverly R. Muzii | Miami’s churches are changing. Will local history be lost?

Sports Writing

First Place: The Daily Beacon | Alex Sarkis | Collection
Second Place: The Daily Beacon | Trevor McGee | Collection
Third Place: Caplin News | Giana Agostinho | Miami Moneyball? Marlins’ new front office has big dreams with small payroll

Entertainment Writing

First Place: Caplin News | Yaelis Peña, Paige Samuels | From the Bronx to the barre: Kelly Robotham’s full-circle journey home to Armour Dance Theatre
Second Place: Elon News Network | Megan Walsh | ‘Peace, Love and Unity’: The Wailers spread their mission of hope to Burlington

Column Writing

First Place: The Daily Beacon | Claire Thatcher | Collection
Second Place: The Daily Beacon | Ansley Graves | Collection
No Third Place

Photography

First Place: The Daily Beacon | Cole Moore | Collection
Second Place: The Daily Beacon | Cambree Gliessner | Collection
Third Place: SCAD District | Laura Sands | Inside the Line: Behind the Scenes of Film Fest Ticket Queue

Digital Storytelling

First Place: Caplin News | Joana Camargo, Lola Rodrigez, Lucas Bogardus, Dylan Teboe | Pages They Pulled
Second Place: Inside Swoop University of North Florida | Isa Leen, Ken Thomas | Name, Image, and Likeness: the Complexities for International Student-Athletes
No Third Place

Social Media Strategy

First Place: The Commonwealth Times | Staff | Collection
Second Place: Lynn University; iPulse News | Allison Wallace, Guilherme De Domenico, Maddison Baldino, Kacey Tranghese | iPulse Social Media Strategy
Third Place: The Daily Beacon | Sarah Portanka | Beacon Social Strategy

Visual Storytelling

First Place: The Daily Beacon | Lindsay Favre | Academic Freedom
Second Place: Caplin News | Beverly Muzii | The State of a Community A visual exploration and photowalk through Wynwood.
Third Place: The Volunteer Channel | Luke Attal, Alexie Cowan, Grey MacNicoll | Everything School

Print Design

First Place: The Daily Beacon | Lindsay Favre | Collection
Second Place: The Commonwealth Times | Mimi Paul | Page Design of Mimi Paul for The Commonwealth Times
Third Place: The Commonwealth Times | Raya Freeborn | We must protect student media, because student media protects us

Public Service in Student Journalism

First Place: Caplin News | Staff | Public Service Collection
Second Place: The Volunteer Channel | Gracyn Thatcher, Kate Barber, Kaitlyn Kirkpatrick | Campus Safety
Third Place: The Daily Beacon | Olivia Lee, Caden Dyer, Patrick Busch | Academic Freedom

DIVISION G: SPANISH

Excelencia en Periodismo en Español

First Place: Centro de Periodismo Investigativo |José Encarnación, Wilma Maldonado, Carla Minet | Carlitos sobre los agentes del ICE: “Si vienen, yo los distraigo”
Second Place: Centro de Periodismo Investigativo | Luis Joel Méndez González | Lo que hay detrás de Esencia
Third Place: Caplin News | Patricia Varas Chong, Mario Ojeda, Carlos Ortiz, Jazmine Santillana | Periodicals en Espanol Collection