Miami – September 03, 2026 -- The Society of Professional Journalists' Florida Pro Chapter awarded $15,000 in cash prizes for investigative reporting at the 2026 Sunshine State Awards, the state's largest and longest-running journalism competition, honoring work published in 2025. The ceremony took place at ArtServe Fort Lauderdale.
A-Mark Award recognizes three investigative series exposing public accountability failures
The top honor, the A-Mark Award for Investigative Journalism, is funded by a grant from the A-Mark Foundation. First place went to the Miami Herald and WLRN News investigative team for a series examining Brightline, described as "Florida's killer train." Second place was awarded to Michael Barfield and Derek Gilliam of Suncoast Searchlight and Florida Trident for their investigation into Sarasota County's stormwater system. Third place went to Nichole Manna and Casey Frank of The Florida Trib for "Cold-Blooded," a series detailing how a Florida prosecutor built a case against a death-row defendant using a liar and three jailhouse informants.
Seven category awards cover print, broadcast and Spanish-language journalism
Beyond the A-Mark Award, journalists were recognized across seven categories: print and digital writing, photography and design, television and video, radio and audio, digital media, Spanish-language reporting, and student journalism.
Program dates to 1994 with judging drawn from outside Florida's media market
SPJ Florida administers the Sunshine State Awards in partnership with the South Florida chapters of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists. Entries are judged by professionals and educators from outside Florida's media market to ensure independence. Net proceeds from the competition are reinvested into journalist training, programs and advocacy initiatives.
Eligibility spans Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
The contest is open to professional print, radio, television and digital journalists based in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as out-of-state journalists covering Florida. The Student Division accepts entries from Florida college students and includes a dedicated category for high school journalists. Entry submissions for the 2027 Sunshine State Awards open in February.