2026 – Online | National Headliner Awards

DIGITAL MULTIMEDIA OPEN TO ALL NEWS ORGANIZATIONS

Civic/political affairs podcast

First Place
‘The Rise and Fall of Agency Power: From Chevron Deference to Loper Bright”
Matthew Schwartz and Josh Block
Bloomberg Industry Group
Judges’ comments: Bloomberg Law’s Rise and Fall of Agency Power transformed a very mundane legal subject into a highly informative and amusing listen that made the case come alive. The series featured excellent sound design, well-written storytelling, strong narration, and smile-inducing cultural moments – like the brief use of music from Schoolhouse Rock. A great job from start to finish!
Second Place
“NPR’s Embedded: Alternate Realities”
Zach Mack and the Embedded Staff
NPR
Third Place
“ABC Audio: Start Here”
ABC News staff

Narrative podcast

First Place
“Fumed – Public Health Watch”
Public Health Watch Staff
Judges’ comments: This podcast has strong storytelling and characters from the beginning. While it had a very strong sense of place in Texas, especially with a use of natural sound, the broad strokes of this important investigation could apply to any number of communities in America struggling with environmental challenges brought on by companies who are seemingly beholden to no one. It was also well written, well voiced and succinct.
Second Place
“The Other Moonshot”
Joanne Higgins and LAist staff
LAist
Third Place
“Scratch and Win”
The Staff of Scratch and Win
GBH News

Narrative podcast focused on a single incident, person or time

First Place
“American Shrapnel”
John Archibald, Becca Andrews, John Hammontree and AL.com staff
AL.com
Judges’ notes: A first-hand account of how a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist tracked a story of murder and destruction. A look behind the curtain that’s behind the curtain. The basics of how an investigation is conducted. Well suited to the podcast medium with strong natural sound and scene building.
Ashley Remkus
Second Place
“Click Here: ERASED”
Dina Temple-Raston, Sean Powers, Karen Duffin, and Megan Detrie
Click Here podcast from Recorded Future News
Third Place
“Becoming Bovino”
Chicago Public Media staff
Chicago Public Media

Information podcast

First Place
“College Uncovered”
Jon Marcus and Kirk Carapezza
The Hechinger Report and GBH
Judges’ comments: Each episode was an easy listen replete with strong reporting and natural sound. They featured three discrete issues affecting colleges, including an intriguing look at the growing student body gender gap and what some colleges are doing to address that problem. A very effective mix that bounced seamlessly between insights from students, school administrators and the hosts. A relatable podcast that fit the category perfectly.
Second Place
“Click Here: North Korea’s Secret Army of Hackers”
Dina Temple-Raston, Sean Powers, Karen Duffin and Megan Detrie
Click Here podcast from Recorded Future News
Third Place
“Who Gets to be Native in America”
Anisa Khalifa and Jerad Walker
WUNC

Criminal justice and/or crime podcast

First Place
“Untested”
Gina Barton and Austin Fast
USA TODAY
Judges’ comments: Really strong investigative work that took years to compile. Exhaustive research and the effort to carefully and thoughtfully work with victims really made this podcast standout.
Second Place
“CNN Presents: Tortured Justice with Omar Jimenez”
Omar Jimenez and CNN Presents Staff
CNN
Third Place
“ABC Audio | Bad Rap: The Case Against Diddy”
ABC News Staff

Sports podcast

First Place
“Chasing Basketball Heaven”
Nick Altschuller, Rich Levine and Craig Kilborn
ESPN 30 for 30 Podcasts
Judges’ comments: This series was well-produced, well-written and chock full of sound. A listening delight for a diehard basketball fan.
Second Place
“Inside the Arena: A Seattle Sports Podcast”
Chris Daniels, Niko Tamurian, Bill Fesh, Wayne White and Darrin Tegman
KOMO TV
Third Place
“unCovering the Birds”
Jeff McLane
The Philadelphia Inquirer

Conversational podcast episode

First Place
“The Belichick Effect and the Money-sucking Machine of College Football”
Anisa Khalifa, Charlie Shelton-Ormond and Jerad Walker
WUNC
Judges’ comments: A superb use of facts. An honest and much-needed discussion that goes beyond sports.
Second Place
“50 Years Later, the Music of ‘Jaws’ Still Delights and Frightens”
Callie Crossley, Andrea Asuaje and David Goodman
GBH News
Third Place
“Off the Radar”
Emily Gracey and Brian Pietrus
Sinclair

Investigative podcast

First Place
“Leaving the Island”
Olga Loginova
Type Investigations and Audiation
Judges’ comments: A very well-produced investigation into a side of climate change that is likely to become more common. It takes a nuanced and novel look into all aspects of moving a community from Isle de Jean Charles from the personal to tribal, state and federal politics. Great audio and scenes, strong narration and evidence of a huge reporting effort.
Second Place
“The Last Appeal”
NBC Dateline staff
NBC Dateline
Third Place
“Heat List”
Wondery and Vespucci staff

News video up to 3 minutes

First Place
“Inside the White Supremacist Compound Hiding in Plain Sight”
Rob Picheta, Meridith Edwards and Victoria Fleischer
CNN
Judges’ comments: It was clear this video had a lot of deep reporting to back it up. It was strong and encompassed the important points of the reporting in a short amount of time.
Second Place
“The Racial History Behind MARTA’s Limited Reach in Atlanta”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff
Third Place
“Saving Okefenokee Swamp”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution staff

News video 3 to 10 minutes

First Place
“Indigenous Youth Kayak Klamath River for First Time since Dam Removal”
Brontë Wittpenn
San Francisco Chronicle
Judges’ comments: The storytelling in this contextual, multifaceted video combined stunning visuals, historical perspective, and a broad range of voices to give viewers an exhilirating, emotional journey. It also gave them something that is often in too-short supply: joy.
Second Place
“Unpinned: The 30-year Rise of Girls Wrestling in Indiana
Grace Hollars
The Indianapolis Star
Third Place
“Found On The Guadalupe”
Michael Anthony Adams, Linda Pattillo and Scripps News staff
Scripps News

News video 10 to 30 minutes

First Place
“The New Housing Crisis”
Brontë Wittpenn
San Francisco Chronicle
Judges’ comments: The wildfires in California are a natural disaster, but the challenges of rebuilding of communities are more often the result of mismanagement and indifference. In this film, the San Francisco Chronicle chronicled how widespread underinsurance has stymied the recovery of Grizzly Flats, destroyed in the 2021 Caldor Fire in Northern California. The film uncovers how the faulty algorithms and flawed processes used by California’s biggest insurance companies routinely underestimate what their clients will need to rebuild. Then the film visits Los Angeles to show how survivors of the 2025 wildfires are navigating these challenges in real time. Beautifully filmed with compelling and emotional interviews, the film combines the best of cinematic filmmaking and traditional journalism to identify a major culprit that robs communities of their most precious asset: their resilience.
Second Place
“How the U.S. Automotive Industry Fuels Lead Poisoning in Nigeria”
Taylor Turner, Will Fitzgibbon, Ashleigh Joplin and the staff of The Examination
The Examination
Third Place
“We Mapped Out Gaza’s Deadly Food Economy | View From Above”
Business Insider Staff
Business Insider

CROSS-PLATFORM OPEN TO ALL NEWS ORGANIZATIONS

Journalistic innovation

First Place
“Starved for Care: A Multimedia Investigation of Starvation and Dehydration Deaths in Local Jails”
Sarah Stillman, Eliza Fawcett, Matt Nadel
Investigative Reporting Lab at Yale
Judges’ comments: An investigative look at why so many inmates across the country are dying of starvation would be award-worthy on its own, but the multi-faceted presentation in this series shows how much greater such an investigation can be when it is presented across platforms aimed at reaching diverse audiences. The graphic pocket-size zines aimed at specific communities, their issues and their victims were distributed to libraries, non-profits and even homeless encampments gave allowed it to reach non-traditional audiences, many of whom most needed to know about the dangers.
Second Place
“Strib Varsity”
Staff
Minnesota Star Tribune
Third Place
“Map: Where ICE was seen in Chicago”
Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ Chicago Staff
Chicago Public Media

Digital presentation of a single news topic

First Place
“Scorching Cells: How Heat Threatens Lives in America’s Prisons”
Disha Raychaudhuri, Clare Farley, Travis Hartman and Adolfo Arranz. Reuters
Judges’ comments: How do you make readers feel the heat of a shared 70-square-foot prison cell with an average nighttime temperature of 80 degrees? Reuters combined strong boots-on-the-ground reporting, employed an engineering firm to do energy modeling and then designed a compelling visual design that brought readers inside the stifling cell. Reuters spoke to inmates and prison officials and also shared internal temperatures records, developed data visualizations and shared their underlying data on GitHub. “Scorching Cells” used the best tools of today’s digital journalism to bring attention to an important and overlooked issue.
Second Place
“The Vaccine Divide”
Staff
NBC News
Third Place
“Pastors and Prey”
Staff
NBC News Digital

Digital presentation of a single features topic

First Place
“India’s Digital Dream, Hacked”
Natalie Obiko Pearson, Suparna Sharma, Anand RK
Bloomberg
Judges’ notes: Some stories find their form. This one did. A deep investigation into one of India’s most insidious scams, told across formats that felt not just creative but necessary — the graphic novel treatment among the more original approaches we encountered, and never gratuitous. The illustrations and photography moved together with intention, each element earning its place. This was design and execution that served the investigation, rather than just illustrating it.
Second Place
“80 Over 80”
Noah Sheidlower
Business Insider
Third Place
“Through Their Lens”
Anthony Vazquez, Brett Chase and Andjela Padejski
Chicago Sun-Times

Social media

First Place
“Chicago Under ICE Outreach”
WBEZ Chicago and Chicago Sun-Times Staff
Chicago Public Media
Judges’ comments: What distinguished this entry was a clarity of purpose … journalism that knew exactly what it was trying to do and did it. The storytelling moved across levels with ease: news you could act on, explainers that illuminated, and an “ask me anything” that not only gave information and answered questions, but showed some transparency in how the work was done … all shaped to honor the rhythms of each platform
Second Place
“Portland ICE coverage”
The Oregonian/OregonLive Staff
The Oregonian/OregonLive
Third Place
“Auschwitz Liberation: 80 Years Later”
Staff
NBC News

DIGITAL JOURNALISM

Online investigative reporting for digital website on a national issue

First Place
“‘I Love Hitler’: Leaked Messages Expose Young Republicans’ Racist Chat”
Jason Beeferman and Emily Ngo
POLITICO
Judges’ comments: Deep research and, in some ways, original research. The POLITICO articles by Jason Beeferman were outstanding, shocking and depressing all at the same time. Beeferman pored over 3,000 pages of chats by members of the New York Young Republican Club. Packed with racist, pro-Nazi and other stunning remarks by these “future leaders,” the POLITICO series was a red flag about the character of these people. So much so that it had a major impact: Some of the people lost their jobs over their remarks and the club itself was disbanded. Fine work of shining a light.
Second Place
“Strip Searches in Schools Traumatize Kids Over Minor Offenses”
Diana Dombrowski and Emily R. Siegel
Bloomberg Industry Group
Third Place
“Kept in the Dark”
Mark Keierleber
The 74

Online investigative reporting for digital website on a local issue

First Place and BEST IN SHOW
“Missing the Bus: How Baltimore Failed a Generation of Students Struggling to Get to School”
Staff
The Baltimore Banner
Judges’ comments: The Banner’s “Missing the Bus” series embodies what the National Headliner Awards stand for: stellar shoe-leather reporting, facts presented clearly, voices that amplify problems, and thoughtful ideas for solving them. Through databases on bus locations and Census data; interviews with students, parents and educators; and analyses of roads and transportation routes in the city, Banner reporters showed that students who didn’t have access to a car were more likely to be tardy. They were more likely to suffer academically. They were less safe. The series pointed out a path forward with a yellow school bus system. The only piece missing: Commitment from public officials to fix the problems identified.
Second Place
“Helene’s Unheard Warnings”
Jennifer Berry Hawes, Cassandra Garibay and Mollie Simon
ProPublica
Third Place
“A Deadly New Year’s”
Honolulu Civil Beat staff
Honolulu Civil Beat

Online investigative reporting for digital partnerships with other news outlets

First Place
“The Poisonous Lead Trade”
Will Fitzgibbon, Peter S. Goodman and the staff of The Examination and The New York Times
The Examination and the New York Times
Judges’ comments: A deep, broad, international investigation into an international disgrace — car manufacturers profiting off of battery recycling in other countries that is poisoning those workers and communities with the lead exposed for reuse. The writing, depth of reporting and visuals combine in an package with a high outrage factor and ongoing ramifications.
Second Place
“Jailed and Pregnant”
Mackenzie Mays, Jon Schuppe, Roberto Daza, Andrew Wallender and Diana Dombrowski
Bloomberg Industry Group and NBC News
Third Place
“The Gaza Family Torn Apart by IDF Snipers from Chicago and Munich”
Hoda Osman, Emma Graham-Harrison, Frederik Obermaier, Maria Retter, Daniel Laufer and Maria Christoph
The Guardian, The Guardian US, paper trail media, Der Spiegel, ZDF and ARIJ

Online beat reporting

First Place
“Unsafe Ocean”
Megan Tagami and Caitlin Thompson
Honolulu Civil Beat
Judges’ comments: Civilbeat’s stories on Hawaiʻi drownings was the winner for beat reporting but it could have also been a standout for investigative or public service. Drownings in this tourism state? Don’t think tourists. Many residents do not know how to swim. About half of all kids have not learned. It’s the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 15. This revelatory reporting — deeply researched with real people examples — sparked the state to step up its anti-drowning push.
Second Place
“The Aftermath of New York’s Prison Guard Strike”
Chris Gelardi
New York Focus
Third Place
Forward — Film Coverage
Simi Horwitz

Online beat reporting health and science coverage

First Place
“Young Colon Cancer Reporting: Unpacking a Mysterious Trend”
Hilary Brueck
Business Insider
Judges’ comments: Solid reporting and storytelling on a topic of intense interest — why so many young, healthy and fit people are dying of cancer. Great information here for young adults and their families. The story exploring possible links between these cancers and events during childbirth and the first few months of life is particularly informative.
Second Place
“The Power and Politics of Food”
Sarah Todd
STAT
Third Place
“Saving Whitefish, and the Great Lakes”
Kelly House
Bridge Michigan

Online beat reporting government and political coverage

First Place
“How Project 2025 Has Unfolded Under Trump”
Eugene Kiely
FactCheck.org
Judges’ comments: A powerful deep dive that showed how Project 2025 was implemented across the federal government. Excellent explanatory lookback at promises made and kept — with an easy-to-navigate presentation.
Second Place
“Tax Breaks Propped Up Troubled Memphis Apartment Complexes and Tenants Paid the Price”
Michael Finch II
MLK50.com
Third Place
“Members of Congress Repeatedly Violate Federal Financial Law”
Dave Levinthal
NOTUS

Digital newsletter

First Place
“Menopause, by The 19th”
Jennifer Gerson
The 19th
Judges’ comments: Menopause by The 19th is a crisply written, engaging newsletter that is well-researched, and full of great information that SO MANY women can relate to, learn from and depend on. The structure and voice are just what a newsletter should be. Weighted vests! Hot flashes! Really well done.
Second Place
“AI Prognosis”
Brittany Trang and Lison Joseph
STAT
Third Place
“City Council Notebook”
Malachi Barrett
BridgeDetroit

Honoring journalistic excellence for more than 90 years

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2026 – Online