LOOKOUT Wins Big in Palm Springs

PHOENIX — LOOKOUT, the Southwest's nonprofit LGBTQ+ newsroom, earned four honors at the 2026 Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN) Awards, one of North America's most prestigious competitions recognizing independent journalism.

The newsroom received four awards:

• First Place – AAN Excellence in Journalism for Under the Badge, an investigative series by Celina Jiménez examining how law enforcement agencies across Arizona respond to violence targeting LGBTQ+ people.
• First Place – LGBTQ+ Coverage for reporter Tori Gantz's body of work exploring the intersection of queerness and far-right politics.
• First Place – Newsletter for Eyes on the State, LOOKOUT's legislative newsletter by Tori Gantz tracking hundreds of bills affecting LGBTQ+ Arizonans during the legislative session.
• Third Place – LGBTQ+ Coverage for Escaping Arizona, a reported series by Joseph Darius Jaafari and Ellie Samsal exploring why LGBTQ+ Arizonans are leaving the state amid an increasingly hostile political climate.

The awards were announced during the AAN's annual conference in Palm Springs, California, recognizing the best independent journalism from across the United States and Canada.

Judges praised Under the Badge — partially published in partnership with Phoenix New Times —for its "excellent sourcing and storytelling," calling it "the sort of reporting that should drive awareness and change." They highlighted the investigation's ability to connect multiple stories to expose systemic failures in how law enforcement responds to violence against LGBTQ+ people.

Tori Gantz's first-place-winning reporting, partially published in partnership with Arizona Mirror, was recognized as "remarkable, enterprise-driven work that is original, deeply intentional, well written and deeply reported." Judges praised Gantz's ability to localize national political trends through community-centered reporting, writing that "the selection of stories told me a few things—Tori understands how to work a beat and localize wider issues with compelling, community-driven reporting."

Judges also praised Escaping Arizona — partially published in partnership with The 19th —for its ambition and reporting, writing that "the scope, ambition and reporting won me over," while adding, "Kudos to what appears to be an incredibly led newsroom. I spent some time reading other folks' work and I'm just so impressed by the work being done by the team at LOOKOUT."

Meanwhile, Eyes on the State was described simply as "a high-quality, well-reported, clear, and well-written newsletter. Essential reading."

In addition to the newsroom's honors, LOOKOUT founder and Editor-in-Chief Joseph Darius Jaafari received the Spirit of AAN Award, an individual honor recognizing leadership, service and contributions to the Association of Alternative Newsmedia and the independent journalism community. The award recognizes Jaafari's work building LOOKOUT into the region's leading LGBTQ+ newsroom and his commitment to strengthening independent, community-centered journalism.

"These awards belong to the community we serve and write for," Jaafari said. "They took chances on us, trusted us in telling their stories, and continue to be our biggest champions."

"When we launched in 2022, we believed LGBTQ+ communities deserved ambitious accountability journalism that investigated systems of power while also serving readers with the information they need to navigate their lives," he said. "To have that work recognized on a national stage is an honor, and it shows what's possible when communities invest in local, independent journalism."

Founded in 2022, LOOKOUT has quickly become the Southwest's leading LGBTQ+ nonprofit newsroom, producing investigative, accountability and service journalism focused on the issues shaping LGBTQ+ life. The newsroom covers politics, health, education, public safety and culture while connecting readers with resources and community across Arizona.

The Association of Alternative Newsmedia's annual awards recognize excellence among independent news organizations throughout North America, celebrating reporting, storytelling, design and innovation that strengthen local journalism.

About LOOKOUT

LOOKOUT is the Southwest's nonprofit LGBTQ+ newsroom dedicated to accountability journalism and community-centered reporting. Through investigative, explanatory and service journalism, LOOKOUT covers the issues that matter most to LGBTQ+ communities across the Southwest.