Bisnow Brings Home 10 Real Estate Journalism Awards For Its 2023 Coverage

Bisnow won 10 awards at the National Association of Real Estate Editors Journalism Awards ceremony in Austin on Thursday. With 10 awards, the 2023 honors are tied with 2020 and 2022 for the most brought home from NAREE by the newsroom.   

NAREE awarded Bisnow one gold award, five silver awards, one bronze award and three honorable mentions. This is the seventh consecutive year Bisnow brought back prizes from the national competition. 

“Once again, I have the privilege to offer my heartfelt admiration to our dedicated, talented team of reporters and editors that literally dot the globe these days,” said Mark F. Bonner, Bisnow editor-in-chief and vice president of content. “Their exceptional achievements in journalism this year are further evidence that their work — and the hard-won efforts of our entire newsroom — continues to run deeper, harder and faster. I am continually left in awe of their tireless passion, never-say-die attitude and their togetherness. Congratulations.”

New York reporter Ciara Long, UK editor Mike Phillips and former reporters Miriam Hall and Jacob Wallace took the top award for best investigative report or series for their in-depth look into CRE's efforts to tamp down carbon emissions. One of the stories in the investigation also won a silver award for best online commercial real estate story. 

Dallas-Fort Worth reporter Olivia Lueckemeyer raked in two silver awards, including one for best multiplatform package or series alongside Hall and Houston reporter Maddy McCarty for a deep dive into soaring housing costs in Texas. Lueckemeyer also nabbed an honorable mention. 

NAREE awarded Bisnow two additional second-place prizes: Former national reporter Dees Stribling won for best breaking news story for a comprehensive follow-up on the CRE impact of the March 2023 Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank failures. Hall earned an award for best audio real estate report for a podcast episode in which she interviewed a co-CEO of the real estate investment firm BGO during the same banking crisis. 

Phillips received a third-place award for best international real estate story for reporting on Hines exiting a $2.3B real estate business in Russia following the country's invasion of Ukraine. Hall, Atlanta reporter Jarred Schenke and Deputy Managing Editor Ethan Rothstein all picked up honorable mentions for various works. 

“It’s no surprise to me that our editorial team continues to win these prestigious awards from NAREE,” Bisnow CEO Gregg Mayer said. “Our team’s hard-hitting reporting helps our readers and customers better understand the world they operate in, and that’s especially important right now as the industry fights for new ways of doing business. Congratulations to all of our winners.” 

Bisnow received the following awards and recognitions:

Best Investigative Report or Investigative Series:

GOLD WINNER: Ciara Long, Mike Phillips, Jacob Wallace and Miriam Hall, selected works:

• Inside CRE’s Frustrating Battle To Reduce Its Carbon Emissions — And Save Humanity
• Real Estate's Global Emissions Are Getting Worse. Many In Industry Have No Plans To Improve
• Real Estate’s Efforts To Cut Carbon Emissions ‘May As Well Be Doing Nothing’
• Podcast: Inside Bisnow's Investigation Into Big Real Estate's Decarbonization Plans

Judges’ Comment: This series on commercial real estate’s effect on climate change balances deep dives into data with solid reporting and writing, complemented by a podcast explaining how the investigation was done. In such a large, sweeping issue as climate change, it can be easy to get mired in information overload, but the series parses out the information in a well-organized three-part special report that ties the real estate industry to one of the most pressing issues facing our world today. 

Best Online Commercial Real Estate Story:

SILVER WINNER: Ciara Long, Mike Phillips and Jacob Wallace, SPECIAL REPORT: Real Estate's Global Emissions Are Getting Worse. Many In Industry Have No Plans To Improve

Judges’ Comment: The reporters dug into the documents and public statements of 75 large real estate companies and institutional investors for this excellent example of accountability journalism. They found that despite a lot of talk about lowering emissions, fewer than half the companies even had a decarbonization target. The story is clearly and persuasively written, and an interactive graphic allows readers to visualize where the companies stand on a variety of metrics.  

HONORABLE MENTION: Olivia Lueckemeyer, CRE Investor Admits To $150M Fraud After Laundering Cash Through Crypto, Fleeing Country

Best Breaking Real Estate News Story:

SILVER WINNER: Dees Stribling, What The Historic Collapses Of SVB, Signature Bank Mean For Commercial Real Estate Investors

Judges’ Comment: Silicon Valley Bank collapsed on a Friday, Signature Bank was overtaken by regulars on a Sunday and this story, published on that Monday, placed those two events into context for the real estate industry and the country’s financial history. The story includes both immediate follow-up actions by the federal government and longer-range looks at implications for the market, made possible by Stribling’s reporting among industry sources. 

Honorable Mention: Miriam Hall and Ethan Rothstein, 11 Injured After Crane Partially Collapses Into Apartment Building Near Hudson Yards

Best Economic Analysis:

SILVER WINNER: Olivia Lueckemeyer, 'Not On Our Backs': Risk Of Displacement Grows As DFW Property Values Soar

Judges’ Comment: Housing affordability is at the center of Lueckemeyer’s thoroughly reported story about soaring property values in even the most down-and-out neighborhoods in Dallas-Fort Worth. In one instance, an elderly woman who can no longer afford her long-time home is forced to move (and dies two weeks later). Excellent sourcing produces a nuanced story and key data underlines the scope of the problem. Lueckemeyer also explores solutions, including proposed local government incentives.  

Best Audio Real Estate Report – Online or Broadcast – Podcast or Radio:

SILVER WINNER: Miriam Hall, BISNOW Reports PODCAST: BentallGreenOak Co-CEO Sonny Kalsi On The Banking Crisis’s Real Estate Impact

Judges’ Comment: This podcast stands out with strong production values and an insightful conversation with the co-CEO of real estate investment firm BGO during the Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank crisis. Host Miriam Hall's engaging style and thorough follow-ups elicit newsworthy tidbits, such as that BGO had exposure to Signature but pulled its money out before it failed. Focused on real estate impacts and emerging opportunities post-crisis, this podcast is essential listening for industry insiders.  

Best Multi-Platform Package or Series:

SILVER WINNER: Maddy McCarty, Miriam Hall and Olivia Lueckemeyer, selected works: 

• The Fraying Of The Texas Miracle: How The State's Affordability Edge Is Coming Undone
• The Nation’s Second-Worst Housing Shortage Is Crashing Into The ‘Texas Miracle’
• Everything's Bigger In Texas: Angry Neighbors, Aging Policies And Lack Of Will Are Digging A 10-Gallon Housing Hole
• ‘When Local Control Turns Into Local Out Of Control’: The Battle Over Who Should Fix Texas’ Housing Woes
• Podcast: Affording The 'Texas Miracle,' Featuring Former Gov. Rick Perry

Judges' Comment: In the shadow of the "Texas Miracle," a harsh truth emerges: affordable housing may now be a relic. Packaged together with a podcast, this collection of deeply reported stories is a warning call to Texas stakeholders. Soaring housing costs have begun to stifle corporate relocations and population influx. The authors explore policy solutions and capture stories like Xander Roan's, a line cook who fled to Denver for affordable rent. Clear, strong writing and easy-to-use interactive graphics round out this excellent collection. 

Best International Real Estate Story

BRONZE WINNER: Mike Phillips, Hines To Exit $2.3B Russia Business As Real Estate Works Through Post-War Breakup

Best Residential Real Estate Story – Daily or Weekly Newspaper

HONORABLE MENTION: Jarred Schenke, How Renters Are Using TikTok, X To Defraud Landlords At Luxury Apartments