The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is pleased to share its finalists for 2024 CAJ Awards.
Recipients in each category will be announced at the awards gala on Saturday, May 31, 2025 at the Delta Hotel Downtown Calgary.
The gala is the CAJ's signature annual event to conclude its national conference. The theme for this year's conference is Because Facts Still Matter.
“Journalism that serves the public interest is an essential service that shines a light into the darkest corners of society,” said Brent Jolly, president of the CAJ. “In a time of chaos, disorder, and shrinking civic spaces, fact-based journalism is a critical antidote to a rising sense of cynicism. Quality journalism serves as a beacon of hope for a more fair and just world – a quality that is universally shared by this year's finalists.”
Judges selected these finalists from a record 540 submissions. “Our team was blown away by the range and depth of the quality journalism Canadians produced this year,” said Jason Markusoff, CAJ Awards committee chair. “Many judges told me how difficult their selections were this year, given how much inspiring and stellar work was entered.”
For the first time this year, CAJ Awards will announce two winners in each category: Gold and Silver. Both will get certificates to acknowledge the outstanding journalism, while the Gold winner will also get a monetary prize.
Finalists are listed below in alphabetical order by media outlet. Links to nominated work have been provided where available.
The finalists in the WRITTEN NEWS category are:
Grant Robertson, Kathryn Blaze BaumThe algorithmThe Globe and Mail
Nicholas De Rosa, Jeff YatesLe Canada, ” cible numéro un ” de fraudeurs internationauxRadio-Canada Info
Ghada AlsharifI went undercover as an Uber Eats courierToronto Star
Wendy Gillis, Jennifer PagliaroThe invisible girlToronto Star
Jeff Hamilton, Katrina ClarkeBuilding blocks, crumbling foundationWinnipeg Free Press
The finalists in the HUGO RODRIGUES AWARD FOR COMMUNITY NEWS (formerly Community Written) category are:
Michelle AllanFamilies in Thunder Bay accuse landlord of illegally shutting power, threatsCBC Thunder Bay
Heather WrightYork 1 environmentalThe Independent of Petrolia and Central Lambton
Stephanie CrosierKingston courthouses 'security disaster waiting to happen'Kingston Whig-Standard
Wency LeungGFL says it's 'Green For Life'-Its neighbours disagreeThe Local
Jessica LeeGrizzly bears back in crosshairsRocky Mountain Outlook
The finalists in the BROADCAST OVER FIVE MINUTES category are:
Brittany Guyot, Tom FennarioFood for profitAPTN Investigates
Mark Kelley, Timothy Sawa, Lisa Ellenwood, Loretta HicksDawson Creek: We want our town backCBC News: The Fifth Estate
Ryan Garland, Omar Dabaghi-PachecoPriority Purple – Overdose in progressCBC Ottawa
Priscilla Plamondon-Lalancette, Gil ShochatLa face cachée de l'aluminium vertRadio-Canada Info
Brandi Morin, Geordie DayThe Apache Stronghold standing in the way of a massive coppermineRicochet Media
The finalists in the BROADCAST UNDER FIVE MINUTES category are:
Rebecca CollardThe day after: Young Palestinians want “honest democracy”CBC News
Yvette Brend, Nicholas AllanLytton rebuildCBC Vancouver
Marie-Claude Paradis-DesfossesViolence à Lac Simon : “On se fait poignarder” au primaire, confie une enfant de 11 ansNoovo Info
Davide Gentile, Daniel Boily, Jacques Racine, Ivanoh DemersUne plaie de lit fatale pour un tétraplégiqueRadio-Canada Info
Romain Schue, Thomas BignonDans les coulisses des traversées clandestines avec des passeurs indiensRadio-Canada Info
The finalists in the COMMUNITY BROADCAST category are:
Taryn GrantOn the doorstepCBC Atlantic Voice
Virginie AnnAddictions Awareness Week: Crucial conversations in the YukonCBC Yukon
Lela SavicPas tout MontréalLa Converse
Alice ZanettaDes citoyens lancent un café solidaire à Sainte-FoyFréquence / CKIA
James Westman, Anthony Lippa-Hardy, Anita LiWhy you're at risk every time you cross this intersection in ScarboroughThe Green Line
The finalists in the DATA JOURNALISM category are:
Valérie Ouellet, Mike Crawley, Aloysius Wong, Andreas Wesley, Catherine CullenCanada's international student spike was blamed on private colleges. Here's what really happenedCBC News: Investigative Unit
Julie Ireton, Valérie Ouellet, Falice ChinPaid to stay homeCBC Ottawa
Erin Anderssen, Chen Wang, Rachelle YounglaiWasted space: Could Canada's underused public land be the key to solving the housing crisis?The Globe and Mail
Charles Mathieu, Dominique Cambron-GouletLa carte des “trappes à tickets” : Voyez les secteurs avec le plus de contraventionsJournal de Montréal
Sylvie Fournier, Daniel Tremblay, Benoit Michaud, Jo-Ann DemersÉglise catholique inc.Radio-Canada Info
The finalists in the ONLINE MEDIA category are:
Emily BlakeEffectively impossible for sex offenders to get treatment in NWTCabin Radio
Robert Cribb, Declan Keogh, Norma Hilton, Scott Martin, Rhythm SachdevaLead in drinking waterInvestigative Journalism Bureau
Thomas GerbetAutochtones et Hydro-Québec : le grand malaise des factures impayéesRadio-Canada (web)
Christopher CurtisUncovering an illegal dumping scheme in KanesatakeThe Rover
Chris Beaver, Katie O'Connor, Jasmine El Kurd, Pam PalmaterNDN POVTVO Today
The finalists in the FREEDOM OF INFORMATION JOURNALISM are:
Allison JonesOntario hospitals, LTC homes spent nearly $1B on agency staff last yearThe Canadian Press
Emma McIntoshContainment breachedThe Narwhal
Caroline Touzin, Ariane LacoursièreCentres jeunesse et foyers de groupe de la DPJ : De plus en plus de mesures de contention ou d'isolementLa Presse
Thomas GerbetNorthvolt : Québec a retiré des arguments scientifiques de son analyseRadio-Canada
Amanda Follett HosgoodBC illegally collected personal info tied to the Wet'suwet'en conflictThe Tyee
This award is kindly sponsored by the Ken and Debbie Rubin Public Interest Advocacy Fund.
The finalists in the PHOTOJOURNALISM category are:
Gavin JohnGavin John portfolioThe Globe and Mail, The Narwhal
Amy RomerPhotography from a 4-day reporting trip with Brandi MorinIndigiNews, Ricochet Media
Martin TremblayNew hope for SyriaLa Presse
Carlos OsorioCarlos Osorio 2024 portfolioReuters, The Globe and Mail
The finalists in the SCOOP category are:
Shireen AhmedToronto awarded WNBA expansion team to begin play in 2026CBC Sports
Anaïs ElboujdaïniLe Canada demande à des travailleurs de la santé de Gaza s'ils ont soigné des membres du HamasLa Converse
Joanna FrketichInvestigating deaths at Ontario children's hospitalThe Hamilton Spectator
Bethany LindsayOne third of B.C.'s 'publicly funded substance-use treatment beds' don't provide any treatmentInvestigative Journalism Foundation
Brett McKayAlberta premier reveals plans to transfer hospitals away from AHSSt. Albert Gazette
The finalists in the DAILY EXCELLENCE category are:
Margaret Evans, Stephanie Jenzer, David IacolucciAt Saydnaya prison, Syrians are looking for answersCBC News: The National
Suzanne RentBuild Nova Scotia gives Atlantic Road Construction and Paving deadline after company puts barriers at trail in Dartmouth CoveThe Halifax Examiner
Sebastian Bron, Fallon HewittFormer Hamilton Catholic teacher killed in random attack; police charge alleged serial killerThe Hamilton Spectator
Shannon WatersWhat on Earth just happened with B.C.'s carbon tax?The Narwhal
Thomas Gerbet, Lise MilletteCancer : Rouyn-Noranda va perdre son seul médecin oncologueRadio-Canada Info
The finalists in the WRITTEN FEATURE category are:
Fabrice de PierrebourgReconstruire une cité millénaireL'actualité
Janice DicksonOperation Abraham's mission of mercyThe Globe and Mail
Lindsay JonesA cloud of mistrustThe Globe and Mail
Jana PrudenThe audacity of ropeThe Globe and Mail
Rachel BrowneA killer among themMaclean's
The finalists in the COMMUNITY WRITTEN FEATURE category are:
Liny LamberinkRegrowthCBC North
Julien GreenTroubled water: The Eagle gold mine failureCBC Yukon
Loubna Chlaikhy, Melissa HaouariQuand les armes à feu sont mises entre les mains d'adolescentsLa Converse
Tyler HarperIn every Nelson he visits, Jeff Truesdell finds the man he lovedNelson Star
Jeff OuthitEverything was a lieWaterloo Region Record
The finalists in the JHR / CAJ AWARD FOR HUMAN RIGHTS REPORTING are:
Tamara PimentelBeyond the stripAPTN
Jessica OwenLack of support leaves victims of rape more angry, mortifiedCollingwoodToday
Robert Cribb, Declan Keogh, Wendy-Ann Clarke, Owen ThompsonMind gamesInvestigative Journalism Bureau
TeamLa prison de l'Esprit-SaintNoovo Info
Gabrielle DuchaineLa maison des horreursLa Presse
The finalists in the CWA CANADA / CAJ AWARD FOR LABOUR REPORTING are:
David WiwcharVietnamese migrant workers rescued93.3 The PEAK CJAV-FM (Port Alberni)
Anusha SiddiquiExploited in the workplace: The 'Canadian dream' turns into a nightmare for international studentsInvestigative Journalism Foundation
Natalia Rivero GómezReporting on working conditions in the Temporary Foreign Worker ProgramThe Rover
Zak VesceraPoisoned waters: The war between BC Ferries and its unionThe Tyee
Emma ArkellCanadian teachers face harassment in wake of 'parental rights' policiesXtra Magazine
The finalists in the JHR / CAJ EMERGING INDIGENOUS JOURNALIST AWARD are:
Odette AugerPortfolioAPTN News, Windspeaker
Tchadas LeoPortfolioCHEK News
Jérôme Gill-CouturePortfolioRadio-Canada Info
Crystal GreenePortfolioRicochet Media, IndigiNews, Pivot Media
Joy SpearChief-MorrisPortfolioToronto Star
The finalists in the ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE CHANGE AWARD category are:
Danielle Paradis, Mark Blackburn, Jesse AndrushkoThe place that thawsAPTN News
TeamEyes of the beast: Climate disaster survivor storiesClimate Disaster Project, Neworld Theatre
Jenn Thornhill Verma, Johnny C.Y. Lam, Murat Yükselir, Melissa Tait, Clare Vander MeerschLabrador Inuit are taking the fight against climate change into their own handsThe Globe and Mail
Ainslie CruickshankA portrait of pollution around Canada's busiest portThe Narwhal
Gilbert Bégin, Julien RobertLe boeuf musqué à la conquête du NunavikRadio-Canada Info
The finalists in the NATIONAL NEWSMEDIA COUNCIL-CAJ STUDENT JOURNALISM AWARD OF EXCELLENCE are:
Andrew NearyR.A. Sennett: From public school to global headquarters, 170 years of learningThe Chronicle – Durham College
Asbah Ahmad, Sophia Coppolino, Aimée LookThe hazing incident that erased a prestigious Queen's Commerce clubThe Queen's Journal – Queen's University
Chloe Kim, Leonor Dias, Alexa Difrancesco, Noel TesfaThe Call (S3E5) – We Met U WhenToronto Metropolitan University School of Journalism
Nalyn TindallGetting by on gig work: The hidden costs of 'easy' moneyThe Eyeopener – Toronto Metropolitan University
Om ShanbhagThe driving dilemma: How nursing students struggle to access placementsThe Western Gazette – Western University
This award is kindly sponsored by the Fraser MacDougall Journalism Prize Fund.
This year's awards finalists qualify for special discounted rates for the conference and awards gala. All finalists will be contacted with how to obtain these discounts.
Tickets for this year's gala are currently available forpurchase and seating is limited.
The CAJ thanks all those who submitted their work for consideration and congratulate the finalists listed above. We look forward to further recognizing and celebrating your work.
The CAJ is Canada's largest national professional organization for journalists from all media, representing members across the country. The CAJ's primary roles are to provide high-quality professional development for its members and public-interest advocacy.
SOURCE Canadian Association of Journalists
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