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KUOW wins 9 awards from the Western Washington Society of Professional Journalists for 2024

caption: Jon Schlueter is portrayed with his guitar at his home, and business, the Bamboo Collective Nursery, on Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Seattle’s Broadview neighborhood.
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Jon Schlueter is portrayed with his guitar at his home, and business, the Bamboo Collective Nursery, on Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Seattle’s Broadview neighborhood.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer


KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio has won nine Society of Professional Journalists 2024 Northwest Excellence in Journalism Awards. Winners were announced this week.

SPJ's Western Washington Chapter sponsors the Northwest Excellence in Journalism awards, which recognize the "excellent work of journalists in the Northwest and beyond." KUOW falls into SPJ's Region 10 Large Market category, which includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska. The contest is "one of the largest contests of its kind in the nation." See the full list of winners here.

KUOW is thankful to our dedicated journalists and to our community, who make this work possible. Below, explore KUOW's winning stories.

Crime & Law Enforcement Reporting

First Place

2 years in, Washington's alert system for missing Indigenous people is working

Reporting by Amy Radil. Edited by Catharine Smith.

caption: Washington's Missing Indigenous Persons Alerts have been used to locate juvenile runaways and to bring new attention to longer-term cases like the disappearance of Puyallup tribal member Besse Handy, pictured here.
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Washington's Missing Indigenous Persons Alerts have been used to locate juvenile runaways and to bring new attention to longer-term cases like the disappearance of Puyallup tribal member Besse Handy, pictured here.
Photo courtesy of Connie Samuels.

Hard News Feature

First Place

Seattle families brace for school closures. What can we learn from last time?

Reporting by Sami West. Edited by Liz Jones.

caption: Joy Anderson and her daughter Olivia Wilkinson stand in front of the former Cooper Elementary, which shuttered in 2009, during Seattle's last wave of school closures. The school now houses Pathfinder K-8.
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Joy Anderson and her daughter Olivia Wilkinson stand in front of the former Cooper Elementary, which shuttered in 2009, during Seattle's last wave of school closures. The school now houses Pathfinder K-8.
KUOW Photo/Sami West

Government & Politics Reporting

First Place

The AI deepfakes that want to sway your vote

Reporting by Patricia Murphy. Edited and produced by Clare McGrane, Vaughan Jones, and Caroline Chamberlain Gomez.

caption: Seattle Now Cover Art
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Seattle Now Cover Art

Health Reporting

First Place

He broke his neck diving into a pool. 20 years later, new technology is helping him recover

Reporting by Libby Denkman. Edited by Alec Cowan.

caption: Jon Schlueter is portrayed with his guitar at his home, and business, the Bamboo Collective Nursery, on Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Seattle’s Broadview neighborhood.
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Jon Schlueter is portrayed with his guitar at his home, and business, the Bamboo Collective Nursery, on Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Seattle’s Broadview neighborhood.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer

Photo Portfolio

First Place

Photography by Megan Farmer.

caption: Kevin Hernandez, known as HAPPYTEARS, wears light up wings during a renegade rave under a bridge, on Friday, October 11, 2024, in Seattle.
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Kevin Hernandez, known as HAPPYTEARS, wears light up wings during a renegade rave under a bridge, on Friday, October 11, 2024, in Seattle.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer

Spot News Photography

Second Place

Bomb Cyclone Aftermath

Photography by Megan Farmer.

caption: An abandoned car sits surrounded by fallen trees and debris following a "bomb cyclone" on Nov. 21, 2024, along Northup Way in Bellevue, Washington.
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An abandoned car sits surrounded by fallen trees and debris following a "bomb cyclone" on Nov. 21, 2024, along Northup Way in Bellevue, Washington.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer

Investigative Reporting

First Place

'Such a violation': Patients of former UW doctor accused of fertility fraud grapple with uncertainty, tough choices

Reporting by Ashley Hiruko and Diana Opong. Edited by Liz Brazile.

caption: While some Seattle patients are relieved that their pregnancy attempts failed under their former doctor's care, others are confronting the risks and reality of confirming their children's parentage in light of his alleged fertility fraud.
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While some Seattle patients are relieved that their pregnancy attempts failed under their former doctor's care, others are confronting the risks and reality of confirming their children's parentage in light of his alleged fertility fraud.
Teo Popescu

Second Place

Secret payments, damning audit. King County's youth violence prevention effort, mired in scandal

Reporting by Ann Dornfeld and Amy Radil. Edited by Isolde Raftery.

caption: After Dow Constantine, King County executive, introduced a high-profile initiative to curb youth gun violence, it has been plagued by corruption.
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After Dow Constantine, King County executive, introduced a high-profile initiative to curb youth gun violence, it has been plagued by corruption.
KUOW Illustration/Teo Popescu

At Large: Collaboration

First Place

Lost Patients

Reporting, editing, and production by Will James, Liz Jones, Sydney Brownstone, and Esmy Jimenez.

caption: Lost Patients
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Lost Patients
NPR
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