CONTACT:
Matthew Kent, SPJ Program Coordinator, 317-920-4788, mkent@spj.org
Zoë Berg, SPJ Communications Coordinator, 317-920-4785, zberg@spj.org

INDIANAPOLIS — The Society of Professional Journalists is proud to recognize the recipients of the Sigma Delta Chi Awards, which honor exceptional professional journalism produced in 2019.

Prominent veteran journalists, who served as SDX Awards judges, selected 79 honorees from nearly 1,200 submissions.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person SDX Awards banquet was canceled. Winners were announced and recognized during a virtual presentation today, which is archived online. CNN Political Correspondent Abby Phillip hosted the event.

“All across the country there are stories that are unfolding every day and being told in more ways than ever before,” Phillip said during the event. “And I am in awe of you, my colleagues, for the work that you do to shine light on the human experience and hold our institutions accountable.”

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.

Entries included submissions from television and radio broadcasts, newspapers, online news outlets and magazines. This year SPJ made significant additions to the SDX competition, adding categories for fact-checking, 360 video and data visualization.

Winners are listed and have their work displayed on the SPJ website.

In addition to recognizing the SDX winners, SPJ announced the “MOEy” Best in Show award winner which recognizes the top student journalism in the country as the top entry among all national Mark of Excellence award winners, out of thousands of entries. This year’s winner is the JOVRNALISM Staff at University of Southern California, Annenberg, for their immersion journalism “Homeless realities.”

The winner of the New America Award, which honors journalism that sheds light on important issues of immigrant or ethnic communities in the United States, also was recognized. This year’s winner is Jose A. Del Real for his New York Times series “Brown Water for Brown People: California's Overlooked Drinking Water Crisis.”

SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to informing citizens; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and fights to protect First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. Support excellent journalism and fight for your right to know. Become a member, give to the Legal Defense Fund or give to the SPJ Foundation.

The SPJ Foundation is a public foundation dedicated to ensuring that those who carry on the tradition of a free press are prepared for the challenge. The SPJ Foundation supports educational and professional needs of journalists and journalism students. Support excellent journalism and fight for your right to know. Give to the SPJ Foundation.

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