Congratulations to the 2023 Excellence in Religion Reporting Award Winners
At a special ceremony hosted by Columbia University's Journalism School on November 6, 2023, the Religion News Association (RNA) showcased religion journalism excellence, awarding nearly $11,000 in prizes.
Congratulations to the journalists, authors and news outlets who won the 2023 RNA Awards for Religion Reporting Excellence across 13 categories spanning print, online and broadcast media, as well as nonfiction books!
The award winners included Religion Stories of the Year from Elizabeth Dias ("Where Does Life Begin?" The New York Times), Michael Rezendes ("Seven Years of Sex Abuse: How Mormon Officials Let It Happen," The Associated Press) and Sonia Paul ("Trapped in Silicon Valley's Hidden Caste System," Wired). The event also included a panel of awardees across categories, with Roxanne Stone (Religion News Service), Michael Rezendes (The Associated Press) and Liam Adams (The Tennessean).
Since 1949, the Religion News Association has been the premier professional association for people who report on religion in the news media. Our mission is to equip journalists throughout the world with the tools and resources they need to cover religion with balance, accuracy and insight.
We look forward to announcing our 2024 award process in the coming weeks and celebrating with you all in Pittsburgh, PA from April 18-20, 2024 at our 75th Anniversary Conference!
Below is a full list of awardees. Congratulations to all, for their contributions to the religion beat!
Religion Story of the Year
1st Place - Elizabeth Dias, The New York Times
2nd Place - Michael Rezendes, The Associated Press
3rd Place - Sonia Paul, Wired
Renner Award for Enterprise and Serials
1st Place - Ruth Graham and Elizabeth Dias, The New York Times
2nd Place - Roxanne Stone, Katelyn Beaty and Jonathan Woodward, Religion News Service
3rd Place - Sonia Paul, Wired
Supple Award for Feature Writing
1st Place - Sonia Paul, Vox and Wired
2nd Place - Deepa Bharath, The Associated Press
3rd Place - Sam Kestenbaum, Rolling Stone, The Washington Post and The Land Magazine
Newspapers: Large and Wire Services
1st Place - Eliza Shapiro and Brian M. Rosenthal, The New York Times
2nd Place - Ruth Graham, The New York Times
3rd Place - Deepa Bharath, The Associated Press
Newspapers: Small and Midsized
1st Place - Liam Adams, The Tennessean
2nd Place - Tamarra Kemsley, The Salt Lake Tribune
Online-Only News Outlets
1st Place - Mira Fox, The Forward
2nd Place - Barry Yeoman, The Assembly
3rd Place - Luke Tress, Times of Israel
Documentary
1st Place - Valeria Perasso and Georgina Pearce, BBC/BBC 100 Women
Television: National and Local
1st Place - Unity Productions Foundation, "The Great American Muslim Road Trip," PBS
Photography: Single Photo
1st Place - Petros Giannakouris, The Associated Press
Photography: Gallery
1st Place - Jessie Wardarski, The Associated Press
Multimedia: Analysis
1st Place - Bobby Ross Jr., The Associated Press
2nd Place - Jack M. Jenkins, Rolling Stone and Religion News Service
3rd Place - Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News
Multimedia: Commentary or Blog
1st Place - Menachem Wecker, National Catholic Reporter
2nd Place - Celia Viggo Wexler, Salon and NBC
3rd Place - Thomas J. Reese, Religion News Service
Magazine, Overall Excellence
1st Place - The Revealer, "Special Issue: Trans Lives and Religion"
2nd Place - Deseret Magazine, "The State of Faith"
Magazine and Non-daily Newspapers
1st Place - Erik Tryggestad, The Christian Chronicle
2nd Place - Katie Collins Scott, National Catholic Reporter
3rd Place - Noah Philips, Moment
Broadcast: Radio
1st Place - Deena Prichep, NPR
2nd Place - Walter Ratliff, The Associated Press
Broadcast: Podcast
1st Place - Hana Baba, the Stoop from Radiotopia and PRX, "Pious and Pleasured"
2nd Place - Leah Henoch, Katie Henoch, Emily Martinez, Sarah Ventre, Rebecca Ross, Matt Shaer and Sydney Fleischmann, Campside Media and Sony Music Entertainment, “Witnessed: Mystic Mother"
Book: Nonfiction
1st Place - Harley Rustad, Lost in the Valley of Death