In late June, Public Radio News Directors Inc. and emcee Korva Coleman of NPR presented 173 awards to 72 organizations at its conference in St. Louis for work done at stations and other outlets during calendar year 2015. Vermont Public Radio took home three of the awards for commentary, newscast, and arts feature. The annual PRNDI Awards is the only national competition devoted to rewarding outstanding local public radio news in a variety of categories.
"This year's competition was fierce with over 1,200 entries submitted," according to George Bodarky, PRNDI President.
VPR was recognized with three national awards for its 2015 coverage in the following categories:
Commentary:
· First place for “Not One More,” by Linda Mulley, an educator, who shared the loss of her daughter to opiate addiction.
Newscast:
· First place for “All Things Considered,” with Alex Keefe, who joined VPR as local host in 2015.
Arts Feature:
· Second place for “After More Than 40 Years, Passionate Music Teacher Puts Down His Baton,” by Nina Keck, with a profile of Bear Irwin who spent four decades sharing his love of orchestra with Vermont students.
“VPR is inspired by the awards from our colleagues in public radio. They are given in the name of the best service possible for listeners and readers, said John Van Hoesen, VPR’s chief content officer. “The fact that VPR has received many awards from this organization and others over many years is testament to the importance of public radio in our community and the dedication of the people of Vermont and elsewhere to journalism with depth and meaning.”