2015-08-11



WASHINGTON, DC—(Marketwired – Aug 11, 2015) –  The Online News Association today announced finalists for its 2015 Online Journalism Awards, representing a wide range of nonprofit, public, academic, major media, and emerging technology organizations from around the globe.

Ten of the awards now come with $60,000 in prize money, courtesy of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Gannett Foundation, and the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. These awards honor data journalism, visual digital storytelling, investigative journalism, public service, technical innovation and general excellence.

“This year, judges were less swayed by bells and whistles that didn't add to the content, and instead zeroed in on high–quality journalism that was able to take flight on digital platforms,” said Joshua Hatch, ONA Board member and Online Journalism Awards Committee Chair. “It goes to show what a democratic force technology has become to journalists around the world.”

New categories for 2015 include “Sports” and “Pro–Am” within the Student awards. ONA also debuts the James Foley Award for Conflict Reporting to honor one of the many journalists reporting under the most challenging conditions.

All winners will be announced at the 2015 ONA Conference and Online Journalism Awards Banquet on Saturday, Sept. 26, in Los Angeles. The finalists are:

KNIGHT AWARD FOR PUBLIC SERVICE

BBC WhatsApp Ebola News Service, BBC News

Criminalizing Kids, The Center for Public Integrity with Reveal Radio

Losing Ground, ProPublica and The Lens

Till Death Do Us Part, The Post and Courier

GENERAL EXCELLENCE IN ONLINE JOURNALISM, SMALL

civilbeat.com, Honolulu Civil Beat

kbia.org, KBIA News

minnpost.com, MinnPost

texastribune.org, The Texas Tribune

GENERAL EXCELLENCE IN ONLINE JOURNALISM, MEDIUM

propublica.org, ProPublica

qz.com, Quartz

revealnews.org, The Center for Investigative Reporting

GENERAL EXCELLENCE IN ONLINE JOURNALISM, LARGE

BostonGlobe.com, The Boston Globe

lanacion.com.ar, LA NACIÓN (Argentina)

nytimes.com, The New York Times

washingtonpost.com, The Washington Post

GANNETT FOUNDATION AWARD FOR TECHNICAL INNOVATION IN THE SERVICE OF DIGITAL JOURNALISM

AI2HTML, The New York Times

Pulp: AJAM's Open Source Comics Platform, Al Jazeera America Digital

Proximity Alerts, Breaking News

BREAKING NEWS, SMALL

Amtrak 188 Crash, Billy Penn

Charlie Hebdo Real–Time Coverage, reported.ly

BREAKING NEWS, MEDIUM

Baltimore Riots, Mashable

Baltimore Riots and the Freddy Grey Case, The Baltimore Sun

Parliament Hill Siege, The Canadian Press

BREAKING NEWS, LARGE

AJAM's Coverage of Amtrak Crash, Al Jazeera America Digital

The Death of Alberto Nisman, Clarín

Germanwings, The New York Times

Ottawa Shooting, The Globe and Mail

Walter Scott, The Post and Courier

PLANNED NEWS/EVENTS, SMALL

No finalists

PLANNED NEWS/EVENTS, MEDIUM

Echoes from the Jungle, The Virginian–Pilot

#MakeAlCare — The Evolution of One Voter, Southern California Public Radio

The Scar of the City, Berliner Morgenpost

PLANNED NEWS/EVENTS, LARGE

Election Party!, NPR Visuals

Midterm Election Coverage, Al Jazeera America Digital

Midterm Elections, The New York Times

The Norwegian Victims of WW2, VG

The Senate Report on the CIA's Interrogation Program, The Washington Post

EXPLANATORY REPORTING, SMALL

An Impossible Choice, inewsource

InfoGuide: The Sunni–Shia Divide, Council on Foreign Relations

The Long Reach of Childhood Trauma, The Connecticut Mirror

Undrinkable, The Texas Tribune

EXPLANATORY REPORTING, MEDIUM

The 45–Minute Mystery of Freddie Gray's Death, The Baltimore Sun

Check 2016, Newsy

Climate Change in Minnesota, Minnesota Public Radio News

What Does Gun Violence Really Cost?, Mother Jones

EXPLANATORY REPORTING, LARGE

Bees at the Brink, Star Tribune

Drugging our Kids, San Jose Mercury News/Bay Area News Group/Digital First Media

Ebola, The New York Times

Saving Cyla, The Globe and Mail

TOPICAL REPORTING, SMALL

The Broadband Industry Beat, The Center for Public Integrity

'Dark Money' in America, The Center for Public Integrity

Hurting for Work, The Texas Tribune

Nieman Journalism Lab, Nieman Journalism Lab

NHPR: Abuse And Neglect at Lakeview, New Hampshire Public Radio

StateImpact Pennsylvania: Energy, Environment, Economy, StateImpact Pennsylvania

TOPICAL REPORTING, MEDIUM

Alcohol's Hold on Campus, The Chronicle of Higher Education

The Broken Hip, KERA

Retronaut: Time Travel Through Photography, Mashable

State of Health, KQED

TOPICAL REPORTING, LARGE

Ebola Outbreak, NPR

The Future of Food, National Geographic

Vaccinations in L.A. County, Los Angeles Times

A Year of Legal Marijuana, The Denver Post

ONLINE COMMENTARY, SMALL

Dispatches From Syria: Marcell Shehwaro on Life in Aleppo, Global Voices

Informing Public Debate with Knowledge–Based Journalism, Alfred Hermida, Graduate School of Journalism, University of British Columbia

ONLINE COMMENTARY, MEDIUM

No finalists

ONLINE COMMENTARY, LARGE

Susie Cagle and Al Jazeera America Online Community, Susie Cagle & Al Jazeera America Digital

Transgender Today Community Page, The New York Times

Vox's Todd VanDerWerff's Cultural Criticism, Vox Media

FEATURE, SMALL

Disappearing Rio Grande, The Texas Tribune

The Martian Diaries: What If the Curiosity Rover Kept a Scrapbook?, Science News

You're 16. You're a Pedophile. You Don't Want to Hurt Anyone. What Do You Do Now?, Matter

FEATURE, MEDIUM

Betrayed by Silence: The Investigation, Minnesota Public Radio News

M29 — The Bus Route of Contrasts, Berliner Morgenpost

The NRA's Murder Mystery, Mother Jones

Stickup Kid, FRONTLINE

FEATURE, LARGE

Beyond the Border, The Texas Observer and The Guardian US

Chasing Bayla, The Boston Globe

Kim's Choice, The Globe and Mail

Passwords, The New York Times

Spain: 253 Billion Euros Under the Table, El Mundo

SPORTS, SMALL

No finalists

SPORTS, MEDIUM

Dynasty: UConn Women's Basketball 10–Title Reign, Hartford Courant

Girls Fight Out, Taffy Brodesser–Akner for Matter

SPORTS, LARGE

Boston Globe Sports, The Boston Globe

Dawn Wall, The New York Times

The Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Fight, Los Angeles Times

World Cup, The New York Times

STUDENT PROJECTS, SMALL

Loud Austin – The Live Music Capital with a Loud Music Problem, School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University

Mobile Health: Apps for Every Age and Ouch, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism

The Trails of Trash, Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, University of Southern California

Wiped, Flashed, and Rekitted: The International Black Market of Stolen Cell Phones, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism

STUDENT PROJECTS, LARGE

Counterfeit Ed, NYCity News Service/CUNY Graduate School of Journalism

The Kenny “Zulu” Whitmore Case, The Medill Justice Project

The Missing, NYCity News Service/CUNY Graduate School of Journalism

#WhatAreTheChances?, Journalism Broadcast, Sheridan College

STUDENT PROJECTS, PRO–AM

Assault on Justice, WAMU88.5 News, Investigative Reporting Workshop and Reveal

Gun Wars: A News21 Investigation of Rights and Regulations in America, Arizona State University, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism

Powering a Nation: Whole Hog, The Power of Pork, School of Media and Journalism, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

THE AL NEUHARTH INNOVATION IN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM AWARD, SMALL

Profiting from Prisoners, The Center for Public Integrity

THE AL NEUHARTH INNOVATION IN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM AWARD, MEDIUM

The Dark Side of the Strawberry, The Center for Investigative Reporting

Undue Force, The Baltimore Sun

Up in Flames, San Antonio Express–News

THE AL NEUHARTH INNOVATION IN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM AWARD, LARGE

Evicted and Abandoned: The World Bank's Broken Promise to the Poor, The Center for Public Integrity's International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, The Huffington Post and Media Partners

Game of Chicken, The Oregonian/OregonLive.com

The Secret Casualties of Iraq's Abandoned Chemical Weapons, The New York Times

Workers' Comp, ProPublica and NPR

EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION IN VISUAL DIGITAL STORYTELLING, SMALL

No finalists

EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION IN VISUAL DIGITAL STORYTELLING, MEDIUM

Being 12, WNYC

Space Business, Quartz

EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION IN VISUAL DIGITAL STORYTELLING, LARGE

A Global Guide to the First World War — Interactive Documentary, The Guardian and Kiln

Look At This, NPR

Markets & Finance Interactive Graphics, The Wall Street Journal

The N–Word, The Washington Post

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA AWARD IN INVESTIGATIVE DATA JOURNALISM, SMALL/MEDIUM

Ballot Watch, FRONTLINE

Trouble with Taxes, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Unsolved Homicides, Los Angeles News Group

Who's Trying to Influence Your Vote?: Tracking TV Ad Wars in the 2014 Election, The Center for Public Integrity

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA AWARD IN INVESTIGATIVE DATA JOURNALISM, LARGE

Medicare Unmasked, The Wall Street Journal

Missed Signs, Fatal Consequences: How Texas Missed Deadly Patterns and Key Pieces of Information that Could Have Helped Protect Vulnerable Children, Austin American–Statesman

Stop and Seize, The Washington Post

Swiss Leaks: Murky Cash Sheltered by Bank Secrecy, The Center for Public Integrity's International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Le Monde, The Guardian and 64 Media Partners

A group of 134 industry–leading journalists and new media professionals teamed up to screen 994 entries and select semi–finalists. Fifteen judges representing a diverse cross–section of the industry then conferred to determine finalists and winners, many pushing the envelope of innovation and excellence in digital storytelling and distribution.

Launched in 2000, the OJAs are the only comprehensive set of journalism prizes honoring excellence in digital journalism.

About ONA
The Online News Association is the world's largest association of digital journalists. ONA's mission is to inspire innovation and excellence among journalists to better serve the public. The membership includes news writers, producers, designers, editors, bloggers, developers, photographers, educators, students and others who produce news for and support digital delivery systems. ONA also hosts the annual Online News Association conference and administers the Online Journalism Awards.

About John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit knightfoundation.org

About the Gannett Foundation
The Gannett Foundation is a corporate foundation sponsored by Gannett Co., Inc. whose mission is to invest in the future of the communities in which Gannett does business, and in the future of our industry. It supports projects that take a creative approach to fundamental issues such as education and neighborhood improvement, economic development, youth development, community problem–solving, assistance to disadvantaged people, environmental conservation and cultural enrichment.

About the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications
The University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications is driving innovation and engagement across the disciplines of advertising, journalism, public relations and telecommunication. The strength of its programs, faculty, students and alumni — in research and in practice — has earned the college ongoing recognition as one of the best in the nation among its peers. The college offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees and certificates, both online and on campus. The college's strength is drawn from both academic rigor and experiential learning. CJC students have the opportunity to gain practical experience in the Innovation News Center, which generates content across multiple platforms, and a strategic communication agency with expertise in targeting messages to millennial audiences. The college includes seven broadcast and digital media properties and the nation's only chair in public interest communications.

Show more