Texas Public Radio journalists earned recognition in some of journalism’s most prestigious competitions, ranging from breaking-news coverage of the July 4, 2025, Hill Country floods to investigations, environmental reporting, health journalism, education features and deeply reported stories about resilience and recovery.
TPR earns five national Public Media Journalists Association awards
TPR received five national awards from the Public Media Journalists Association, including four first-place honors.
The winning entries were:
- Breaking News, First Place: “Hill Country floods: July 4, 2025,” by the TPR newsroom
- Continuing Coverage, First Place: "TPR’s continuing coverage of the July 4 Hill Country floods," by the TPR newsroom
- Series, First Place: “Blood Work: Inside America’s Plasma-for-Cash Economy,” by David Martin Davies
- Education Feature, First Place: “How the Texas ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law is impacting San Antonio teens,” by Camille Phillips
- Investigative Reporting, Second Place: “Texas college students left without a path to finish their degree,” by Camille Phillips
Four Regional Edward R. Murrow awards recognize range of TPR reporting
TPR earned four Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association.
The winning work included:
- Hard News: “San Antonio special education teacher says she’s been injured more this year than ever before,” by Camille Phillips
- Investigative Reporting: “Texas college students left without a path to finish their degree,” by Camille Phillips
- News Series: “Blood Work: Inside America’s Plasma-for-Cash Economy,” by David Martin Davies
- Sports Reporting: “After the flood, football helps heal in Kerrville,” by David Martin Davies
The Murrow Awards are among the most respected honors in broadcast and digital journalism, recognizing work that demonstrates journalistic excellence, technical skill and a strong commitment to public service.
Texas Association of Broadcasters honors flood and sports coverage
TPR received two statewide honors from the Texas Association of Broadcasters.
The newsroom was recognized for its breaking-news coverage of the July 4 Hill Country floods, honoring the work of reporters, editors, hosts and producers who delivered urgent information and sustained coverage as the disaster unfolded.
David Martin Davies was recognized for sports reporting for “After the flood, football helps heal in Kerrville.” The story captured how Tivy High School’s season opener honored first responders and gave a grieving community a place to come together after the deadly July 4 flood.
TPR wins two SPJ Fort Worth First Amendment awards
TPR journalists received two first-place honors from the Society of Professional Journalists Fort Worth Pro Chapter through its First Amendment Awards.
David Martin Davies won first place in Environmental Reporting for his special report, “The future of AI and water in Texas,” which examined the growing demands artificial intelligence and data centers could place on the state’s limited water resources.
Camille Phillips won first place in Investigative Reporting for “San Antonio special education teacher says she’s been injured more this year than ever before.” The story followed a veteran teacher whose repeated injuries exposed the challenge of protecting staff, supporting students and responding with limited resources.
Camille Phillips receives national SPJ Sigma Delta Chi Award
TPR education reporter Camille Phillips received a national SPJ Sigma Delta Chi Award in the Radio Feature Reporting category.
Her story, “LGBTQ+ San Antonio teens describe ‘dehumanizing’ effect of being called their birth names at school,” examined the impact of policies requiring educators to use students’ legal names rather than the names they use in their daily lives.
The Sigma Delta Chi Awards are among the journalism industry’s most prestigious national honors and recognize excellence across print, radio, television and digital reporting.
Phillips wins third Alliance for Women in Media Gracie Award
Phillips was named a Gracie Award winner for the third time.
Her story about the effect of using LGBTQ+ students’ birth names at school won in the Local News Feature category.
Presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation, the Gracie Awards recognize exemplary programming created by, for and about women across news, entertainment and other forms of media.
TPR journalists recognized for health and medical reporting
The Texas Medical Association also honored several TPR journalists through its Anson Jones, MD, Awards, which have recognized excellence in Texas health and medical reporting since 1957.
David Martin Davies received three honors:
- First Place, In-Depth Radio: “Texas Matters: The state of measles”
- Honorable Mention: In-Depth Radio: “Psychedelics & The Texas Trip" by Bonnie Petrie, Robin Berghaus and Jacob Rosati.
- Honorable Mention, Radio News: “Flea-borne typhus is making a comeback in Texas” by David Martin Davies
- Honorable Mention: David Martin Davies, Texas Health Journalist of the Year