Rules/EligibilityCategories
2022 HonoreesPrevious Honorees
Rules/EligibilityCategories 2022 HonoreesPrevious Honorees
Thank you to all of our judges!

Judges:
– Sonny Albarado
– Ira Allen
– Gena Asher
– Leah Betancourt
– Amy Cherry
– Dave Cuillier
– Rita Cunha
– Paul Davis
– Jigsha Desai
– Sharon Dunten
– Debra Dylan
– Jay Evensen
– Paul Fletcher
– Robert Franklin
– Ginny Frizzi
– Chris Gallant
– Carol Goldsmith
– Irwin Gratz
– Matt Grubs
– Brett Hall
– Matt Hall
– Tom Hallman
– Kelly Hawes
– Robert Hernandez
– Victor Hernandez
– Jennifer Karchmer
– Sue Kopen Katcef
– Stephen Komives
– Michael Koretzky
– Robert Leger
– Paola Marizán
– Suzanne McBride
– Patrick McGrath
– Tom Mckee
– Mac McKerral
– Danielle McLean
– Debbie Michel
– Patti Newberry
– Sergy Odiduro
– Cara Owsley
– Jane Primerano
– Joe Radske
– Cameron Ridgway
– Christopher Ritchie
– McKenzie Romero
– Andy Schotz
– Charles Sennet
– Kevin Smith
– Becky Tallent
– Megan Toland
– Alex Veeneman
– Peggy Watt
– Vicky Whitaker
– Jay Yoo

Associate Judges:
– David Baxley
– Maureen Boyle
– Bonnie Brownlee
– Doug Buchannan
– P. Kim Bui
– Gabrielle Burkhart
– David Burns
– Cheryl Clark
– Carrie Cochran
– Michael Cogdill
– Brian Colleran
– Charlotte Colombo
– Yaima Crespo
– Nicole Santa Cruz
– Doug Cumming
– Charles Nelson Davis
– Manny Fantis
– Mike Farrell
– Frank Fellone
– Beatriz Ferreira
– Jim Fisher
– Nora Flaherty
– Rich Flesch
– Adrianne Flynn
– Mark Fowser
– Mitch Freedman
– Joyce Frieden
– Stephen Goforth
– Roy Gutterman
– Kevin Hall
– Lisa Hammersly
– Alex Harper
– Froma Harrop
– Mike Horan
– Tom Jones
– Ron Judd
– Buck Kahler
– Ken Keller
– Laura Kelly
– Anne Kibbler
– Emily Kratzer
– Dave Kuhn
– Curtis Lawrence
– Rebecca Lightle
– Michael Lipkin
– Larry Lough
– Jonathan Make
– DJ McAneney
– Megan McGrath
– Don Meyers
– Freya Millard
– Danny Miller
– Eric Minor
– Lysee Mitri
– Tommy Mumert
– Robert Naylor
– Anne Newman
– Adam Norris
– Kelly Olson
– Miriam Pepper
– Jonathan Peters
– Eric Peterson
– Kathy Rem
– David Ringstrom
– Vicki Rishling
– Amanda Rossmann
– Chloe Sayers
– Steve Siff
– Lucy Skoulding
– Steve Smith
– Justin Sondel
– Jackie Spinner
– Ken Sturtz
– Will Sullivan
– Scott Swafford
– Scott Taylor
– Mareea Thomas
– Colby Tibbet
– Felicia Tonga
– Susan Toth
– Olivia Ugino
– Scott Underwood
– Peter Vieth
– Lynn Walsh
– Mary Ellen Walsh
– David Wells
– Haisten Willis
– Yumi Wilson
– Cindy Wright
– Patty Wright

Sigma Delta Chi Awards
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Awards & Honors Committee Chair

Peter Rasmussen
Email

2017 Sigma Delta Chi Award Honorees

The Society of Professional Journalists is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2017 Sigma Delta Chi Awards for excellence in journalism.

Jump to:
Newspaper/Wire Services
Magazines
Art/Graphics
Radio
Television
Newsletters
Research
Online Reporting

Judges chose the winners from entries in categories covering print, radio, television and online. The awards recognize outstanding work published or broadcast in 2017.

Dating back to 1932, the awards originally honored six individuals for contributions to journalism. The current program began in 1939, when the Society granted the first Distinguished Service Awards. The honors later became the Sigma Delta Chi Awards.

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press.

Sigma Delta Chi award winners will be honored at an awards banquet on June 8 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.


Newspaper/Wire Services

Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)

San Francisco Chronicle: Wine Country Fires
Staff, San Francisco Chronicle

Read online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8


Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 50,001-100,000)

Mass Shooting on the Strip
Staff, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Download [PDF]


Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 1-50,000)

Northern California Wildfires
Staff, The Press Democrat

Download [PDF]

Watch supplemental video


Deadline Reporting (Non-Daily Publication)

Unbreakable Vegas: Stories of Heroism and Resilience in the Face of Tragedy
Staff, Greenspun Media Group

Download [PDF]


Non-Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation of 100,001+)

Falling Off the Cliff
Ronnie Polaneczky, Philadelphia Media Network

Download [PDF]


Non-Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation 50,001-100,000)

‘The Expendables’
Jamie Satterfield, Knoxville News Sentinel

Read online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4


Non-Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation 1-50,000)

Race in the Rock River Valley
Corina Curry, Rockford Register Star

Download [PDF]


Non-Deadline Reporting (Non-Daily Publication)

How a Floating Bale of Cocaine Led to the Florida Keys' Worst Murder in Decades
Tim Elfrink, Miami New Times

Read online


Investigative Reporting (Daily Circulation 100,001+)

Shock Tactics
Jason Szep, Peter Eisler, Tim Reid, Lisa Girion, Grant Smith and team, Reuters

Read online


Investigative Reporting (Daily Circulation 50,001-100,000)

One War. Two Races.
Josh Salman, Dak Le and Michael Braga, Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Read online


Investigative Reporting (Daily Circulation 1-50,000)

High Crimes
Matt Troutman and Erin Sloan, Traverse City Record-Eagle

Download [PDF]


Investigative Reporting (Non-Daily Publication)

Sebastian Gorka's Ties To An Anti-Semitic Hungarian Militia
Larry Cohler-Esses and Lili Bayer, Forward

Read online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4


Feature Reporting (Daily Circulation 100,001+)

Hanging: The Mysterious Case of the Boy in the Barn
Julia Prodis Sulek, The Mercury News

Read online


Feature Reporting (Daily Circulation 50,001-100,000)

Lightning: A Survivor's Tale
Ken Willis, Daytona Beach News-Journal

Download [PDF]


Feature Reporting (Daily Circulation 1-50,000)

Behind the Front Door: Inside Domestic Violence in Greenwich
Emilie Munson, Hearst Connecticut Media

Download [PDF]


Feature Reporting (Non-Daily Publication)

Acid Trip
Chris Walker, Westword

Read online: Link 1 | 2


Editorial Writing (Daily Circulation 100,001+)

Crumbling Foundations
Carolyn Lumsden, Hartford Courant

Read online


Editorial Writing (Daily Circulation of 1-100,000/Non-Daily Publication)

Shedding Light on Death
Jeffery Gerritt, Palestine Herald-Press

Download [PDF]


Washington Correspondence

Russia
Staff, The Washington Post

Download [PDF]


Foreign Correspondence

Boko Haram Coverage
Dionne Searcey, New York Times

Read online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5


General Column Writing (Daily Circulation 100,001+)

Petula Dvorak
The Washington Post

Download [PDF]


General Column Writing (Daily Circulation 1-100,000/Non-Daily Publication)

No winner chosen


Sports Column Writing (Daily Circulation 100,001+)

A Season Under the Gun
Rick Telander, Chicago Sun-Times

Download [PDF]


Sports Column Writing (Daily Circulation 1-100,000/Non-Daily Publication)

The Resurrection of Howard Baseball
David Cook, Chattanooga Times Free Press

Read online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5


Public Service Journalism (Daily Circulation 100,001+)

Harassed
Staff, The New York Times

Download [PDF]


Public Service Journalism (Daily Circulation 50,001-100,000)

Detroit Evictions
Christine MacDonald, The Detroit News

Read online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6


Public Service Journalism (Daily Circulation 1-50,000)

Understanding Harvey
Jessica Priest, Laura Garcia, Jon Wilcox and Marina Riker, Victoria Advocate

Read online


Public Service Journalism (Non-Daily Publication)

The Price of Homelessness
Staff, Puget Sound Business Journal

Read online

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Magazines

Magazine Investigative Reporting (National Circulation)

Ronan Farrow's Investigation of Harvey Weinstein
Ronan Farrow, The New Yorker

Read online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4


Magazine Investigative Reporting (Regional/Local Circulation)

Death from Above
Christopher Collins, The Texas Observer

Download [PDF]


Magazine Writing (National Circulation)

"A Mass Shooting, Only in Slow Motion"
Glenn Jeffers, Nieman Reports, Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University

Read online


Magazine Writing (Regional/Local Circulation)

Alan Dickson’s Final Days
Alexandra Becker, TMC Pulse - Texas Medical Center

Download [PDF]


Public Service in Magazine Journalism (National Circulation)

Vital Signs
Kayla Webley Adler, Marie Claire

Read online


Public Service in Magazine Journalism (Regional/Local Circulation)

Trump's Wall and Prescott Hall
Neil Swidey, The Boston Globe Magazine

Read online

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Art/Graphics

Breaking News Photography (Newspaper Circulation 100,001+, Affiliated Website, National Magazine)

Rohingya: A Crisis
Bernat Armangue and Dar Yasin, Associated Press


Breaking News Photography (Newspaper Circulation 1-100,000, Regional Magazine, Non-Daily Publication or Online Independent)

No winner chosen


Editorial Cartooning (Newspaper Circulation 100,001+, Affiliated Website, National Magazine)

Clay Bennett
Chattanooga Times Free Press

View online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5


Editorial Cartooning (Newspaper Circulation 1-100,000, Regional Magazine, Non-Daily Publication or Online Independent)

Walt Handelsman
The Advocate

Download [PDF]


Feature Photography (Newspaper Circulation 100,001+, Affiliated Website, National Magazine)

Death From Above
Marcus Yam, Los Angeles Times

View online


Feature Photography (Newspaper Circulation 1-100,000, Regional Magazine, Non-Daily Publication or Online Independent)

Unheard
David Bitton, Stillwater News Press

View online


Informational Graphics (Newspaper Circulation 100,001+, Affiliated Website, National Magazine)

Russia Interactives
Marshall Cohen, Tal Yellin and Liz Stark, CNN

View online: Link 1 | 2


Informational Graphics (Newspaper Circulation 1-100,000, Regional Magazine, Non-Daily Publication or Online Independent)

Choke Hold: The Fossil Fuel Industry’s Fight Against Climate Policy, Science and Clean Energy
Paul Horn and Staff, InsideClimate News

View online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6


Sports Photography (Newspaper Circulation 100,001+, Affiliated Website, National Magazine)

No winner chosen


Sports Photography (Newspaper Circulation 1-100,000, Regional Magazine, Non-Daily Publication or Online Independent)

No winner chosen

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Radio

Breaking News Reporting (1-100 Market or Network Syndication)

Las Vegas Shooting
Staff, Westwood One News


Breaking News Reporting (101+ Market)

Shooting Near Ft. Drum Raises Questions about Army Recruitment
Lauren Rosenthal, Martha Foley and Brian Mann, North Country Public Radio

Listen online


Investigative Reporting (1-100 Market or Network Syndication)

The Gangs of Nantucket
Phillip Martin, Aaron Schachter and Kenneth Cooper, WGBH Radio News

Read story and listen online: Link 1 | 2


Investigative Reporting (101+ Market)

Allegations of Sexual Harassment Surface at Colorado Capitol
Staff, KUNC FM

Read story and listen online: Link 1 | 2 | 3


Feature Reporting (1-100 Market or Network Syndication)

Cassettes of Hurricane Andrew
Alicia Zuckerman, WLRN News

Read story and listen online


Feature Reporting (101+ Market)

One of a Kind “Ant Dog” Searches for Invasive Ants in the Channel Islands
Lance Orozco, KCLU AM/FM

Read story and listen online


Documentaries (1-100 Market or Network Syndication)

Her Own Devices
Jennifer Block and Fernanda Camerena, The Investigative Fund and Reveal

Read story and listen online: Link 1 | 2


Documentaries (101+ Market)

A Scar on the System- The Case of Albert Fink
WNIN, Tri-State Public Media

Read story and listen online


Public Service in Radio Journalism (1-100 Market or Network Syndication)

Gambling On A Shady Casino Operation
Steve Mistler, Keith Shortall and Andrew Catalina, Maine Public Radio

Read story and listen online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5


Public Service in Radio Journalism (101+ Market)

Divided by Design
Staff, 90.3 WCPN ideastream

Read story and listen online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

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Television

Breaking News Coverage (Large-Market Station, 1-50 market)


A City Turned to Ash: The Morning a Wildfire Destroyed Santa Rosa
Katie Nielsen and Gregg Welk, KPIX-TV (CBS)

Watch online


Breaking News Coverage (Small-Market Station, 51+ market)


Hurricane Harvey Hits
Leslie Aguilar and Arturo Vargas, KRGV

Watch online


Breaking News Coverage (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)


Las Vegas Mass Shooting
Staff, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt

Watch online


Documentaries (Large-Market Station, 1-50 market)


Fallen
Josh Hinkle, David Barer, Ben Friberg and Shannon Wolfson, KXAN

Watch online


Documentaries (Small-Market Station, 51+ market)


Black Jack Pershing: Love and War
Bernard R. McCoy, Luis Peon-Casanova, Paul Pytlowany and Christine Lesiak, Painted Rock Productions and Nebraska Educational Telecommunications

Watch online


Documentaries (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)


Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992
John Ridley, Jeanmarie Condon, Melia Patria and Fatima Curry, ABC News Lincoln Square Productions

Watch online


Feature Reporting (Large-Market Station, 1-50 market)


Land of 10,000 Stories
Boyd Huppert, Chad Nelson and KARE Photography Staff, KARE TV

Watch online


Feature Reporting (Small-Market Station, 51+ market)


Eric Hanson's This is Iowa
Eric Hanson, Glen Biermann, Michael Sims and Cortney Kintzer, KCCI-TV

Watch online: Link 1 | 2


Feature Reporting (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)


Against All Odds
Kate Snow, Paul Ryan, Deborah Kim and Fred Rothenberg, Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly

Watch online


Investigative Reporting (Large-Market Station, 1-50 market)


Faking the Grade
Chris Papst, Carolyn Sachse and Dwayne Myers, WBFF-TV

Watch online


Investigative Reporting (Small-Market Station, 51+)


State of Unrest
Lee Zurik, Jon Turnipseed, Tom Wright, Mike Schaefer and Greg Phillips, WVUE-TV

Watch online


Investigative Reporting (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)


60 Minutes: You're Fired
Bill Whitaker, Ira Rosen, Sam Hornblower and Craig Crawford, CBS

Watch online


Public Service in Television Journalism (Large-Market Station, 1-50 market)


Show Us Your Bills 2017
Chris Vanderveen, Anna Hewson, Katie Wilcox and Nicole Vap, KUSA

Watch online


Public Service in Television Journalism (Small-Market Station, 51+ market)


Cracking the Code
Lee Zurik, Jeanne Pinder, Jed Lipinski, Jon Turnipseed and Tom Wright, WVUE-TV

Watch online


Public Service in Television Journalism (Network/Syndication Service/Program Service)


60 Minutes and The Washington Post: The Whistleblower
Bill Whitaker, Ira Rosen, Sam Hornblower and Robert Zimet, CBS

Watch online

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Newsletters

Public Service in Newsletter Journalism

Communications Daily Investigates FCC
Staff, Warren Communications News/Communications Daily

Download [PDF]

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Research

Research about Journalism

The American Journalist in the Digital Age: A Half-Century Perspective
David H. Weaver, Lars Willnat and G. Cleveland Wilhoit, The Media School at Indiana University and S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University

More information

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Online Reporting

Deadline Reporting (Affiliated)

Las Vegas Shooting
Staff, Los Angeles Times

Read online: Link 1 | 2


Deadline Reporting (Independent)

Las Vegas Shooting
Staff, Associated Press

Read online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8


Investigative Reporting (Affiliated)

Schoolhouse Sex Assault
Staff, The Associated Press

Read online: Link 1 | 2


Investigative Reporting (Independent)

All Work. No Pay.
Amy Julia Harris and Shoshana Walter, Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting

Read online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9


Non-Deadline Reporting (Affiliated)

Paradise Papers: Secrets of the Global Elite
Paradise Papers Reporting Team, ICIJ and Partners

Read online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6


Non-Deadline Reporting (Independent)

Sold Out
Morgan Smith, Edgar Walters, Neena Satija and Ryan Murphy, The Texas Tribune

Read online


Online Column Writing (Affiliated)

Timothy L. O'Brien
Bloomberg View

Read online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5


Online Column Writing (Independent)

The Global Politico
Susan Glasser, Politico

Read online: Link 1 | 2


Digital Audio

Three Rivers, Two Mysteries
Michael A. Fuoco and Ashley Murray, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Visit website

Subscribe to podcast: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play


Audio Slide Show


For Art’s Sake: The Newspaper My Father Gave Me
Michael Cavna and Tom Racine, The Washington Post

Watch and listen online


Digital Video

‘They're taking everybody’
Debbie Nathan, Maisie Crow and Lauren Feeney, The Intercept

Watch online


EBooks

Drawing Fire: The Political Cartoons of Rebel Pepper
Liming Wang, Minh-Ha Le, Christen Billing and Vince Meadows, Radio Free Asia

Download ebook: iTunes | Google Play | PDF


Public Service in Online Journalism (Affiliated)

Separate and Unequal
Staff, Newsday

Read online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5


Public Service in Online Journalism (Independent)

Lost Mothers
ProPublica and NPR

Read online: Link 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10


Specialized Journalism Site

United States of Climate Change
United States of Climate Change Reporting Team, The Weather Channel Digital & Partners

Visit website

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