2026 Ann Cottrell Free National Press Club Animal Reporting Award Winners
Print/Online
Winner: The Parrot Cartel by Rene Ebersol
Published in Rolling Stone and co-published by Wildlife Investigative Reporters & Editors (WIRE)
“The Parrot Cartel” exposes the global black market for African grey parrots --- one of the world's most intelligent and heavily trafficked bird species --- and the role social media plays in driving demand.
Rene Ebersole’s reporting included in-the-field interviews with traffickers, conservationists, animal welfare advocates, law enforcement officials, and researchers. It also incorporated analysis of online marketplaces and trafficking networks, including the first forensic use of an emerging tool that examines parrots’ gut microbiomes to determine whether they were captive-bred or taken from the wild.
The story also looked at the trade within a broader ecological and ethical context, examining impacts on wild populations, welfare concerns in the commercial pet trade, and enforcement gaps that allow trafficking to persist.
The judges found Ebersole’s reporting to be a fine example of in-depth, enterprising, and original reporting about an animal crisis, and worthy of the 2026 National Press Club Ann Cottrell Free Animal Reporting Award.
Honorable Mention: Cage Match
By Ava Kofman, Staff Writer, The New Yorker
Using the temporary escape of a band of research monkeys from the breeding and research company Alpha Genesis in South Carolina as a jumping off point, Ava Kofman penned a riveting expose of the shockingly inhumane environment in which these research monkeys were kept and the degradation of test results conducted in these conditions.
Her investigation found that although the facility had been repeatedly cited by USDA inspectors, it was fined only once. She learned of abuses ranging from insufficient food and water to preventable injuries and deaths. She reported that the monkeys exhibited severe physical and psychological distress: more than one had chewed through its own thigh to the bone.
Kofman’s reporting made an impact. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Carolina said it would open an investigation of Alpha Genesis and two senators reintroduced Violet’s Law which would ensure that animals in labs can be retired instead of euthanized. Ebersole also reported on how the anti-animal-testing movement currently has an unlikely alliance of political forces - ranging from PETA to MAHA.
The judges felt that Kofman's strong reporting should be recognized with a 2026 National Press Club Ann Cottrell Free Animal Reporting Award Honorable Mention.
Broadcast
Winner: ABC News Live in Collaboration with Global Conservation - Last Lands: South Africa, correspondent Bob Woodruff and team
In the “Last Lands: South Africa” episode, correspondent Bob Woodruff and the ABC News team vividly illustrated the dramatic work being done to protect endangered rhinos from poaching, which is at an all-time high.
Working alongside veterinarians and armed rangers at the border of South Africa and Mozambique, the team filmed the protective tranquilization and dehorning of wild rhinos. This required precise timing and multiple camera teams working simultaneously, on the ground and in the air. Additionally, the team was required to protect the identities of undercover officers and a poacher willing to speak on camera.
Notably, ABC News was the first U.S. broadcast outlet to interview both undercover anti-poaching operatives and an active poacher about the renewed surge in killings.
Because of their outstanding original and enterprising reporting on behalf of animals, the judges found that the ABC News team should be recognized with the 2026 National Press Club Ann Cottrell Free Animal Reporting Award.
