Six months after launching, The Narwhal won four Canadian Online Publishing Awards at a ceremony on Wednesday night in Toronto, including silver for best publication.

In the best news website category, The Narwhal also won silver, while Maclean’s won gold. The Narwhal’s website and brand was developed by Ictinus in Ottawa. HuffPost took the gold in the best publication category.

In the photo essay category, The Narwhal won gold for Garth Lenz’s work documenting B.C.’s mining boom along the Alaska border — which was made possible by donations from more than 100 readers.

The Narwhal also picked up silver in the photo essay category for an in-depth look at Giant Mine in the Northwest Territories by deputy editor Jimmy Thomson and photographer Matt Jacques.

Congratulations to all of the winners, but we’re saving the biggest applause of all for our readers and members who make our independent journalism possible. Thank you for reading, sharing and donating to support independent, investigative journalism.

Now more than ever we believe in the power of stories to inspire, educate and motivate us.

As traditional business models for news falter, The Narwhal is pioneering a non-profit model that puts the public interest first and relies on reader support. The Narwhal is an ad-free online news magazine with just three full-time staff.

More than 1,000 readers have donated to support The Narwhal’s independent journalism and 440 readers have become monthly members.

If you support independent, ad-free journalism please become a founding member of The Narwhal today.

The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism.

The Narwhal has been named as a finalist for six Canadian Online Publishing Awards, including best publication and best news website.

Launched four months ago, The Narwhal’s team of investigative journalists dives deep to tell stories about Canada’s natural environment. The Narwhal is one of a small handful of non-profit news organizations in Canada and has just three full-time staff.

The Narwhal is a finalist for best publication and best news website, alongside publications such as Maclean’s, the National Observer and HuffPost Canada.

Our small team also earned a nod for best continuing coverage of a news story for Judith Lavoie’s series on the imperilled Wood Buffalo National Park, featuring images by Louis Bockner and videos edited by managing editor Carol Linnitt.

In the best investigative article category, The Narwhal has been named as a finalist for Linnitt’s exposé of the relationship between the coal company TransAlta and the University of Alberta — an investigation that was later replicated by CBC News.

The Narwhal has captured both finalist spots in the best photojournalism category — one for a reader-funded photo essay by Garth Lenz documenting the mining boom along the B.C.-Alaska border and another for a photo essay on Giant Mine by deputy editor Jimmy Thomson and photographer Matt Jacques.

In the best video content category The Narwhal is a finalist for a feature on the Wuikinuxv First Nation’s efforts to harness small-scale hydro to replace diesel fuel produced by Thomson and filmed by videographer Nicholas Castel.

We are so proud of the incredible work of our entire team of reporters, editors and photographers, but the biggest applause goes out to our readers and members who make all of this possible. Thank you for reading, sharing, commenting and contributing financially. You really have made our vision over here at The Narwhal a reality.

More than 300 Canadians are monthly members of The Narwhal. If you support our work, please become a member today.

And if you haven’t signed up for our free weekly newsletter yet, don’t miss another beat.

The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism.

Judges for the Canadian Online Publishing Awards have announced the 2017 finalists and DeSmog Canada has made the cut in two categories.

In the category of “Best Continuing Coverage of a News Story” DeSmog Canada was selected as a finalist for its reporting on the Site C dam, alongside Maclean’s, VICE News, The Tyee/Discourse Media and the National Observer.

With so much happening on the Site C dam file in the last year, it was hard to select just five stories to submit, so we highlighted a variety of multimedia storytelling, as well as in-depth investigative work.

The submission included award-winning aerial photographer Garth Lenz’ photo essay of the B.C. government’s push to get Site C past the “point of no return.” That photo essay was funded by DeSmog Canada readers who gave more than $5,000 to support the project.

“DeSmog Canada is making critical on-the-ground journalism possible at a time that other news outlets are slashing budgets,” Lenz said. “The fact that readers made this project possible makes this recognition even sweeter.”

Another part of the submission was an article by Sarah Cox that used a Freedom of Information request to reveal how closely the premier’s office and BC Hydro worked together to try to discredit DeSmog Canada’s critical coverage of the Site C dam.

Honoured to receive a nod for our #SiteC dam coverage from #COPAwards https://t.co/LWHcaBbngD #bcpoli #cdnpoli #cdnmedia pic.twitter.com/OxomG0NuYG

— DeSmog Canada (@DeSmogCanada) September 20, 2017

Readers played a key role in another part of the submission, which highlighted independent public opinion research that was funded by reader donations. The polling told a starkly different story than polling conducted by BC Hydro and indicated 73 per cent of British Columbians supported sending the Site C dam for a review by the B.C. Utilities Commission — a review that is now underway.

Rounding out the submission was a story by Judith Lavoie about BC Hydro being let off the hook for breaking the conditions of its environmental assessment certificate …. again. And another story by Sarah Cox on BC Hydro’s plans to expropriate the home of Peace Valley farmers Ken and Arlene Boon before last Christmas.

Best Video Content

In the “Best Video Content” category DeSmog Canada was selected as a finalist alongside the Global Reporting Centre, Maclean’s, VICE News and Indie88, for three explainer videos.

Our one-on-one interview with Harry Swain, chair of the Joint Review Panel for Site C, cuts through the confusion surrounding the need for the mega dam and has now been viewed more than 1.6 million times.

Another video interrogates the question of whether the Site C dam makes economic sense, with an interview with UBC’s Karen Bakker. That video has been viewed nearly 400,000 times.

We also performed some quirky, back-of-the-napkin math to debunk government talking points about Site C jobs and their benefit to British Columbians, in a video we're told was equal parts informative and hilarious.

The award winners will be announced at a ceremony on November 13 in Toronto.

The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism.

The 2016 finalists for the Canadian Online Publishing Awards have been announced and DeSmog Canada has made the cut in two categories — alongside Maclean’s Magazine, the Toronto Star, The Huffington Post, the Winnipeg Free Press and the National Observer.

In the Best Blog category, DeSmog Canada is nominated for its coverage of the indigenous youth suicide epidemic and its relationship to natural resource development.

Also featured in the nomination is DeSmog Canada’s coverage of the Mount Polley mine disaster and the provincial government’s failure to levy any charges or fines against the company responsible and our coverage of Canada’s enormous untapped geothermal energy potential.

In the Best Video Content category, Disturbing the Peace: The Story of the Site C Dam has been selected as a finalist.

The six-minute film made by filmmaker Jayce Hawkins and reporter Emma Gilchrist details the unfolding story of the farmers and First Nations of the Peace Valley who are being forced off their land for the contentious $9-billion project.

The video includes an exclusive interview with Harry Swain, chair of the joint review panel for the project, who criticizes the government’s short-term thinking.

.@DeSmogCanada Named as Finalist for 2 Canadian Online Publishing Awards https://t.co/nDjJLAJtVD #cdnpoli #bcpoli #investigativejournalism

— DeSmog Canada (@DeSmogCanada) September 15, 2016

Last year, DeSmog Canada was named as a finalist for a Canadian Online Publishing Award for Best News Coverage.

DeSmog Canada is an independent, non-profit news outlet that relies on donations from readers like you — please sign up as a monthly donor today.

Here are the articles included in our nomination:

Want to Reduce Suicide in Native Communities? Step 1: Stop Destroying Native Land by Emma Gilchrist.

No Fines, No Charges Laid for Mount Polley Mine Disaster by Carol Linnitt.

Canada Has Enormous Geothermal Potential. Why Aren't We Using It? by Carol Linnitt.

Watch Disturbing the Peace:

Image: Journalists Emma Gilchrist and Carol Linnitt in the Peace River region with West Moberly First Nation Chief Roland Willson. 

The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism.

DeSmog Canada has been named as a finalist for “Best News Coverage” by the Canadian Online Publishing Awards.

The awards recognize the best of the country’s online publishing and are judged by a panel of experts from Canada and the U.S.

The other finalists in the “Best News Coverage” category are The Globe and Mail, CBC News, Macleans Magazine and The Huffington Post Canada.

DeSmog Canada submitted three stories for consideration for the award.

I Went to the Mount Polley Mine Spill Site by Carol Linnitt is a first-hand photo essay of the aftermath of the Mount Polley tailings pond disaster in August 2014.

Field of Dreams: Peace Valley Farmers, Ranchers Fight to Keep Land Above Water As Site C Dam Decision Looms by Emma Gilchrist profiles those who stand to lose the most from the construction of the most expensive public project in B.C. history: the Site C dam.

Companies Illegally Dumped Toxic Fracking Chemicals in Dawson Creek Water Treatment Systems At Least Twice, Officials Report by Linnitt rounded out the submission. In that article, Linnitt tells the story of companies thwarting fracking waste disposal laws.

At an awards ceremony last week in Toronto, The Globe and Mail took the gold prize for its coverage of the deadly attack on Ottawa last year. Maclean’s Magazine was awarded the silver prize for its coverage of the same event.

For our part at DeSmog Canada, we are beyond thrilled to be recognized alongside such heavy hitters in the news industry. As a small, non-profit news outlet, sometimes we feel like a small fish in a big pond. This recognition goes to show that when people come together and support independent media, big things can happen — thank you!

By the end of the year we need to raise $20,000 to continue our ground-breaking energy and environment reporting. Please donate what you can today.

The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism.