Staff members from MLK50: Justice Through Journalism earned three Diamond Journalism awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Arkansas chapter.
The awards honor work from professional and student journalists, freelancers and communications professionals who live in Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.
For the second year in a row, MLK50 won the Charlotte Tillar Schexnayder Public Service Award. This year, reporter Rebecca Cadenhead, managing editor Charity L. Scott, visual journalist Kevin Wurm and creative director Andrea Morales shared it for the work they did on “No School, No Fresh Air and Isolated: Solitary Confinement in Shelby County’s Juvenile Detention Center.” (In 2025, the prize rewarded the work on Memphis’ lead crisis.)
The reporting team also earned an award in the Continuing Coverage category for its work on the immigration crackdown in Memphis. Morales and Wurm also were honored for a collection of images that captured the impact of the Memphis Safe Task Force.
The Diamond Awards banquet was held on July 25.
In another regional win, Wurm’s work earned a first-place win in the Green Eyeshade Awards contest, which honors journalism in Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Wurm’s images of South Memphis resistance to xAI won for best environmental photography.
This story is brought to you by MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, a nonprofit newsroom focused on poverty, power and policy in Memphis. Support independent journalism by making a tax-deductible donation today. MLK50 is also supported by these generous donors.