Baltimore Beat won 23 awards at the 2025 MDDC Press Association Awards, including Best of Show Awards for editorial design and reporting; a number of first place awards for reporting, photography, and business innovation; and News Organization of the Year.
The Beat was recognized for its in-depth investigative reporting, strong feature writing, and stellar photography.
“The voice of the author and the subject are so resonant–and the transitions and lead so clever,” judges wrote about our story on Nikkia Rowe, a South Baltimore beekeeper bringing local honey, healing, and community to the masses.
On a photo of James Mosher Baseball League players, they wrote: “Quintessential Americana. Captures the moment in the dugout for young players that is iconic and an instant keepsake for any mom, grandma, or aunt that is clipping photos for scrapbooks.”
On our continued reporting of alleged workplace misconduct at the West North Avenue Development Authority by its director Chad Williams, MDDC judges remarked on the months of work that went into the in-depth investigation and the persistence of our reporters.
“You can tell officials connected to WNADA wish this reporting would go away, but do you ignore workplace problems just because an agency seems to be operating successfully?” judges wrote.
“This investigation found multiple ways to tell a troublesome story: Digging up public facts in Williams’ history that only had to be looked for to be found, talking to multiple alleged victims and showing the consistency in their tales, and developing sourcing needed to get a critical document — all the while recording each no comment from the officials overseeing the agency.”
The full list of awards Baltimore Beat won:
First Place in New Business Concept, Eze Jackson and Jonathan Keen, for The Beat Goes On beer partnership with Peabody Heights Brewery.
Second Place in Best Event, Baltimore Beat Staff, for “Looking Back, Moving Forward: Ten Years after the Baltimore Uprising,” our event series at the Baltimore Museum of Art’s Lexington Market outpost last spring where we asked Baltimore residents to tell us their stories of The Uprising, and what had or hadn’t changed in their neighborhoods since.
First Place and Best of Show in Page 1 Design, Jocelyn Dombroski and Sanya Kamidi, for “One City, Four Covers,” the four different images of life in Patterson Park featured in Issue 67.
First Place in Breaking News – Social Media, Baltimore Beat Staff, for our reporting on the police killing of beloved arabber Bilal “B.J.” Abdullah.
First Place in Investigative Reporting, Logan Hullinger and Sanya Kamidi, for our investigation into WNADA director Chad Williams’ “unchecked power” and the lack of action by government officials.
First Place and Best of Show in Growth & Land Use Reporting, MacKenzie River Foy, for the investigation into alleged mistreatment of Center/West tenants in Poppleton by development company La Cité and how residents were coming together to fight for dignity and organize against these conditions.
Second Place in Local Column: Critical Thinking, Bry Reed, for a piece reflecting on Reed’s journey through political awareness as a Baltimore native witnessing changing tides in the city and asking: “Are we ready to challenge politicians as servant-leaders of the people? Or are we invested in politicians as civil celebrities?”
First Place in Feature Story: Profile, Grace Hebron, for a story on Nikkia Rowe, founder of John Newman Honeybee Company, a Black woman-owned apiary renowned for its premium raw honey made here in Baltimore.
Second Place in Headline, Sanya Kamidi, for “Nature and Nurture: For more than 40 years, Parks & People has done both.”
Second Place in Sports Column, Reeta Hubbard, for “Reeta’s Sportsisms,” a column analyzing sports news and trends in Baltimore.
First Place in General News Photo, Devin Allen, for a photo story on the arabber funeral procession for Bilal “BJ” Abdullah.
First Place in Feature Photo, Christian Thomas, for a portrait of lifelong pigeon man Coach Coop.
Second Place in Feature Photo, Faith Spicer, for a portrait of Dr. Joanne Martin, co-founder of The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum.
First Place in Photo Series, E. Brady Robinson, for “Here’s what some of Baltimore’s Black chefs are eating right now.”
Second Place in Photo Series, Fabian Perez, for “Photostory: Baltimore Fiesta Parade of Latino Nations.”
First Place in Sports Photo (Feature), Christian Thomas, for a portrait of young James Mosher League Baseball players in “Black baseball is part of a rich and ongoing tradition in Baltimore. Here are the faces of its birth, life, and revival.”
First Place in General Website Excellence, Sanya Kamidi.
First Place in Breaking News, Madeleine O’Neill, for “Before BPD killed a 70-year-old woman in crisis, a family member sought court intervention.”
First Place in Investigative Reporting and Public Service Reporting, Madeleine O’Neill, for “Thousands of people say they were sexually abused in Maryland juvenile detention centers. Is anyone investigating?”