The Milwaukee Press Club, the oldest active press club in America and known for honoring excellence in the field of journalism, announced the winners of the 95th Annual Gridiron Awards on May 9.

Milwaukee Independent earned nine awards for its 2024 submissions, including multiple first-place honors for its journalism, photography, and design, further solidifying the publication’s legacy of editorial distinction.

With this year’s results, Milwaukee Independent has received 80 awards from the Milwaukee Press Club over a nine-year span. As the news outlet considers stepping back from future journalism competitions, the milestone stands as a capstone to nearly a decade of peer recognition in Wisconsin for its innovative and principled work in journalism.

The Gridiron Awards Dinner, held again at Milwaukee’s historic Pfister Hotel, saw Milwaukee Independent once more recognized across a spectrum of categories. The site earned Gold for Best Local News for the second year in a row, and Best Website Design, affirming the editorial team’s commitment to holding power accountable, giving a voice to the marginalized, and documenting the overlooked aspects of Milwaukee.

The broad range of categories speaks to the versatility and discipline Milwaukee Independent has cultivated in its editorial work. For an independent newsroom, competing against larger outlets across Wisconsin, the consistency of recognition reflects a rare level of dedication and impact.

The site’s flagship series for 2024 was also awarded Gold for its cross-cultural reporting. “Milwaukee Voices. Korean Experiences” explored personal and historical narratives linking Milwaukee residents with the divided Korean peninsula. Another Gold winner from that series, a profile of artist Jason S. Yi, delved into themes of identity, immigration, and belonging in the city’s Korean American community.

The collection of awards this year also included a photojournalist’s journey documenting trauma and truth in Milwaukee and beyond, a cultural concert performed in Milwaukee by Ukrainian frontline soldiers as an act of gratitude, a feature on the shipment of hundreds of donated access points to help rebuild Irpin’s Wi-Fi network, A personal story highlighted the sacrifices of a local mother made to support Ukraine while raising a family, and an editorial confronting the dark truth of a nation that tolerates the mass shootings of its children.

The 2025 contest drew hundreds of entries from throughout Wisconsin in professional and collegiate categories. The competition was judged by professional journalists from press clubs throughout the United States, including statewide clubs in Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Western Pennsylvania, and Southeast Texas, and metro-area clubs in Cleveland, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Orange County, San Diego, San Francisco, and Syracuse.

Under the rules, news organizations could only enter work from last year in the Milwaukee Press Club’s competition. The 2025 awards reflect editorial features produced in 2024. Milwaukee Independent has earned a total of 80 awards for work since 2016. The winners selected for the 95th Annual Gridiron Awards for Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism are:

[GLD] • VISUAL JOURNALISM: BEST WEBSITE DESIGN
milwaukeeindependent.com: Advertising-Free Website Design

[GLD] • VISUAL JOURNALISM: BEST LOCAL NEWS OR FEATURE WEBSITE
Milwaukee Independent: An Online Daily News Magazine

[GLD] • VISUAL JOURNALISM: BEST BLOG
Bearing Witness: A photojournalist’s journey documenting trauma and truth in Milwaukee and beyond

[BRZ] • VISUAL JOURNALISM: BEST USE OF MULTI-PLATFORM REPORTING
Frontline “soldier artists” from Ukraine perform a cultural concert of gratitude for Milwaukee

[BRZ] • VISUAL JOURNALISM: BEST SHORT HARD FEATURE STORY
Advanced Wireless begins shipping hundreds of access points it donated to rebuild Irpin’s Wi-Fi network

[BRZ] • ONLINE EXCLUSIVELY: BEST SINGLE EDITORIAL
The dark truth of “American Exceptionalism” is a nation that tolerates the slaughter of its children

[GLD] • ONLINE EXCLUSIVELY: BEST EXPLANATORY STORY OR SERIES
Milwaukee Voices. Korean Experiences: Exploring stories of life and war across a divided peninsula

[GLD] • ONLINE EXCLUSIVELY: BEST PERSONAL PROFILE 1
Jason S. Yi: Feeling at peace with the duality of being both an American and a Korean in Milwaukee

[SLV] • ONLINE EXCLUSIVELY: BEST PERSONAL PROFILE 2
Halyna Zdyrko Salapata: The sacrifices that come with supporting Ukraine while raising a family in Milwaukee

“If nobody puts it down on the record anywhere, then the monsters win totally. It must be someplace on the record, because otherwise they could get by with anything. Does it stop anything? I don’t feel that everything I’ve done has been of use. But at least, it is better than silence. Because if you are silent, then they can rewrite it anyway they want. They can make it look great afterward. So there is a point on the record.” – Martha Gellhorn, War Correspondent