The Baltimore Banner was named the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association’s News Organization of the Year for 2023 after sweeping its top awards, winning 11 Best of Show awards and winning 41 others for its reporting, visuals and multimedia storytelling.

The Banner earned top honors for general website excellence and was awarded the James S. Keat Freedom of Information Award, which recognized The Banner for its “wide-ranging portfolio of substantive projects that used public records in reporting.”

“I’m thrilled that we’re being recognized for our investigations, feature reporting, photos and social media,” said The Banner’s editor in chief Kimi Yoshino. “The more people who are exposed to our journalism, the more they see the depth of the talent we have in our newsroom. And to win news organization of the year is just icing on the cake.”

The press association’s annual contest recognizes print and online journalism by outlets across the region. This year, the contest featured more than 1,500 submissions across 86 categories.

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Other top honors went to news designer and illustrator Laila Milevski, who was named Designer of the Year for what judges said was her “unique and fun style that goes far beyond presentation into the realm of visual storytelling.”

“Her work in comics and photo illustration is extraordinary,” judges wrote. “I think Laila is one of the best people doing this kind of work today. The Banner is very lucky to have her.”

Data journalist Greg Morton was named Editorial Rookie of the Year, which is awarded to a journalist who has been in the field for fewer than 18 months. Judges cited his “sophisticated, in-depth writing” along with his data analysis skills “that made his work exemplary.”

The Banner’s advertising and events team also took home a first place award for Best Event, for the organization’s inaugural Impact Maryland conference. The daylong event brought together the region’s most influential leaders for discussions about some of Maryland’s biggest challenges.

“In less than two years, The Banner has built a powerful newsroom serving Baltimore and greater Maryland,” said Bob Cohn, The Banner’s chief executive who joined the new organization in February. “These awards honor the breadth of our coverage and reflect the hard work and high standards of our journalists. And while we are, of course, very happy to be recognized, we know we’re just getting started.”

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Top awards

  • News Organization (Division A): The Baltimore Banner
  • Designer of the Year: Laila Milevski, The Baltimore Banner
  • Editorial Rookie of the Year: Greg Morton, The Baltimore Banner
  • General Web Site Excellence: The Baltimore Banner
  • James S. Keat FOIA award: The Baltimore Banner

Best of Show awards