On June 26, the Native American Journalists Association announced its 2013 NAJA Media Awards, where Indian Country Today Media Network was honored with 12 awards in Division I.

In the Best Column category Steve Russell’s FBIs’—Full-Blooded Indians—Face the Most Anti-Indian Racism took first place; Ray Cook, ICTMN opinion editor took second, and columnist Ruth Hopkins third.

Washington D.C. ambassador and staff writer, Rob Capriccioso received a first place nod for Best News Story with Obama Sends a Message, believed to be the first time a sitting president of the United States has conducted such an interview with Native media. Capriccioso also earned a third place award for his piece Not Again,

Among the 12 awards were honors for ICTMN West Coast Editor, Valerie Taliman, with top honors for Best Sports Story for her piece titled Beyond Bronze: The Iroquois Nationals Come Home as Champions in Many Respects, highlighting the lacrosse team’s trip and third place finish at the Federation of International Lacrosse 2012 U19 World Championships.

ICTMN contributing writers Stephanie Woodard, Tristan Ahtone, Terri Hansen, and Mary Pember all received NAJA awards for a variety of work. Wrapping up the honors for ICTMN was a first place finish in the General Excellence category and for Best Online Newspaper.

Ahtone was also the recipient of this year’s The Gannett Foundation Investigative Journalism Award – NAJA Richard LaCourse Award for his radio broadcast Land Grab: What Happened to the Wind River Reservation?

Ryan Gabrielson, staff reporter for The Center for Investigative Reporting, served as a guest judge for the Richard LaCourse Award and commented on Ahtone’s honor.

". . . Ahtone takes the listener on two fascinating journeys in 'Land Grab,' telling the powerful narrative of an Arapaho man who believes himself robbed of his family's land and the story of a reporter mining for truth in documents and memories. Most journalists would pursue only the outrage of radioactive pollution on the Wind River Reservation. With patient storytelling that respects the listeners' intelligence, Ahtone goes far deeper, asking: how did the uranium mill's owners obtain the land? This is excellent public service journalism."

Other top Native media organizations honored included The Navajo Times with nine awards in Division I, including first place for Best Layout. In Division IV, Osage News received 12 awards; Division V saw The Eastern Door, The Southern Ute Drum, and Potawatomi Traveling Times each walk away with 8 honors apiece.

In the Broadcast division, Cheyenne & Arapaho TV and Wyoming Public Radio – with Ahtone’s coverage – earned multiple awards.

A complete list of the awards is below:

 

COLLEGE

 

College - Best Photo

1st Place - Marcus Barnoskie

 

College - Best Feature Story

1st Place - Ramona Marozas "Powwow brings tradition to SCSU" WCCO - CBS Minnesota

2nd Place - Joshua Woosypitti "Watchman on ANTM" Haskell Indian Leader

3rd Place - Janice Mendez "Follow-up to commencement powwow" Haskell Indian Leader

 

College - Best News Story

1st Place - Kyle Griggs "Confusion surrounds student senate election" Haskell Indian Leader

2nd Place - Janice Mendez "Caught in tweet" Haskell Indian Leader

3rd Place - Janice Mendez "Chiller barrels delay A/C at Blue Eagle" Haskell Indian Leader

 

College - Best TV News Story

1st Place - Ramona Marozas "Powwow brings tradition to SCSU" WCCO - CBS Minnesota

2nd Place - Ashley Ignacio "Apology to Native Americans" Haskell Indian Leader

3rd Place - Ramona Marozas "Beading circle revisits ancient traditions" WCCO - CBS Minnesota

 

College - General Excellence

1st Place - Haskell Indian Leader

 

 

DIVISION I

 

Associate - Best News Story / Coverage of Native Americans

(Combined Category)

1st Place - Stephanie Woodard "Rough justice in Indian Child Welfare"

Indian Country Today Media Network (Per Stephanie Woodard, this story was edited by 100Reporters.com and NBC.com)

2nd Place - Cindy Yurth ""Confluence residents oppose development plan"

Navajo Times

3rd Place - Stephanie Woodard "Native youth in crisis: Tribes grapple with a suicide emergency"

Indian Country Today Media Network

 

Best Column

1st Place - Steve Russell "full-blooded Indians face the most racism"

Indian Country Today Media Network

2nd Place - Ray Cook "A history lesson for Matt Lauer and his viewers"

Indian Country Today Media Network

3rd Place - Ruth Hopkins "Indian Country and the Second Amendment"

Indian Country Today Media Network

 

Best Environmental Story

1st Place - Tristan Ahtone "Get the frack out of here!"

Indian Country Today Media Network

2nd Place - Terri Hansen "Toxins in every glass"

Indian Country Today Media Network

3rd Place - Noel Lyn Smith - "Hopi continues snowbowl fight"

The Navajo Times

 

Best Sports Story

1st Place - Valerie Taliman "Beyond bronze"

Indian Country Today Media Network

2nd Place - Alastair Bitsoi "Playing for dad"

The Navajo Times

3rd Place - Quentin Jodie " Dad's helping hands"

The Navajo Times

 

Best Feature Story

1st Place - Mary Pember "The fire next time"

Indian Country Today Media Network

2nd Place - Alastair Bitsoi "Spirituality gave me a second chance"

The Navajo Times

3rd Place - Krista Allen "Art as life"

The Navajo Times

 

Best News Story

1st Place - Rob Capriccioso "Obama sends a message"

Indian Country Today Media Network

2nd Place - Krista Allen "Dine worker fired for speaking Dine"

The Navajo Times

3rd Place - Rob Capriccioso "Not again"

Indian Country Today Media Network

 

Best Layout

1st Place "Navajo Times"

 

General Excellence

1st Place - This Week from Indian Country

2nd Place - The Navajo Times

 

 

(There were no entries in Division 2 and 3)

 

 

DIVISION IV

 

Associate - Best News Story

1st Place - Wil Phinney "FBI arrests four for April 6 beatdown" Confederated Umatilla Journal

2nd Place - Ron Karten "Paddle to Squaxin Island" Smoke Signals

3rd Place - "Chuck Williams' Life in the trenches" Smoke Signals

 

Associate - Best Photo

1st Place - Wil Phinney "Messy painter" Confederated Umatilla Journal

2nd Place - Michelle Alaimo "Log crawl" Smoke Signals

3rd Place - Wil Phinney "Nixyaawii runners take direction" Confederated Umatilla Journal

 

Daily / Weekly - Best Sports Story

1st Place - Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton "Okla. Horse racing industry protests Creek deal"

Native American Times

 

Daily / Weekly - Best News Story

1st Place - Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton

Native American Times

 

Monthly/Bi-Monthly - Best Sports Photo

1st Place - Dallas Dick "Spectacular mutton-bustin'" Confederated Umatilla Journal

2nd Place - Sterling Cosper "Eight seconds" Muscogee Nation News

3rd Place - Chalene Toehay "Woodland plays for state" Osage News

 

Monthly/Bi-Monthly - Best Sports Story

1st Place - Sunnie Clahchischiligi "Lacrosse sisters" Osage News

2nd Place - Jill-Marie Gavin "In the cage" Confederated Umatilla Journal

3rd Place - Darren DeLaune "Roberts brings new life to culture, sports" Muscogee Nation News

 

Monthly/Bi-Monthly - Best Feature Photo

1st Place - Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan "Caesar Williams"

Osage News

2nd Place - Benny Polacca "Ready to straight dance"

Osage News

3rd Place - Chalene Toehay "Cultural walk"

Osage News

 

Monthly/Bi-Monthly - Best Feature Story

1st Place - Sunnie Clahchischiligi "Veteran portraits"

Osage News

2nd Place - Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan "Osage transgender running for Third Osage Congress shares story"

Osage News

3rd Place - Rosemary Stephens "Five-year-old golfer works his way to the pros"

Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal Tribune

 

Monthly/Bi-Monthly - Best News Photo

1st Place - Shannon Shaw-Duty "Back to roundhouse" Osage News

2nd Place - Gerald Wofford "Fire destruction" Muscogee Nation News

3rd Place - Dallas Dick "In it for the short haul" Confederated Umatilla Journal

 

Monthly/Bi-Monthly - Best News Story

1st Place - Shannon Shaw Duty "Business trips"

Osage News

2nd Place - Benny Polacca "William Kemble resigns as treasurer of the Osage Nation"

Osage News

3rd Place - Benny Polacca "Pawhuska Village Five-Man Board chairman resigns amid audit findings"

Osage News

 

Monthly/Bi-Monthly - Best Column

1st Place - Shannon Shaw Duty

Osage News

2nd Place - Gary Fife "Learning our language, regaining culture"

Muscogee Nation News

3rd Place - Gary Fife "Emvpvnayv"

Muscogee Nation News

 

Monthly/Bi-Monthly - Best Layout

1st Place - Confederated Umatilla Journal

2nd Place - Smoke Signals

3rd Place - Muscogee Nation News

 

Monthly / Bi-Monthly - General Excellence

1st Place - Smoke Signals

2nd Place - Confederated Umatilla Journal

3rd Place - Muscogee Nation News

 

 

DIVISION V

 

Associate - Best Coverage of Native Americans

1st Place - Jason Coppola "Lakota: The revitalization of language and the persistence of spirit" Truthout

2nd Place - Winda Collins "Elena's Legacy"

Potawatomi Traveling Times

3rd Place - Winda Collins "Learning life's lessons"

Potawatomi Traveling Times

 

Associate - Best News Story

1st Place - Ace Stryker "Fiscal limbo"

Southern Ute Drum

2nd Place - Ace Stryker "Bringing endangered fish back"

Southern Ute Drum

3rd Place - Beverly Bidney "Native relief found"

Seminole Tribune

 

Associate - Best Photo

1st Place - Ace Stryker "Basket weaver" The Southern Ute Drum

2nd Place - Jeremy Wade Shockley "Blues brothers tribute" The Southern Ute Drum

3rd Place - Diane Rodriquez "Awaiting the start" Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians

 

Best Sports Photo

1st Place - Jeffrey Keeble "Pensive golfer" Potawatomi Traveling Times

2nd Place - Jeffrey Keeble "Get me the ball" Potawatomi Traveling Times

3rd Place - Lindsey Bark "Too much turf" Gaduwa Cherokee News

 

Best Sports Story

1st Place - Ronnie Washines "Randoll Corpuz wins another pro fight"

Yakama Nation Review

2nd Place - Roselynn Wahtomy "BHS quarterback tackles challenges"

Sho-Ban News

3rd Place - Jeffrey Keeble "FCP youth makes it to sectionals"

Potawatomi Traveling Times

 

Best Environmental Story

1st Place - Michael David Bushman "Asum being given a helping hand to thrive"

Yakama Nation Review

2nd Place - Jeff Vele "Controversial removal of railroad"

Mohican News

3rd Place - Louis Montclair "Disease killing deer in eastern Montana"

Fort Peck Journal

 

Best Editorial

1st Place - Steve Bonspiel - The Eastern Door

2nd Place - Steve Bonspiel - The Eastern Door

3rd Place - Steve Bonspiel - The Eastern Door

 

Daily / Weekly - Best Feature Story

1st Place - Steve Bonspiel "Community bids adieu to beloved high school teacher"

The Eastern Door

2nd Place - Roselynn Wahtomy "Camas Prairie Homecoming"

Sho-Ban News

3rd Place - Richard Peterson "Fifth president in FPCC history inaugurated"

Ft. Peck Journal

 

Daily / Weekly - Best News Story

1st Place - Timmy Norton "Angry parents spur new election"

The Eastern Door

2nd Place - Steve Bonspiel / Timmy Norton "School committee under fire"

The Eastern Door

3rd Place - Richard Peterson "Return of genetically pure bison celebrated by tribes"

Fort Peck Journal

 

Daily / Weekly - Best Layout

1st Place - Sho-Ban News

2nd Place - The Eastern Door

3rd Place - Lakota Country Times

 

Daily/ Weekly - General Excellence

1st Place - The Eastern Door

2nd Place - Lakota Country Times

3rd Place - Sho-Ban News

 

Monthly / Bi-Monthly - Best Feature Photo

1st Place - Jeffrey Keeble "Fancy shawl dancer" Potawatomi Traveling Times

2nd Place - Robert Ortiz "Four corners walk" The Southern Ute Drum

3rd Place - Lindsey Bark "Native drum group at NSU" Gaduwa Cherokee News

 

Monthly / Bi-Monthly - Best Feature Story

1st Place - Michael-David Bushman "Letting nature take its course revives dormant food" Yakama Nation Review

2nd Place - Lindsey Bark "Woody Hair UKB elder"

Gaduwa Cherokee News

3rd Place - Darla Leslie "Native uses art to deliver message"

Yakama Nation Review

 

Monthly / Bi-Monthly - Best News Photo

1st Place - Jeffrey Keeble "Head dancer" Potawatomi Traveling Times

2nd Place - Robert Ortiz "State line fire" The Southern Ute Drum

3rd Place - Sammy Still "The Indian taco kid" Gaduwa Cherokee News

 

Monthly / Bi-Monthly - Best News Story

1st Place - Darla Leslie "Gov. signs retrocession..."

Yakama Nation Review

2nd Place - Ronnie Washines "Yakama voters support retrosession PL-280"

Yakama Nation Review

3rd Place - M. Thomas Jordan "Eleventh-hour ruling places Keetoowah Cherokee Casino into trust"

Gaduwa Cherokee News

 

Monthly / Bi-monthly - Best Layout

1st Place - The Southern Ute Drum

2nd Place - Yakama Nation Review

3rd Place - The Seminole Tribune

 

Monthly / Bi-monthly - General Excellence

1st Place - The Southern Ute Drum

2nd Place - Yakama Nation Review

3rd Place - The Seminole Tribune

 

Best Online Newspaper

1st Place - Indian Country Today Media Network

2nd Place - Lakota Country Times

3rd Place - Sho-Ban News

 

 

BROADCAST

 

Best TV Feature Story

1st Place - Darren Brown "Bunky Ecohawk" Cheyenne & Arapaho TV

2nd Place - Darren Brown "Chief Lawrence Hart" Cheyenne & Arapaho TV

3rd Place - Jordan Dresser "412 - Indian Rodeo" Wyoming PBS / Wyoming Chronicle

 

Best TV News Story

1st Place - Mark Trahant "Denise Juneau and Native American vote"

 

Best Radio Feature Story

1st Place - Tristan Ahtone, "UW forensics lab investigates human history from found remains" Wyoming Public Radio

 

Best Radio News Story

1st Place - Tristan Ahtone, WPR/KUNM

2nd Place - Tara Gatewood, Native America Calling

 

Radio General Excellence

1st Place - Antonia Gonzales, National Native News

2nd Place - Antonia Gonzales, Alaska's Native Voice

3rd Place - Tara Gatewood, Native America Calling

 

 

The Gannett Foundation Investigative Journalism Award - NAJA Richard LaCourse Award

 

Tristan Ahtone "Land Grab: What happened to the Wind River Reservation?

WPR / KUNM