Toronto Star’s Jennifer Pagliaro and Lethbridge Herald’s Katie May have been selected as the two recipients of the Goff Penny Memorial Prize for Young Canadian Journalists, in the over 25,000 and under 25,000 circulation classes respectively.

Toronto Star’s Jennifer Pagliaro and Lethbridge Herald’s Katie May have been selected as the two recipients of the Goff Penny Memorial Prize for Young Canadian Journalists, in the over 25,000 and under 25,000 circulation classes respectively.

According to the press release, 23-year-old Pagliaro impressed the judges with her diverse coverage of breaking news both at home and internationally. Pagliaro’s submissions included an article about off-roading through Uganda to interview beekeepers, an emotional piece on the burden faced by Canadian families coping with mental illness, and a human-interest story about at-risk youth dealing with complex crime and social concerns in their Toronto community.

May, 25, submitted a series of investigative articles tackling a number of issues affecting the local area. She interviewed community members devastated by a local fire, reported on the aftermath of a police college cancellation, and was the first reporter to uncover a mistake made by the Lethbridge police force during a marijuana bust.

Both recipients will be awarded the Goff Penny Memorial Prizes at the World Press Freedom Day luncheon on May 3 during the INK+BEYOND newspaper conference in Ottawa.