Long Lead makes history at the Webby Awards
Earning top honors in the same category for four consecutive years, Long Lead achieved something few other journalism outfits have done before.
Last week, the Webby Awards announced its annual winners, and Long Lead was awarded its eighth Webby in the past 5 years. Each of the Webby Awards we’ve won has been a tremendous honor, but this one was historic: Winning the 2026 prize for “Best Individual Editorial Feature” earned Long Lead top honors in that category for four consecutive years, something no other media company has ever done.
According to researchers at the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences, which runs the Webby Awards to celebrate the best of the internet, this feat is rare and puts Long Lead in the company of Webby winners including ABC News, National Geographic, and Audible, which also won four seasons in a row, but in other categories.
Repeatedly winning “Best Individual Editorial Feature” is particularly meaningful for Long Lead because it proves that our mission of producing journalism that’s both artful and impactful has pushed the industry forward.
The four “Best Individual Editorial Feature” Webby Award-winning productions from Long Lead are:
The Age of Incarceration (2026): A portrait and interview feature with some of the last survivors of World War II’s U.S. Japanese detention camps
Home of the Brave (2025): A multi-part investigation exposing a government scandal hiding in plain sight: LA’s ongoing homeless veteran crisis
The Catch (2024): A profile of a pioneering writer who cracked adventure journalism’s male-dominated world — and then was lost to history
The People vs. Rubber Bullets (2023): A multimedia explainer about law enforcement’s endemic misuse of less-lethal, kinetic impact weapons
Critics and news consumers alike crave compelling, relevant journalism, and Long Lead’s features stand out in a news feed overwhelmed by clickbait, quick-takes, and AI slop. We are proud that the Webby Awards have highlighted our work for publishing some of the industry’s best editorial features, year in and year out.
Thank you for following Long Lead and for being a fan of our work. Help us bring more award-winning journalism to more people — share your favorite Long Lead production with your friends and followers, and encourage them to sign up for this newsletter. It helps us reach more people and to continue to raise the bar.
So long for now,
John Patrick Pullen
Founding Editor, Long Lead