Finalist: Staff of the Southern California News Group
For their coverage of the unrelenting wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles communities and killed 31 people, reporting that included the fires’ immediate aftermath and accountability-driven analysis.
Nominated Work
January 8, 2025
Winners
Prize Winner in Breaking News Reporting in 2026:
Staff of The Minnesota Star Tribune
For its coverage of a shooting at a back-to-school Mass at a Catholic school that left two children dead and 28 wounded, powerful stories marked by thoroughness and compassion.
Breaking News Reporting
Finalists
Nominated as finalists in Breaking News Reporting in 2026:
Staff of The Seattle Times
For its coverage of catastrophic flooding from a major storm system that remained over the Pacific Northwest for days, work that in real time warned residents, relayed the stories of affected communities and explained how weather and geography combined to cause the devastation.
Staff of The Wall Street Journal
For their comprehensive and compelling coverage of deadly Texas flooding, including the failures and technical errors that led to the tragedy and heartrending narratives of its impact.
The Jury
The Jury
Austin Bogues(Chair)
News Desk Editor, USA Today
Gina Chon
Executive Editor, News and Live Journalism, Semafor
Brian Lyman
Editor, Alabama Reflector
Flora Peir
Editor, Power, Politics and Policy, The 19th
Jessica Perez
Senior Editor, Boyle Heights Beat/The LA Local
Winners in Breaking News Reporting
Staff of The Washington Post
For urgent and illuminating coverage of the July 13 attempt to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, including detailed story-telling and sharp analysis that coupled traditional police reporting with audio and visual forensics.
Staff of Lookout Santa Cruz, California
For its detailed and nimble community-focused coverage, over a holiday weekend, of catastrophic flooding and mudslides that displaced thousands of residents and destroyed more than 1,000 homes and businesses.
Staff of the Los Angeles Times
For revealing a secretly recorded conversation among city officials that included racist comments, followed by coverage of the rapidly resulting turmoil and deeply reported pieces that delved further into the racial issues affecting local politics.
Staff of the Miami Herald
For its urgent yet sweeping coverage of the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium complex, merging clear and compassionate writing with comprehensive news and accountability reporting.
2026 Prize Winners
Saher Alghorra, contributor, The New York Times
For his haunting, sensitive series showing the devastation and starvation in Gaza resulting from the war with Israel.
Jahi Chikwendiu of The Washington Post
For a heart-wrenching and achingly beautiful photo essay on a young family welcoming the birth of their first child as the father is slowly dying from cancer.
Dake Kang, Garance Burke, Byron Tau, Aniruddha Ghosal and Yael Grauer, contributor, of Associated Press
For an astonishing global investigation into state-of-the-art tools of mass surveillance, created in Silicon Valley, advanced in China and spreading worldwide before returning to America for secret new uses by the U.S. Border Patrol.
M. Gessen of The New York Times
For an illuminating collection of reported essays on rising authoritarian regimes that draw on history and personal experience to probe timely themes of oppression, belonging and exile.