Recent Awards

California News Publishers Association

2023

First place: Coverage of Business and the Economy
Jocelyn Dong, Gennady Sheyner and Isha Trivedi
Palo Alto Weekly to become a nonprofit


Third place: Technology Reporting
Gennady Sheyner and Chris Lee
Palo Alto quietly abandons utilities undergrounding


“The reporters not only do an excellent job of holding public officials
accountable for why the process has stalled, they also reveal why
undergrounding might conflict with the installation of fiber.
A solid, informative public service.” -CNPA Judge

Second place - General Excellence
Palo Alto Weekly staff


Second place - Breaking News
Palo Alto Weekly staff
Massive storm pummels Palo Alto

Fifth place - Investigative reporting
Gennady Sheyner
A shelter divided

“No easy answers are provided because there are none. A good example of a
complex subject that informs readers of their choices.” -CNPA Judge

2022

First Place - Digital - Land-use Reporting
Gennady Sheyner and Jamey Padojino
Redefining Downtowns

"This story was a thorough, authoritative piece that consisted of several stories within the story.
The lead-in story drove home to the reader that decisions about downtowns
have impact on real people, not just on businesses or a region's prestige.
The reader also learns a lot about the planning process while navigating
this lengthy but well organized piece.” -CNPA Judge

First Place - Election Coverage
Gennady Sheyner
Anybody’s Game

“Anybody’s game is the sure winner!” -CNPA Judge



First Place - Digital - Investigative Reporting
Second Place - Print - Investigative Reporting
Gennady Sheyner
Fatal Errors: After employee’s death, city fights charges of safety violations


“Wow, what a well-written and reported story, especially in the face of being stonewalled by
so many important sources! Important work that holds the city accountable and
lays bare its attempts to shirk its responsibility in an avoidable tragedy.” - CNPA Judge

“The level of well-documented detail was exceptional, especially given the lack of cooperation
from a range of rejected sources. Meticulous work.” -CNPA Judge

Second place - In-depth Reporting
Gennady Sheyner
Battling bias in law enforcement: What data reveals about Palo Alto police

“It’s a well-conceived package that makes the most of the data, assessing the true impact of the numbers
and considering what the community may yet be able to change.” - CNPA Judge

2021

Second Place - In-Depth Reporting
Sue Dremann and Gennady Sheyner
Crisis at the Kennels

Third place - Coverage of Local Government
Gennady Sheyner
Palo Alto tackles police reform

2020

First place - Election coverage
Gennady Sheyner
Meet the candidates