Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 8, 1 ʻAukake 2023 — OHA Wins Four NAJA Awards and a Koa Anvil Award [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA Wins Four NAJA Awards and a Koa Anvil Award

By Amy Schwab The OfRce of Hawaiian Affairs' (OHA) monthly publication Ka Wai Ola News has received four National Native Media Awards from the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA). The annual competition recognizes excellence in reporting by Indigenous and non-Indigenous journalists from across the U.S. and Canada. NAJA received its highest number of entries this year with Ka Wai Ola News competing in the "Professional Division III" for publications with circulation above 10,000. Ka Wai Ola News' print edition has been delivering news for the lāhui since 1980, covering the people, issues and events important to the Native Hawaiian eommunity. In January 2020, OHA launched kawaiola.news, an accompanying digital version of the publication that includes videos, photo albums and an archival section that contains digitized versions of Ka Wai Ola News since its 1980 inception. The digital platform makes 43 years of contemporary Hawaiian history available to the world. The publication has a large following, counting 51,000

print subscribers and 19,000 digital subscribers from across the country, and an average of 16,000 online readers visiting the site eaeh month. This year, Ka Wai Ola News was acknowledged as one of the best Indigenous publications and honored with second plaee awards in the "General Excellence" and "Best Digital Publication" categories. Graphic Designer Kaleena Patcho received honorable mention for "Best Layout" and Ka Wai Ola Publications Editor Puanani Fer-nandez-Akamine took first plaee in the "Best Two-Spirit Coverage" category for her article, "Kapaemahu Exhibit Prompts Call to Update Signage at Waikīkī." This is OHA's first win for "Best Two-Spirit Coverage" a new NAJA award category recognizing stories about Indigenous LGBTQ+ issues and people. "It is a true honor for OHA and Ka Wai Ola to be acknowledged alongside national, high-caliber news outlets such as CBC Indigenous and Indian Country Today," said Communications Director Aliee Malepeai Silbanuz. "We strive for excellence as we uplift the voices of the lāhui and continue our heritage of Indigenous storytelling in a modern day context. It is humbling to see those efforts validated by NAJA." The 2023 NAJA awards recognize work produced

during 2022. In addition to Silbanuz, FernandezAkamine and Patcho, significant contributions that led to these awards were made by communications strategists Ed Kalama, Edward McLaurin and Kelli Soileau, and multimedia designers Jason Lees and Josh Koh. In addition, dozens of other writers, from ffeelancers to eolumnists, OHA staff to community members, contributed to the success of Ka Wai Ola News. OHA has also been recognized by the Hawai'i chapter of the Puhlie Relations Society of America (PRSA) with a 2023 Koa Anvil Award for "Outstanding Feature Story." Established in 1983, the Koa Anvil Awards is a professional competition that celebrates the best puhlie relations programs and tools in the state. The September 2022 Ka Wai Ola cover story "The Bird that Soars in the Heavenly Space," was also written by Fernandez-Akamine and advocated for the protection of the 'io (Hawaiian hawk). This storytelling is an example of how OHA and Ka Wai Ola work to educate and amplify community eoncerns. Special recognition goes to OHA Hawai'i Island Legacy Land Agent Kalena Blakemore who contributed the story idea. To read the full story, go to: kawaiola.news/ cover/the-bird-that-soars-in-the-heavenly-space/ ■