AISES Publications Win National Native Media Awards

The Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) has announced the recipients of the 2022 National Native Media Awards. Published by AISES, Winds of Change magazine, along with its freelance writers, took awards in the Professional Division II category, earning First and Third Place in Best Environmental Coverage and Third Place in Best Feature Story. The 2021 issues of Winds of Change magazine received a General Excellence Honorable Mention.

Winning Winds of Change stories included profiles of Devon Parfait (Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw) and Leah M.L. Creaser (Mi’kmaq–Acadia First Nation), which received First and Third Place, respectively, in the Print/Online Best Environmental Coverage category. The fall 2021 feature story “When Art and Science Meet” received Third Place in the Print/Online Best Feature Story category.

AISES consultant David Cournoyer (Rosebud Sioux) merited an Honorable Mention in Best Multimedia for the video he developed featuring the winner of the 2021 AISES Technical Excellence Award, Aaron Yazzie (Diné).

AISES member Brook Thompson (Yurok/Karuk) placed Second in the Professional Division III — Print/Online Best Environmental Coverage for her story in High Country News, “The Familial Bond Between the Klamath River and the Yurok People.”

AISES Senior Director of Marketing Montoya Whiteman (Cheyenne/Arapaho) received First Place in the Professional Division II — Best News Story for “Colorado’s Governor Rescinds 1864 Proclamations,” published in the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal Tribune.

AISES congratulates the Winds of Change creative team, journalists, and partners for their commitment to Indigenous storytelling and connecting communities with accurate reporting.

“The entire Winds of Change team is gratified by this recognition from NAJA for the work we do,” -Karen English, Winds of Change Editor

Presented since the mid-80s, the National Native Media awards recognize excellence in reporting among non-Indigenous and Indigenous entrants, and Indigenous undergraduate and graduate student entrants, from across the U.S and Canada in journalism in print/online, radio/podcast, tv, and multimedia areas.

The competition evaluates entries across seven divisions: Student Division, Associate Division I (circulation below 5,000), II (circulation 5,000 to 10,000), III (circulation above 10,000), and Professional Division I (circulation below 5,000), II circulation 5,000 to 10,000), and III (circulation above 10,000).

The 2022 competition garnered over 750 entries. NAJA will recognize over 200 category/division award winners during the 2022 National Native Media Conference at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix on August 27. Special Awards include the 2022 NAJA-Medill Milestone Achievement Award to Cheryl McKenzie (Anishinaabe/Cree). McKenzie is the News and Current Affairs Director at Aboriginal Peoples Television Network in Canada. NAJA selected the Navajo Times as the 2022 Elias Boudinot Free Press Award recipient. The Indigenous Investigative Collective is the recipient of the 2022 Richard LaCourse Award for Investigative Journalism. Visit NAJA for a full list of winners.

Cournoyer’s Honorable Mention video can be viewed on the AISES YouTube channel.