Smoke Signals wins five Indigenous Journalists Association awards

By Danielle Harrison

Smoke Signals editor

Smoke Signals has won five awards for journalism excellence in the 2025 Indigenous Media Awards given out by the Indigenous Journalists Association.

This year, IJA received 870 entries, a record number according to contest organizers.

Smoke Signals is in the circulation category of between 5,000 to 10,000 copies printed per edition.

“It’s so great to see the quality journalism that the Smoke Signals publishes be rewarded and recognized in Indian Country,” Grand Ronde Editorial Board member and past chair Mia Prickett said. “I couldn’t be prouder of the work we’re doing to bring timely information to our people.”

Tribal member and Social Media/Digital Journalist Kamiah Koch won three awards in the professional division television category.

This included a first-place award for Best Two-Spirit Coverage for her video, “‘Transgresssors’ exhibit opens at Chachalu Tribal Museum,” a second-place award for Best Newscast for “PNW Tribes convene for 2024 Youth Canoe Journey,” and a third-place award for Best Feature Story for “Tribe turns out for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People’s Awareness Walk.”

Smoke Signals Photojournalist/Assistant Editor Michelle Alaimo won two awards in the Best Coverage of Indigenous Communities Category. She earned a first-place award for photos of Restoration Day and a second-place award for Native Youth Wellness Day.

The awards, for work published in 2024, were announced Thursday, June 12, and will be given out during the annual IJA convention, which is being held this year in August in Albuquerque.

Smoke Signals has now won 139 state and national journalism awards since 2007.