Blue Ridge Public Radio (BPR) has earned three honors in the 76th annual Green Eyeshade Awards, recognizing outstanding journalism across the Southeastern United States. Hosted by Southerners from the Society of Professional Journalists and judged by veteran journalists nationwide, the awards recognize excellence, impact, and public‑service reporting published in 2025.
The accodales, in both the audio/radio and digital/online divisions, recognize BPR’s commitment to multimedia journalism that documents, explains, and uplifts Western North Carolina, including the region’s ongoing recovery from Hurricane Helene.
BPR’s Green Eyeshade category honorees:
- Audio/Radio Feature Reporting, Second Place: WNC artists celebrate the release of an album recorded in the muck of Hurricane Helene, by Laura Hackett.
- Short Form Audio/Radio Reporting, Third Place: Are the kids alright? Mental health problems spike for students post‑Helene, by Laura Hackett.
- Digital/Online Social Media Strategy, Second Place: Blue Ridge Public Radio Instagram, by Stephanie Rogers.
This year’s awards come a year after BPR earned the overall Green Eyeshade Award last year, the top honor across all categories and divisions, for its 2024 coverage of Hurricane Helene and the immediate aftermath.
“These honors reflect BPR’s mission to deliver multi-faceted journalism rooted in the mountain communities we serve,” said Ele Ellis, BPR CEO and general manager. “Our team continues to elevate stories that matter to Western North Carolina—especially those that help our region understand, recover from, and remember Hurricane Helene.”
Founded in 1950, the Green Eyeshade Awards are the oldest regional journalism contest in the United States, celebrating the very best reporting across the Southeast.
