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Breaking Barriers Award

2024 Nonprofit News Awards

Honors reporting that brought new understanding to an issue or topic affecting people or communities that are historically underrepresented, disadvantaged or marginalized, resulting in impactful change.

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Breaking Barriers Award – Micro division

ELDERS: Uncle John by Nancy Marie Spears, Julie Reynolds, Mara J. Reynolds

Voices of Monterey Bay tells a story of Indigenous elder survivors of systemic injustice and historical trauma. This story is part of a multimedia project titled “Healing the Children of Horse Nations.” 

ELDERS is a “beautifully told, personal story of pain, loss and healing,” a judge wrote. “The wide range of voices, including the kids, brings the story to life and makes clear how these injustices — and attempts to remedy them — are multigenerational in scope. The cleanup of the graveyards spurred by the reporting provides a rare example of direct impact of the entry.”

ELDERS: Uncle John


Breaking Barriers Award – Small division

Inhumane Conditions and the Early Warning Signs Ignored at Chicago’s Largest Migrant Shelter

Despite “warnings, numerous hospitalizations and dozens of reports,” Chicago officials housed thousands of migrants in an industrial warehouse used as a city-run shelter. A 5-year-old boy who lived there died of sepsis. Those are examples of what Borderless Magazine exposed through its investigation — storytelling one judge described as “excellent work.” “This is the kind of work I aspire to be able to publish in our newsroom,” another judge said.

Investigation: Migrants Describe Inhumane Conditions At Chicago’s Largest Shelter

5-Year-Old Boy Dies After Falling Ill At Chicago’s Largest Migrant Shelter

Chicago Mayor, Shelter Officials Respond To Living Conditions Following A Borderless Investigation

Investigation: Chicago Ignored Dozens Of Warnings Of Migrant Shelter Conditions Before Child’s Death


Breaking Barriers Award – Medium division

A trilingual, multi-format approach to covering California’s Medicaid expansion

A disproportionate number of Latinos — hundreds of thousands of them — have been kicked off Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program. In January, the state expanded Medi-Cal to include all undocumented immigrants. El Tímpano examined why so many Latinos, who make up the majority of Medi-Cal beneficiaries, are being disenrolled and the impact. The news outlet also shared relevant resources online, including Facebook.

California’s expanded health coverage for undocumented immigrants collides with Medicaid checks

Advocates push bill to expand Covered California to undocumented immigrants

Guía de Recursos

Expansión de Medi-Cal


Breaking Barriers Award – Large division

Missing in Chicago by Sarah Conway, trina reynolds-tyler

City Bureau and the Invisible Institute analyzed more than 1 million police records and interviewed more than 40 sources over two years for an investigation that exposed how Chicago police delayed and mishandled missing person cases that disproportionately affected Black women and girls. “The spotlight is focused squarely on those seeking answers, with the data unearthing their reality but never becoming the focus of the reporting at the expense of the people at the center of the story,” one judge said. “‘Missing in Chicago’ deserves recognition for its unflinching and impactful examination.”

This seven-part series won a Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting.

Missing in Chicago

Missing in Chicago (YouTube video playlist)

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