It’s media awards season, and what a week it has been for The Local. Our journalism won some of the most prestigious prizes in the country.

On Saturday, at the Canadian Association of Journalists Awards, Inori Roy took home the gold prize in the Community Written Feature category for her 2025 story, “The Worm Hunters of Southern Ontario.” Her work on this story was also recognized with a silver award for Long-Form Feature Writing (between 3500 and 6000 words) at the National Magazine Awards a week earlier.

Roy’s story was part of The Local’s summer 2025 issue, “Wild Wild City,” which examined how the human and animal worlds collide and what it means for our shifting relationships with the creatures among us. The issue was named best Editorial Package at the National Magazine Awards. It also won a silver award at the Digital Publishing Awards.

Another story from the issue, “Breakdown at the Racetrack” by Nicholas Hune-Brown, also won gold in the Long-Form Feature Writing (over 6,000 words) category.

Wency Leung’s ongoing coverage of the provincial takeover of Toronto-area school boards was recognized with a silver prize for Local Government Reporting by the Canadian Association of Journalists.

“I could not be more proud of our team and these stories,” said Editor-in-Chief Tai Huynh. “From Inori picking worms through the night on a farm in the middle of nowhere, to Nick spending days at Woodbine Racetrack trying to get to the bottom of why horseracing is still a thing—it’s persistent and quiet work that often goes unnoticed. It’s gratifying to see these stories recognized and celebrated.”

“Getting to report on the worm industry was a delight in itself. To be recognized for it on a national stage is unreal,” said Roy. “I’m so lucky to be part of a newsroom that still sees the value in—and has the resources to pursue—quirky, unexpected local features like this.”