NABJ Announces 2025 Salute to Excellence Awards Winners
NABJ Announces Newly Elected 2025–2027 Board of Directors at 50th Annual Convention in Cleveland
08/08/2025
2025 Salute to Excellence Winners
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) announced its 2025 Salute to Excellence Awards winners during its annual gala at the #NABJ25 Convention & Career Fair Saturday in Cleveland. The winners for each category are below.
NOTICE: Winners will be contacted via email in the coming weeks with information on how to verify and receive their awards by mail. Please standby for communication from the NABJ. (Promo videos are linked to titles, if received during the nomination process. They are available through the end of the month.)
COLLEGIATE
DIGITAL
Digital Media – Graduate: Best Use of Multimedia – Special Project
Election ‘24: New Yorkers Look to the Future
NYCity News Service Staff
NYCity News Service, Craig Newmark
Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, New York, NY
Digital Media – Graduate: Online Sports Reporting
From Starting Line to Starting Over: The Path to Launch a Sports Radio Network
Truth Headlam
NYCity News Service, Craig Newmark
Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, New York, NY
Digital Media – Undergraduate: Online Feature Reporting
90 Years of Life, Love and Resilience: Elizabeth Chillious’ Story
Vida Poyner-Chillious
Howard University News Service, Washington, D.C.
Digital Media – Undergraduate: Online News Reporting
President Biden Establishes National Monument for 1908 Springfield Race Riot
Asia Alexander
Howard University News Service, Washington, D.C.
NEWSPAPER
Newspaper – Graduate: General News Reporting
Black Harris Voters Disavow ‘POC’ Language and Even People Post-election
Randi Richardson
New York University, New York, NY
Newspaper – Undergraduate: Feature Reporting
Howard University’s Student Newspaper, The Hilltop, Covers Historic 2024 Presidential Election
The Hilltop Staff, 2024-2025, Washington, D.C.
Newspaper – Undergraduate: Sports Reporting
“Yeah, That Looks Bad”: Eric Stokes, Black Teammates Describe Dreadlock Maintenance During Packers Season
Wynton Jackson
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee, WI
PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography – Graduate Only: Single Image
Children’s Reading Book Lounge Opens to Increase Literacy Rates in the Bronx
Jonathan Calixto
NYCity News Service
Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, New York, NY
PODCAST
Podcast – Commentary and Discussion
How Kamala Harris Built Bonds for Life
Trinity Webster-Bass
Howard University News Service, Washington, D.C.
TELEVISION
Television – Undergraduate – Best Newscast
News That Matters To YOU: The Fall 2024 NewsVision Newscast
Juan Benn, Danilo Wrightsell, Skyler Winston, Trinity Webster-Bass
Staff of Fall 2024 NewsVision Capstone “The Skillful Seven”
Prof. Jennifer Thomas, EP
WHUT Howard University, Washington, D.C.
Television – Undergraduate – Feature: Short Form
Kamala Harris Makes History: Supporters Leave DNC Ready to Work
Trinity Kinslow
Howard University News Service, Washington, D.C.
PROFESSIONAL
DIGITAL MEDIA
Digital Media – Business
What Happened in Alabama: Episode 4, Black Land Loss
Lee R Hawkins, Staff of American Public Media Studios
American Public Media Studios, New York, NY
Digital Media – Commentary/Weblog
Black Republicans; and Beyonce’s Cover of “Blackbird”
Garrison Hayes, Mark Helenowski, Ashley Cleek, Jenny Casas, Sam Van Pykeren, Jamilah King
Mother Jones, Reveal, PRX, San Francisco, CA
Digital Media – Interactive: Feature
Where Would Hampton Roads Be Without Wrap?
Cortez Grayson
Norfolk, VA
Digital Media – International Reporting: Single Story Feature
“The NBA, Rwanda and Sportswashing”
Mark Fainaru-Wada, William Weinbaum, Lyndsey Armacost, Jason Morris, Rayna Banks, Mike Drago
ESPN, Bristol, CT
Digital Media – International Reporting: Single Story News
CBC Hamilton: Jamaican Widow Wants “Better” Treatment of Canada’s Seasonal Agricultural Workers in Wake of Husband’s Death
Desmond Brown
CBC, Toronto Ontario, Canada
Digital Media – Online Project: Feature
Fred Clasen-Kelly, Renuka Rayasam, Lauren Sausser, Arthur Allen, Angela Hart, Daniel Chang
KFF Health News, Washington, D.C.
Digital Media – Online Project: News
The Black Ballot: NewsOne Debuts Video Series Documenting The History Of African Americans Voting
Luke Burke, Tyese Styles, Naima Simmons, Tanya Hoffler-Moore, Kirsten West-Savali, Allison McGevna
Staff of iONE Digital, NEWSONE, New York, NY
Digital Media – Single Story: Feature
Oliver Laughland, Tom Silverstone
The Guardian US, New York, NY
Digital Media – Single Story: News
“What Corruption Gets You”: How Utility Companies Bought Support in the Black South
Mario Alejandro Ariza, Adam Mahoney, Kristi E. Swartz
Floodlight, Washington, D.C.
Capital B, New York, NY
Digital Media – Sports
Howard Bryant, Nicole Noren, Jessica Foster, Rayna Banks, Jena Janovy, Chris Buckle
ESPN, Bristol, CT
MAGAZINE
Magazine – Over 1 Million – General Reporting
“I Will Never Forget Any of It”: Brittney Griner Is Ready to Talk
J Wortham
The New York Times, New York, NY
Magazine – Over 1 Million – Specialty
The Relaxer Reckoning: Hair Products Marketed Aggressively to Black Women—And Linked to Many Reproductive Disorders—Remain on the Market With Little Oversight. Why?
Linda Villarosa
New York Times Magazine, New York, NY
Magazine – Under 1 Million – Single Topic Series
40 Acres and A Lie
Alexia Fernandez Campbell, April Simpson, Pratheek Rebala, Jennifer LaFleur, Cynthia Rodriguez, Nadia Hamdan
Center for Public Integrity
Mother Jones
Reveal, San Francisco, CA
NEWSPAPER
Newspaper – National – Commentary/Essay
A Fractured America in Black and White: A Collection of Columns from USA TODAY National Columnist Suzette Hackney
USA TODAY, Washington, D.C.
Newspaper – National – Feature: Single Story
A Pageant Queen Took Her Own Life. Her Mom Continues to Write Her Story
The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.
Newspaper – National – News: Series
Three Generations, One Mission: Inside Three Women’s Quest to Protect the Vote
Deborah Berry, Riley Beggin, Andrea Brunty
USA TODAY, Washington, D.C.
Newspaper – National – News: Single Story
The Invisible Toll of Opioid Overdoses on a Generation of Black Men in America
Frank Main, Elvia Malagón, Erica Thompson, Josh Katz, Margot Sanger-Katz, Nick Thieme
Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago, Illinois
The Baltimore Banner, Baltimore, MD
The New York Times, New York, NY
Newspaper – National – Special Project
A Visual History of the Harlem Renaissance
Staff of The New York Times
The New York Times, New York, NY
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff of 50 & Below – Commentary/Essay
Tyre Nichols Had a Beautiful Life
Zandria F. Robinson
MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, Memphis, TN
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff of 50 & Below – Feature: Series
Climate Change and the Legacy of Racism in Queens, NY
Roxanne Scott
New York Amsterdam News, New York, NY
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff of 50 & Below – Feature: Single Story
At This Summer School, Students Learn About Liberation and Leadership
Rebecca Cadenhead
MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, Memphis, TN
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff of 50 & Below – Investigative
Hidden Costs: The Financial Toll of Gun Violence
Shannon Chaffers, Helina Selemon, Damaso Reyes
The New York Amsterdam News, New York, NY
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff of 50 & Below – News: Series
Tennessee’s Blended Sentencing Law Will Lock Up More Kids
Rebecca Cadenhead
MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, Memphis, TN
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff of 50 & Below – News: Single Story
New California Black Doula Directory Launched by Frontline Doulas
Breanna Reeves
Black Voice News, Riverside, CA
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff of 50 & Below – Specialty
HIV Criminalization Laws
Candice Norwood
The 19th, Washington, D.C.
More Than Others, Black Women Die From All Types Of Breast Cancer. Survivors Are Fighting To Reverse The Trend
Katti Gray
MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, Memphis, TN
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 51-100 – Business
Chicago’s Answer to Food Deserts Has Left a Trail of Debts, Lawsuits, and “Can’t Pay” an $800 Utility Bill
Mariah Rush, Lauren FitzPatrick
Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago, IL
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 51-100 – Commentary/Essay
Detroit Children in Peril
Darren A. Nichols
Detroit Free Press, Detroit, MI
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 51-100 – Feature: Single Story
These Black Veterans Served In Multiple Wars. Now They Meet Daily At A Miami Mcdonald’s
Michael Butler
Miami Herald, Miami, FL.
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 51-100 – News: Single Story
The Untold Story of Black Cowboys
J.M. Banks, Dominick Williams
The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, MO
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 51-100 – Specialty
Take It From Me: Getting This Medical Test Can Save Your Life
James Causey
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee, WI
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 101-200 – Business
In Chicago’s Black History, Kitty and the Haywoods Hit All the Right Notes in Advertising
Erica Thompson
Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago, IL
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 101-200 – Commentary/Essay
Columns by Daysi Calavia-Robertson
Daysi Calavia-Robertson
The Star-Ledger/NJ.com, Iselin, NJ
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 101-200 – Feature: Series
Angela Peterson
Milwaukee (WI) Journal Sentinel
O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism at Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 101-200 – Feature: Single Story
Inside N.J.’s Booming Black Roller Skating Scene
Nyah Marshall
The Star-Ledger/NJ.com, Iselin, NJ
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 101-200 – Investigative
At Wisconsin’s Largest Technical College, Staff Complaints of a ‘Hostile’ Environment for People of Color Persist
Tamia Fowlkes
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee, WI
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 101-200 – News: Single Story
Smooth and Straight — and Now Sick?
Andy Grimm, Natalie Moore
Chicago Public Media: Chicago Sun-Times, WBEZ Chicago, Chicago, IL
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 101-200 – Specialty
Black Women Struggle to Find Black Sperm Donors
Erica Thompson
Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago, IL
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 201 and Above: Business
Pharmacy Deserts
Diti Kohli, Tiana Woodard, Daigo Fujiwara-Smith, Thomas Lee
The Boston Globe, Boston, MA
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 201 and Above: Feature: Single Story
Some Black Churches Are Leaving Boston, Citing Changing Neighborhoods, Higher Costs
Tiana Woodard
The Boston Globe, Boston, MA
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 201 and Above: Investigative
Sex Trafficking on Long Island
Sandra Peddie
Newsday, Melville, NY
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 201 and Above: News: Series
Broken Promises, Unfulfilled Hope
Mike Damiano, Milton J. Valencia, Christopher Huffaker, Ivy Scott
The Boston Globe, Boston, MA
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 201 and Above: News: Single Story
A South Jersey High School Student Was Kicked Out for Fighting. Her Mother Has Spent the Year Trying to Overturn the Suspension
Melanie Burney
Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 201 and Above: Specialty
She Threw a ’70s-Themed ‘Cancerversary’ to ‘Dance in Death’s Face’
Drea Cornejo
The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 201 and Above: Sports
On and Off the Court, the Celtics’ Indispensable Jrue Holiday Is Guided by His Faith
Gary Washburn
Boston Globe, Boston, MA
PHOTOJOURNALISM
Photojournalism – Photography: Multiple Images
Photographer’s Notebook: Black Rodeo Rides into Prince George’s County
Tyrone Turner
WAMU 88.5 FM, Washington, D.C.
Photojournalism – Photography: Single Image
Angela Peterson
Milwaukee (WI) Journal Sentinel
O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism at Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI
Photojournalism – Photography: Videography
We Were Sent to Desegregate a High School in Boston
Tami Nguyen, Rhon Flatts, Amber Payne
The Emancipator, Boston MA
PODCAST
Podcast: Arts and Culture
Making Noise: How a Sunday Night Party Changed Nashville
Jewly Hight
Staff of WPLN-FM, Nashville Public Radio
Nashville, TN
Podcast: Commentary and Discussion
Red, Black, and Blue
Garrison Hayes, Ashley Cleek, Jenny Casas, Jamilah King
Mother Jones, Reveal, PRX, San Francisco, CA
Podcast: Limited Series
Cara Anthony, Taunya English, Simone Popperl, Zach Dyer, Taylor Cook, Christopher Hastings
KFF Health News, Washington, DC
WORLD, Boston, MA
Retro Report, New York, NY
PR & MARKETING CAMPAIGNS
PR & Marketing Campaigns: Online Media
#BlackWomenLead 2024 GOTV Tour
Aprill O. Turner, Glynda Carr, Shannon Arthur, Eboni Taylor, Ashley Bryant Bailey
Staff of Higher Heights for America, Brooklyn, NY
RADIO
Radio – Market 16 And Below – Feature
Three Black Students in OPB’s Class of 2025 Take Three Different Paths Toward Graduation
Elizabeth Miller
Oregon Public Broadcasting (KOPB), Portland, OR
Radio – Market 16 And Below – News: Series
America Amplified Election 2024: Alabama’s District 2
Maya Miller
Gulf States Newsroom, WBHM 90.3, Birmingham, AL
Radio – Market 16 And Below – Public Affairs: Segment
“…A U.S. House Seat, If You Can Keep It”
Pat Duggins
Alabama Public Radio, Tuscaloosa, AL
Radio – Network – Feature
Reckoning With Racial Integration at the University of Mississippi
Walter Ray Watson, Debbie Elliott, Russell Lewis
NPR, Washington DC
Radio – Top 15 Markets – Commentary
Callie Crossley – Commentaries
Memorial Day Audiogram, Juneteenth Audiogram, Santa Audiogram
Callie Crossley, Andrea Asuaje
GBH-News, Boston, MA
Radio – Top 15 Markets – Documentary
IDEAS – A Life-giving Chord: The Power of Gospel Music
Alisa Siegel, Greg Kelly
CBC Radio One IDEAS,Toronto Ontario, Canada
Radio – Top 15 Markets – Feature
Malik Yakini and Detroit’s New Black-owned Food Co-op Aim to Build Food Sovereignty
Briana V. Rice
Michigan Public – WUOM, Ann Arbor, MI
The Unsung Legacy of Margaret Burroughs
Tiara Hicks, Susie An
Curious City, WBEZ Chicago 91.5FM, Chicago Public Media, Chicago, IL
Invisible Institute, Chicago, IL
Voices of Wards 7 and 8: Meet Kokamoe, Southeast D.C.’s famous X2 Bus Rapper
Kayla Hewitt, Elliot Williams
WAMU 88.5 FM, Washington, D.C.
Radio – Top 15 Markets – Investigative
To Build Housing, Boston Gives Away Land Black and Brown Families Once Owned
Paul Singer, Jenifer McKim
GBH-News, Boston, MA
Radio – Top 15 Markets – News: Series
A Fire at the Conyers BioLab and the Black Community Left to Breathe It In
Pamela Kirkland, Amanda Andrews, Orlando Montoya, Ellen Eldridge
Georgia Public Broadcasting, Atlanta, GA
Radio – Top 15 Markets – Public Affairs: Segment
The Enduring Legacy of Miles Davis’ Iconic Album Kind of Blue
Callie Crossley, Andrea Asuaje
GBH-News, Boston, MA
TELEVISION
Television – Market 16 And Below – Documentary
Keitha Nelson-Williams
First Coast News, WTLV-WJXX, FCN+
Jacksonville, FL
Television – Market 16 And Below – Feature: Long Form
STOPPED
Andrew Faulk, Miguel Solorio, Tamara Richter, Brandi Cummings
KCRA-TV, Sacramento, CA
Television – Market 16 And Below – Feature: Short Form
Freedom Fuels Ko-Thi Dance Company
Aaron Maybin
FOX6 News, Milwaukee, WI
Television – Market 16 And Below – General Assignment News: Long Form
History in Focus: AP African American Studies
Matt Franklin, Eric Fletcher
WJRT, Flint, MI
Television – Market 16 And Below – General Assignment News: Short Form
Cierra Putman, Ryan Thedwall, Scott Hums
WTHR, Indianapolis, IN
Television – Market 16 And Below – International
Mission Flight Delivers Relief & Critical Supplies to Haiti
Tania C Francois
WFOR CBS News, Miami, FL
Television – Market 16 And Below – Investigative
The Billionaire Broke Girls
George Hansen, Derek Harrison, Dana Tilley, Hunter Boenau, Derrion Henderson
WMBF News, Myrtle Beach, SC
Television – Market 16 And Below – Public Affairs: Interview/Discussion
“It’s Not How You Start, It’s How You Turn Out”
Scott May, Claudine Ewing
WGRZ-TV, Buffalo, NY
Television – Market 16 And Below – Public Affairs: Program
Dr. King: Building Bridges and Breaking Barriers
Asedrick Thomas
WKYC Television, Cleveland, OH
Television – Market 16 And Below – Public Affairs: Segment
Angela Miles, Shawn Freude, Martin Montgomery, Steve Hobbs, Karen Maslich-Russell
VPM News Focal Point, Richmond, VA
Television – Market 16 And Below – Specialty
“Your Life Is Meaningful”: Rising Suicide Rates Disproportionately Affect Black Women
Jessica Larche
WTKR-TV News 3, Norfolk, VA
Television – Market 16 And Below – Sports
Coach Lindsey Harding: Breaking Barriers on the Court
Miguel Solorio, Brandi Cummings
KCRA 3, Sacramento, CA
Television – Network – Documentary
Vice News Presents: When Black Women Go Missing
Alexis Johnson, Arlissa Norman, Hendrik Hinzel, Nicole Bozorgmir, Jika Gonzalez, Ilaria Polsonetti
Vice Media Acquisition LLC – Brooklyn, NY
Tubi, Los Angeles, CA
Television – Network – Feature: Long Form
CBS Sunday Morning: Civil War Veteran Honored
Jack Weingart, Bill Whitaker, Ed Givnish
CBS News, New York, N.Y.
Television – Network – Feature: Short Form
CBS Mornings: Eastside Golf
Jericka Duncan, Ricky Irving, Darrall Johnson, Cathy Landers, Makanga Njagi, Chris Stover
CBS News, New York, NY
Television – Network – General Assignment News: Long Form
ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis – Wilmington 1898: The White Supremacy Campaign
Steve Osunsami, Osej Serratos, Janice McDonald, Sara Avery, Victoria Moll-Ramirez, Seni Tienabeso
ABC News, New York, NY
ABC News Nightline: Black Women in Academia
Janai Norman, Jessica Hopper, Constance Johnson, Staff of ABC News Nightline
ABC News, New York, NY
Television – Network – General Assignment News: Short Form
GMA3 What You Need to Know: The Story of Betty Kilby
Steve Osunsami, Kara Thomas, Olga Delauz, Lataya Rothmiller, Teresa Kim, Kevin Freeman
ABC News, New York, NY
The CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell: 70 Years After Brown v. Board of Education
Adam Verdugo, Janet Shamlian, Brian Bingham, Alicia Hastey, Matt Tureck, Alyson Pelura
CBS News, New York, NY
Television – Network – International
Chocolate Prices Rise as Climate Change Threatens the Cocoa Harvest in Ghana While Demonstrators
Demand a Crack Down on Illegal Gold Mining in the Country
Zinhle Essamuah, Kori Lynch, Janelle Richards, Arleen Aguasvivas, Jordan Malter, Comfort Woode
NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, NBC News Now, New York, NY
Television – Network – Investigative
Steve Osunsami, Jared Kofsky, Maia Rosenfeld, Cindy Galli, Eric Ortega, Howard Tate
ABC News, New York, NY
Television – Network – Public Affairs: Interview/Discussion
CBS Sunday Morning: Ketanji Brown Jackson
Norah O’Donnell, Dustin Stephens, Julie Morse, Callie Teitelbaum, George Pozderec, Rand Morrison
CBS News, New York, NY
Television – Network – Public Affairs: Program
ABC News Live – Severed: Diabetes, Denial and Mistrust
Steve Osunsami, Lindsey Griswold, Janice McDonald, Brianti Downing, Milan Miller, Seni Tienabeso
ABC News, New York, NY
Television – Network – Public Affairs: Segment
ABC News – Protecting Your Vote: Vanishing Voting Sites
Steve Osunsami, Peter Charalambous, Tomas Navia, Maia Rosenfeld, Kaitlyn Morris, Cindy Galli
ABC News, New York, NY
Television – Network – Specialty
ABC News Nightline: Invisible Gas
Byron Pitts, Laura Coburn, Sally Hawkins, Sasha Pezenik, Stephanie Ebbs, ABC News Medical Unit
ABC News, New York, NY
Television – Network – Sports
Visionaries: Simone Biles & Jordan Chiles x Coy Wire
CNN Staff
CNN Worldwide, New York, NY
Television – Top 15 Markets – Documentary
Misdeeds
Luke Carter, Ciara Cummings, Lindsey Basye, Bailey Williams, Eric Carlton
Atlanta News First, Atlanta, GA
Television – Top 15 Markets – Feature: Long Form
Cookie & Zo’e: Segregation 60 Years Apart
Liz Moughon, Almudena Toral, Jennifer Berry Hawes, Mauricio Rodríguez Pons, Mara Shalhoup, Sarahbeth Maney
ProPublica, New York, NY
Georgia Public Broadcasting – GPB, Atlanta, GA
Television – Top 15 Markets – Feature: Short Form
Ugly Truths: Beauty & Colorism in the Black Community
Devin Fitzpatrick Fehely
CBS News Bay Area/KPIX 5, San Francisco, CA
Television – Top 15 Markets – General Assignment News: Long Form
What Does Justice Look Like When Kids Kill?
Trymaine Lee, Doug Forte, Alana Miller, Jordan Malter, Jill Billante, Janelle Rodriguez
NBC, New York, NY
Television – Top 15 Markets – Investigative
Emerald Morrow, Carter Schumacher
WTSP-TV, Tampa, FL
Television – Top 15 Markets – Public Affairs: Interview/Discussion
Boston’s Black History:The Path Forward
Rachel Keller, Bob Dumas
WFXT – Boston 25
Boston 25, Dedham, MA
Television – Top 15 Markets – Public Affairs: Program
Karyn Greer, Fred Blankenship, Brian Lazaro, Leona Nascimento, Renee Bottie-Wheeler
WSB-TV, Atlanta, GA
Television – Top 15 Markets – Specialty
The Racial Disparities of NEC
Savannah Levins, Mike Nicolas, Ciara Bri’d Frisbie, Kristie Anderson
11Alive/WXIA, Atlanta, GA
Television – Top 15 Markets – Sports
Georgia Gym Teaches Girls to Have ‘Champion Mindset’
Neima Abdulahi, Darrell Pryor, Kristie Anderson
11Alive/WXIA, Atlanta, GA
For questions or corrections, email awards@nabj.org.
(Note: The National Office is closed for post-convention break until Aug. 15.)
