August 2, 2024
“Creative and poignant.” “Compulsively readable.” “I was hooked.”
“Wow, wow, wow,” one judge wrote. “I loved this so much.”
Those were just some of the glowing comments from judges of the fourth annual Nonprofit News Awards, or INNYs, run by the Institute for Nonprofit News to honor excellence in journalism, leadership and community service.
INN will announce the winners of the awards — which are open to the more than 450 newsrooms in the INN Network — at a celebration in Atlanta on Sept. 18.
Nonprofit newsrooms regularly produce impactful journalism and earn the accolades to prove it — as seen with the 2024 Pulitzer Prize winners. But what sets the INNYs apart is that they reflect the broad spectrum of nonprofit news organizations, from small startups to well-established outlets with multi-million-dollar budgets. The INNYs go beyond traditional award categories like “best investigative journalism” to recognize what differentiates nonprofit news — values like collaboration, innovation and impact.
This year, the finalists’ work competed among the largest-ever pool of entries: 626, up nearly 40% from 2023. A total of 75 judges from a variety of news organizations — 25 percent more than last year — selected the finalists.
Even in this more competitive context, some news outlets stood out, becoming finalists for multiple awards — or even, as in the case of the California-based bilingual news magazine Voices of Monterey Bay having two finalist entries in the same category (Best Investigative Journalism, Micro Division).
Judges praised many of the entries for powerful narrative storytelling, compelling graphics, and nuanced reporting.
“A tremendous amount of reporting went into this project,” one judge wrote, “and it’s such a fine example of why we need high quality nonprofit journalism!”
Honors a single story or series that uncovered significant and impactful news based on the reporters’ own investigation and which advances and serves the public interest.
Tucson Sentinel, Pima Sheriff’s Dep’t failed to notify family of dead inmate for 2.5 months, Natalie Robbins and Dylan Smith
Voices of Monterey Bay, Pain, death and secrets at the Monterey County Jail, Royal Calkins
Voices of Monterey Bay, Suspicious King City traffic death was never truly investigated, Royal Calkins
InvestigateWest, The Cruelest Lie: How Idaho allows rape, abuse and cruelty to flourish inside the state’s youth residential facilities, Wilson Criscione
The Appeal, Locked In, Priced Out, Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg and Ethan Corey
The Garrison Project, Baltimore police unit under fire for deadly shootings, questionable stops, Brandon Soderberg
The Journal, What happened inside Wichita’s emergency winter homeless shelter, Stefania Lugli
The Lund Report, University of Oregon Catalyst Journalism Project, Oregon Public Broadcasting, Unsupported: Addiction prevention in Oregon classrooms, Emily Green, Elizabeth Yost and Lillian Mongeau Hughes
Injustice Watch, Exploited Elders, David Jackson
New Bedford Light, Blue Harvest stories
The Connecticut Mirror, How the battle for absentee ballots defined the Bridgeport election, Andrew Brown, José Luis Martínez, Katy Golvala and Dave Altimari
Type Investigations, WWNO, Louisiana Law Gives Judges a Financial Incentive to Set High Bail and Secure Convictions, Garrett Hazelwood
CalMatters, California’s Risky Bet on Rehab, Byrhonda Lyons
Reveal, Associated Press, Hidden Confessions of the Mormon Church, Michael Rezendes and Jason Dearen
The Marshall Project, The New York Times, How New York’s Abusive Guards Keep Their Jobs, Joseph Neff, Alysia Santo, Tom Meagher and Ilica Mahajan
The Texas Tribune, Open Campus, Turmoil at Texas A&M University System, Kate McGee and James Barragán
The Trace, Shot by a Civilian Wielding a Police Gun, Champe Barton, Alain Stephens, Chris Hacker, Stephen Stock, Amy Corral and Nicole Vap
Honors a single story or a series of explanatory reporting that provides insight and understanding of a significant and complex subject.
Boulder Reporting Lab, Hidden hazard: Boulder’s million-ton coal ash problem has no local watchdog
California Health Report, Families caring for children with disabilities, Claudia Boyd-Barrett and Hannah Hough
Conecta Arizona, Voto extranjero — Mexicanos se preparan para una elección histórica en Arizona, Maritza L. Félix, Gustavo Guirado, Julio Cisneros, Liliana López Ruelas, Carlos Bujanda and Daniel Robles
Feet in 2 Worlds, Home, Interrupted, Iggy Monda, Quincy Surasmith, Jocelyn Gonzales, John Rudolph, Mia Warren, Greta Díaz González Vázquez, Emmy Brett, Allison Salerno, Aria Young, Wendy Wei, Anja Nilsson and Shreya Agrawal
Sierra Nevada Ally, What is Nevada’s Climate Strategy? There isn’t one, Noah Glick
Voices of Monterey Bay, ROAD ATLAS: Women healing trauma in the nomad West
Asheville Watchdog, Selling Asheville
Bolts, Your guides to state supreme courts, Quinn Yeargain and Daniel Nichanian
Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism (CCIJ), Gender-based Violence by State Actors in Uganda and Zimbabwe
Cicero Independiente, MuckRock, Bringing attention to environmental risks facing majority Latinx community
Mission Local, BigMoneySF: The network bankrolling San Francisco elections
The Appeal, Locked In, Priced Out, Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg and Ethan Corey
The Highlands Current, Talking Trash, Brian PJ Cronin
The Lund Report, University of Oregon Catalyst Journalism Project, Oregon Public Broadcasting, Unsupported: Addiction prevention in Oregon classrooms, Emily Green, Elizabeth Yost and Lillian Mongeau Hughes
Flatwater Free Press, Who’s Buying Nebraska?, Yanqi Xu and Destiny Herbers
Food & Environment Reporting Network, WWNO’s Sea Change Podcast, Redfish Blues, Boyce Upholt
New York Focus, Explanatory Reporting on New York Climate Action, Colin Kinniburgh, Julia Rock and Sam Mellins
The Imprint, Fighting for Kin, Sara Tiano
Wisconsin Watch, Hogtied, Bennet Goldstein and Jim Malewitz
Block Club Chicago and Chalkbeat, Lost In Translation: Migrant Kids Struggle In Segregated Chicago Schools, Mina Bloom and Reema Amin
Capital B, The New Great Migration, Adam Mahoney
Retro Report and WORLD Channel, Generations Stolen
The Marshall Project, AL.com, The Post and Courier, Mississippi Today, The Frontier, The Guardian, Prosecuting pregnancy
The Texas Tribune, Righting the Rule of Law, Eleanor Klibanoff
The Texas Tribune, ProPublica, FRONTLINE (PBS), Unprepared
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.
California Health Report, Columns about the disability community, Jennifer McLelland
Voices of Monterey Bay, ELDERS: Uncle John, Nancy Marie Spears, Julie Reynolds and Mara J. Reynolds
Borderless Magazine, Inhumane Conditions and the Early Warning Signs Ignored at Chicago’s Largest Migrant Shelter
Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism (CCIJ), Gender-based Violence by State Actors in Uganda and Zimbabwe
New Mexico In Depth Inc., New Mexico officials prioritized Murdered and missing Indigenous people. Their actions didn’t match their rhetoric.
Reasons to be Cheerful, ‘Take It Down and They’ll Return’: The Stunning Revival of the Penobscot River, Kea Krause
El Tímpano, A trilingual, multi-format approach to covering California’s Medicaid expansion
San Antonio Report, ‘We’re not perfect, we’re just FREED’: Following 3 San Antonians from prison to healing, Bria Woods and Iris Dimmick
Capital B, Disconnected: Rural Black America and the Digital Divide, Aallyah Wright
City Bureau, Invisible Institute, Missing in Chicago, Sarah Conway, trina reynolds-tyler
Rest of World, The race to put Indigenous land on the map, Liani MK
Honors an INN member organization that made a significant contribution to the well-being of its community through a journalism-centered project or service.
Eden Prairie Local News, Silent Struggles, Jim Bayer, Juliana Allen, Stuart Sudak, Mark Weber and Amy Nylander
InDepthNH.org, published by NH Center for Public Interest Journalism, Ani Freedman Champions Merrimack, Ani Freedman
Oviedo Community News, Voter Guide 2023
Mission Local, Election coverage to cut through the noise
Springfield Daily Citizen, Living in Fear, Steve Pokin, Jackie Rehwald, Shannon Cay and Jym Wilson
El Tímpano, Guía de Recursos, Katherine Nagasawa, Vanessa Flores and Mayra Sierra
Jewish Currents, On The Nose: Podcast Episodes on American Jews and the War on Gaza, Arielle Angel, Mari Cohen, Peter Beinart, Daniel May and Ilana Levinson
Chalkbeat, Chalkbeat’s Noticias Escolares initiative
Honolulu Civil Beat, The Maui Wildfires
Public Health Watch, KXLN Univision 45, Toxic Texas Air
For an organization that produced an innovative idea or practice that had a positive financial impact on the newsroom and will help the newsroom serve its community or audience into the future.
Brookline.News, Stories Live at the Coolidge
Conecta Arizona, Cafecito – From WhatsApp to life and viceversa
Dallas Free Press, Dallas Docu-editors
Planet Detroit, Planet Detroit Impact Partners, Nina Ignaczak
Documented NY, Launching Language-specific Mini Newsrooms as a Response to Community Needs
The Narwhal, Newsletter growth in the wake of Canada’s Online News Act, Arik Ligeti, Karan Saxena, Carol Linnitt
Spotlight PA, ”Your Next AG” tool, Staff
The Forward, Clarity Amid the Chaos: How one news organization leveraged audience sentiment to increase results
Honors a single story or a series of stories that uses photography and/or other visual media to more accurately portray a community that has traditionally been underrepresented or misrepresented in news media.
Tucson Sentinel, Barrier in the Borderlands: Photographs from the U.S.-Mexico line in Southern Arizona, Paul Ingram
Atlanta Community Press Collective, Good Trouble, Nolan Huber-Rhoades, Lev Omelchenko
Sierra Nevada Ally, Photos: Indian National Finals Rodeo, Alejandra Rubio
The JOLT, The Journal of Olympia, Lacey & Tumwater, Homelessness in Olympia, Washington, JM Simpson and Danny Stusser
Inkstick Media, How the Climate Crisis Deepens Hardships for Rohingya Refugees, Ahtaram Shine and Sahat Zia Hero
Lower Cape News, Truro Worship On Verge Of Losing Their Home
ReligionUnplugged.com, Manipur – A Surge of Violence | Visual Commentary | From the Eyes of Kuki-Zo Victims
San Francisco Public Press, Facing Brutal Storms, Homeless People Encountered Hurdles to Finding Shelter, Madison Alvarado and Yesica Prado
El Tímpano, La Pulga, Hiram Alejandro Durán and El Tímpano Staff
The Connecticut Mirror, A diaspora in focus, Yehyun Kim and Katy Golvala
Retro Report, WORLD Channel, Generations Stolen
The Marshall Project, The Mercy Workers, Illustrated, Maurice Chammah, Jackie Roche, Katie Park and Staff
Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO, ‘I Just Don’t Want To Die’: Black Pregnant Women Are Turning To Midwives For Personalized Care — And A Better Chance At Survival, Karen Kasmauski, Louis Hansen and Christopher Tyree
Honors an individual with less than five years in executive leadership who is an emerging luminary in the field.
Block Club Chicago, Maple Walker Lloyd
palabra. by NAHJ, Valeria Fernández
Spotlight Delaware, Allison Taylor Levine
Honors a young organization (operating for less than three years) for establishing strong support of their journalism throughout the community and the revenue growth to sustain it.
Investigative Journalism Foundation
Honors a news-oriented project or ongoing partnership that exemplifies the culture of sharing and cooperation in nonprofit news and expands the impact of its journalism.
Centro de Periodismo Investigativo, More people are dying in Puerto Rico as its health-care system crumbles, Omaya Sosa Pascual, Jeniffer Wiscovitch, Andrew Ba Tran, Arelis Hernández and Dylan Moriarty
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and media partners, Cyprus Confidential, Staff
Public Health Watch, Mountain State Spotlight, Louisville Public Media (Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting), Shots Health News from NPR, Federal Fix for Silica Dust Understates What We Found: Thousands of Coal Miners Still Sick and Dying, Howard Berkes, Justin Hicks, Allen Siegler and Carmel Wroth
The Texas Tribune, ProPublica and FRONTLINE (PBS), Unprepared
The Trace, Shot by a Civilian Wielding a Police Gun, Champe Barton, Alain Stephens, Chris Hacker, Stephen Stock, Amy Corral and Nicole Vap
Honors an individual who is new to the field of nonprofit news (less than two years) and is contributing to the success of their organization through innovation.
The Hechinger Report, Ruby Franzen
Wisconsin Watch, Matthew DeFour
Join INN for the 2024 Nonprofit News Awards in Atlanta on Sept. 18: Reserve your ticket.
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