IJNR is pleased to announce the winners of our 2019  Field Reporting Awards.

In an effort to help journalists get out in the field to report on important stories about natural resource use, development, energy production, conservation, environmental justice, and public health, we annually accept proposals for grants intended to defray reporting costs. We received a record number of outstanding submissions this year, and after much deliberation, the members of our selection committee chose the following eight proposals to receive awards: 
Environmental Justice Reporting Award :


Wudan Yan
Freelance Journalist
Seattle, WA

Project: "The Human Legacy of Nuclear Testing in the U.S."



Martha Pskowski
Freelance Journalist
Cuauhtemoc, Mexico

Project: "Pipeline Expansion in Mexico's Indigenous Territories"



Jesse DeConto
Freelance Journalist
Durham, NC

Project: "In the city of Freddie Gray, African-Americans Turn to Veganism to Fight Food Apartheid and Climate Change"

Guerry Beam Memorial Award:


Isabelle Groc
Freelance Journalist
Vancouver, BC

Project: "Finding Unlikely Partnerships for the Conservation of Kelp Forests in California"

Andrew Weegar Memorial Award:


Virginia Gewin
Freelance Journalist
Portland, OR

Project: "Industry's Plan to Persuade Ranchers and Farmers that Deep Roots are Profitable"

Frank Allen Field Reporting Awards:


Brett Walton
News Correspondent, Circle of Blue
Seattle, WA

Project: " After Fair Bluff Flooded"


Sara Talpos
Freelance Writer/Senior Editor, Undark
Ann Arbor, MI

Project:  "Addressing PFAS in Michigan"




Gabe Popkin
Freelance Journalist
Mount Rainier, MD

Project:  "A Green Transformation in the Appalachian Coal Fields"

Congratulations to our awardees, and a sincere thank you to everyone who submitted proposals. We were truly impressed by the scope and quality of the submissions we received, and we hope to be able to fund many more of these worthy projects in the future. 

This year's reporting awards are supported by The Joyce Foundation, The Llewellyn Foundation, and individual donors.