Looking back on 2024, the year flew by so quickly that the Soapbox team did not take time to stop and smell the roses. In late August, the 2024 Ohio SPJ Awards held the annual event recognizing journalism from the Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists. Among a number of excellent Soapbox features and series, the entire website was also entered in the competition. Journalists, who served as judges, were
from Region 10 which includes Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Idaho and Montana.
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Soapbox was honored to be recognized for Best Graphic Design / Navigation for digital media. Soapbox managing editor Patrice Watson was named First Place in Ohio. The award is in recognition of outstanding achievement in journalism representing the highest standard and principles of SPJ and the profession.
Judges commented “Love the way the search bar is organized on this news site: Focus Areas, Places, and Series and Events w/ drop down menus. The design overall is really unique. There is no main story or story slideshow on the landing page typical of a news site, yet it's still aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate. I actually bookmarked this site and shared it with my team for inspiration!”
Soapbox Cincinnati and Issue Media Group congratulate all the winners of the 2024 awards. Click here for a full list of the winners and some of the best regional journalism work done in 2023.
Soapbox is grateful for the ongoing support received from our readers and our underwriters. It keeps us motivated to produce news using solutions journalism and narrative storytelling with design and structure that makes it easy to read our vital stories moving communities forward.
The list image by Gary Kessler is Ja’Lah Willingham, the executive director of Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly in Mt. Airy. Natalie Grilli is photographer of the black & white Cincinnati skyline masthead. Both images were taken in 2023.
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