Solutions Journalism Network Awards
You've done the hard work. Now, it's time for celebration.
About the Solutions Journalism Network Awards
The Solutions Journalism Network Awards honor and celebrate outstanding examples of solutions journalism from around the world. By spotlighting these stories, we aim to elevate what excellence in this craft looks like and inspire more rigorous, impactful reporting.
To get a reminder when the submission period opens for the 2026 SJN Awards, let us know. We’ll drop you a message so you can share the stories you’re proud of.
2024-25 Awards
Almost 900 submissions spanning two years, assessed by more than four dozen judges: That was the massive effort that went into the 2024-25 Solutions Journalism Network Awards.
They span issue areas and media formats. They come from around the globe, from outlets large and small. And most importantly, they represent an entirely different way of understanding news — not as a mechanism mainly for chronicling the world’s woes but also as a window into people’s creativity and resilience in trying to address them.
General Excellence in Solutions Journalism
This award celebrates the single entry that encapsulates the definition and four pillars of solutions journalism. An entry is made eligible for this award once it has won the award in any of the following specialist categories.
- Kamala Thiagarajan, Women who are blind play a critical role in identifying possible breast cancers
The Best of Solutions Journalism in Words
Small outlet
- 1st place: Gail Cornwall, A new ‘solution’ to student homelessness: A parking lot where students can sleep safely in their cars
- 2nd place: Dipin Damodharan, Why Kerala Has Struggled to Replicate Perinjanam’s Solar Success
- 3rd place: Steven Yoder, How Some New York Counties Make Sure Children in Foster Care Stay With Family
Large outlet
- 1st place: Kamala Thiagarajan, Women who are blind play a critical role in identifying possible breast cancers
- 2nd place: Ivan Carrillo and Aminetth Sánchez, From scarcity to abundance: the sea as a source of prosperity
- 3rd place: Jessica Kutz, The birth of the climate doula
The Best of Solutions Journalism in Multimedia
- 1st place: Victoria Uwemedimo and Katarina Zimmer, For climate and livelihoods, Africa bets big on solar mini-grids
- 2nd place: Oliver Gordon, This Australian coal community is co-designing its own green future
- 3rd place: Fatima Syed, Sick of smog, this Canadian province killed coal. A decade later, it weighs its next big energy move
The Best of Solutions Journalism in Audio
- 1st place: Myra Anubi (presenter) and Claire Bowes (producer), How To Have Better Sex
- 2nd place: Ryan Levi and Dan Gorenstein, How Treating Teens’ Trauma Is Stopping Violence in Chicago
- 3rd place: Murphy Woodhouse, With reforms in place, California’s Karuk Tribe works to reestablish cultural burning as 'common practice'
The Best of Solutions Journalism in Video
- 1st place: Pratik Chakarborty and Jyoti Thakur, Sundarbans: Terracotta rings offer hope against rising seas
- 2nd place: Federica Bonalumi, Marco Carlone and Alexandra Tyan, Saving Green Giants in the Forests of Lousada
- 3rd place: Gangadharan B (field producer and script) and Nanda Kumar (director of photography), Eco India: How Kerala is leading the way in biodiversity conservation through localised efforts
The Best of Solutions Journalism in Visual Image
- 1st place: Jack Roe, The old instruments bringing new opportunities to young lives
- 2nd place: Mariah Miranda, Manuel Orbegozo and Piera Moore (photographers) and Tara Pixley (editor), Pride 2025: A look inside the pop-up parties reimagining queer joy
- 3rd place: Jenna Foxton (photography), The woman who turns doomed bee swarms into thriving hives
The Best of Solutions Journalism in Student Media
- No winners were selected for the student journalism category. We hope to relaunch the category for the 2026 edition.
2023 Awards
The inaugural Solutions Journalism Network Awards program drew 400 entries from 13 countries.
National media organizations brought their extensive reach to highlight impactful solutions. Rural newsrooms provided a vital perspective on community-driven initiatives. And student journalists offered a fresh look at emerging solutions.
General Excellence in Solutions Journalism
This award celebrates the single entry that encapsulates the definition and four pillars of solutions journalism. An entry is made eligible for this award once it has won the award in any of the following specialist categories.
- Peter Yeung and Melanie Pérez Arias, The Backyard Farmers Who Grow Food With Fog
- Honorable mentions: Liani MK, The race to put Indigenous land on the map; Somaiyah Hafeez, After successive floods, Pakistan is forced to consider resilient housing
The Best of Solutions Journalism in Words
Large outlet
- Laure Delacloche, How solar power is keeping Lebanon’s lights on
- Honorable mentions: Allison Torres Burtka, One unexpected way to reduce violent crime? Create green spaces; James Pollard, A US pine species thrives when burnt. Southerners are rekindling a ‘fire culture’ to boost its range
Medium outlet
- Joseph Winters, In France, zero-waste experiments tackle a tough problem: people’s habits
- Honorable mentions: Kathleen Lees, Metro Call-A-Ride woes leave disabled St. Louisans in the lurch; Nieves Zúñiga, From Japan to Brazil: Reforesting the Amazon with the Miyawaki method
Small outlet
- Sanket Jain, Trauma to triumph: ASHA helping women overcome depression in India
- Honorable mentions: Rabson Kondowe, Remote Consultation via WhatsApp Revolutionises Surgical Care in Rural Malawi; Kelly Burch, How local, state programs are helping fill retiring doctors’ ranks
Micro outlet
- Helina Selemon, The Heat is Killing Us: Climate change & rising temps are increasing gun violence
- Honorable mentions: Sally Howard and Nyasha Chingono, Zimbabwe’s therapeutic ‘friendship benches’, coming to a city near you; Audrey Carleton, Pa. could be a model for solar-powered schools — if it can get past political divisions
The Best of Solutions Journalism in Audio
Large outlet
- Myra Anubi, Kangaroo care for premature babies
- Honorable mentions: Carla Rosch, The healing power of forests; Ryan Levi, Girls Are in a Mental Health Crisis. What Can Schools Do?
Medium outlet
- Honorable mention: Heidi Shin, Chinatown preschool helps families name pandemic-related feelings
Small outlet
- Leigh Paterson, One answer to the youth mental health crisis? Asking Colorado students how they’re feeling
- Honorable mentions: Greg Eskridge/Tommy “Shakur” Ross/Juan Haines/Rahsaan “New York” Thomas, A Prison From Another Planet; Britny Cordera, Tulsa Trees
Micro outlet
- Ryan Conarro, Minding the Gaps
- Honorable mention: Ryan Conarro, Never Going Back
The Best of Solutions Journalism in Broadcast
Large outlet
- Honorable mentions: James Saoud, Vic Micolucci, Chris O’Rourke, Jodi Mohrmann, Louis Bolden, Corie Murray, Anthony Murdock, Angel Blazquez, Drugs, Arrests, And Solutions — an Inside Look With The Police and End-of-life Care And Other Palliative Solutions
Medium outlet
- Honorable mention: Erik Sandoval, The Trans Community is Fighting Tough New Laws
Small outlet
- Honorable mentions: Jenna Zibton, How Harm Reduction is Saving Lives; Jenna Zibton, The Lifesaving Tech That’s Stopping Gun Violence
Micro outlet
- Rhonet Atwiine, Beauty Beyond the Scars
- Honorable mentions: Deborah Douglas and Amber Payne, Health Equity Tour: Durham’s Hayti Neighborhood
The Best of Student Solutions Journalism
Acknowledgements
We want to share our deep and lasting gratitude to the volunteer judges who shared both time and wisdom with us as they sorted through the award entries.
We thank you: Andrés Felipe Vera Ramírez, Anna Massoglia, Anna Turns, Antonio Simões Menezes, Anupama Chandrasekaran, Ariel Zych, Assunta Corbo, Aysha Khan, Baba Ibrahim, Bennet Goldstein, Bridget Thoreson, Brittany Schock, Camille Padilla Dalmau, Carolina Gil Posse, Cathay Otten, Celeste Sepessy, Chris Coates, Christina Leonard, Clara Dominguez, Corinne Podger, Damaso Reyes, Douglass Main, Dr. Aleaya Bradley, Drew Himmelstein, Edie Rubinowitz, Edith Magak, Elizabeth Smith, Emma Löfgren, Esma Kucukalic, Esther Nakkazi, Eszter Imre-Kandó, Fara Warner, Geetanjali Krishna, Gheni Platenburg, Gordana Smudja, Gracielly Bittencourt Machada, Holly Wise, Jacqui Merrington, Jaydeep Dasgupta, Jessica Kantor, JoAnna Haugen, Jose Maria Herrera Tamayo, Kat Duncan, Kate Roff Zubaida, Katherine Cheng, Katherine Noble, Kathryn Dugal, Kevin Andere, Leah Todd Lin, Lilian Kaivilu, Lisa Urlbauer, Liz Keen, Liza Ramrayka, Loujeina Haj Youssef, Lucie Černá, Maddy Lauria, Maksuda Aziz, Mariam El Marakeshy, Mary Hall, Matthew Kauffman, Meera K, Michael Hamtil, MJ Daoud, Mwende Mukwanyaga, Naira Davlashyan, Nanette Kroeker, Nhung Nguyen, Nieves Zúñiga, Olatokewa Ayoade, Pamposh Raina, Paula Díaz Levi, Petra Kovačević, Rahma Diaa, Raoul Junior Lorfils, Rasheedat Oladotun-Iliyas, Ruby Bailey, Ruth Terry, Sahana Ghosh, Sam Schramski, Sarah Kimani, 'Seun Durojaiye, Stanley Vitte, Swati Sanyal Tarafdar, Talib Visram, Tania Marien, Tara Pixley, Tolu Olasoji, Tom Hallberg, Venita Hawthorne James, Wanjohi Kabukuru, and Yelena Dzhanova.
We also want to thank SJN's Solutions Story Tracker team, who pore over the initial submissions in order to find the stories that met the solutions journalism criteria before sending them to the judges. They are Lita Tirak, Meg McIntyre, Emma Athena Murray and Maria McGinnis.
To get a steady stream of terrific solutions journalism, explore the Solutions Story Tracker.