Modesto Bee staff wins awards in environmental reporting, wildfire coverage, more
Modesto Bee journalists took home nine 2025 California Journalism awards, including six first-place honors, the California News Publishers Association announced.
Division 3 — in which the Modesto Bee competes — includes The Fresno Bee, The Bakersfield Californian, the Marin Independent Journal and other publications.
Modesto Bee journalists took first place in the following categories:
- Social Justice and Civic Engagement, “City’s anti-mask-ordinance draws public outrage and potential lawsuit,” by Julietta Bisharyan
- Environmental Reporting, “Stanislaus County Water: small systems, private wells, contaminants,” by Kathleen Quinn
- Feature Story, “How a betta fish abandoned in a pickle jar in the dark got his happy ending,” by Maria Figueroa
- Sports Feature Story, “Father-son matchup takes center stage in high school football contest,” by Quinton Hamilton
- Wildfire Coverage, “Wildfire tears through historic Chinese Camp,” by Dean J. Condoleo and John Holland
- House and Land-Use Reporting, “Homes need water: Growth, lawsuits and a west county water crisis,” by Ken Carlson
The Bee also won two second-place awards:
- Arts and Entertainment Coverage, “Historian honored by Modesto museum discovered shocking truth on McHenry family,” Pat Clark
- Sports Action Photo, “Battling for a game-tying header,” by Andy Alfaro
Additionally, the Bee earned fourth place in the general excellence category, placing just above the Chico Enterprise-Record.
