PITTSBURGH — EHN reporters Cami Ferrell and Kristina Marusic won four 2025 Golden Quill awards for their reporting on hydrogen energy and chemical recycling.
The Golden Quills competition, held by the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania, honors excellence in print, broadcast, photography, videography and digital journalism in Western Pennsylvania and nearby counties in Ohio and West Virginia. This was the 61st year for the annual contest, and winners were announced at an awards dinner in Pittsburgh on May 28th.
Ferrell and Marusic won in the science/environment category for excellence in written journalism for their co-reported series on federally-funded hydrogen hub projects across the country, which uncovered a lack of transparency in the planning process and documented widespread frustration in communities anticipating hydrogen energy development, including those in Texas and western Pennsylvania. Videographer Jimmy Evans also received recognition for his work on the video feature for that reporting.
“It’s an honor to be recognized among so many talented journalists,” said Ferrell, who visited Pittsburgh for the first time to receive her award. “I hope our reporting continues to have a positive impact.”
Marusic also won in both the enterprise/investigative and news feature categories for her series on chemical recycling in Appalachia, which documented community fights against proposed waste processing facilities in Youngstown, Ohio; Point Township, Pennsylvania; and Follansbee, West Virginia. That investigation also won one of four best-of-show Ray Sprigle Memorial Awards.
“I’m really proud to receive an award named for such an important journalist,” said Marusic, who also won Golden Quill awards for her reporting on environmental health in western Pennsylvania in 2023, 2022 and 2020.
Kristina Marusic (left) and Cami Ferrell at the 2025 Golden Quill Awards in Pittsburgh