News

01 Jun Congratulations to this year’s SPJ Gala Award winners!

The Western Washington SPJ Chapter is proud to announce this year’s Gala Award winners: Jean Enersen, Mike Baker, Sarah Stuteville, Crosscut.com, Genna Martin, Paige Cornwell and Kari Plog.

These exemplary journalists are being recognized for their considerable contributions to the profession and to the public. They will be honored along with the winners of the 2014 Northwest Excellence in Journalism Contest at the 2015 SPJ Awards Gala on Saturday, June 13, at the Seattle Renaissance Hotel. (Get your tickets today – early bird tickets expire June 8).

June Anderson Almquist Lifetime Achievement Award: After 46 years at KING television, Jean Enersen retired in 2014 as the first and longest-standing local female anchor in the country. She has lifelong fans throughout the region.

Journalist of the Year: Mike Baker had a standout year in his first year at The Seattle Times, covering the deadly Oso landslide and taking on sacred cows that led to reform at a local school.

Innovation Award: Crosscut.com innovated in the service of its audience in a powerful way using the Community Idea Lab, a project that “brings together the power of online news site and its readers to bring out, develop and harness the ideas of engaged local citizens to solve community problems.”

Journalism Educator of the Year: Sarah Stuteville has made an exceptional contribution to journalism education and the standards of the profession through her work as co-founder of The Seattle Globalist and artist in residence at the University of Washington.

New Journalists of the Year: Genna Martin of The Herald of Everett, Paige Cornwell of The Seattle Times and Kari Plog of The News Tribune are active young journalists. Each of them is not only making an impact in her respective organization, but also crafting stories that have an impact on its audiences.

Congratulations to all!

Join us in honoring these journalists at the 2015 SPJ Awards Gala Saturday, June 13 at the Renaissance Hotel in Seattle. Get your tickets here.