Awards

UPR is an award-winning news source. From our coverage of human interest stories to the hard news, UPR has you covered.

2023

Society of Professional Journalists - Utah Chapter

• Clifford P. Cheney Service to Journalism Award: Tom Williams; "Behind the Headlines"
• First Place Radio General Feature: Aimee Van Tatenhove; "Utah State University brings academics and esports together"
• First Place Radio Series: Nick Porath, Emma Parkhurst, Shalayne Smith Needham, Kerry Bringhurst; "Cropping Up"
• Second Place Radio Series: Ellis Juhlin, Aimee Van Tatenhove; "A deep dive into Utah Lake"
• Second Place Radio Public Affairs/Talk Show: Tom Williams; "Understanding the world and more with Jim Enote"
• First Place Radio Best Use of Sound: Clayre Scott; "Carolers brought the Christmas spirit to retirement homes this season"
• Third Place Radio Best Use of Sound: Aimee Van Tatenhove; "Cache Valley Christmas Bird Count successful, chilly"
• First Place Radio Military: Matthew LaPlante, Clayre Scott; "UnDisciplined: Military veterans can offer lessons on cultivating inner peace"
• Second Place Radio Military: Katie White, Molly Cannon, Susan Grayzel; "Bringing War Home"
• First Place Radio Solutions Journalism: Sheri Quinn; "You can still have an oasis in the desert"
• First Place Radio Environment: Patrick Kelly, Shannon Rhodes, Jack Greene, Mary Heers; "Wild About Utah"
• Third Place Radio Environment: Aimee Van Tatenhove; "A community science project studies the elusive, snow-loving rosy finch"
• Second Place Best Radio Reporter: Matthew LaPlante; "UnDisciplined"
• Honorable Mention Radio Environment: Matthew LaPlante, Clayre Scott; "UnDisciplined: What can be done to save this 80,000-year old aspen forest?"

2022

Society of Professional Journalists - Utah Chapter

• Third Place Best Radio Newscast: Clayre Scott, Matthew LaPlante, Naomi Ward; "UnDisciplined: When Ideology Trumps Science"
• Third Place Best Radio Reporter: Brian Champagne
• Honorable Mention Radio Best Use of Sound: Brian Champagne; "Hushed Hybrids"
• Honorable Mention Radio Diversity and Equity: Manuel Giron; "Logan Residents Of Color Share How Racism Impacts Mental health, Education"
• First Place Radio Documentary: Brian Champagne; "LOL: Everything you need to know about laughter"
• Second Place Radio Documentary: Clayre Scott, Raegan Edelman; "St. Anne's Retreat"
• First Place Radio Environment: Brian Champagne; "Racks wreck your gas mileage"
• Second Place Radio Environment: Aimee Van Tatenhove; "The quiet importance of brine flies"
• Second Place Radio General Feature: Emma Feuz; "The Bar J Wranglers are singing their farewell after 44 years"
• Third Place Radio General News: Kailey Foster; "How Animal Agriculture Is Being Impacted By Utah's Drought"
• First Place Radio Military: Shalayne Smith Needham, Friend Weller, Annika Shinn; "Bringing War Home"
• Second Place Radio Public Affairs/Talk Show: Tom Williams; "Disability and accessibility"
• Third Place Radio Public Affairs/Talk Show: Tammy Proctor, Jeannie Sur, Jamie Sanders; "Eating the Past"
• Third Place Radio Series: Jack Greene, Aimee Van Tatenhove, Mary Heers; "Great Salt Lake - Wild About Utah"
• First Place Radio Solutions Journalism: Matthew LaPlante; "UnDisciplined: Combating Vaccine Misinformation"

2021

Society of Professional Journalists- Utah Chapter: 

• Best Radio Reporter: Brian Champagne 
• First Place Radio Multimedia Journalist: Brian Champagne
• First Place Radio General News: Brian Champagne; “North Logan Council Votes To Merge With Logan's Fire Department”
• First Place Best Podcast: Matthew D. LaPlante and Naomi Ward; Undisciplined: The Devil With The Blue Jeans
• First Place Radio Personality Profile: Matilyn Mortensen; “Project Resilience: How Recording Kindness Can Help Build Community Resilience”
• First Place Radio Spot News: Mia Fairbanks; “Despite Widespread Vote-By-Mail, Utah Voters Still Show Up To Polls On Election Day”
• First Place Radio Military: Ashley Rohde; “Utahns On The Front Line: Families Separated By Duty”
• Second Place Radio Military: Harley Barnes; “Utah Veterans Share Ways To Honor The Country THis Fourth Of July”
• Second Place Radio Series: Utah Public Radio Staff; Project Resilience
• Second Place Radio General Feature: Shoshannah Buxbaum; “In The Age-Old Battle Over Public Land, A New Push For Smaller Land Transfers”
• Second Place Best Use of Sound: Aimee Van Tatenhove; “Christmas Bird Count: Listening For Owls”
• Second Place Radio Spot News: Kailey Foster; “What Does Drive-Up Voting Look Like During Utah's 2020 Primary?”
• Second Place Rado Criminal Justice: Matthew LaPlante D. and Naomi Ward; “Undisciplined: Unlocking Nature”
• Third Place General Feature: Kailey Foster; “Could Toilet Paper Bring Utah Communities Together?”
• Third Place Business/Consumer: Eliza Hardy; “Beyond Plastic Bag Bans: Unintended Consequences, Other Forms Of Waste Reduction”
• Third Place Radio Public Affairs/Talk Show: Tom Williams, Matilyn Mortensen, Emily Colby; “Utah Voters And Super Tuesday On Monday's Access Utah”
• Third Place Radio COVID-19 Continuing Coverage: Matilyn Mortensen, Kat Webb, Shoshannah Buxbaum; “What Is It Like To Recover From COVID-19 In The ICU? One Patient Shares Their Story," “Some COVID Patients Just Aren’t Getting Better: A Look At Their Stories," “Churches Close But Worship Doesn't Stop," “Virtual Meetings Replace In-Person Celebration During Ramadan."
• Honorable Mention Continuing Coverage: Matilyn Mortensen and Eliza Hardy; Vice Presidential Debate Coverage

2020

Society of Professional Journalists- Utah Chapter: 

• First Place, Continuing Coverage- Carter Moore, Chris Polansky, and Dani Hayes Gohier; Coverage of the disappearance and murder of Lizzy Shelly
• First Place, Radio Series- Bronson Teichert,“From Honduras To Utah: Coffee’s Journey To Your Cup”
• First Place, Radio Documentary- Mary Heers, Kirsten Swanson, Rachel Ross, and Dani Hayes Gohier, “Ride the Rails”
• First Place, Sports Reporting- Carter Moore, Kat Webb, Matthew LaPlante; “For the Love of Football: Why Do Public Institutions Still Play BYU In Football?”
• First Place, Education, Ashley Rohde,“Driven To Succeed: Race Day Has Finally Arrived”
• First Place, Personality Profile, Mary Heers, Kirsten Swanson, “Art For Everybody So Let's Jump Right In”
• Second Place, Best Radio Reporter- Bronson Teichert
• Second Place, General Feature- Andrea Smardon, “Facing the End of Life”
• Second Place, Business and Consumer, Leslie Forero,“Wondering Why Logan City No Longer Accepts #3 Through #7 Plastics? It's Too Contaminated”
• Second Place, Education, JoLynne Lyon, “Transitioning To The Adult World For Persons With Disabilities”
• Third Place, Public Affairs/Talk Show- Tom Williams and Emily Colby; “Disengaging From The News And Politics On Tuesday's Access Utah”
• Third Place, Business and Consumer, Bronson Teichert, “Honduran Coffee Farmers Finding Solutions To Pay The Bills After The Harvest.”
• Honorable Mention, Public Affairs/Talk Show- Matthew D. LaPlante and Alyssa Roberts; “UnDisciplined: The Tropical Ecologist And The Microbiologist”

2019

Society of Professional Journalists - Utah Chapter:

• 3rd - Best Radio Reporter Dani Hayes
• Honorable Mention - Continuing Coverage LGBTQ: Off The Grid by Andrea Smardon
• 1st - Radio Series Utah Women 20/20
• 2nd - Radio Series Diagnosed
• 2nd - Radio Documentary King's Road: Where Do We Go From Here?
• 1st - General Feature Please, Pick Up Your Dog's Poop To Protect Our Watersheds by Ashley Rohde
• 2nd - General Feature Auto Trends Include Ways To Transport Millennials by Brian Champagne
• 3nd - General Feature Loving Our Lands: The BLM And Its Multiple-Use Job Description by Dani Hayes
• Honorable Mention - General Feature Utah Women 20/20: Walking Tour Highlights Salt Lake City's Suffragist Sites by Matilyn Mortensen
• 3rd - Public Affairs Show Supreme Stakes: Understanding Sexual Violence on Access Utah by Tom Williams and Emily Colby 
• 1st - Best Use Of Sound Hamilton Creator Brings The Braodway Experience To Utah High Schoolers by Dani Hayes
• 2nd - Best Use Of Sound Did You Know? Central Utah Is Home TO The Ed Roth's 'Rat Fink' Reunion by Brian Champagne
• 1st - Multimedia Journalism VW Bus Makes A Comeback As A Classic Car Invesetment by Brian Champagne
• 3rd - Education Report Hamilton Creator Brings The Braodway Experience To Utah High Schoolers by Dani Hayes
• 2nd - Business Reporting Cars, SUVs, Crossovers: Which Do You Choose? by Brian Champagne
• 1st - Minority Issues Utah Women 20/20: Scentifically Unsound, How We Exclude Women From Science by Ashley Rohde
• Honorable Mention - Minority Issues Utah Women 20/20: Alternative Education For Female Independence by Dani Hayes
• 2nd - Personality Profile Crossing Borders: Crossing An Ocean And A Continent For A Cause by Dani Hayes

2018

Agriculture Communicators of Tomorrow Critique and Contest:

• 1st - Best Radio Package, 50 Years of Rodeo Photography - A Career Behind The Camera by Bronson Teichert

Public Radio News Directors Incorporated (PRNDI):

• 1st - Division C, Call-in Program, Access Utah Bears Ears coverage by Host Tom Williams, and producers Aimee Cobabe, Connor Rivers and Krista Black. Available here.
• 2nd - Division C, Radio Series, A State of Addiction: Utah's Opioid Epidemic by Kristen Munson, Dani Hayes, Kerry Bringhurst and Rhesa Ledbetter. 

Associated Press Television and Radio Association: 

• 1st - Best Documentary, A State of Addiction: Utah's Opioid Epidemic by Kristen Munson, Dani Hayes, Kerry Bringhurst and Rhesa Ledbetter. 

Society of Professional Journalists - Utah Chapter:

• 1st - Best Radio Reporter Rhesa Ledbetter
• 2nd - Radio: Education "Nature Is Calling: Satisfying Your Curiosity And Contribute To Scientific Research Using iNaturalist" by Rhesa Ledbetter
• 3rd - Radio: Education "Shower The National Weather Service With Data By Being A Backyard Weather Observer" by Rhesa Ledbetter. 
• 2nd - Radio: General Feature "A State of Addiction: Breaking The Pain Cycle" by Kristen Munson
• 3rd - Radio: General Feature"Crossing Borders: 11-Year-Old Boy Walking Across Country To Raise Diabetes Awareness" by Matilyn Mortensen 
• 2nd - Radio General News "Holiday Vending Machines In Salt Lake City Encourage Giving" by Matilyn Mortensen
• 1st - Minority Issues "Crossing Borders: Undocumented Immigrants Still Crossing That Borders" by Andrea Smardon
• 1st - Personality Profile "Crossing Borders: Merrel Bootmaker Now Gets People Back On Their Feet... Literally" by Rhesa Ledbetter. 
• 3rd - Personality Profile"A State of Addiction: We All Suffer" by Dani Hayes
• 1st - Radio Series "Crossing Borders: A Yearlong Storytelling Project" by Utah Public Radio news team
• 2nd - Radio Series"A State of Addiction: Utah's Opioid Epidemic" by Kristen Munson, Dani Hayes, Kerry Bringhurst and Rhesa Ledbetter. 

Mark of Excellence Awards from the Society of Professional Journalists:

• Winner - Radio Feature: "'They're Built On Love:' Raising Children With Williams Syndrome" by Rhesa Ledbetter
• Winner - Radio In-depth Reporting: "A State Of Addiction: The Search For Alternative Painkillers" by Rhesa Ledbetter
• Finalist - Radio Feature: "Crossing Borders: A Mother And Her Transgender Son Reflect"by Rhesa Ledbetter
• Finalists - Radio Feature: "50 Years Of Rodeo Photography: A Career Behind The Camera" by Bronson Teichert
• Finalists - Radio In-depth Reporting: "GOP Tax Bill Lifts Burden From Farmers And Ranchers"by Bronson Teichert

2017

Society of Professional Journalists - Utah Chapter:

• 1st - Radio: Documentary "Objectified: More Than A Body" by Kerry Bringhurst, Dani Hayes, Kristen Munson and Jennifer Christensen
• 2nd - Radio: Documentary "When The Equal Rights Amendment Came To Utah" by Jennifer Pemberton
• Honorable Mention - Radio Documentary "Objectified: Escaping The FLDS Community" by Dani Hayes
• 2nd - Radio: General News "The Great Salt Lake, Better Off Without Us" by Jennifer Pemberton
• 1st - Radio: General Feature "Fat Phobia - An Exhibit" by Dani Hayes
• 3rd - Radio: General Feature "A Documentary About 'Furries' Competes In The Slamdanced Film Festival" by Melissa Allison
• Honorable Mention: General Feature "Cowboys and Scientists" by Geoff Smith
• 2nd - Radio: Continuing Coverage "Objectified: More Than A Body" by Kerry Bringhurst, Dani Hayes, Kristen Munson and Jennifer Christensen
• 1st - Radio: Series "54 Strong" by Dani Hayes, Jason Gilmore, Lauren Mata and Jarlin de Leon
• 3rd - Radio: Series "Roots of Brazil" by Dani Hayes, Jason Gilmore, Brieann Charlesworth, Mackayle Law and Elizabeth Thomas
• 1st - Radio: Best Use of Sound "The Science of Beer" by Daniel Kinka
• Honorable Mention - Best Use of Sound "Elite Hall Is Bringing People Together To Enjoy Music and Dancing Of The Past" by Aimee Cobabe
• 2nd - Radio: Education "Nature's Teaching Tool: Monarch Butterflies Brighten Up A Utah Classroom" by Rhesa Ledbetter
• 2nd - Radio: Minority Issues "When Women Run, Women Win... Except When They Don't" by Jennifer Pemberton
• 3rd - Radio: Minority Issues "What Does It Mean To Be A Patriotic American?" by Aimee Cobabe
• 3rd - Radio: Personality Profile "One Man's 'Loneliest Road' Battle With Cancer Is Now A Ride Accomplished For Others" by Aimee Cobabe
• Honorable Mention - Radio: Personality Profile "Objectified: A Mother/Daughter Battle With Anorexia" by Dani Hayes

2016

Society of Professional Journalists:

• 1st - Radio: Military "A Military Job You Didn't Know Exists" by Aimee Cobabe
• 1st - Radio: Series "52 Strong" by Jason Gilmore, Justin Prather and Elaine Taylor
• 2nd - Radio: Series "The Source" by Jennifer Pemberton, Ryan Cunningham and Ross Chambless
• Honorable Mention - Radio: General Feature "Utah Family Prepares For Life On The Road In A Buffalo Bus" by Katie Peikes

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean's Giraffe Award

• Assistant Professor Jason Gilmore won the 2016 Dean's Giraffe Award from USU's College of Humanities and Social Sciences for the creation and work on the54 Strong series.

2015

Jennifer Pemberton, Ross Chambers and Ryan Cunningham won APTRA's (Associated Press Television and Radio Association) Best Investigative Reporting award forThe Source's episode "Recreation - It's contentious. It's litigious. It's fun!"

2014

Utah Broadcasters Association:

• GOLD: Best News Reporting in a Series: Five Billion Gallons by Jennifer Pemberton & Matt Jensen
• SILVER: Best News Reporting in a Series: My Address Is... by Taylor Halverson, Elaine Taylor, Morgan Pratt, April Ashland, Matt Jensen
• SILVER: Best Single Event News Coverage: Thousands Rally for Clean Air Legislation by Jennifer Pemberton
• GOLD: Best Feature Story or Program: Zap, Pow, Bam! by Elaine Taylor
• SILVER: Best Feature Story or Program: BLM & USU Put Heads Together for Uintah Basin Ozone Problem by Jennifer Pemberton
• SILVER: Best Feature Story or Program: Adult Day Care Closure by Morgan Pratt

2013

Society of Professional Journalists:

• FIRST: News Feature: From New York to Utah: An Eye Witness Account of Hurricane Sandy by Storee Powell
• FIRST: Politics General Reporting: Democratic Congressional Candidates Debate This Week: Get To Know Them Before The Primary by Storee Powell
• SECOND: Public Service: Concerns Raised For Seniors Over Voter ID Laws by Storee Powell
• FIRST: Arts & Entertainment:Introducing the Logan Film Festival by Storee Powell
• THIRD: Enterprise Reporting: Analyzing Women Voters: How They'll Vote and Whyby Storee Powell
• FIRST: Public Service: Mental Illness Awareness by Storee Powell, April Ashland and Ryan Cunningham

Utah Society of Professional Journalists:

• FIRST: Minority Reporting: Concerns Raised For Seniors Over Voter ID Laws by Storee Powell
• THIRD: Radio Series: Mental Illness Awareness by Storee Powell, April Ashland and Ryan Cunningham
• SECOND: Radio Personality Profile: Donna McAleer for Congress by Storee Powell
• THIRD: Radio Personality Profile: Ryan Combe for Congress by Storee Powell
• SECOND: Radio Spot News: From New York to Utah: An Eyewitness Account of Hurricane Sandy by Storee Powell
• SECOND: Radio Documentary: Women's Education, Women's Empowerment by Storee Powell
• THIRD: Radio General Feature: Introducing the Logan Film Festival by Storee Powell

Associated Press Television and Radio

• FIRST: Best Special Program: Five Billion Gallons by Jennifer Pemberton and Matt Jensen
• SECOND: Best Coverage of an Ongoing Story: Having a Bad Air Day? by Jennifer Pemberton

2012

Society of Professional Journalists

• SECOND: Feature Reporting: New Local Author Talks About Janitorial Job as his Inspiration by Storee Powell
• THIRD: Feature Reporting: Utah Women in Municipal Office by Storee Powell
• FIRST: Online Feature Reporting: Buddhist Monk Urges Awareness, Understanding Amid Political Tension in Tibet by Ryan Cunningham and April Ashland
• FIRST: Radio Feature: Coyotes Fascinate, Puzzle Researchers in Utah by Ryan Cunningham
• Radio Feature: Porcupine Music Festival: Hairy, Friendly People in Northern Utah by Kinzie Hamilton
• Radio Feature: Kids with William's Syndrome are Pretty Tight, According to Friends and Researchers by Kinzie Hamilton
• Radio News Reporting: Bicycle Brent by Brianna Bodily
• Radio News Reporting: Water Dispute at Oneida Narrows by Brianna Bodily

Utah Broadcasters Association

• GOLD: National Women's History Month by Storee Powell
• BRONZE: Tyler Whitesides by Storee Powell

PRE-2012

• 2011 UBEE: GOLD: Circle the Wagons by Storee Powell
• 2010 SPJ: Finalist for Circle the Wagons by Storee Powell