The staff of Honolulu Civil Beat has won a 2024 National Headliner award for coverage of the deadly Aug. 8 wildfires on Maui.

The news outlet took first place in the online government and political coverage beat reporting category for its coverage of government failures in the Maui fires.

“Honolulu Civil Beat covered the ‘What, So What and Now What’ in its deeply researched stories on the tragic Maui fire,” the judges wrote. “The digital news site demonstrated how a local site fully serves the needs of its community and shines a light on the failings of the system.”

Second place went to the Center for Public Integrity for stories about how Republicans have flipped state supreme courts in the U.S. and third place to NBC News for coverage of the Chinese spy balloon that drifted over the U.S.

The Lahaina fire killed at least 101 people, making it the worst wildfire in the U.S. in more than 100 years. It destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses and displaced thousands of people, many of whom are still struggling to find new homes and jobs nine months later.

You can read all of Civil Beat’s coverage of the fires here.

“Founded in 1934 by the Press Club of Atlantic City, the National Headliner Awards program is one of the oldest and largest annual contests recognizing journalistic merit in the communications industry,” according to a news release announcing the awards Monday.

The first National Headliner Awards were presented in 1935, the contest says.