October 10, 2025

DJC takes two WNPA awards for special sections, features

Last May’s special section on the Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance was awarded in WNPA’s Lifestyle/Culture Sections category.

The Daily Journal of Commerce's special sections and features were twice honored this week at the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association's 2025 Better Newspaper Contest.

Our Zoos and Aquariums feature pages won First Place in the state newspaper association's Comprehensive Coverage category, and our special section on the Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance was awarded in WNPA's Lifestyle/Culture Sections category.

The Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance special section highlighted the women-led team that designed and built the first ground-up practice facility ever built for a professional women's sports franchise. It was edited by DJC Associate Editor Shawna Gamache and included articles authored by ZGF Architects, Sellen Construction, Coughlin Porter Lundeen, and Walker Macy, with pop-out quotes from team members running on the cover and alongside photos of the $64 million Interbay building.

“Designing the Seattle Storm section was about more than detailing the construction of the new facility — it was about honoring one of Seattle's most successful teams and what they represent for the city,” said DJC Art Director Jeffrey Miller. “Basketball is important here, and this design needed to reflect that energy.”

WNPA judges commended the section for its “clean, focused” design. Miller highlighted the quotes in Storm yellow to carry the team's identity, and ran photos larger than usual to convey the project's impact.

“This project represents real investment in women's sports, in Seattle, and in the athletes,” Miller said. “Shawna and I wanted the section to reflect that sense of progress and permanence, and we're thrilled to have that effort validated by this award.”

The DJC team's First Place-winning feature pages on Zoos and Aquariums included articles by local design experts from MLA Engineering, LMN Architects, EHDD and Schemata Workshop. The feature delved into natural habitat design, industrial-scale engineering, and conservation efforts made visible.

WNPA judges highlighted Zoos and Aquariums' successful pairing of stories and images.

“This feature immersed readers in underwater and forest worlds created by local designers,” said Gamache, who edits the paper's special sections and features. “I'm gratified these industry authors are getting recognition for their ability to translate such complicated projects into 1,000-word stories everyone can learn from.”

The DJC special sections and features team also includes DJC Editor Lisa Lannigan, who makes sure every piece makes its way from print to the internet, and Matt Brown managing advertising.

The team is slated to wrap up 2025 with feature pages on Construction Inclusion, running Monday; a special section on Sustainable Design and Building, running next month; and a year-capping feature on Airport Modernization. The DJC's 2026 Editorial Calendar drops next week.