Gala Honors Hall of Fame

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The SPJ Western Washington chapter board votes each year to award up to six different honors to local journalists and news outlets. These awards recognize excellence in practice in Western Washington journalism. Anyone can nominate a journalist, educator, or outlet for these honors by emailing spjwash@gmail.com with a letter supporting the nominee’s qualifications before the deadline of May 15 at 11:59 p.m.

Journalist of The Year Award

This award honors a local journalist who has made an impact both externally (with the public) and internally. Any journalist can win this award, from a copy editor to a single person running an online site. This person has demonstrated their excellence in the nominating year. The nominator must demonstrate to us that this person has had a standout year. Please be as specific as possible.

New Journalist of the Year Award

This award will go to an outstanding journalist who has only been full time at a news organization for three years or less. It’s not easy being the “newbie” and sometimes you don’t get the most glorious assignments. This award is to honor those new journalists who take on tasks, no matter what they are, with enthusiasm and determination, and who make an impact on our community and our industry in their roles at a news organization or on their own.

June Anderson Almquist Lifetime Achievement Award

In the late 1960s, the SPJ Western Washington Chapter established the Courage in Journalism and Service to Journalism awards to honor organizations and individuals for special contributions toward the betterment of journalism within Washington state. They were later combined into one under the moniker of the Distinguished Service to Journalism Award and later renamed to the June Anderson Almquist Award for Distinguished Service to Journalism, following the trailblazing Seattle Times journalist’s death in 2000. Years later, it was renamed to its current title. It was temporarily combined to recognize the journalist of the year in 2017.

Susan Hutchison Bosch Award for Perseverance and Quiet Courage

Susan Hutchison Bosch, an environmental affairs reporter for the Seattle P-I, contracted lymphoma at the age of 18 while a student at the University of Washington and died of Hodgkin’s disease at the age of 25 in 1971. Bosch personified intellectual honesty, deep understanding of people and their problems, abiding fairness, grace, perseverance and quiet courage,” according to the board that established this award in her honor. “Though afflicted with Hodgkin’s disease, she rejected despair and chose to live a fully committed life. The award is presented only when the recipient is judged uniquely qualified and his or her work reflects the qualities Bosch defined in life.

Journalism Educator of the Year

This award will go to a teacher or professor who has made an exceptional contribution to journalism education and standards of the profession. Any level of journalism educator can win this award, including high school and college. The nominator must describe why this outstanding teacher has made a difference.

Innovation Award

This award will go to a journalist or staff of journalists who have innovated in the service of their audience in a powerful way. The nominator must describe a specific innovation made during the course of the award year and explain how the innovation broke new ground and made an impact. Any journalist or staff of journalists in any medium can win this award, including writers, photographers, broadcasters, producers, editors, managers and designers.

The SPJ Western Washington board reserves the right to vote on and award these honors at its discretion, based on application materials. There may be a situation when an award is not named in a given year. All awards are announced at the SPJ Western Washington celebration party in June.

Hall of Fame

This list includes winners of all SPJ Honors. The year column refers to the year in which the honor was awarded.

An empty cell or N/A indicates that either the category was not awarded that year, or we could not find historical data to whom it was granted. Let us know if you can help fill in the gaps.

Gala Honors were not awarded for several years after 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic-induced challenges.