Christa Case Bryant of the Christian Science Monitor has won the Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting of Congress from the National Press Foundation.

Bryant accepted the award at the NPF awards dinner Feb. 23, 2023:

NPF judges cited Bryant for coverage that revealed the truth about the inner workings of Congress in stories that were both sophisticated and packed a “gut punch.”

The winning work included Bryant’s story on the efforts to diversity Capitol Hill staff. It featured insightful reporting about why both racial and socioeconomic diversity matter as well as intimate portrayals of the unglamorous daily lives of the staff whose trust she gained. “She did the story that nobody else could do,” noted judge Terence Samuel  of NPR.

Judges also cited a deeply reported piece on how 10 staffers who worked on the Watergate hearings viewed the Jan. 6 hearings.  “She went below the surface and made it memorable,” judge Jon Sawyer said.

Bryant had been a foreign correspondent and then reported from the U.S. heartland following the 2016 election campaign. She started a new beat covering Congress the week the Capitol was attacked.

The Dirksen Award was created in 1980 in honor of the late Republican senator from Illinois. It recognizes journalists whose work shows thoughtful appraisal and insight into the workings of the U.S. Congress.  Last year’s winner was Lisa Desjardins of the PBS Newshour.  Previous winners include Molly Ball of Time, Michael Kruse of Politico, and John M. Donnelly of CQ Roll Call.

The Dirksen award carries a cash prize of $5,000.  Bryant will accept the award at NPF’s annual awards dinner on Feb. 23, 2023.