(Nearly) all of the results are in!
We’re proud to announce the winners of the Arizona Press Club’s 2024 journalism contest. Congratulations to all the journalists recognized for their outstanding work!
Virg Hill Arizona Journalist of the Year
- 1st Place (tie): Emily Bregel – Arizona Daily Star
- 1st Place (tie): Chelsea Curtis – Arizona Luminaria
- 1st Place (tie): Jason Wolf – Arizona Republic
Judges: Rebecca Woolington is Deputy Managing Editor for Investigations at the Tampa Bay Times.
Will Anderson is Editor in Chief of the Dallas Business Journal.
Ricardo Sandoval Palos is the public editor for PBS and the cofounder of Palabra.
Nick Oza Arizona Photojournalist of the Year
- 1st: Mamta Popat – Arizona Daily Star
- 2nd: Kelly Presnell – Arizona Daily Star
- 3rd: Grace Trejo – Arizona Daily Star
Judges: Lisa Krantz is an assistant professor at the University of Montana School of Journalism and a newspaper photographer for 24 years.
Vincent Alban is a 2025–26 reporting fellow at The New York Times.
Laura Seitz is a staff photographer at Deseret News in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Community News Outlet of the Year
- 1st: Arizona Luminaria
- 2nd: Tucson Sentinel
- 3rd: Arizona Public Media
Judges: Erin Edgemon is the business editor of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Eline Gordts is West Coast Editor at Guardian US, where she oversees west coast and tech coverage.
Andrea Wenzel is an assistant professor of journalism at Temple University’s Klein College of Media and Communication.
Spanish-language news reporting
- 1st: Beatriz Limón with Arizona Luminaria — “Karina Ruiz election stories”
- 2nd: Carlos Bujanda, Iris Amador, Daniel Robles, Maritza L Félix with Conecta Arizona — “Comunidades rurales”
- 3rd: Maritza L. Félix, Daniel Robles with Conecta Arizona — “Muestren las Actas”
Judge:
Spanish-language feature
1st: Celia Esperanza Ramos – Conecta Arizona, “Voces desde una clínica de Arizona: cómo las mujeres enfrentan la legislación sobre el aborto”
Judge’s comments: Ramos’ piece “effectively communicates the many forces shaping women’s access to and decisions about abortion. The story clearly lays out the political situation while using stories to show how each woman’s decision is deeply personal. A timely and sensitive work of reporting.”
2nd: Cris Seda Chabrier – Tucson Sentinel, “No quiero ser Santo Álvaro”: Conoce al artista que pone cruces en el desierto”
3rd: Maritza L. Félix – Conecta Arizona, “Reprobada: una política de inmigración inhumana se robó la educación de jóvenes latinos”
Judge: Martha Pskowski is a Spanish-speaking independent journalist based in El Paso, TX, and writes about the environment and climate change for Inside Climate News.
Spanish-language commentary
- 1st: Maritza L. Félix with Conecta Arizona — “El regreso de Trump”
- 2nd: Maritza Félix with Conecta Arizona — “Cruzando Líneas – La columna”
- 3rd: Maritza Félix with Conecta Arizona — “Cruzando Líneas – Más personal”
Judge:
Don Bolles Award for Investigative Reporting
1st: Tim Steller, Emily Hamer – Arizona Daily Star, “Twisted Message”
Judge’s comments: Steller and Hamer’s series “represents the hallmark of investigative journalism: revealing new and noteworthy information in an endlessly-readable format that produced concrete changes as a result.”
2nd: Robert Anglen, Elena Santa Cruz, Michael Chow – Arizona Republic, “Brushed Under the Rug — Gilbert Police and the Gilbert Goons”
3rd: Robert Anglen, Elena Santa Cruz – Arizona Republic, “Apache County Attorney’s Spending Spree”
Judge: Jacob Gardenswartz is a White House reporter and producer for Scripps News based in Washington, D.C.
Public service reporting
1st: Daniel Gonzales and Sam Kmack – Arizona Republic, “Inside The Thunderbirds, the secretive, all-male organization that runs the Phoenix Open”
Judge’s comments: Gonzales and Kmack “took on a powerful local organization filled with prominent people, and shined a light on the group’s lack of diversity, allegations of cultural appropriation and questionable giving practices. It wasn’t easy to find people willing to comment on criticisms of the group, but the reporting was persistent and thorough.”
2nd: Jen Fifield – Votebeat, “How Arizona tackles a language barrier to provide Navajo voters a ballot they can listen to”
3rd: Josephine Jaye McAuliffe – Lookout News, “How Arizona Counselors Still Use Conversion Therapy”
Judge: Lisa Schencker is a business reporter at the Chicago Tribune covering health care.
Breaking news
1st: Bruce Pascoe – Arizona Daily Star, “Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton, who breathed life into broadcasts from McKale Center, dies at 71”
Judge’s comments: “The comprehensive nature of (Pascoe’s) news obituary with no notice is the definition of pivoting when there is breaking news.”
2nd: Ellie Wolfe – Arizona Daily Star, “U of A president orders arrests, police and protesters clash”
3rd: Paola Rodriguez – Arizona Public Media, “Hours after near-total ban upheld: Providers in AZ abortion clinic fear for patients’ lives”
Judge: Mike Brice is Managing Editor at The Toledo Blade.
Justice system reporting
1st: Michael Kiefer – Arizona Mirror, “Parole paradox”
Judge’s comments: Kiefer’s piece is “diligent and thorough reporting on high-impact justice issue. Very well done!”
2nd: Hannah Dreyfus and Alexis Waiss – Arizona Republic, “’I want them to know I’m coming to help’: Phoenix father’s custody case challenges ‘pseudo-theory’”
3rd: Natalie Robbins – Tucson Sentinel, “Navigating a ‘full-blown crisis’ inside the Pima County Jail”
Judge: Becky Troyer is the Editor-in-Chief of the Triangle Business Journal.
John Kolbe Award for Political Reporting
1st: John Washington – Arizona Luminaria, “Sheriff Primary Election”
Judge’s comments: “There were many compelling election coverage entries, but I love that this publication went big on a down ballot race and really kept their focus on the readers. It’s obvious a lot of intentionality went into deciding what the best use of their time would be in a busy election. They provided voters with useful stories and tools to make informed decisions. I also liked the background check idea. Bravo.”
2nd: Wayne Schutsky – KJZZ, “Who’s hijacking the Arizona Green Party?”
3rd: Hank Stephenson – Arizona Agenda, “Capitol Coverage”
Judge: Andrea Drusch covers local government for the San Antonio Report.
Health and social issues reporting
1st: Ray Stern — Arizona Republic, “Meth and heat make a deadly mix”
2nd: Yana Kunichoff & John Washington — AZ Luminaria, “Power outage and heat-related death at Tucson mobile-home park spark fear among residents”
3rd: Emily Bregel — Arizona Daily Star, “Border Patrol confiscation of migrants’ meds leads to medical harm, wasted funds”
Judge: Matt DeRienzo, SciLine director, ex-editor in chief of the Center for Public Integrity
Environmental and science reporting
1st: Emily Bregel – Arizona Daily Star, “Mining giant’s water use draining Sonoran aquifers, with implications for Arizona”
Judge’s comments: “Deep, thoughtful borderland reporting that makes legible the international breadth of a water problem, its connections to multiple environmental consequences, and the stakes for the people involved.”
2nd: Shondiin Silversmith – Arizona Mirror, “The End of RECA”
3rd: Brandon Derr – Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting, “Outdated groundwater regulations exploited by industrial-scale agriculture”
Judge: Molly Peterson is a climate and environmental journalist based in Los Angeles.
Education reporting
1st: Helen Rummel, Sasha Hupka and Hannah Dreyfus – Arizona Republic, “UA President Robbins OK’d online school deal despite red flags. It’s costing the university $265M”
Judge’s comments: “This package was a top-notch example of accountability journalism that blended public records, human voices and writing that pulled no punches. It’s clear this work made a difference in Arizona’s higher education landscape as it illuminated problems that enraged the governor and taxpayers. I’m glad these reporters stuck with an important story and went at it from different angles, unraveling it piece by piece.”
2nd: Carolina Cuellar – Arizona Luminaria, “English-only project”
3rd: Cheyanne Mumphrey, Sharon Lurye and Morgan Lee – Associated Press, “Native American students miss school at higher rates. It only got worse during the pandemic”
Judge: Talia Richman is a reporter for The Dallas Morning News Education Lab.
Immigration reporting
- 1st: John Washington with Arizona Luminaria — “Asylum series”
- 2nd: Emily Bregel with Arizona Daily Star — “Missing migrant remains out of reach in protected Arizona wilderness”
- 3rd: Daisy Zavala Magana with Nogales International — “Migrants grapple with heightened immigration restrictions”
Judge:
Business reporting
1st: Sasha Hupka – Arizona Republic, “‘No mercy’: A unique rural Arizona power company’s aging infrastructure threatens lives”
Judge’s comments: “In a contest with several strong contenders, this enterprise package stood out for the way the reporter provided vivid detail and humanized the story of an unreliable electricity provider and its negative impact on the community. The reporting offered a significant public service, uncovering how the utility lacked oversight. The outage information had to be verified through customer accounts, official correspondence and other sources. The reporter worked diligently to build trust with residents in this rural area and on the reservation—many of whom likely had little prior experience with journalists—so they would feel comfortable sharing their stories. The reporting was so impactful that it caught the attention of state and federal officials and even inspired residents to donate money to help affected customers pay their bills.”
2nd: Russ Wiles – Arizona Republic, “Five-part series on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and how the company is rejuvenating Arizona’s technology sector”
3rd: Cathalena E. Burch – Arizona Daily Star, “Too much wine, not enough drinkers: Arizona wine industry is in a slump”
Judge: Nicole Norfleet is a night editor at the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Sports reporting
1st: Michael Lev — Arizona Daily Star, “Unbreakable: Nothing could deter dogged Tucsonan Bailey Bish in her quest to win the U.S. Adaptive Open”
2nd: Michael Lev — Arizona Daily Star for “Connection between Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd, Oumar Ballo goes beyond basketball”
3rd: Jason Wolf— Arizona Republic for “Latest Payton NFL award winner’s charity continues recent pattern of mismanagement”
Column, Opinion or editorial reporting
1st: Tim Steller – Arizona Daily Star, “Tucson’s deepening drug problem”
Judge’s comments: “Timothy Steller has a really confident voice. He uses just enough words to put the reader in the situation, but not too many to get in the way of the story. That’s an impressive combo.”
2nd: Michael Lev – Arizona Daily Star, “Michael Lev columns”
3rd: Blake Morlock – Tucson Sentinel, “What the Devil won’t tell you”
Judge: Steve Calechman is a contributing editor for Men’s Health and a writer for MIT’s Industrial Liaison Program.
Personality profile/human interest reporting
1st: Clara Migoya – Arizona Republic, “Raising chiles or raising questions over Arizona water, Ed Curry has ‘skin in the game'”
Judge’s comments: “Migoya’s strong use of detail and narrative voice managed to capture Ed Curry’s world. She nailed not only his own personality and priorities – but the larger undercurrent of an issue facing the state: Water access.”
2nd: Norma Coile – Arizona Daily Star, “Bob Hirsh, Tucson’s ‘finest criminal defense lawyer,’ dies”
3rd: Samantha Callicutt – Arizona Luminaria, “Forced to flee civil war, this Syrian mother found a new home in Tucson”
Judge: Kelly Powers is a culture reporter for the USA TODAY Network, Northeast Region.
Arts, food, beverage reporting and criticism
1st: Gabriel Pietrorazio – KJZZ for “Indigenous Foodways of Arizona”
Judge’s comments: “A powerful group of stories from Gabriel Pietrorazio, told with authority and without performative sentimentality. Thorough sourcing and contextual history, with a range of voices from the people involved to give it a sense of immediacy and humanity. The idea that a restaurant has to make it clear that its mutton is *not local* says so much. In the dry farming piece, the writer tells a complete origin story in just a few words: “253rd generation dry farmer.” And the packrat piece shows us how food connects us to our heritage beyond the manufactured rose-gold glow of social media. This is writing, reporting and storytelling with a real sense of time and place.”
2nd: Reia Li – Arizona Republic, “A booming Taiwanese restaurant scene serves TSMC workers a taste of home in Phoenix”
3rd: John Washington – Arizona Luminaria, “Past and future of Santa Cruz river is captured in a haunting sonic performance at MOCA”
Judge: Mike Sutter is a restaurant writer/critic for the San Antonio Express News.
Photojournalism – Sports
1st: Patrick Breen – Arizona Republic, “Winning reflection”
Judge’s comments: “Great seeing in what could have been a very boring assignment. Immediately draws the eye and provides all the context.”
2nd: Rob Schumacher – Arizona Republic, “Breaking History”
3rd: Kelly Presnell – Arizona Daily Star, “Territorial Cup”
Judge: Josh Bessex is a photographer at The Buffalo News in Buffalo, N.Y.
Photojournalism – Picture story
1st: Mamta Popat – Arizona Daily Star, “Good Friday Cross Procession”
Judge’s comments: “Lovely photo story on the Good Friday Cross Procession. Strong community-focused photojournalism. Each image in a photo story is beautifully seen, and stands on its own. The pacing of the photo story has a strong beginning, middle and end. The photographer shared dynamic lighting, heartfelt emotion and moments. A very strong and tightly-edited photo story.”
2nd: Taylor McCormick – The Lumberjack, “The highs and lows of Arizona’s election role”
3rd: Grace Trejo – Arizona Daily Star, “U.S. flag placement at the Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery”
Judge: Erika Schultz is a longtime photojournalist at the Seattle Times.
Photojournalism – Feature
1st: Mamta Popat – Arizona Daily Star, “Veterans Day parade”
Judge’s comments: “Wonderfully cropped moment from a crowd of parade onlookers. That kid’s face is priceless. “
2nd: Patrick Breen – Arizona Republic, “Selfie”
3rd: Kelly Presnell – Arizona Daily Star, “Untangle”
Judge: Tom Fox was part of a small team of photographers at The Dallas Morning News who won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography, and was a Pulitzer finalist again in 2020.
Photojournalism – Pictorial
1st: Kelly Presnell – Arizona Daily Star, “Football dusk”
Judge’s comments: “Beautiful light, moment, composition and surprise in one frame. Great work!”
2nd: Diannie Chavez – Arizona Republic, “Rodeo Shadows”
3rd: Patrick Breen – Arizona Republic, “Lights”
Judge: Gabrielle Lurie is a staff photographer at the San Francisco Chronicle. Lurie is a Pulitzer finalist and a NPPA winner.
Photojournalism – News
1st: Rob Schumacher – Arizona Republic, “Summer Games Closing Ceremony”
Judge’s comments: “Wonderful light, composition and moment.”
2nd: Kelly Presnell – Arizona Daily Star, “Monsoon Flooding”
3rd: Grace Trejo – Arizona Daily Star, “Manzo Bobcats’ Garden-to-Table experience”
Judge: Jon Shapley is a visual journalist for the Houston Chronicle. He won NPPA in 2024 for general news photography.
Print page design portfolio
1st: Jake Stevens – Phoenix Business Journal, “Tempe Town Lake feature ”
2nd: Brisa Karow, Jason Maggio, Sarah Marshall – The Lumberjack Magazine, “Dish it!”
3rd: Chloe Legay, Jason Maggio, Hannah Barrett – The Lumberjack Magazine, “Mapping the Southwest’s Fuel Chain”
Judge: Sean Parsons runs the Colorado-based creative studio Sean Parsons Design, whose clients have included 5280 Magazine.
Digital project design portfolio
1st: Paul Thompson, Jim Poulin, Shaun Martin – Phoenix Business Journal
2nd: Mason Callejas – The Arizona Republic, “A sobering scandal”
Judge: Alex Tatusian is deputy creative director at the San Francisco Chronicle and previously worked at the LA Times and Marshall Project.
Short-form audio storytelling
1st: Gabriel Pietrorazio – KJZZ, “Diné jazz trumpeter Delbert Anderson and his quartet perform at ASU Kerr Scottsdale”
Judge’s comments: “Nice use of sound, including the sound bite, and interesting subject matter.”
2nd: Gabriel Pietrorazio – KJZZ, “The Native American Basketball Invitational was bigger than ever, breaking records this year”
Judge: Lilly Ana Fowler is a radio journalist in Seattle.
Long-form audio storytelling
1st: The Arizona Republic, “Rediscovering: The Roots of Radicalism” series
Judge’s comments: “A really smart lens into looking at the history of conspiracy-minded and far-right Arizona history. Ambitious and epic in scope.”
2nd: KJZZ, “Last Resorts”
3rd: Danyelle Khmara – Arizona Public Media, “AZPM for “Exponential Increase in Mexican Families Fleeing Violence in Tucson Sector”
Judge: Antonia Cereijido is the host of Imperfect Paradise, a weekly narrative series about dreamers and schemers, hidden worlds and fascinating people
Podcast
1st: Amanda Luberto and team – Arizona Republic, “Valley 101 – Should Arizona be using its limited water on growing weed?”
2nd: Amanda Luberto, Ronald J. Hansen, Mary Jo Pitzl – Arizona Republic, “The Gaggle – How do you win Arizona?”
3rd: Zac Ziegler, Christopher Conover, Hannah Cree, Danyelle Khmara, Katya Mendoza, Paola Rodriguez – Arizona Public Media, “Tapped: Season 3”
Judge: Will Coley is an audio producer whose stories have aired on NPR and BBC World Services.
Video storytelling
No entries
Newsletter
- 1st: LOOKOUT for LOOKOUT Newsletter
- Judge’s comments: “LOOKOUT achieves what I believe is the most important job of a newsletter: meeting readers where they are. It’s clear that the team put thought and care into every aspect of their newsletters, from the content to the length to the dynamic and visually appealing designs. Each of their three newsletters meets a different need, but all are highly effective at engaging the audience and kept me riveted as I scrolled through (which can be a tall task as people are inundated with emails and only have so much time to catch up on their inboxes!) I was particularly drawn to the ‘Eyes on the Capital’ newsletter for its service journalism elements; the LOOKOUT team included buttons for readers to click to read a bill or email a political representative. These small touches make it easier for readers to understand complex political landscapes and where they fit in. Well done!”
- 2nd: KJZZ for “Prickly Newsletter”
- 3rd: Arizona Agenda for “Arizona Agenda Newsletters”
Judge: Kiley Price
Student news
1st: Chloe Legay – The Lumberjack, “Indigenous Resistance Against Uranium Mining”
Judge’s comments: “The Lumberjack’s thoughtful coverage of the Pinyon Plain Uranium Mine offered valuable insight into a national issue with strong local impact. Reporters worked to give Havasupai Tribe members a strong voice in stories that highlight a history of injustice and fear of continued devastation on the reservation.”
2nd: The Lumberjack staff, “Spring 2024 NAU SJP Protests”
3rd: Austin Hagan, Brisa Karow, Marvin Sagisi – The Lumberjack, “Landing an international bird-tracking program in northern Arizona”
Judge: Melissa Manno covers education for the San Antonio Express-News.
Student features
1st: Analeise Mayor – Arizona Sonoran News, “Starting Over After the Fire”
2nd: Jackson Kimball – Arizona Sonoran News, “After 8-year lull, Cushing Street Skate Park back on track”
3rd: Annabel Lecky – Arizona Sonoran News, “Animals of Distinction brings ‘Frontera’ U.S. premiere to Centennial Hall”
Judge: Sydney Brownstone is an investigative reporter at The Seattle Times.
Student photojournalism
1st: Chloe Legay – The Lumberjack, “Indigenous Resistance Against Uranium Mining”
Judge’s comments: “The photographer included different moments while covering this story with a nice opening image, a detail, and a few other photos. The first image was a good choice in introducing the story and provided context for the other images as well. I appreciated the detail in the second image with more information that contributed to the storytelling. A couple of the later images could have benefited from a slightly different angle for the compositions. Some of the main people in the photos were a little covered up or were harder to find against others in the background. Though, overall the photographer did a nice job in covering this story and I would be interested in seeing more.”
2nd: Taylor McCormick – The Lumberjack, “Vice presidential candidate Tim Walz visits Window Rock”
Judge: Katina Zentz is a staff photojournalist for The Frederick News-Post in Frederick, Maryland.