• Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting – Semifinalist – February 2025
    • Issued by Harvard Kennedy School
    • An eight-month investigation into missing people in Ohio, titled VANISHED, that I worked on with another reporter was a semifinalist for a Goldsmith Award. The award focuses on impact of reporting and VANISHED resulted in Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine forming a working group to address how law enforcement and others can improve responses to missing people and the introduction of a law in the Ohio Statehouse. It can be read for free at www.dispatch.com/vanished.
  • Best minority issues reporting – First Place – August 2024
    • Issued by Ohio Society of Professional Journalists
Nov 18, 2022; Columbus, OH, United States; Columbus Dispatch reporter Danae King (right) listens to the stories of Columbus VA’s Pride Clinic leader Jody Davis as she lstens to Air Force veteran Renee Mongeau, 79. Mandatory Credit: Doral Chenoweth-The Columbus Dispatch
  • Best Business Writer – First Place – July 2024
    • Issued by Ohio Associated Press Media Editors
  • Race & Diversity Reporting – Second Place – June 2024
  • Best Religion Reporting – Second Place – June 2023
    • Issued by The Society of Professional Journalists – Ohio
  • Livingston Award finalist – 2022
    • Issued by Wallace House at the University of Michigan
    • The Livingston Awards honor the best reporting and storytelling by young journalists. The 2022 finalists below were chosen from more than 450 entries for work released in 2021.
    • For a story on a priest sex abuse survivor.
  • Editor and Publisher’s 25 under 35 – 2022
    • I was named one of Editor and Publisher’s 25 under 35, which is an annual honor that recognizes the next generation of news leaders.
  • Best News Writer – First Place – April 2022
    • Ohio Associated Press Media Editors
    • Awarded in the largest division in the state for her work: including a rich sensory story that explained the life of a priest sexual abuse survivor; coverage of refugees being evicted from apartments that confronted problems with state laws regarding rental procedures; and extensive breaking news and enterprise coverage on the firing of the executive director of the Ohio chapter the Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
    • Judges’ comments: “This collection of work is unbelievably rich with powerful imagery and sensory detail. It’s the kind of storytelling that sticks with a reader for years, and inevitably makes an impact on the communities involved. And it’s easy to read – no small feat when it comes to the kinds of complex topics explored here. Extraordinary work.”
Columbus Dispatch reporter Danae King (left) and Spectrum News Anchor-Reporter Tonisha Johnson lead a workshop about their reporting as journalism professionals and students from various Columbus City Schools participate in the Columbus Journalists in Training seminar on Sat. Feb. 18, 2023 at Fort Hayes Career Center.
  • Best Explanatory Reporting – Second Place – April 2022
  • Best Enterprise Reporting – Third Place – May 2021
    • Ohio Associated Press Media Editors
    • Awarded for her in-depth profile of Deputy Jason Meade, a Franklin County Sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed a Black man in Columbus. Meade was also a local pastor and used faith to justify his use of force as a law enforcement agent.
  • Excellence in Religion Reporting at Mid-Sized Newspapers – First Place – September 2020
    • Religion News Association
    • For my work investigating priest sexual abuse in the Catholic Diocese of Columbus, which included a database of the assignment history of accused priests and several enterprise articles on the subject.
Columbus Dispatch reporter Danae King reports on JP Morgan Chase Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon as he opens a Cleveland Ave. bank branch on Feb 12, 2025
  • Best Explanatory Journalism – Second Place – September 2020
    • Ohio Society of Professional Journalists
    • Reporting that explains a public issue or need. For reporting on priest sexual abuse and this article.
  • Best Religion Reporting – First Place – September 2020
  • Ohio’s Rising Star in Journalism – February 2020
    • Ohio Associated Press Media Editors
    • To recognize achievement and ability for those with five years or less in journalism.
  • Best Religion Reporting – First Place – August 2019
    • Ohio Society of Professional Journalists
  • Best Arts Profile – First Place – August 2018
    • Ohio Society of Professional Journalists
    • A profile of the founder of the Harmony Project in Columbus, David Brown, for a Dispatch special section on the future of Columbus titled CBUS Next.
    • Article title “A choir united: Founder brings diverse chorus together for music, service and fun”
    • Judges’ comments: “This was an extremely difficult category to judge, but ultimately the beautiful writing of ‘A choir united’ made it a front-runner.”
  • Best Religion Reporting – First Place – August 2018
    • Ohio Society of Professional Journalists
  • Best Business Writer – Third Place – May 2016
    • Ohio Associated Press Media Editors
    • For work at The Lima News in 2015. The Lima News was in Division 3, newspapers with daily circulation of 13,000 – 19,999.
  • Best Public Service – May 2016
    • Ohio Associated Press Media Editors
    • I was awarded the Best Public Service Award for my work at The Lima News in 2015. The Lima News is in Division 3, newspapers with daily circulation of 13,000 – 19,999. The award was for a three-part series I wrote, titled “Delivering Hope.” It tackled the issues of African American infant mortality, teen pregnancy and long-acting reversible contraception and the implications of these issues for Lima residents.
  • Best Social Media Presence – Second Place – May 2015
    • Ohio Associated Press Media Editors
    • For my social media presence during 2014 while at The Lima News.