Kali received the following 2019 awards from the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors and the Headliners Foundation of Texas during her first year as a full-time reporter:
- Freedom of Information, 2nd Place
- “Red Flags” and “This is Killing Us”
- “These stories — one of a disgraced school teacher’s checkered past; the other of a jail inmate’s needless death — were told through the persistent pursuit of records that public agencies either didn’t bother to obtain themselves or which they actively sought to withhold. Reporter Kali Venable got them anyway and pieced together illuminating stories that held these agencies to account. Great work.” – Emily Le Coz, USA TODAY Network managing editor of regional investigations
- “Red Flags” and “This is Killing Us”
- Star Investigative Reporter of the Year, Honorable Mention – “Red Flags“
- Star Investigative Reporter of the Year, Honorable Mention – “This is Killing Us“
- Specialty Reporting, Honorable Mention – Public Safety Beat Coverage
