2019 Winner of the EGF Accelerator’s Eddie Prize

“The Valedictorians Project”

About the Entry

In a year-long odyssey, The Boston Globe tracked down more than 100 valedictorians from 2005 to 2007 to find out how their lives were going more than a decade after graduation, and found many of them had not fulfilled their early promise. The team of reporters meticulously detailed an ”epidemic of untapped potential,” and questioned what the struggles of the city’s “best” students might indicate about the chances of success for their other classmates.

Comments from the Judges

“This series is distinguished by dogged reporting, a deep understanding of the challenges underrepresented students face and a compassion for the “characters” whose stories it tells…The writing is lovely and the online presentation is superb, combining video, photography and simple – yet powerful – statistics. And, most importantly, it makes you care about the students who make up this “epidemic of untapped potential.”

“It’s easy to write about the success stories. But it takes dedicated journalism to dig deep into lives after the spotlight is gone. The idea to do this story was tremendous and the journalism was incredible. Rich detail and great storytelling really showcase an oft-overlooked aspect of education, letting us see a true picture of Boston’s schools.”

Photo credit: Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff