Planet Detroit journalists won four first-place awards at the annual awards ceremony of the Detroit Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists chapter. The publication took home eleven awards in total.
SPJ awarded Planet Detroit first-place accolades for Racial Justice Reporting, Collaborative Coverage, Environment Reporting and Videography.
Jena Brooker of BridgeDetroit also won Young Journalist of the Year. Planet Detroit is proud that Brooker got her start in journalism with Planet Detroit and continues to be a valued journalism partner.
Planet Detroit’s winning journalism included:
- First Place in Racial Justice Reporting to Angela Lugo-Thomas and Nina Ignaczak in Racial Justice Reporting for reporting on Black Detroit women climate leaders
- First Place in Collaborative Coverage to Nina Ignaczak (Planet Detroit) and Sarah Cwiek and Sarah Hulett (Michigan Public) for Metro Detroit’s Rainy Future
- First Place in Environment Reporting to Nina Ignaczak and Brian Allnutt, Quinn Banks (Planet Detroit) and Sarah Alvarez and Koby Levin (Outlier Media) for Exhausted in Detroit
- First Place in Videography to Nina Ignaczak (Planet Detroit) and Thaad and Eden Sabolboro and Amanda Tingley (Reel Clever Films) for Claiming Connections
- Second place in Community/Local News to Nina Ignaczak, Brian Allnutt and Nick Hagen for Climate costs imperil Detroit’s unique, diverse Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood
- Second place in engagement-driven coverage to Nina Ignaczak for Answering Detroiters’ Questions about Air Quality
- Second place in Health Reporting to Nina Ignaczak and Nick Hagen for Black infant mortality rates spiked in Detroit after record low in 2019
- Third place in Newsletter strategy to Nina Ignaczak for the Planet Detroit Newlsetter
- Third place in Social Media Strategy to Nina Ignaczak for Understanding Environment and Health in Detroit
- Fourth place in Digital Presentation to Nina Ignaczak, Amelia Benavides-Colón and Nick Hagen for Social Determinants of Health in Detroit.
- Fourth Place in Environment Reporting to Sarah Williams and Nick Hagen (Planet Detroit and Model D) for Owl Prowls: Connecting Metro Detroiters with the incredible nighttime birdlife around them.