by Staff Reports, Carolina Public Press
July 11, 2025

Carolina Public Press will be recognized with at least 20 journalism awards from the North Carolina Press Association in the newspaper organization’s annual contest, the most that CPP has ever won in a single year.

CPP, which competes in the online-only division of the state press association, was notified Friday that it has won eight first-place awards, eight second-place awards and four third-place awards. The awards will be presented at the NCPA’s annual awards banquet in September, at which time additional special awards could also be given. 

Much of the award-winning work related to CPP’s extensive coverage of Tropical Storm Helene and its aftermath, as well as Tropical Storm Debby. The contest year covers the period from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025.

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“I can’t say how proud I am of our team,” said CPP Executive Director and acting editor Frank Taylor. “These awards went to longtime freelancers as well as staff reporters in their first year with CPP. They are all great and deserving people.

“Every one of our team members was committed to outstanding work in service to the people of North Carolina. We are dedicated to our mission of impactful storytelling about issues that affect the lives of people in our state and this recognition from our industry, as the state press association acknowledges the quality of our work, is gratifying.”

A full list of the awards, by category, follows. Links connect to the winning content: 

News Enterprise Reporting

• 1st Place, Jack Igelman, Out of the Mud
• 2nd Place, Lucas Thomae, Mountain Island flooding
• 3rd Place, Sarah Michels, Bunch of bull

Special Section

• 1st Place, CPP staff, Mountains Unbowed
• 2nd Place, CPP staff, Coastal Kindling landing page
• 3rd Place, CPP staff, Deserting Women landing page

Breaking News Coverage

• 1st Place, CPP staff, Helene’s first days
• 2nd Place, CPP staff, Tropical Storm Debby coverage

Feature Writing

• 1st Place, Jack Igelman, Voices after the storm
• 2nd Place, Lucas Thomae, Safe Babies Court

Spot photography

• 1st Place, Colby Rabon, Asheville inundated
• 2nd Place, Colby Rabon, Surviving Helene in Yancey and Mitchell counties

Illustration

• 1st Place, Mariano Santillan, Deserting Women
• 2nd Place, Mariano Santillan, Coastal Kindling

Photo essay

• 1st Place, Colby Rabon, Images of Yancey and Mitchell counties
• 3rd Place, Colby Rabon, Western NC battered but defiant

Profile feature

• 1st Place, Jane Winik Sartwell, From addiction to peer support

Ledes

• 2nd Place, Sarah Michels, Ledes by Sarah (“Ledes” is journalism slang for the introductory sentences of an article.)

City, county government reporting

• 2nd Place, Jane Winik Sartwell, Cities dumping dioxane

Headlines

• 3rd Place, Frank Taylor, Bunch of Bull and other headlines

This article first appeared on Carolina Public Press and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

The content primarily reports on the journalism awards won by Carolina Public Press, highlighting the quality and impact of its reporting without any evident ideological framing or partisan language. The piece focuses on factual information about the awards and the organization’s dedication to storytelling about local issues. There is no explicit political viewpoint or editorial slant presented, making the tone neutral and balanced. Overall, it represents straightforward reporting rather than promoting a specific ideological stance.

SUMMARY: Sea turtle hatchling season is underway at Folly Beach, where volunteers tracked two nests hatching and observed a female loggerhead turtle nesting. A near full moon helped hatchlings navigate toward the ocean’s bright reflection, resulting in a narrow track path. Recent changes to local lighting ordinances encourage turtles to head straight to the water after sunset, improving their chances. A nesting female turtle took twice the normal time to return to the ocean, getting temporarily trapped in dune vegetation before volunteers guided her safely back. Residents are urged to turn off beachfront lights to prevent disorienting hatchlings.

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The post Volunteers aid adventurous loggerhead turtle as hatchling season kicks off on Folly Beach appeared first on www.abccolumbia.com

SUMMARY: Years of U.S.-led investment in AIDS programs drastically reduced AIDS deaths and provided life-saving medicines worldwide. However, since the U.S. abruptly withdrew \$4 billion in funding in January 2025 under President Trump, UNAIDS warns of a “systemic shock” risking over 4 million AIDS-related deaths and 6 million new HIV infections by 2029. The funding cut has destabilized health services, closed clinics, and disrupted prevention efforts in Africa and elsewhere. PEPFAR, launched in 2003, was vital in fighting HIV, supporting millions in testing and treatment. Experts fear the loss of U.S. support and HIV data will stall progress, despite new drugs offering hope.

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The post UN says if US funding for HIV programs is not replaced, millions more will die by 2029 appeared first on www.abccolumbia.com