2026 Excellence in Religion Reporting Awards

William A. Reed Lifetime Achievement Award

Kimberly Winston

Religion Story of the Year

First Place: Jessica Morris, The Roys Report
Second Place: Tom Gjelten, Moment Magazine
Third Place: Mike Hixenbaugh and Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News

Renner Award for Excellence in In-Depth and Continuing Coverage

First Place: Elizabeth Dias, Ruth Graham, Jason Horowitz and the staff of The New York Times, The New York Times
Second Place: Mike Hixenbaugh, Roberto Daza, Antonia Hylton, Elizabeth Chuck and Suzy Khimm, NBC News
Third Place: Camillo Barone, National Catholic Reporter
Honorable Mention: Gulnaz Khan, Hossam Aboul-Magd, Alex Jouve, Jason Williams and Jeremy Seifert, PBS

Supple Award for Excellence in Feature Reporting

First Place: Elizabeth Dias, The New York Times
Second Place: Andy Olsen, Christianity Today
Third Place: Bekah Stolhandske McNeel, Texas Monthly
Honorable Mention: Benyamin Cohen, The Forward

Excellence in Analysis and Explanatory Reporting

First Place: Amanda Henderson and Jonathan Woodward, Complexified, Religion News Service
Second Place: Bobby Ross Jr., Religion Unplugged
Third Place: Joshua McElwee, Reuters
Honorable Mention: Jeff Roberts and Matthew Enuco, NJ Advance Media

Rachel Zoll Award for Excellence in Breaking News

First Place: Joshua McElwee, Crispian Balmer and Philip Pullella, Reuters
Second Place: Elizabeth Dias and Ruth Graham, The New York Times
Third Place: Hannah Feuer, The Forward
Honorable Mention: Brian Kaylor, A Public Witness

Excellence in Investigative and Data Reporting

First Place: Ian Shapira, The Washington Post
Second Place: Brian Kaylor, A Public Witness

Excellence in Digital Storytelling

First Place: Benyamin Cohen and Andy Carvin, The Forward

Chandler Award for Excellence in Student Religion Reporting

First Place: Evan Sung, Religion News Service
Second Place: Helen Teixeira, Religion News Service
Third Place: Rachel Rosenfield, Moment Magazine
Honorable Mention: Clara Shapiro, The Forward

Division 1: Niche and Religious Audiences

First Place: Tom Gjelten, Moment Magazine
Second Place: Fatima AbdulKarim, Samar Hazboun, Lorenzo Milne, Petterik Wiggers and Laure Delacloche, ONE Magazine
Third Place: Brian Roewe, National Catholic Reporter
Honorable Mention: Jay P. Goldman, Robert M. Franklin and Mark A. Chancey, School Administrator Magazine

Division 2: Local, Regional and Metro Outlets

First Place: Alexandria Burris and Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star
Second Place: Deena Yellin, The Record/NorthJersey.com
Third Place: Peggy Fletcher Stack, The Salt Lake Tribune

Division 3: National and International Outlets

First Place: Lauren Jackson, The New York Times
Second Place: Peter Smith, The Associated Press
Third Place: Elizabeth Dias, Jason Horowitz, Ruth Graham, Emma Bubola and Jane Bradley, The New York Times
Honorable Mention: Bob Smietana, Religion News Service

Excellence in News Commentary

First Place: Lauren Jackson, The New York Times
Second Place: Tyler Huckabee, Sojourners Magazine
Third Place: Jay Michaelson, The Forward
Honorable Mention: Niyati Evers, The Revealer
Honorable Mention: Alberto Fernández, EWTN News

Excellence in Lifestyle and Culture Commentary

First Place: Eli Federman
Second Place: Gail Cornwall, The Atlantic
Third Place: Thomas J. Reese, S.J., Religion News Service

Religion Publication

First Place: Sojourners Magazine
Second Place: Moment Magazine

Book of the Year Award

First Place: William J. Kole, In Guns We Trust: The Unholy Trinity of White Evangelicals, Politics, and Firearms
Second Place: Holly Berkley Fletcher, The Missionary Kids: Unmasking the Myths of White Evangelicalism

Excellence in Photography

First Place: Ashlee Rezin, Chicago Sun-Times
Second Place: Andrew Nelles, The Tennessean
Third Place: Diaa Ostaz, Anna Klochko and Ahmad Fallaha, ONE Magazine
Honorable Mention: Jessie Wardarski, The Associated Press

Excellence in Video: Short Reports

First Place: Mike Hixenbaugh, Kate Snow, Abigail Brooks, Nick Lerman and Geraldine Cols Azócar, NBC News
Second Place: Simon Ostrovsky, Katia Patin, Morgan Till, Sara Just and Ani Chkhikvadze, PBS NewsHour
Third Place: Sarah Breger and Eli Katzoff, Moment Magazine
Honorable Mention: Linda Freund, Francisco Pareja, Lauren Costantino, Mostafa Taleb and José Angel Guevara, The Fetzer Institute / The Miami Herald

Excellence in Video: Long Reports

First Place: Antonia Hylton, Mike Hixenbaugh, Roberto Daza, Quinton Boudwin and Tate James, NBC News

Excellence in Audio: News Reporting

First Place: Nirvani Williams, Daniel Burke and Sarah Ventre, NPR & NEPM
Second Place: Lauren Frayer, Fatima Al-Kassab and Paulo Nunes dos Santos, NPR
Third Place: Frank Langfitt, Catherine Laidlaw and Daniel Burke, NPR
Honorable Mention: Emily Wither, BBC

Excellence in Audio: Commentary and Conversation

First Place: Katelyn Beaty, Roxanne Stone and Jonathan Woodward, Saved by the City, Religion News Service
Second Place: B.T. Irwin and Kenneth Pybus, The Christian Chronicle Podcast, The Christian Chronicle
Third Place: Amanda Henderson and Jonathan Woodward, Complexified, Religion News Service
Honorable Mention: Mary C. Curtis, Equal Time with Mary C. Curtis