Outstanding Student Reporting: SEJ 23rd Annual Awards for Reporting on the Environment

First Place

"The Price of Plenty" by Julia Cooper, Katie Delk, Fernando Figueroa, Alan Halaly, Abigail Hasebroock, Lucille Lannigan, Ana Clara Mattiuzzi Martins, Serra Sowers, Elliot Tritto, Lauren Whiddon (University of Florida) and Bailey Becker, Maya Bell, Mavis Chan, Josie Heimsoth, Lauren Hines-Acosta, Jamie Holcomb, Joy Mazur, Noah Zahn, Sofi Zeman (University of Missouri), published by The University of Florida’s public radiio station WUFT.org and the University of Missouri’s Columbia Missourian

Screenshot of first-place Student Reporting project

 

Team roles:

• Alan Halaly: Reporter (University of Florida)
• Julia Cooper: Reporter (University of Florida)
• Katie Delk: Reporter (University of Florida)
• Fernando Figueroa: Reporter (University of Florida)
• Abigail Hasebroock: Reporter (University of Florida)
• Lucille Lannigan: Reporter (University of Florida)
• Serra Sowers: Reporter (University of Florida)
• Elliot Tritto: Reporter (University of Florida)
• Lauren Whiddon: Photographer (University of Florida)
• Ana Clara Mattiuzzi Martins (University of Florida)
• Sofi Zeman: Reporter (University of Missouri)
• Bailey Becker: Reporter (University of Missouri)
• Mavis Chan: Reporter (University of Missouri)
• Josie Heimsoth: Reporter (University of Missouri)
• Lauren Hines-Acosta: Reporter (University of Missouri)
• Jamie Holcomb: Reporter (University of Missouri)
• Joy Mazur: Reporter (University of Missouri)
• Noah Zahn: Reporter (University of Missouri)
• Maya Bell: Photographer (University of Missouri)

Story links:

1. Part I: Elemental (June 5, 2023): "Florida’s Hidden Backbone" and "Fixed on Nitrogen"
2. Part II: Justice (June 6, 2023): "When the Storm Hits," "In the Shadow of Phosphate" and "Living in the 'Sacrifice Zone'"
3. Part III: Water & Land (June 7, 2023): "Beneath the Surface," "The Gulf Dead Zone and a Legacy of Science," and "Your Money and the Climate Are up for Debate in This Year’s Farm Bill"
4. Part IV: Profit (June 8, 2023): "The Cost of Growth," "Fertilizer’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Add Up," "Farmers Navigate the Tricky Terrain of Profit versus Planet," and "How the Fertilizer Industry Funds Research" (in Florida and in Missouri)
5. Part V: Futures (June 9, 2023): "The Hunt for Rare Earth Elements," "Fertilizer Flatline?" "Saving Our Soil," "Regenerating With Mushrooms" and "Can Biotech Jumpstart Better Fertilizer?"

Judges' comments: "A team of students from the University of Florida and the University of Missouri traced the life cycle of one of the most basic building blocks of modern life — the phosphorus used in fertilizers. They found an industry that creates pollution and environmental injustice at every step of the way, from Central Florida where the raw mineral is mined to South Louisiana where it's turned into fertilizer to the Gulf of Mexico where fertilizer runoff creates a 3,200-square-mile dead zone. The judges were impressed with the level of detail in the reporting, and their consistent use of local voices to tell the story of an industry that most Americans ignore."

 

Second Place

"Lithium Liabilities" by Alex Appel, Morgan Casey, Francesca D'Annunzio, Tori Gantz, Jordan Gerard, John Leos, Anna Montoya-Gaxiola, Emma Peterson, Joshua Shimkus, Noel Lyn Smith, Pacey Smith-Garcia, Daisy Tanner, Caitlin Thompson, Annika Tourlas and Shelby Rae Wills, Howard Center for Investigative Journalism ASU, published by Cronkite News and PBS NewsHour

Story links:

Lithium Liabilities, Cronkite News (Jan. 25, 2024):

• "Lithium Liabilities: The Untold Threat to Water in the Rush To Mine American Lithium"
• "Lessons From Abroad: The Environmental and Social Costs To Lithium Mining in Argentina"
• "Tribes Face an Uphill Battle To Defend Their Sacred Land Against Lithium Mining"
• "Proposed Lithium Mines in the U.S.: Interactive Map"
• "Mine Your Business Game"
• "Lithium Liabilities Data Methodology"

"How Demand for Lithium Batteries Could Drain America's Water Resources," PBS NewsHour (Jan. 25, 2024). Transcript.

"Lithium Liabilities: The Untold Hazard of the Push for More American Lithium Mines," USA Today (Jan. 26, 2024)

Judges' comments: "Students at the Howard Center on Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University produced a blockbuster multi-media series detailing the rush to mine lithium and its impacts on the environment. A PBS Newshour broadcast described how lithium mines could impact the nation’s water resources. Print stories reported on the impacts to U.S. tribes and a mine in Argentina run by a U.S. company. Interactive graphics identified the mines and regulatory pitfalls. Judges were impressed by the comprehensive breadth of the investigation and its level of detail."

 

Third Place

"Montana Youth Climate Trial" by Kate Selig, Stanford University, published by The Washington Post

Story links:

1. "The Montana Youths Behind a Historic Climate Lawsuit, and the Places They Love" (Aug. 5, 2023)
2. "Judge Rules in Favor of Montana Youths in Landmark Climate Decision" (Aug. 14, 2023)
3. "Youths Sued Montana Over Climate Change and Won. Here’s Why It Matters." (Aug. 16, 2023)
4. "The Montana Climate Kids’ Lawsuit Has Energized Activists, Including This One" (Aug. 27, 2023)

Judges' comments: "A lone student at Stanford University learned from legal experts that Montana youths likely would defy expectations and prevail in their court suit arguing the state violated their right to a cleaner climate. Her breaking story in the Washington Post about their victory was impressively detailed and comprehensive because of her early reporting. Three other prepared stories provided significant depth about the students and the legal impacts. The judges praised the insight and enterprise behind these outstanding stories."

 

First Honorable Mention

"Rice Farmers Pay the Price for Conservation in the Mekong Basin" by Michelle Gomez, Sonal Gupta, Hanna Hett, Shaurya Kshatri, Victoria Mann, Hafsa Maqsood, JJ Mazzucotelli, Aastha Sethi and Megan Wilde of the Global Reporting Program (GRP), University of British Columbia’s School of Journalism, Writing, and Media, published by Mongabay

Story links:

1. "Small Farmers in Limbo As Cambodia Wavers on Tonle Sap Conservation Rules" (April 28, 2023)
2. "Vietnamese Rice Farmers Go High-Tech To Anticipate a Low-Water Future" (July 24, 2023)
3. "Microfinance Loans, Embraced As a Way To Lift Millions Out of Poverty, Are Pushing Some Deeper Into Debt" (Oct. 18, 2023)
4. "A Mekong Island Too Tiny for Industrial Farming Now Points to Vietnam’s Future" (Jan. 11, 2024)

Judges' comments: "This series by students of the Global Reporting Program at the University of British Columbia's School of Journalism, Writing, and Media took a nuanced look at an underexplored aspect of climate change. Judges called the work respectful and engaging. The series, which detailed the ways Southeast Asia's changing waterscape is disrupting small rice farmers, excelled through the reporting, research and multimedia work."

 

Second Honorable Mention

"Choked Out: The Wildfire Smoke Threat to Tree Planters" by Aldyn Chwelos, Kristen de Jager and Paul Voll, University of Victoria, published by The Tyee and the Climate Disaster Project (Sept. 18, 2023)

Judges' comments: "Journalism students at the University of Victoria's Climate Disaster Project produced a compelling and readable series on tree planters in Canada impacted by wildfire smoke. Judges commended the series for localizing and humanizing this underreported topic."

 

Third Honorable Mention

"Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Party: Community Scientists Use Spider Webs To Monitor Air Pollution" by Joy Reeves, Duke University, published by Planet Forward (Feb. 23, 2024)

Judges' comments: "This entry used a cartoon format to tell the story of a researcher who used spider webs as a way to judge the level of air pollution in a region. The judges were impressed by the clear storytelling and crisp quotes, which worked nicely with the innovative format."

 

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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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