The Marshall Project was awarded first prize in the National Press Photographers Association contest on visual journalism for a series of investigations featured in Inside Story, an innovative video series that brings critical news to audiences on both sides of the prison walls.
The Marshall Project was recognized with first prize in the “Team Video - Portfolio” category, and was also awarded third place in the “Team Video - News & Issue” category for one of those features: an in-depth investigation with St. Louis Public Radio and APM Reports into why the city has more than 1,000 unsolved murders and the complexities that law enforcement faces.
Among the pieces showcased in the Inside Story portfolio were stories on how efforts to lower health care costs in jails have stirred controversy, the impact of correctional staff shortages on their families and those of incarcerated people, and the long quest of prisoners to overturn their convictions on the basis of now-debunked hair analysis.
Across six episodes, Inside Story also featured insightful interviews with prominent changemakers in policy, social justice and entertainment, including actor and rapper Common and comedian Donnell Rawlings. Rapper G. Dep also sat down with host Lawrence Bartley for an exclusive conversation days after his release from prison.
Co-created by Bartley and Donald Washington, Jr., both of whom work at The Marshall Project and were themselves formerly incarcerated, Inside Story features investigations, animated first-person essays, short features on those who have bettered their lives after prison, and explainers that unravel complex data or spotlight forgotten history.
“This honor highlights the important and unique work we are doing at The Marshall Project. Through the Marshall Project Inside team, we've been able to get this critical journalism into prisons and jails across the country,” said Bartley, the publisher of News Inside, our print publication for incarcerated readers and executive producer of Inside Story.
In the award-winning multi-part investigative series Unsolved, journalists at St. Louis Public Radio and APM Reports fought for years in court to obtain homicide clearance rate records from the St. Louis police. The records were finally released in 2023, at which point The Marshall Project joined the investigation. The data revealed that police had solved fewer than half of the city's homicides over the previous decade, with clearance rates dropping to just 31% in 2019 — a low point for St. Louis.
The investigation exposed stark racial disparities, showing that while Black people made up 90% of homicide victims, police were far more likely to solve cases involving White victims. Reporters built relationships with grieving families, uncovering a devastating breakdown in communication and trust between police and the community.
“We’re thrilled to receive this honor as we ramp up our Missouri news team based out of St. Louis,” said Geraldine Sealey, acting editor-in-chief. “Through our journalism, toolkits and media partnerships, we hope to shine a light on many criminal justice issues across the state that demand public attention.”
The National Press Photographers Association is a professional group dedicated to advancing visual storytelling and journalism, and includes photographers, videographers and multimedia journalists. The annual contest honors the best of photojournalism, including images, image editing, videos and presentations that “illuminate and resonate.”
