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The Frontier’s staff won top honors at the 2026 Oklahoma Press Association Awards. 

Reporter Nick Bowln was awarded the A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism for his story that was reported with ProPublica, “Toxic wastewater from oil fields keeps pouring out of the ground. Oklahoma regulators failed to stop it.” The story was reported as part of The Frontier’s ongoing collaboration with ProPublica to report on oil and gas pollution in the state. 

“Bowlin’s investigation exposes the failure of government to protect its citizens from the oil industry and the pollution it causes. This excellent piece is well sourced, well researched and well written,” the judge said. 

Reporter Kayla Branch was awarded first place in the news category for her story about a small town overwhelmed by fumes from an oil waste disposal site.  

“This is an in-depth analysis of the issue, how it impacted a community and how the company continued to escape accountability,” the judge said. 

Frontier Reporter Ari Fife and StateImpact Oklahoma Reporter Jillian Taylor won second in the news category for their story on a nonprofit that Oklahoma put in charge of millions in state money to help pregnant women after banning abortion.

“This is a great piece highlighting an issue that is taking place nationwide,” the judge said. 

Garrett Yalch and Fife won first place in the business category for their investigation about the death of a worker and the dangerous conditions at an Oklahoma poultry processing plant.

“This was a horrifying story that was told with care and with the right amount of details,” the judge said. 

Yalch also won second in the business category for his story about how foreign criminal networks continue to thrive in Oklahoma’s marijuana industry. The judge described the story as “informative, well-written and entertaining.” 

Reporter Ashlynd Baecht won third place in the in-depth reporting category for her investigation into Tulsa police officers who have been disciplined after they were suspected of driving drunk. 

“It is a news organization’s job to hold the government and the police accountable, and these pieces do that with an easy to follow tone in an expertly organized way,” the judge said.