Arizona Republic, USA TODAY Network win Scripps Howard Award for innovation

Anne Ryman | The Arizona Republic

Show Caption Hide Caption USA TODAY NETWORK's 'The Wall' Our questions launched an unprecedented report. See it at thewall.usatoday.com.

PHOENIX — The Arizona Republic and the USA TODAY Network have won the Scripps Howard Award for innovation for a 2017 series about President Trump's proposed border wall.

"The Wall: Unknown stories. Unintended consequences" examined the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border, revealing the challenges and consequences of a wall in unprecedented detail.

More than 30 reporters and photographers interviewed migrants, farmers, families, tribal members — even a human smuggler.

They also scoured government maps and fought for property records. Among the report's findings: Texas, which accounts for more than half the border, has almost no fencing, with hundreds of miles of open border at a stretch. Walling the border in this wide-open area could require disrupting or seizing nearly 5,000 parcels of property.

Scripps Howard judges noted the "innovative techniques" used to convey the team's findings. An interactive map allows users to watch high-definition video of every foot of the border. More than a dozen documentary videos explore the stories.

The project was also published in virtual reality for the Vive VR headset. This allows viewers to have "on the ground" experiences, seeing what the border looks like in three locations.

The project's reporting team used a helicopter equipped with video and LIDAR technology, essentially a laser that measures distances, to help re-create geographical features of the border for the VR experience. They also recorded every stretch of visible border fencing, for the most current and complete map created before any new wall construction began.

SEE THE WALL | A USA TODAY NETWORK SPECIAL REPORT:

A 2,000-mile search for answers

Endangered species, and the wall that could silence them

A human smuggler, and the wall that will make him rich

Border vigilantes, and the wall they might be watching

Other finalists in the innovation category were the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists for "Paradise Papers" and the New York Times for "Blockbuster Videos."

"The Wall," from @ArizonaRepublic with the @USAToday Network, wins the Innovation category. The project "used innovative techniques - 360 video, drones, virtual reality - to support the journalism and enhance the audience's understanding of the subject matter," judges said. pic.twitter.com/EJmg1rjcpq — ScrippsHowardAwards (@SH_Awards) March 6, 2018

A panel of journalists judged the entries last month with winners announced Tuesday.

The Scripps Howard Foundation presents more than $170,000 in prize money to the winning organizations and journalists of the Scripps Howard Awards. The Foundation's corporate parent, The E.W. Scripps Company, is the presenting sponsor of the awards.