GV Wire earned nine first-place honors and 35 total awards across 24 categories at the California Journalism Awards, the California News Publishers Association announced, recognizing the Fresno-based digital newsroom for broad performance across enterprise reporting, feature writing, video journalism, and investigative coverage.

“Thanks to the incredible tenacity and drive of our GV Wire team. We bring compelling stories to Central California readers. Without this team and its direction, there would be a significant void in Central California coverage of local, national, and international news,” GV Wire Publisher Darius Assemi said.

“I’m grateful that CNPA has recognized the depth of our work, our coverage, and the balanced approach GV Wire uses to uncover the stories that matter most to the Central Valley.”

Edward Smith Takes 9 Awards

Edward Smith is GV Wire’s most decorated award winner, earning nine top-five finishes across six categories. He won first place in Coverage of Youth and Education for “After Fresno Unified Student Dies, District Punishes Whistleblower: Lawsuit,” an accountability report examining the district’s response to internal complaints following a student’s death.

Smith also placed second in Housing and Land-Use Reporting for the Southeast Development Area (SEDA) Series and second in Immigration Reporting for “Release Denied for Fresno Pismo’s Manager in ICE Detention.”

He placed third in Health Reporting for coverage of concerns raised before Fresno County supervisors over the jail’s private equity-backed medical provider, third in Housing and Land-Use Reporting for the Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Series, and third in Transportation Reporting for “Fresno’s Blackstone Avenue Plan Is Here. Will Fewer Vehicle Lanes Entice Cyclists?”

He placed fourth in Agricultural Reporting for an investigation into the mass die-off of 1.1 million bee colonies and fifth in the same category for a report on the collapse of the almond price forecast.

Anthony W. Haddad Brings Home 2 Golds

Reporter Anthony W. Haddad earned two first-place finishes and six total awards.

He won first place in Music Writing/Reporting for his festival coverage series and first place in Writing for the personal column “How 9/11 Taught Me Fear and Belonging as an Arab American.”

He also placed second in Sports Feature Story for his coverage of the Clovis girls soccer team’s national championship and second in Wildfire News Coverage for reporting on Fresno County’s Garnet Fire.

Haddad placed third in Breaking News for “Fresno Restaurateur Bobby Salazar Charged by Feds With Arson” and fifth in Columns for The Millennial View Column Series.

Nancy Price Grabs First in Enterprise

Nancy Price earned first place in Enterprise News Story or Series for “Following the Money: Accountability at the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission,” an investigation into the agency’s finances and governance structures.

She placed second in Feature Story for “As Garnet Fire Nears, Memories of Creek Fire’s Destruction Flare Up for Mountain and Foothill Folks,” third in both Public Service Journalism and Wildfire Feature Coverage.

She received fourth in Enterprise Reporting for “State Official Leased Her Fresno Home to Local Agency. Then Her Office Awarded $398K to the Agency.”

Graphic Guru, News Director, and Videographer Take Home the Top Spots

Paul Marshall earned first place in Informational Graphic for a data visualization examining California student test scores and their implications for Fresno Unified, and third in the same category for a comparison of Fresno’s air quality ranking with other U.S. cities.

Veteran columnist Bill McEwen placed first in the Columns category for his ongoing column series.

Eric Martinez won first place in Video Journalism for a report on California Health Sciences University’s record class of Fresno State graduates.

Jahziel Tello placed second in Video Journalism for a feature on a downtown Fresno mural honoring local artisans.

Anya Ellis placed fourth in Profile Story for her profile of Misty Her, a then-candidate for Fresno Unified School District.

Unfiltered Podcast, Home Page Layout Honored

Darius Assemi received fifth-place recognition in Best Podcast for GV Wire’s Unfiltered Podcast.

The GV Wire team also earned second place in Home Page Layout and Design for its overall digital presentation.

Former GV Wire reporter David Taub was also credited on seven entries, including first-place finishes in Feature Story and Sports Feature Story, along with additional placements in breaking news, local government coverage, and in-depth reporting.

GV Wire, founded in 2016, covers Fresno, the Central Valley and California with a focus on accountability and public interest journalism.

The California Journalism Awards are presented annually by the California News Publishers Association.