First Place
"A Town Derailed" by Alejandro de la Garza, Chrissy Dunleavy, Rebecca Kiger, Kara Milstein, Alexandra Piepenbrink, DW Pine, Katherine Pomerantz, Lon Tweeten and Elijah Wolfson for TIME (Feb. 2, 2024)
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| Screenshot of first-place Feature Story, Large |
Team roles:
- Rebecca Kiger; Photographer & reporter
- Alejandro de la Garza: Writer
- Kara Milstein: Photo editor
- Katherine Pomerantz: Director of photography
- Elijah Wolfson: Editorial director
- DW Pine: Creative director
- Chrissy Dunleavy: Design director
- Alexandra Piepenbrink: Design & development lead
- Lon Tweeten: Graphics director
Judges' comments: "This beautiful, heartfelt look at the small town of East Palestine, Ohio unpacks the aftermath of a devastating toxic train derailment. The reporter and photographer use documentary photography, in-depth reporting and earned trust and respect to chronicle the aftermath of the chemical spill: the people suffering and struggling from and grappling with it, and the responses from business and government. The result is a comprehensive, year-long deep dive into the wake of a man-made disaster. The judges were especially taken with the care and consideration with which the story is told."
Second Place
"Escalation: The Battle Between Climate Activists and Police" by Michelle Baddiley, Guy Bowden, James Braye, Alice Brennan, Matthew Carney, Mayeta Clark, Hagar Cohen, Kathryn Diss, Kamin Gock, Phil Hemingway, Nicole Koncz, Chris MacGregor, Jeanavive McGregor, Sean Nicholls, Andrew Ottley and Dylan Welch for Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Four Corners (Oct. 9, 2023)
Team roles:
- Hagar Cohen, Reporter
- Mayeta Clark, Producer
- Dylan Welch, Researcher
- Kamin Gock, Researcher
- Kathryn Diss, Researcher
- Guy Bowden, Editor
- James Braye, Post production editor
- Andrew Ottley, Assistant Editor
- Phil Hemingway, Camera Operator
- Chris MacGregor, Sound Recordist
- Michelle Baddiley, Archivist
- Nicole Koncz, Graphic Artist
- Jeanavive McGregor, Deputy Editor, ABC Investigations
- Sean Nicholls, Editor, ABC Investigations
- Alice Brennan, Supervising Producer, ABC Four Corners
- Matthew Carney, Executive Producer, ABC Four Corners
Judges' comments: "As powerful corporations seek to cash in on climate anxiety and monetize the decarbonization process, environmental advocates are turning to direct action to draw attention to the crisis. This one-of-a-kind cinema verité reflected dogged reporting and trust-building that resulted in an intimate and unnerving portrait of a climate activist group's clash with multinational tycoons and an increasingly aggressive Australian police force. Touching vignettes built character and highlighted the strengths and vulnerabilities of the protagonists. The resulting film reveals competing narratives concerning the methods by which humanity should travel to a carbon-free future and the costs it is willing to endure along the journey. The contest judges noted the professional risks the news agency took in publishing the story and the ensuing backlash, including a police subpoena of all raw footage."
Third Place
"Inside the Crime Rings Trafficking Sand" by Mark Smith and David Taylor for Scientific American (Feb. 1, 2024)
Team roles:
- David Taylor: Reporter
- Mark Smith: Illustrations
Judges' comments: "Illegal sand mining is a big criminal business with ecological consequences that are rarely, if ever, examined. This riveting piece takes the reader on a journey into North Africa, and a too-often overlooked black market, whose shady size and scale are estimated to sit just behind counterfeiting and drug trafficking and far ahead of the illegal mining of other elements. The reporter built upon established relationships and experience to explore a curious corner of the environment, importantly laying a foundation of work that other environmental reporters might be wise to begin to build upon. The contest judges noted the uniqueness and challenges posed by the subject matter."
First Honorable Mention
"At What Cost?" by Sari Aviv, Seth Doane, Ed Givnish, Thorsten Hoefle Rand Morrison and Anton Van der Merwe for CBS Sunday Morning (Nov. 26, 2023)
Team roles:
- Seth Doane, Correspondent, CBS Sunday Morning
- Sari Aviv, Producer, CBS Sunday Morning
- Ed Givnish, Editor, CBS Sunday Morning
- Rand Morrison, Executive Producer, CBS Sunday Morning
- Thorsten Hoefle, Cameraman CBS News
- Anton Van der Merwe, Audio Technician, CBS News
Judges' comments: "On the coast of Ghana, migrant workers as young as 10 slash and burn their way through small mountains of discarded mobile phones, computer terminals, wiring harnesses and other electronic waste to recover saleable scrap metal such as gold and copper. This revealing television exposé spotlights the horrific health risks faced by workers at an e-waste dump, along with the lackluster efforts by governments and manufacturers to reform their wasteful ways."
Second Honorable Mention
"The Venus Flytrap and the Golf Course" by Madeline Gray, Michael Johnson, Jackie Mogensen, Maddie Oatman, Marianne Szegedy-Maszak and Henry Carnell for Mother Jones (Dec. 20, 2023)
Team roles:
- Jackie Mogensen: Reporter
- Michael Johnson: Photo illustration
- Madeline Gray: Photographer
- Maddie Oatman: Editor
- Marianne Szegedy-Maszak: Top Editor
- Henry Carnell: Fact-checker
Judges' comments: "The reporter takes us on an amusing adventure with Julie Moore, a biologist and self-described 'Crazy Plant Lady' who has dedicated her retirement years to trying to rescue the few remaining native colonies of Venus flytraps. Moore's crusade calls attention to the strengths and weaknesses of the Endangered Species Act, which protects plants and animals already on the brink of extinction, but does little to keep vulnerable species from reaching that point."
Third Honorable Mention
"The San Joaquin Water Bandit" by Leah Flickinger, Jessica Fu, Ambrose Martos, Louis Mazzante, Richard Moody, Jennifer Sherry, Jesse Southerland and Susan West for Popular Mechanics (Dec. 19, 2023)
Team roles:
- Reporter: Jessica Fu, Freelance Journalist
- Editor: Louis Mazzante, Senior Features Director, Hearst Magazines Enthusiast Group
- Top Editor: Leah Flickinger, Executive Features Director, Hearst Magazines Enthusiast Group
- Designer: Jesse Southerland, Creative Director, Hearst Magazines Enthusiast Group
- Photo Editor: Richard Moody, Associate Photo Editor, Hearst Enthusiast Magazines Group
- Fact Checker: Ambrose Martos, Freelance Fact Checker
- Copy Editors: Susan West, Freelance Copy Editor and Jennifer Sherry, Editorial Operations Director, Hearst Magazines Enthusiast Group
Judges' comments: "'The San Joaquin Water Bandit' delved into hundreds of pages of documents to tease out a liquid narrative from legalese. The richly detailed investigation was built off local coverage, representing the first comprehensive look. With a deft touch, the author brought the technical minutiae of water transport and canal mechanics to life and gained the trust of reticent sources within an insular California farming community. The story had the elements of a classic boondoggle and mystery: a toxic workplace culture, embezzlement and complicity that highlighted not just a bad apple, but a system gone awry."
The Society of Environmental Journalists' annual Awards for Reporting on the Environment honor the best environmental journalism in 10 categories, bringing recognition to the stories that are among the most important on the planet. Prizes are $500 for first-place winners and $250 for second-place winners in all categories. Plus, the Nina Mason Pulliam Award for the "best of the best" environmental reporting will award $10,000 to one entry selected from the first-place winners of SEJ's Awards for Reporting on the Environment. Sponsored by the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, this prestigious award will be announced live on January 28 — please save the date and stay tuned for details.
SEJ's 2024 Esteemed Judges and Screeners
SEJ's 2024 Awards Committee
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