Boise State Public Radio Wins 21 Idaho Press Club Awards for 2025 Journalism
Boise State Public Radio earned widespread recognition at the Idaho Press Club Awards, capturing 21 honors for journalism produced during 2025 — including multiple first-place finishes across both staff and student categories. The awards span audio and digital journalism, recognizing a newsroom that covers everything from Ada County government to statewide watchdog investigations.
Broad Recognition Across Categories
The station led the competition with first-place finishes in several high-profile divisions. Reporter Murphy Woodhouse claimed the top award in Watchdog and Investigative Reporting for coverage of Idaho’s growing homeowners insurance crisis — a story that drew bipartisan concern from state lawmakers and highlighted the financial pressures facing Idaho homeowners across the region, including areas of the Snake River Plain.
In the Election category, reporter Samantha Wright earned first place for coverage of local elections in which Idahoans weighed in on schools, taxes, and city leadership — issues that directly affect families across fast-growing communities throughout the Treasure Valley. Wright also took home first place in the Interview category for a conversation with NPR host Mary Louise Kelly, and a first-place finish in the News Talk Show category alongside colleagues Gemma Gaudette and Hannah Gardoski for the Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable year-in-review.
Heath Druzin received first place in General Excellence for audio work on the “Howl” program. Julie Luchetta won first place in the Light Feature category for a piece connecting the late filmmaker David Lynch to his Boise-area childhood — an Idaho angle on a story that drew national attention following Lynch’s passing. Luchetta’s piece explored how Lynch’s early years in suburban Idaho shaped his distinctive filmmaking sensibility.
James Dawson earned first place in the Newsletter category for the station’s Legislative Round-Up Newsletter, which kept readers informed on Idaho Statehouse activity throughout the year.
Student Journalists Also Honored
The awards weren’t limited to veteran staff. Newsroom interns Jaime Geary and Jaxon Holmes both received recognition in student categories. Geary earned second place in the General News Student division for coverage of federal efforts to combat quagga mussels in the Snake River, and placed third in the Election Student division for a piece capturing perspectives from Idahoans attending opposing political rallies. Holmes received second place in the Serious Feature Student category for a story on students in Parma addressing mental health challenges among young men.
News Director Sáša Woodruff oversees a newsroom that now claims recognition in more than a dozen separate award categories, a sign of the station’s broad editorial footprint across Idaho.
Additional Honors Round Out the Haul
Several other staffers and projects received second- and third-place finishes. Troy Oppie placed second in Use of Sound for coverage of the Western Idaho Fair Livestock Market Auction, which set a record at $682,000, and received a second-place finish in Watchdog/Investigative for a story about a former Boise State University president’s rural initiative. A third-place Watchdog finish went to James Dawson for a report on a nonprofit whose leader had an extensive criminal history.
Katie Kloppenburg received second-place recognition in Best Use of Social Media for a project titled “Wired Differently,” focusing on adults living with ADHD and autism. Kloppenburg and Woodhouse also shared a second-place Best Graphics award for interactive resources developed around Idaho’s homeowners insurance crisis — a project that included maps and community outreach tools.
Samantha Wright’s additional third-place finish recognized coverage of a local Boise bookstore using art programming to sustain operations, while a second Light Feature entry from Wright and Lucina Glynn focused on a local lavender farm.
What the Awards Reflect
The breadth of this year’s recognition — spanning investigative work, community features, student journalism, digital storytelling, and election coverage — underscores the station’s role as a significant voice in Idaho media. From property insurance pressures affecting Ada County residents to agricultural stories rooted in rural Idaho, the award-winning work cuts across the issues that matter most to Idahoans statewide.
Readers interested in the station’s ongoing coverage of the homeowners insurance crisis, legislative news, and community reporting can find resources through Boise State Public Radio’s website.