2026 NABJ Salute to Excellence Nominees Announced
NABJ Expands NABJ CARES to Support Black Journalists Navigating Industry Disruption
05/14/2026
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) has announced its nominees for the 2026 Salute to Excellence Awards.
Winners will be announced during the Salute to Excellence Gala at the #NABJ26 Convention & Career Fair on Saturday, August 15, in Atlanta.
The full listing of winners will be posted online after the event this summer.
Convention registration is available at NABJConvention.com, where attendees can purchase tickets through the Attendee Service Center and checkout process.
Congratulations to our nominees!
Please send corrections/updates to awards@nabj.org by May 22, 2026, 11:59 PM ET
There is a maximum of six (6) credits which may include a combination of individuals and/or organizations. Any team entry that may exceed the max of 6 credits must be submitted in the name of organization.
Thank you for your impactful storytelling!
COLLEGIATE
DIGITAL MEDIA
Digital Media – Graduate: Best Use of Multimedia – Special Project
200 Years Later: Tour the Black Neighborhood Destroyed to Create Central Park
Randi Richardson
New York University, Pavement Pieces, New York, NY
Crosby Kids Create
North Carolina A&T State University, Students of the JOMC Department, Greensboro, NC
———————————
Digital Media – Undergraduate: Online Feature Reporting
Revitalizing MLK Jr. Boulevard
Bridget R. O’Connor, Emily R Kelly
Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX
From Awareness to Action: Nonprofits Empower Washingtonians With Tenant Law
Morgan Knight, Morghan Langston, Cole Edmonds, Kree Anderson, Prof. Dominic McKenzie
Howard University News Service, Howard University, Washington, D.C.
Non-Profit Organization Helps Former Foster Care Youth Move-In to HBCUs
Myla S. Roundy, Damenica Ellis, Misha Bernard-Lucien, Tia Pitts, Prof. Dominic McKenzie
Howard University News Service, Howard University, Washington, D.C.
———————————
Digital Media – Undergraduate: Online News Reporting
Black Bylines in the Crossfire
Hannah White
Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX
In the Midst of Senioritis: College Seniors Struggle to Access Timely Mental Health Support at Howard
Tatiana Allen
Howard University News Service, Howard University, Washington, D.C.
———————————
Digital Media – Undergraduate – Online Sports Reporting
Valerye Boyer-Wells finally finds her place in Sun Devil Athletics Hall of Fame
Tia Reid
Walter Cronkite Sports Network, Tempe, AZ
NEWSPAPER
Newspaper – Graduate (No Entries)
Newspaper – Undergraduate: Feature Reporting
Serve, Slay, Survive: Ballroom Combines Sport, Social Justice, and Fashion to Create Culture and Community
Mari Sato, Tami Olujobi
Southern Methodist University/SMU Look Media, Dallas, TX
Dandyism Deconstructed: This Year’s Met Gala draws inspiration from Black dandyism, a bold style that offers a fresh way for SMU students
Mari Sato
Southern Methodist University/SMU Look Media, Dallas, TX
Paul Quinn College Mental Health Program
Neely Davis
Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX
———————————
Newspaper – Undergraduate: General News Reporting
Morehouse Confronts Potential Threat of ICE Arrival on Campus
Elijah Qualls
Morehouse College Social Justice Journalism Class in Partnership with Capital B, Atlanta, GA
———————————
Photography – Graduate Only (No Entries)
TELEVISION
Television – Graduate (No Entries)
———————————
Television – Undergraduate – Best Newscast
Your News, Your Vision, Your Community: Presenting the Fall 25 NewsVision Capstone
Jeffrey Jones, Reinah McNeil, Jada White, Noah Jackson
Staff of Fall ’25 NewsVision Capstone, “Supreme Seven”
Prof. Jennifer Thomas
WHUT Howard Univ. Washington, D.C.
———————————
Television – Undergraduate – Feature: Short Form
A Look Inside Fayetteville State’s Archives Department
Shimei Cook and Staff of Bronco TV 2025
What’s Hot With Shimei Cook, Fayetteville, NC
The Color of Education: A DC Junior High School Centers On Its Mission
Jada White
Howard University, Washington, D.C.
PODCAST
Podcast – Undergraduate: Arts and Culture
A Conversation with the Legendary Tim Reid
A’lauren Gilchrist
WNSB HOT91, Norfolk, VA
PROFESSIONAL
DIGITAL MEDIA
Digital Media – Business
Unlocking the Gates: How the North Led Housing Discrimination in America
Lee Hawkins, Kelly Silvera, Meredith Garretson-Morbey, Marcel Malekebu, Gary O’Keefe
American Public Media/Marketplace/Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul, MN
Trump’s DEI War Roils Corporate Giants in Cradle of Civil Rights
Brett Pulley
Bloomberg News, Atlanta, GA
Deleting DEI
Ellis Simani, Zisiga Mukulu
ProPublica – New York, NY
———————————
Digital Media – Commentary/Weblog
Are We Fascist Yet?
Michael Harriot, Genetta Adams
ContrabandCamp, Marshallville, GA
Jarvis DeBerry’s Commentary for MS NOW
Jarvis DeBerry
MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), New York, NY
The Health Divide
James Causey
USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, Los Angeles, CA
———————————
Digital Media – Interactive: Feature
My Group Chat
Daysi Calavia-Robertson
The Star-Ledger/NJ.com, Iselin, NJ
Plantations to Pollution: Black Communities, Legacy Pollution, and the Path Forward
Tasha Durrett, Nehemiah Bester, Jordy Yager, Cornell Watson
The Southern Environmental Law Center, Charlottesville, VA
———————————
Digital Media – Interactive: News
The Vaccine Divide
Staff of NBC News, New York, NY; Stanford University Researchers, Stanford, CA
———————————
Digital Media – International Reporting: Single Story Feature
How the U.S. Automotive Industry Fuels Lead Poisoning in Nigeria
Taylor Turner, Will Fitzgibbon, Ashleigh Joplin, Staff of The Examination
The Examination, New York, NY
The Revolutionary Meaning of Grenada’s ‘Jab Jab’ and Why More Black Americans Should Travel to Spicemas
Natasha S. Alford
TheGrio, Beverly Hills, CA
———————————
Digital Media – International Reporting: Single Story News
Child Labor is Helping Power the Clean Energy Transition
Xanthe Scharff
The Freedom Fund, Brooklyn, NY; TIME Magazine, New York, NY
The Poisonous Lead Trade
Will Fitzgibbon, Peter S. Goodman, Samuel Granados, Staff of The Examination and The New York Times, New York, NY
———————————
Digital Media – Online Project: Feature
Sick in a Hospital Town
Ginger Thompson
ProPublica, New York, NY
Race, Guns, Profit: The Pain of Gun Violence Spans American Political, Cultural, and Geographic Divides. Young Black People Suffer the Most, Facing an Urgent Public Health Crisis.
Fred Clasen-Kelly, Renuka Rayasam, Chaseedaw Giles, Daniel Chang
KFF Health News, Washington, D.C.
The Green Book’s Legacy in New England
Emily Sweeney
The Boston Globe, Boston, MA
———————————
Digital Media – Online Project: News
Mississippi’s Deadly Prisons
Daja Henry, Mina Corpuz, Jerry Mitchell, Grant McLaughlin, Caleb Bedillion
The Marshall Project – Jackson, Mississippi Today, The Mississippi Link, Clarion Ledger, Hattiesburg American, Jackson, MS
The Marshall Project, New York, NY
Criminal Justice Rollback
Richard A. Webster, Bobbi-Jeanne Misick
Verite News, New Orleans, LA; ProPublica, New York, NY
20 Years Later: Hurricane Katrina
Luke Burke, L. Kasimu Harris, Tanya Hoffler-Moore, Kirsten West- Savali, Allison McGevna
Staff of iONE Digital, NEWSONE, New York, NY
———————————
Digital Media – Single Story: Feature
He Patrolled the Neighborhoods Where His Sons Were Drawn into Violence
Josiah Bates
The Trace, Brooklyn, NY
With I-375 Redesign, Detroiters Could Have a Chance to Right Past Community Wrongs
Olivia Lewis, Valaurian Waller
BridgeDetroit, Detroit, MI in partnership with the US@250 Fellowship from New America
‘A Radical Act’: The Rich History Behind the Centuries-Long Tradition of Black Family Reunions
Adria Walker
The Guardian US, New York, NY
———————————
Digital Media – Single Story: News
“Ticking Time Bomb”: A Pregnant Mother Kept Getting Sicker. She Died After She Couldn’t Get an Abortion in Texas
Kavitha Surana, Lizzie Presser
ProPublica, New York, NY
Virginia’s Probe into Public Universities’ Displacement of Black Neighborhoods
Brandi Kellam, Wayne Pellenberg, Kaylah Ussin
Virginia Mercury, Richmond, VA
King’s Chapel unveiling first-of-its-kind statue to honor people enslaved by its forebears
Meghan Smith
GBH News, Boston, MA
———————————
Digital Media – Sports
An Oral History of Satchel Paige’s Final Game at 59
William Weinbaum, Erik Horne, Jessi Dodge, Anna Gramling
Andscape and ESPN, Bristol, CT
An On-Court Kiss: Magic, Isiah and the Politics of Black Masculinity in the NBA
Joseph Williams
The Reckoning, Atlanta, GA
Kangols, Denim Jackets and Dreams: Inside Jackson State’s Historic 1975 NFL Draft Class
Wilton Jackson
ESPN Andscape, Washington, D.C.
MAGAZINE
Magazine Over 1 Million – No Entries
Magazine – Over 1 Million – International
Leaving Khartoum
Isma’il Kushkush
The New York Review of Books, New York, NY
NEWSPAPER
Newspaper – National – Commentary/Essay
Searching for Home: A Collection of Columns from USA TODAY National Columnist Suzette Hackney
Suzette Hackney
USA TODAY, Washington, D.C.
Trump is Terrified of Black Culture. But Not for the Reasons You Think
Saida Grundy
The Guardian US, New York, NY
The Great Migration
Lydia Polgreen
The New York Times, New York, NY
———————————
Newspaper – National – Feature: Single Story
Black History Month – Saving Our Sisters
Sheree Curry
USA TODAY, Black History Month Special Edition, New York, NY
———————————
Newspaper – National – Investigative
Kenyan Housekeepers Investigations
Abdi Latif Dahir, Vivian Nereim, Justin Scheck
The New York Times, New York, NY
———————————
Newspaper – National – News: Series
Trump’s Attacks on Diversity
Erica Green
The New York Times, New York, NY
———————————
Newspaper – National: Sports
American Sports Are Turning Up the Volume of Afrobeats
Emmanuel Morgan
The New York Times, New York, NY
———————————
Newspaper – National – News: Single Story
No Nominees
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff of 50 & Below – Feature: Series
Actual Innocence: A Fight for Justice, 48 Years in the Making
Jessie Christopher Smith, Nathan J. Fish, Todd Pendleton
The Oklahoman, part of the USA TODAY Network in Oklahoma City, OK
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff of 50 & Below – Feature: Single Story
Fatherhood & Divine Love
Eva D. Coleman
I Messenger Media LLC/ Texas Metro News, Dallas, TX
‘Nobody’s Ever Going to be Held Accountable’: Families of Unsolved Murder Victims Fight to Maintain Hope
Edgar Mendez
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, Milwaukee, WI
Celebrating Black Country Music in Houston
Laura Onyeneho
Defender Network, Houston, TX
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff of 50 & Below – Investigative
No School, No Fresh Air and Isolated: Memphis Youth Held in Solitary Confinement
Rebecca Cadenhead
MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, Memphis, TN
The Housing Barrier: Gun Violence Survivors Struggle to Find Accessible Housing
Shannon Chaffers
New York Amsterdam News, New York, NY
BlackLash 2025
Breanna Reeves
Black Voice News, Riverside, CA
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff of 50 & Below – News: Series
The Unfinished March: The Struggle to Preserve Voting Rights
Jason Gonzalez, Damaso Reyes
New York Amsterdam News, New York, NY
Bodies in the Bayou
Houston Defender, Houston, TX
Tax Breaks Propped Up a Troubled Memphis Apartment Complex — and Tenants Paid the Price
Michael Finch II
MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, Memphis, TN
Trey Reed’s Family Calls for Independent Autopsy After He Was Found Hanging in Tree; Police Say Video Exists
Nick Judin, Kevin Edwards
Mississippi Free Press, Jackson, MS
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff of 50 & Below – News: Single Story
Losing a Generation to Opioids
Edgar Mendez, Devin Blake
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, Milwaukee, WI
They were sleeping, driving, walking in Memphis. Then Trump’s police task force came.
Wendi C. Thomas, Katherine Burgess
MLK50: Justice Through Journalism/ProPublica, Memphis, TN
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff of 50 & Below – Sports
SWAC Coaches Brace for Top Players Hitting Transfer Portal for FBS Riches
Terrance Harris
Staff of The Houston Defender/ Defender Network, Houston, TX
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff of 50 & Below – Commentary/Essay
No Nominees
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff of 50 & Below – Specialty
No Nominees
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 51-100 – Commentary/Essay
Collection of Columns by Amelia Robinson
Amelia Robinson
Columbus Dispatch, Columbus, OH
Vicious: How Ohio’s Dog Laws are Failing Attack Victims
Amelia Robinson
Columbus Dispatch, Columbus, OH; USA TODAY Network Ohio, Canton, OH
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 51-100 – Feature: Single Story
Rodeo Comes to Town
Jon Michael Banks, Dominick Williams
The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, MO
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 51-100 – Investigative
Lawless
Kristine Phillips, Mykal McEldowney
Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, IN
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 51-100 – News: Single Story
No nominees
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 51-100 – News: Specialty
No nominees
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 101-200 – Business
Black-Owned Bookstores in Chicago Struggle After 2020 Surge ‘ as if Supporting Us was a Trend
Mariah Rush
Chicago Public Media, Chicago, IL
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 101-200 – Commentary/Essay
Real Life with Nedra Rhone
Nedra Rhone
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta, GA
The Untold Segregation Story that Shaped a Divided Houston
Joy Sewing
Houston Chronicle, Houston, TX
Documenting Chicago’s Architecture
Lee Bey
Chicago Public Media, Chicago, IL
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 101-200 – Feature: Single Story
These Middle Schoolers Spent a Week Touring Underground Railroad Sites in Camden and Lawnside — and Taking Photographs of Them
Melanie Burney
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA
How Black Mentors in Chicago are Making College Possible
Lisa Kurian Philip
Chicago Public Media, Chicago, IL
‘Forgiveness is Between Him and God:’ Families Reflect on Decade Since Charleston Church Massacre
Deborah Berry
USA TODAY, Washington, D.C.
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 101-200 – Investigative
Social Security paid $80,000 for her care. Yet this disabled Milwaukee woman slept on the street.
Tamia Fowlkes
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee, WI
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 101-200 – News Photo
Avenging the Ancestors
Jessica Griffin
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 101-200 – News: Series
Diversity in Chicago Arts Leadership
Erica Thompson, Mike Davis
Chicago Public Media, Chicago, IL
Haiti’s Lost Generation
The Miami Herald, Miami, FL
When the Party Won’t End, Houston’s Third Ward Fights Back
Joy Sewing
Houston Chronicle, Houston, TX
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 101-200 – News: Single Story
Chicago’s Death Gap
Kristen Schorsch
Chicago Public Media, Chicago, IL
How Race Built Atlanta’s Transit System
Ernie Suggs
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta, GA
Notice a theme to Trump’s planned takeovers of cities? These Black mayors do.
Deborah Berry, Terry Collins
USA TODAY, Washington, D.C.
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 101-200 – Speciality
Her son was denied speech therapy classes. The school didn’t give her the full story.
Tamia Fowlkes
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee, WI
Lead Pipe Problem the Worst in Chicago’s Majority Black and Latino neighborhoods
Amy Qin, Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco, Keerti Gopal, Clayton Aldern, Peter Aldhous
Chicago Public Media, Chicago, IL; Inside Climate News, Brooklyn, NY; Grist, Seattle, WA
Unnecessary evil? It’s a ‘fight for air’ in N.J. city where massive scrapyard fire was nearly a national catastrophe
Steven Rodas
The Star-Ledger/NJ.com, Iselin, NJ
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 101-200 – Sports
No Nominees
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 201 and Above: Business
After George Floyd’s murder, Boston groups pledged $1 billion toward equity causes. Where did it go?
Tiana Woodard, Vince Dixon
The Boston Globe, Boston, MA
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 201 and Above – Commentary/Essay
Commentaries by Sheree R. Curry on State of Diversity in 2025
Sheree Curry, Yohuru Williams
The Minnesota Star Tribune, Minneapolis, MN
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 201 and Above – Feature: Series
Blood on the Streets
Bob Hohler
The Boston Globe, Boston, MA
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 201 and Above – Feature: Single Story
A Wartime Literary History Uncovered — Spelled with a ‘Double V’
Robin Washington
The Minnesota Star Tribune, Minneapolis, MN
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 201 and Above – Speciality
A Legacy of Pollution
Tiffany Cusaac-Smith, Mercedes Hamilton, Arielle Martinez
Newsday, Melville, NY
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 201 and Above – News: Series
No Nominees
———————————
Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 201 and Above – Sports
No Nominees
PHOTOJOURNALISM
Photojournalism: Videography
Smitty’s in Newark is One of the First Black-Owned Gas Stations in the U.S.
Dwayne Uzoaru, Steve Strunsky
The Star-Ledger/NJ.com, Iselin, NJ
Cape Verde’s World Cup dream and the Boston-Area Diaspora that Lived It
Randy Vazquez
The Boston Globe, Boston, MA
Jayne Kennedy Brings Plain Jayne Book Tour to AARLCC in Fort Lauderdale
Ashley K. Jolicoeur
Hy-Lo News, Miami, FL
———————————
Photojournalism – Photography: Single Image
Curls, coils, and confidence steal the fashion show
Erin Clark
The Boston Globe, Boston, MA
Glass’ Nails
Shaban Athuman
VPM News, Richmond, VA
Out of the Shadows
Shaban Athuman
VPM News, Richmond, VA
———————————
Photojournalism – Photography: Multiple Images
Kevin Wurm’s Photographic Images
Kevin Wurm
MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, Memphis, TN
Photo Essay Black Rodeo
David Maialetti
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA
West Indian Day Parade
Alejandra Villa Loarca
Newsday, Melville, NY
PODCAST
Podcast: Arts and Culture
We Are North Nashville
Andrea Tudhope, M. Simone Boyd
We Are North Nashville, Nashville, TN
Colorado Matters: The Work of Chandra Thomas Whitfield
Chandra Thomas Whitfield, Carl Bilek, Colorado Matters Team
Colorado Public Radio KCFR, Denver, CO
———————————
Podcast: Commentary and Discussion
Being Black in America Almost Killed Me Part 1
Josh Sanburn, Kara McGuirk-Allison, Al Letson, Taki Telonidis, Brett Myers
Center for Investigative Reporting, San Francisco, CA ; PRX, Cambridge, MA
The Debt: What Tennessee Owes Its HBCU
Emily Siner, Camellia Burris
Nashville Public Radio, 90.3 WPLN News, Nashville, TN; The Tennessee Lookout, Nashville, TN
20/20 | ABC Audio: The After Show – Inside the Courtroom with Brian Buckmire
Deborah Roberts, Brian Buckmire, Suzie Liu, Jessica Yankelunas, Brian Mezerski, Olga Delauz
ABC Audio, 20/20, New York, NY
———————————
Podcast: Lifestyle
Dialogue 2025: The Hidden Spectrum and Exploring Blerd Culture
Kennedy Vincent, Arielle Raveney, Reginald Hardwick
Illinois Public Media, WILL-AM, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
Bury Me Whole
Hana Baba, Kristina Loring, James Rowlands, Leila Day
The Stoop podcast from Radiotopia/PRX, San Francisco, CA
“Church With No Walls” – Season 2, Episode 10: Breaking the Stigma & Healing Hearts
Ryan Dearbone
823 Enterprises Media, LLC.; Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY
———————————
Podcast: Limited Series
CNN Presents: Tortured Justice
Omar Jimenez, CNN Staff
CNN Worldwide, New York, NY
“Atlanta Is…”
Maurice Garland, Jewel Wicker, Christina Lee
Complex, New York, NY; Will Packer Media, Los Angeles, CA
Heat List
James Edwards, Matt Stroud, Erisa Apantaku, Philippa Geering, Krish Dineshkumar, Alex Portfelix
Wondery, Culver City, CA; Vespucci, Los Angeles, CA
PR & MARKETING CAMPAIGNS
PR & Marketing Campaigns: Business – Services
A Legacy in Motion: R&B Great Karyn White’s Gale & The Storm Streaming Campaign
Kim Betton
Premier Multimedia Group, LLC, Germantown, MD
One Of A Kind: The Eddie Levert Show
Kim Betton
Premier Multimedia Group, LLC, Germantown, MD
———————————
PR & Marketing Campaigns: Business – Cause Related – Business – Services
African Development Bank Group Launches ENNOVA for Youth Entrepreneurs
Alphonso Van Marsh, Staff of African Development Bank Group
Staff of African Development Bank Group, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
———————————
PR & Marketing Campaigns: Print
No nominees
———————————
PR & Marketing Campaigns: Business – Radio
No Nominees
RADIO
Radio – Market 16 And Below – Feature
Baltimore County Church Site Highlights Significance of the Underground Railroad
Wambui Kamau
Baltimore Public Media, WYPR, Baltimore, MD
Metcalfe Park Seniors Start a Carpool to Shop for Groceries after Pick ‘n Save Leaves Neighborhood
Teran Powell
89.7 FM WUWM Milwaukee’s NPR, Milwaukee, WI
Maryland Investigators Rarely Charge Police in Fatal Encounters
Wambui Kamau
Baltimore Public Media, WYPR, Baltimore, MD
———————————
Radio – Market 16 And Below – News: Series
The Audacity to Not Give Up
Andrea Y Henderson, Marissanne Lewis-Thompson
St. Louis Public Radio (KWMU), St. Louis, MO
Fort Monroe: African Landing Memorial Plaza
Barbara Hamm Lee, Lisa Godley, Jordan Christie, Victor Bowen
WHRO Public Media, Norfolk, VA
———————————
Radio – Market 16 And Below – Public Affairs: Segment
HBCU 101 – The Big Recount
Leoneda Inge and Cole del Charco
WUNC – NC Public Radio, Chapel Hill, NC
An Another View History Lesson: “Black Loyalists”
Barbara Hamm, Lisa Godley, Jordan Christie
WHRO Public Media, Norfolk, VA
———————————
Radio – Network – Feature
The Sunday Magazine: Five Years After George Floyd Murder, Racial Justice Faces Rollbacks
Piya Chattopadhyay, Andrea Hoang, Howard Goldenthal, Brian Coulton
CBC, Toronto, Canada
The Declining Population will Make it Even Harder to Care for Elders
Kristin Wright, Marisa Peñaloza, Andrea de Leon
National Public Radio, Washington, D.C.
Diddy Story Behind The Story
Julie Walker, Michael Sisak, Larry Neumeister
Associated Press, New York, NY
———————————
Radio – Top 15 Markets – Documentary
Crossing the Deep
Callie Crossley, Andrea Asuaje
GBH News, Under the Radar with Callie Crossley, Boston, MA
The Amazing Henry Box Brown
Lisa Godfrey
CBC, Toronto, Canada
———————————
Radio – Top 15 Markets – Feature
In 1775, Boston’s Prince Hall broke Freemasonry’s racial barrier. His global movement marches on.
Trajan Warren
GBH News and Bay State Banner, Boston, MA
As Ann Arbor Honors Long-Closed Jones School, Alums Recall a Hub for Black Life
Doug Tribou
Michigan Public, WUOM, Ann Arbor, MI
Did Chicago Public Schools do enough to stop racist bullying?
Sarah Karp, Nader Issa
Chicago Public Media, Chicago, IL
———————————
Radio – Top 15 Markets – News: Investigative
Manufacturing Danger: The BioLab Story
Pamela Kirkland
Georgia Public Broadcasting, Atlanta, GA
How has the FBI changed under Trump? In Boston, agents are more involved in local actions.
Phillip Martin
GBH News, Boston, MA
———————————
Radio – Top 15 Markets – News: Series
Ufot Family Cycle
Callie Crossley, Andrea Asuaje
GBH News, Under the Radar with Callie Crossley, Boston, MA
Who Owns Chicago?
Amy Qin, Esther Yoon-Ji Kang, Andjela Padejski, Alden Loury, Alexandra Salomon
Chicago Public Media, Chicago, IL
———————————
Radio – Top 15 Markets – Public Affairs: Segment
What’s That Building? Future Emmett Till House Museum
Sasha-Ann Simons, Dennis Rodkin, Daniel Tucker
Chicago Public Media, Chicago, IL
Dual Exhibits Showcase the Myriad Work and Passion of Boston Artist, Allan Rohan Crite
Callie Crossley, Andrea Asuaje
GBH News, Under the Radar with Callie Crossley, Boston, MA
TELEVISION
Television – Market 16 And Below – Documentary
The Virginia Symphony Orchestra Fellows: Orchestrating Change
Lisa Godley, Neil Grochmal, Brandon Nance
WHRO Public Media, Norfolk, VA
What Remains
Jennifer Sanders, Jala Washington, Laney Valian, Kelly Wiley, Ashli Parks, Eric Lefenfeld
KXAN News, Austin, TX
Milwaukee’s Migration Families: A Black Nouveau Special
Earl Arms, Everett Marshburn, Staff Of Milwaukee PBS
Milwaukee PBS, Milwaukee, WI
———————————
Television – Market 16 And Below – Feature: Long Form
Celia’s Story: A 175 Year Road to Innocence
Melanie Johnson
KMOV-TV, GRAY TELEVISION, Maryland Heights, MO
Saving Negro Spirituals
Tisha Powell, Rick Portier
Gray Media/WAFB, Baton Rouge, LA
WTKR Honors Its History-Making Female Journalists on 75th Anniversary
Jessica Larché
WTKR News 3, Norfolk, VA
———————————
Television – Market 16 And Below – Feature: Short Form
A Thriving Black Miami Community Erased Overnight to Build A Park & Schools
Tania Francois
WFOR CBS Miami, Miami, FL
The Jessica Matthews Story
Keitha Nelson-Williams, Nick Moron, Oben Everett
First Coast News, WTLV/WJXX, Jacksonville, FL
Ebony Ice: Shredding Stereotypes
Aaron Maybin
FOX6 NEWS, Milwaukee, WI
———————————
Television – Market 16 And Below – General Assignment News: Long Form
Damage Control
Cierra Putman, Ryan Thedwall, Susan Batt
WTHR-TV, Indianapolis, IN; TEGNA, Tysons, VA
A Mother’s Love
Ethan Freel, Murv Seymour
WHA-TV, PBS Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison, WI
———————————
Television – Market 16 And Below – General Assignment News: Short Form
Consequences of Parole
Ashlei King
FOX16, Little Rock, AR
———————————
Television – Market 16 And Below – International
Haitians in Haiti React to the Announced Ending of TPS
Tania Francois
WFOR CBS Miami, Miami, FL
After Hurricane Melissa: Jamaica Faces a Long Road to Recovery
Aaron Maybin
WPLG-TV Local 10 News, Miami, FL
———————————
Television – Market 16 And Below – Public Affairs: Interview/Discussion
Jayne Kennedy: The Highs and Lows of A Trailblazer with Tim Lampley
Tim Lampley, Andy Ruzicka, Charlotte Ottley, Ken Gurney, Joe Brown
STL TV, St. Louis, MO
———————————
Television – Market 16 And Below – Public Affairs: Program
Breaking Barriers, Building Legacies
Billie Jean Shaw, Intisar Faulkner, Russ Cogdon, Tyreik Williamson, Zachary Ruske, Derek Robinson
WISTV, Columbia, SC
Celebrating South Florida’s Black History
Tania Francois, Angelite Gould, Chelsea Jones, Jim Berry, Najahe Sherman
WFOR CBS Miami, Miami, FL
Heartbeat Heroines: Black Women Keeping Music City Alive
Jerry Shannon
WSMV4, Nashville, TN
Juneteenth 2025: A Black Nouveau Special
Earl Arms, GiiGii Gray, Uzezi Okwata, Staff Of Milwaukee PBS, James Causey
Milwaukee PBS Channels 10 and 36, a part of the Milwaukee Area Technical College, Milwaukee, WI
———————————
Television – Market 16 and Below: Public Affairs: Segment
No Nominees
———————————
Television – Market 16 and Below: Specialty
No Nominees
———————————
Television – Market 16 and Below: Sports
No Nominees
———————————
Television – Network – Documentary
Boo-Yah: A Portrait of Stuart Scott
Andre Gaines, Marquis Daisy, Kenyatta Steans, Ryan Lohuis, Cinque Northern, Leroy Barnes
Cinemation Studios, Los Angeles, CA; ESPN Films, New York, NY
ABC News Studios | Hulu Murder Has Two Faces
Robin Roberts, Lisa Cortés, Tara Malone, Katie Conway, Claire Weinraub, David Sloan
ABC News Studios, New York, NY
Kobe: The Making of a Legend
CNN Staff
CNN Worldwide, New York, NY
———————————
Television – Network – Feature: Long Form
ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis: Emmett Till’s Murder 70 Years Later
Steve Osunsami, Jon Schlosberg, Jesse Bekas, Denise Rehrig
ABC News, New York, NY
ABC News Nightline – My Father’s Voice: Remembering Captain Pitts
Byron Pitts, Sally Hawkins, John Kapetaneas, Anthony Perrone, Eman Varoqua, Staff of Nightline
ABC News, New York, NY
CBS Sunday Morning: Beyond The Gates
Nancy Giles, Robbyn McFadden, Carol A. Ross, Rand Morrison
CBS, New York, NY
———————————
Television – Network – Feature: Short Form
A Selma Coffee Shop Turns the Painful Reminder of the Past into A Symbol of Hope
Priscilla Thompson, Dan Gallo, Mara Stein, Janelle Richards
NBC Nightly News, New York, NY
CBS Mornings: Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club
Michelle Miller, Chris Stover, Lete Childs. Craig Shea, Tony Furlow, Mark Mazariegos
CBS News, New York, NY
CBS Mornings: Harlem Globetrotter Finds Art in Family Legacy
Skyler Henry, Chris Stover, Ricky Irving, Nia Stevens, Tony Furlow, Brian Cunningham
CBS News, New York, NY
———————————
Television – Network – General Assignment News: Long Form
ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis: Revisiting the Voting Rights Act
Steve Osunsami, Sarah Avery, Janice McDonald, Jesse Bekas, Brianti Downing, Denise Rehrig
ABC News, New York, NY
ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis – The New Divide Over School Choice
Steve Osunsami, Janice McDonald, Malka Abramoff, Michael Mendelsohn, Brianti Downing, Averi Harper
ABC News, New York, NY
ABC News Nightline – Pregnant and Brain Dead: The Case of Adriana Smith
Rachel Scott, Stephanie Fasano, Laura Coburn, Karin Weinberg, Ozren Milharcic, Eman Varoqua
ABC News, New York, NY
———————————
Television – Network – General Assignment News: Short Form
Minneapolis Commemorates Five Years Since George Floyd’s Death
Shaquille Brewster, Janelle Richards, Kailee Chimento
NBC Nightly News, New York, NY
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir: Erasing an American Icon
Rachel Scott, Claire Brinberg, Molly Nagle, Emily Cohen, Thomas Fasano
ABC News, New York, NY
———————————
Television – Network – International
Famine in Sudan
Debora Patta, Haitham Moussa, Sarah Carter, Ammar Awad, Barny Smith, Meshack Dube
CBS News, New York, NY
———————————
Television – Network – Investigative
CNN Investigates Killing of Tanzanian Protesters by Police
Larry Madowo, CNN Staff
CNN Worldwide, London, England
This Week with George Stephanopoulos and ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis
ABC News Investigates: Highballed Real Estate
Rachel Scott, Jared Kofsky, Mark Nichols, Maia Rosenfeld, Megan Christie, John Santucci
ABC News, New York, NY
———————————
Television – Network – Public Affairs: Interview/Discussion
CBS Sunday Morning: Carla Hayden
Robert Costa, Ed Forgotson, Chad Cardin
CBS News, New York, NY
20/20 – Michelle Obama: The Style, The Power, The Look – A Conversation with Robin Roberts
Robin Roberts, Janice Johnston, Karen Leo, Gail Deutsch, Eboni Griffin, Staff of 20/20
ABC News, New York, NY
The History of Slavery: A Debate & Rebuttal
Abby Phillip, Vanessa Rumbles
CNN Worldwide, New York, NY
———————————
Television – Network – Public Affairs: Program
Dead Zone
Caresse Jackman, Owen Hornstein, Emily Featherston, Sarah Jane Tribble, Holly Hacker
InvestigateTV, Washington, D.C.; KFF Health News, Washington, D.C.
Hurricane Katrina: 20 Years After the Storm with Robin Roberts
Robin Roberts, Reni Calister, Katie Conway, Rudy Valdez, Danielle Genet, Gabe Kerr
ABC News, New York, NY
Pattrn: A Celebration of Black History Month
Paul Goodloe, Lynette Charles, Christina Westbrook, Alex Wallace, Marissa Russell
The Weather Channel TV Network, Allen Media Group, Atlanta, GA
———————————
Television – Network – Public Affairs: Segment
ABC News Nightline: Young, Black and MAGA
Averi Harper, Jessica Hopper, Ashley Schwartz-Lavares, Paulina Tam, Eman Varoqua
ABC News, New York, NY
ABC News Live: After the Ashes
Kayna Whitworth, Seni Tienabeso, Emily Lippiello, Derick Yanehiro, Emily Bonilla
ABC News, New York, NY
ABC News Live: America’s Care Crisis
Emily Lippiello, Sarah Baniak, Cameron Krakowiak, Michael Hanna, Jesse Bekas, Seni Tienabeso
ABC News, New York, NY
———————————
Television – Network – Specialty
Katrina: 20 Years Later
Victor Blackwell, Michelle Moryc, Marianela Lichtscheidl, Jamille Whitlow
CNN Worldwide, Atlanta, GA
Preeclampsia Survival Story
Maya Eaglin, Omnika Thompson, Allie Busalacchi, Maura Murphy
NBC News NOW, New York, NY
———————————
Television – Network – Sports
College GameDay: A World Away
Jose Morales, Vin Cannamela, Blake Foeman, John N. Minton, Joseph Disney
ESPN, Bristol, CT
Monday Night Countdown: Snoop’s Life Lessons
Rory Karpf, Jose Morales, Denny Wolfe
ESPN, Bristol, CT
College GameDay: The Guardian
Jose Morales, Joseph Disney, John N. Minton, Vin Cannamela, Alex Nolen
ESPN, Bristol, CT
———————————
Television – Network: Spot News
60 Minutes: “The Fires”
Bill Whitaker, Nichole Marks, Marc Lieberman, Heather Abbott, Production Staff of “The Fires”
CBS News, New York, NY
ABC News: The Verdict: The United States v. Sean Combs
Kyra Phillips, Aaron Katersky, Brian Buckmire, Molly Shaker, Bernarda Villalona, Staff of ABC News Special Events Unit
ABC News, New York, NY
———————————
Television – Top 15 Markets – Documentary
The Price of Progress
Emerald Morrow, Amanda Cordero, Kyle Porter, Gregory Nowell
WTSP-TV, St. Petersburg, FL
Lakeland
Teneille Gibson, Dominique Moody
NBC Washington, WRC-TV, Washington, D.C.
Our Chicago: In God We Trust…?
ABC-7 Chicago (WLS), Chicago, IL
———————————
Television – Top 15 Markets – Feature: Long Form
My First Valentine
Jasmine Minor
WLS ABC 7, Chicago, IL
Is pollution from the steel industry behind cancer rates in Gary, Indiana?
Deanna Fry, Tara Molina, Michele Youngerman
CBS Chicago, Chicago, IL
———————————
Television – Top 15 Markets – Feature: Short Form
Breaking Ground
Kaitlyn Ross, Jon Samuels
WXIA-TV, TEGNA, Atlanta, GA
Preserving New York’s Black History: The Legacy of San Juan Hill
Allen Devlin, Carlos Vasquez, Kathy McGee, Nichole Green, Lesley Peggott
WCBS-TV, CBS New York, New York, NY
Urban Alchemy
Donald Fountain
CBS Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
———————————
Television – Top 15 Markets – General Assignment News: Short Form
Inside the Operating Room of Gaza’s Children
Louis Finley
Spectrum News NY1, New York, NY
The Urban Cowboy
Brian Unger
CBS Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
———————————
Television – Top 15 Markets – Investigative
Licensed and Locked up
Dorothy Tucker, Reed Nolan, Samah Assad
CBS News Chicago, Chicago, IL
$pent
Emerald Morrow, Kyle Porter
WTSP-TV, St. Petersburg, FL
———————————
Television – Top 15 Markets – Public Affairs: Interview/Discussion
Unheard Warnings: How America Fails Domestic Violence Survivors
Paris Alston, Tyree Rush
GBH News Rooted, Boston, MA
Inside New York’s Civil Rights Handoff
Tara Rosenblum, Jean Salzarulo, Audry Gruber, Alan Flamenhaft, Lee Danuff, Jonathan Gordon
News 12 Network, New York, NY
———————————
Television – Top 15 Markets – Public Affairs: Program
‘No One Will Do It for Us’: Inside the Crisis in Black Maternal Health | A Special Report
Teneille Gibson, Jummy Olabanji
WRC-TV NBC Washington, Washington, D.C.; NBCUniversal, New York, NY
GBH News Rooted
Paris Alston, Tyree Rush
GBH News Rooted, Boston, MA
———————————
Television – Top 15 Markets – Specialty
Empowering Survivors
Alexa Liacko, Jamiel Robinson, Alex Sanz
CBS Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
A Devastating Diagnosis: Georgia Woman’s Fight Against Hair Relaxer Companies
Faith Jessie, Mike Nicolas, Darrell Pryor, Gabriella Nuñez-Garcia, Ciara Bri’d Frisbie, Kristie Anderson
11Alive/WXIA, TEGNA, Atlanta, GA
Use #NABJ26 on social to share about your Salute to Excellence journey!
- Please send nomination corrections/updates to awards@nabj.org by May 22, 2026, 11:59 PM ET.
- Media inquiries/permission to use logo: press@nabj.org.
