KUOW newsroom recognized with 16 SPJ Excellence in Journalism Awards

May 20, 2021

Seattle, WA — KUOW's newsroom has won ten first place and six runner up awards in this year's Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Region 10 Excellence in Journalism contest. Two of the winning stories were reported by teens in KUOW's RadioActive Youth Media program.

SPJ's Western Washington chapter announced the full list of winners on May 19. All of KUOW's awards were in the Large Newsroom division.

Below, we've shared KUOW's winning stories. We are proud of our team of journalists and the incredible reporting they did last year. We are also grateful to our supporters, who make this kind of local journalism possible.

Audio: Crime & Law Enforcement Reporting

First Place

This woman ‘died three times’ after Seattle Police hit her with a blast ball," by Liz Jones and Isolde Raftery.

caption: The exact moment that the blast hit Aubreanna Inda, 26, at the demonstrations on Capitol Hill. Seattle police officers deployed chemical agents, pepper spray and flash-bang grenades on protesters at the intersection of 11th Avenue and East Pine Street on the 10th day of protests following the police killing of George Floyd, shortly after midnight on Monday, June 8, 2020, in Seattle.

Audio: Crime & Law Enforcement Reporting

Second Place

"Former Seattle foster child reflects on end of youth jail: ‘This brings me to tears’," by Amy Radil.

caption: Jasmine Jarrell, now a mother of two, was put in King County's youth detention for fleeing foster care placements as a child.

Audio: Feature, Soft News

First Place

"The tale of the Black birders and ruffled feathers on Facebook," by Deborah Wang, edited by Gil Aegerter.

caption: Environmental scientist Armand Lucas on a birdwatching walk in Seattle's Discovery Park.

Audio: Feature, Soft News

Second Place

"This immigrant has uplifting tips on making quarantine work. He's been living like this for a year," by Esmy Jimenez, edited by Liz Jones.

Audio: Government & Politics Reporting

First Place

"Who takes responsibility for this racist ad?" by David Hyde, edited by Gil Aegerter.

Audio: Feature, Hard News

Second Place

"Teens are warning each other about sex trafficking on TikTok. Here’s why the videos could do more harm than good," by Jadenne Radoc Cabahug of KUOW's RadioActive Youth Media program, edited by Anna Boiko-Weyrauch, production support and mentorship by Kyle Norris.

caption: On popular social media platforms like TikTok, teenagers post videos warning other teens of trafficking tactics. But sometimes these tactics aren't true.

Audio: Investigative Reporting

First Place

"School Abuse," by Ann Dornfeld, edited by Liz Jones.

Writing: Education Reporting

First Place

"School Abuse," by Ann Dornfeld, edited by Liz Jones.

Writing: Investigative Reporting

First Place

"School Abuse," by Ann Dornfeld, edited by Liz Jones.

caption: A locked gate is shown at an outdoor play court at View Ridge Elementary School in northeast Seattle on Thursday, November 19, 2020. A Seattle Schools investigation revealed that a second-grade boy had been placed in this enclosure, dubbed “the cage” by school staff members, on multiple occasions during the school day.

Audio: Social Equity Reporting

First Place

"For students of color, Covid-19 reveals deep inequities in Seattle area schools," by Essey Paulos, Mimi Zekaryas, and Charlotte Engrav of KUOW's RadioActive Youth Media, edited by Kelsey Kupferer, production support and mentorship by Mary Heisey.