Doing the news is, at its core, a public service. But that doesn’t mean we can’t pause once in a while to celebrate the work local journalists put in each day to provide that service, particularly in a challenging media landscape. Each year, the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) awards newsrooms for their writing, photography, design, audio, video, and magazine journalism. This year, for reporting published in 2025, the organization offered 67 Excellence in Journalism awards across the region, which includes Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Stories were judged by San Diego Press Club members, so you know there’s no conflict of interest here! The Mercury is proud to say we took home six awards in all—two first place awards, and four second place. (We’re gonna need to install a new shelf!)
A sincere congratulations goes out to all the great journalists working upstream to serve the public in our region and around the world. Here’s a breakdown of awards the Mercury received for 2025.
General Excellence (second place): The Mercury picked up a second place award for writing, right behind the Oregon Capital Chronicle. Staff reporters Lindsay Costello, Taylor Griggs, Jeremiah Hayden, Suzette Smith, Courtney Vaughn, and freelancers Donovan Scribes and Kevin Foster all contributed to stories included in this category.
Review (first place): Nolan Parker’s album review “The Barbaras Take Us For A Ride” took first place in the review category. The Barbaras, sisters Weezy and Sallie Ford, “remind us it’s okay—and often more fun—to not have your shit together,” Parker writes of the duo’s album Rollercoasters. The review is attentive to the subtleties of the record while placing it among its peers in the alt-country timeline.
Breaking News Reporting (first place): Jeremiah Hayden’s story “Mayor Wilson Puts Portland Housing Bureau Director On Leave” took first place in breaking news. The former housing bureau director was placed on leave amid news that funding had gone unreported prior to her taking on the role. A follow up story, included in the SPJ award, showed that the housing bureau’s boss likely pressured her to keep quiet to avoid a “big PR problem.”
Crime & Law Enforcement Reporting (second place): Courtney Vaughn’s harrowing story “Despite DOJ Intervention, Portland Police are Still Killing People in Mental Health Crisis” is about the police killing of Damon Lamarr Johnson during a mental health crisis in his apartment last June. Vaughn spoke with Johnson’s sister, and held the Portland Police Bureau’s feet to the fire for its longtime mistreatment of people experiencing mental health crises in Portland. Vaughn’s series of stories on police interacting with people in mental health crisis were included in the award, including this initial reporting on Johnson’s death, and this reporting on the body camera footage showing he died while police restrained him with their hands on his neck.
Feature, Soft News (second place): For the Mercury’s 2025 food issue, Janey Wong’s “Welcome to Portland’s Kitchen” did a deep dive into Portland’s James Beard Public Market, which is currently slated to open in early 2027. News stories often reference the economic benefits of having the culinary market in town, but Wong’s feature centered the way food can connect a community.
Arts & Culture Reporting (second place): Nolan Parker asked this great question in their award-winning story: “Can Portland Be a Music Capital Again?” Parker interviewed East Portland city councilor (and current council president) Jamie Dunphy, who wants to make music a priority in the city. The story covers a ton of ground about how Portland might again be known as a music city, if we want it to be.