Winners - New York Press Association

Transcription

N E W Y
2 0 1 5 B E
O R K
T T E R
P
R E S S A S S O C I A T I O N
N E W S PA P E R C O N T E S T
Celebrating
Newspaper Excellence
N E W Y O R K P R E S S A S S O C I AT I O N
2 0 1 5 B E T T E R N E W S PA P E R C O N T E S T
And theWinners Are…
NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE 2...........Excellence Award Winners
PAGE 3...........Top Five Newspapers
PAGE 4...........Most Competitive Categories
PAGE 5...........Rookie of the Year
PAGE 6...........Winners Listing
PAGE 7...........Writer of the Year
PAGE 8...........Winners Listing
PAGE 9...........Sports Writer of the Year
PAGE 10........Winners Listing
PAGE 11........Photographer of the Year
PAGE 13........Best Front Page
PAGE 15........Best Special Section Cover
PAGE 17........Best Sports Action Photo
PAGE 19........Community Leadership
PAGE 21........Overall Design Excellence
PAGE 23........Best Art Photo
PAGE 25........Dorman and Evans Awards
PAGE 26........College Awards
PAGE 27........High School Awards
PAGE 28........Photo Collage
PHOTO CREDITS
F
R O N T
C
O V E R
The Sag Harbor Express
STUART C. DORMAN AWARD
Editorial Excellence
JOHN J. EVANS AWARD
Advertising Excellence
Dan’s Papers
2015 WRITER OF THE YEAR
2015 ROOKIE REPORTER OF THE YEAR
2015 SPORTS WRITER OF THE YEAR
2015 PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Pete Demola
The Valley News
Desirée Keegan
Port Times-Record
BOTTOM LEFT - EHFD WORKING FIRE
Michael Heller
BOTTOM RIGHT - NEIGHBORS
CONDEMN FORDHAM KILLING
Adi Talwar
Norwood News
Tim Lamorte
The Rivertowns Enterprise
COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP
The Altamont Enterprise and Albany County Post — First Place
PAST PRESIDENTS’ AWARD FOR GENERAL EXCELLENCE
The Sag Harbor Express — First Place, Division 1
The Suffolk Times — First Place, Division 2
The Riverdale Presss — First Place, Division 3
TOP - GIRLS IN CONVERTIBLE
Tim Lamorte
Cara Chapman
Press-Republican
BEST FRONT PAGE
Business First of Buffalo — First Place, Division T-2
Hamodia — First Place, Division T-3
The Sag Harbor Express — First Place, Division S-5
BEST EDITORIAL PAGE
TOP LEFT - YOUTH TRIATHLON
The Altamont Enterprise and Albany County Post — First Place, Division 1
The East Hampton Press — First Place, Division 2
The Villager (NYC) — First Place, Division 3
2ND LEFT - GIRL IN YELLOW DRESS
PHOTOGRAPHIC EXCELLENCE
B
A C K
C
O V E R
Michael Heller
Tim Lamorte
3RD LEFT - HOUSING PLAN REJECTED
Adi Talwar
Norwood News
Epoch Times — First Place, Division 3
OVERALL DESIGN EXCELLENCE
BOTTOM LEFT - STREET VENDOR
Adi Talwar
Norwood News
TOP RIGHT - PALLBEARERS
Tim Lamorte
The News-Review — First Place, Division T-2
Ithaca Times — First Place, Division T-3
Epoch Times — First Place, Division S-4
SMALL CENTER - FIRE
Michael Heller
MIDDLE CENTER - SWIMMING BABY
Michael Heller
2ND RIGHT - BLIZZARD
Barbaraellen Koch
The News-Review
ADVERTISING EXCELLENCE
Albany Business Review — First Place, Division 2
Queens Courier — First Place, Division 3
BOTTOM RIGHT - DEAD FISH
2
Barbaraellen Koch
The News-Review
2 0 1 5
B
E T T E R
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C
O N T E S T
About the 2015 Better Newspaper Contest…
177 newspapers submitted 2,836 entries.
Participating newspapers competed for awards in 64 categories, and for Newspaper of the Year,
the Stuart C. Dorman Award for Editorial Excellence and the John J. Evans Award for Advertising Excellence.
459 awards were presented during NYPA’s Spring Convention April 8th and 9th, 2016.
The entries were judged by members of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association.
The winners were determined based on the following point system:
EACH FIRST PLACE AWARD........................................20 POINTS
EACH SECOND PLACE AWARD...................................10 POINTS
EACH THIRD PLACE AWARD......................................5 POINTS
THE TOP FIVE — GROUP OR CHAIN NEWSPAPERS
TOTAL CONTEST POINTS:
Times/Review Newspapers — 650 POINTS
THE SUFFOLK TIMES, THE NEWS-REVIEW, SHELTER ISLAND REPORTER
The Press Newspaper Group — 275 POINTS
THE SOUTHAMPTON PRESS - EASTERN,
THE SOUTHAMPTON PRESS - WESTERN, THE EAST HAMPTON PRESS
NYC Community Media, LLC — 215 POINTS
THE VILLAGER (NYC), DOWNTOWN EXPRESS, GAY CITY NEWS, CHELSEA NOW, EAST VILLAGER, TIMESLEDGER,
BAY NEWS, BAY RIDGE COURIER, BAYSIDE TIMES, BRONX TIMES REPORTER, BROOKLYN COURIER, BROOKLYN GRAPHIC,
THE BROOKLYN PAPER, CARIBBEAN LIFE, THE FLUSHING TIMES, MILL BASIN COURIER
Herald Community Newspapers — 195 POINTS
BALDWIN HERALD, BELLMORE HERALD, EAST MEADOW HERALD, EAST ROCKAWAY HERALD, ELMONT HERALD, FIVE TOWNS HERALD,
FRANKLIN SQUARE HERALD, FREEPORT - THE LEADER, ISLAND PARK HERALD, LONG BEACH HERALD, LYNBROOK HERALD,
MALVERNE HERALD, MERRICK HERALD, NASSAU HERALD, OCEANSIDE HERALD, OYSTER BAY GUARDIAN,
ROCKVILLE CENTER HERALD, SEAFORD HERALD CITIZEN, VALLEY STREAM HERALD, WANTAGH HERALD CITIZEN,
WEST HEMPSTEAD HERALD, THE JEWISH STAR, THE RIVERDALE PRESS
S.I. Communications — 155 POINTS
THE RIVERTOWNS ENTERPRISE, THE SCARSDALE INQUIRER, THE RECORD-REVIEW
THE TOP FIVE — SINGLE FLAG NEWSPAPERS
TOTAL CONTEST POINTS:
The Sag Harbor Express — 410 POINTS
The Altamont Enterprise and Albany County Post — 180 POINTS
Albany Business Review — 140 POINTS
Epoch Times — 115 POINTS
Long Island Press — 110 POINTS
THE TOP FIVE NEWSPAPERS
TOTAL EDITORIAL CONTEST POINTS:
The Sag Harbor Express — 185 POINTS
The Suffolk Times — 170 POINTS
The News-Review — 140 POINTS
The Altamont Enterprise and Albany County Post— 135 POINTS
The Villager (NYC) — 105 POINTS
THE TOP FIVE NEWSPAPERS
TOTAL ADVERTISING CONTEST POINTS:
Dan’s Papers — 65 POINTS
Sullivan County Democrat — 40 POINTS
The Suffolk Times — 35 POINTS
TIE: Epoch Times — 30 POINTS
TIE: Hamodia — 30 POINTS
TIE: Lake Champlain Weekly — 30 POINTS
3
About the Competition…
C AT E G O R Y 3 1 — F E AT U R E S T O R Y
Congratulations to the first place winners in the most competitive category in the contest!
Division 1:...............................................................................................Claude Solnik, Long Island Business News
Division 2:.........................................................................................................James Fink, Business First of Buffalo
Division 3:........................................................................................................Ty Wenzel, The East Hampton Press
Division 4:.......................................................................................Benjamin Pomerance, Lake Champlain Weekly
Division 6:........................................................................................................................Amelia Pang, Epoch Times
C AT E G O R Y 3 0 — N E W S S T O R Y
The quality of the entries in this category was outstanding — congratulations to:
Division 1:....................................................................................................Mara Certic, The Sag Harbor Express
Division 2:....................Melissa Hale-Spencer and Marcello Iaia, The Altamont Enterprise and Albany County Post
Division 3:.................................................................................................Lincoln Anderson, The Villager (NYC)
C AT E G O R Y 4 5 — F E AT U R E P H O T O ( S )
The judges had a particularly difficult time with this very competitive category — congratulations to:
Division 1:.................................................................................................Michael Heller, The Sag Harbor Express
Division 2:.............................................................................................................Vera Chinese, The Suffolk Times
Division 3:...........................................................................................................................Tim Gera, Ithaca Times
C AT E G O R Y 2 8 — I N - D E P T H R E P O R T I N G
Many fine examples of excellent research and writing — congratulations to:
Division 1:............................................................................The Altamont Enterprise and Albany County Post
Division 3:......Grant Parpan, Tim Gannon, Paul Squire, Joe Werkmeister and Rachel Young, The Suffolk Times
Division 5:........................................................................................................................................Norwood News
C AT E G O R Y 4 6 — S P O R T S A C T I O N P H O T O ( S )
Catching the right image at the right time — congratulations to:
Division 1:............................................................................................Michael Johnson, Livingston County News
Division 2:.......................................................................................................Daniel De Mato, The Suffolk Times
Division 3:.......................................................................................................Michael Davis, Syracuse New Times
C AT E G O R Y 3 5 — B E S T C O L U M N
Providing perspective… making the reader think, understand and care — congratulations to:
Division 1:.............................................................................................Tom Salitsky, Adirondack Daily Enterprise
Division 2:................................................................................................Ambrose Clancy, Shelter Island Reporter
Division 3:.....................................................................................................................Randi Kreiss, Nassau Herald
C AT E G O R Y 2 8 — S P O T N E W S C O V E R A G E
Great coverage of a single news event — congratulations to:
Division 1:..............................................................................The Altamont Enterprise and Albany County Post
Division 3:........................................Grant Parpan, Jen Nuzzo, Chris Lisinski and Paul Squire, The Suffolk Times
Division 5:.......................................................................................................................................Press-Republican
4
Rookie Reporter of the Year, 2015
There were 21 entries in this category
FIRST PLACE:
CARA CHAPMAN, PRESS-REPUBLICAN
Cara Chapman joined the staff at the Press-Republican, her hometown of Plattsburgh’s daily newspaper,
in July 2015 after graduating with a B.A. in Media Studies, Journalism and Digital Arts from St. Michael’s
College in Colchester, Vt., in May. While a student there, she spent multiple semesters contributing to
The Defender, the student news publication, going from staff writer to features editor and finally, in her
senior year, to executive editor. For this work she was awarded the John D. Donoghue Award for support
of student media; and also received the Kappa Tau Alpha Top Scholar Award for maintaining the highest
GPA among her fellow majors.
Following graduation, Cara embarked on a three-week service trip to Kolkata, India, where fellow
members of the St. Michael’s community and she worked with the Mother Teresa homes and other
non-governmental organizations. While there, Cara was informed that the crime reporter position at the
Press-Republican, where she had freelanced during the summer of 2014, would soon become available.
Cara cover stories ranging from fires, felony arrests and drug busts to off-beat stories such as how a young
boy collects recyclables in his efforts to control the pet population. She most enjoys telling the stories of
people forgotten or ignored in the hopes that their experiences will lead to positive change, and she
considers informing readers a public service.
The judges said, “Crisp writing, drops you right into the story and doesn’t let go. Shows ability beyond that
of “rookie” status.”
SECOND PLACE:
CHELSEA DIANA, ALBANY BUSINESS REVIEW
Chelsea Diana covers banking and technology for the Albany Business Review.
She joined the Albany Business Review November 20, 2014 following graduation from
Boston University.
She interned at The Portland Press Herald in Portland, Maine; The Lowell Sun; 90.9 WBUR in
Boston; Thomson Reuters in London and The Albany Times Union.
The judges said, “It’s always easy to cover topics on business and economy, but she does a good
job of explaining issues and trends.”
THIRD PLACE:
PHILIP GAMBINI, NIAGARA GAZETTE
Philip Gambini was hired at the Niagara Gazette on July 7, 2014. He’s a 2013 graduate of the School of
the Art Institute of Chicago with a Bachelor of the Fine Arts with Emphasis on Writing.
His proudest achievement while at the school was a social outreach program he participated in with
Israeli artist Tirtza Even as well as a video project he co-authored with three Cook County Jail inmates.
He grew up in north Buffalo and attended St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute in Tonawanda.
The judges said, “Again, a first-year reporter showing experience and range in writing general news.
Covers issues of interest… topics that engage readers.”
HONORABLE MENTION:
GISELLE BARKLEY, THE VILLAGE TIMES HERALD
Since becoming a full-time reporter for the six newspapers of Times Beacon Record Newspapers in
August 2015, Giselle Barkley has chased stories from across three different towns and more than
40 hamlets and villages, and reported on everything from local theater performances to town politics.
She has proven to be a versatile and dedicated reporter.
As one of TBR’s two dedicated reporters, Giselle’s responsibilities include reporting, writing, taking
pictures and shooting and editing video and audio. It is not uncommon for Giselle to take more than
seven weekly assignments.
In September 2015, Giselle began covering the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County’s largest town,
as her fourth beat. Prior to becoming a full-time reporter, Giselle interned for TBR Newspapers as the
2012 Lee Lutz Memorial Scholarship recipient.
The judges said, “From bees to cats, she shows versatility and a knack for making the reader care
about her subjects.”
5
PAST PRESIDENTS’ AWARD
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
The Sag Harbor Express, Sag Harbor
Was surprised by the width of this publication, but I
like it. A throwback to days gone by. At first glance,
I thought this is a newspaper I could enjoy spending
time reading. The news writing is engaging, the
variety of content interesting. The Opinion page is
well balanced, well designed and interesting to read.
And this paper just keeps going… excellent features.
Great job. I want this newspaper delivered to my
doorstep.
SECOND PLACE
Adirondack Daily Enterprise,
Saranac Lake
Nice looking front page layouts with articles built
around good photos, nice use of pull quotes, nice
headline font choices. In addition to looking good,
the reporting and writing is solid. The story choices
on the front are varied and interesting. Good feature
section layouts and articles. Clean effective ads.
Excellent calendar of events and religious news.
A broad mix of interests covered. This is a
newspaper I’d look forward to receiving on
my doorstep.
THIRD PLACE
Mid Hudson Times, Newburgh
Nice looking tabloid format. Good use of photos.
Reporting and writing is solid. Clean, interesting
Opinion page. Good coverage of the arts. Nice,
clean ads. Overall a newspaper that serves its
community well.
HONORABLE MENTION
Williston Times, Williston Park
Nice variety of layouts and good use of photos.
Solid reporting. Good editorials on the Opinion
page, lots of readers’ letters, nice arts section and
coverage. Love the Election 2015 coverage. The
layout on The Island Today, Nov. 6, was the most
innovative of all the entries, great job. Display ads
are well done. Nice looking classifieds section.
All in all, a community newspaper done right.
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
The Suffolk Times, Mattituck
Lots of letters and best letters policy I have ever seen.
Great covers, great sports photos, strong headlines
— strong pages throughout. Solid coverage —
excellent job!
SECOND PLACE
The Southampton Press-Eastern Edition,
Southampton
STRONG cover art. Teasers are effective.
Excellent news coverage, from house fire to
development issue, police news. Headlines are
effective, with and without the kicker heads
beneath; good writing! Front page has excellent
headlines on every story. Nice, crisp B&W news
photos - great reproduction. Great arts coverage,
followed a few pages later by in-depth report on
ticks... even the upper crust has pests, it seems.
SPORTS more good coverage, from team sports to
fishing. Lots of space devoted to real-estate related
story topics, to supplement so many real estate ads.
If I’m a buyer in your area, I need to go through your
paper. Great reproduction, tons of content, wellwritten headlines, wonderful ads: Keep up the
great work!
THIRD PLACE
Shelter Island Reporter, Shelter Island
Nice, clean masthead tells me just what I need to
know. Index at bottom of page is clean, accessible.
By the Numbers. Love this idea! Oh Deer, it’s a cute
idea. Police blotter: Lots of detail, and you have a
good disclaimer about why you are naming names.
OPINION: Excellent, detailed letters policy. Good
display of editorial, columnists, cartoon, letters.
Letters headlines are a fine size. TUNING UP: I like
the display of musical events, classy! What’s
Happening: you give these small event notices larger
typeface than do we. What’s this, duplicate bridge
results? Good for you to print these - that’s
understanding your readership. Photo quality: Good,
with mostly great color reproduction. Strong
coverage of local news - neighbor vs neighbor? Real
Estate Transfers: Readership is worth whatever effort
this takes to assemble. A strong paper that obviously
knows the neighborhood, young to old. Great job!
HONORABLE MENTION
The News-Review, Riverhead, Mattituck
Nice ‘gold standard’ cover. Good news coverage and
story placement. Headline writing is a cut above…
Town Hall Notes — a handy way to present the
news with photos. Calendar page is effective.
Real estate transfers — readership is worth whatever
effort it takes to collect & present. Sports pages have
strong art. A great product in a competitive
category; headlines are especially strong.
Keep up the great work!
6
Excellence Awards
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
The Riverdale Press, Bronx
Strong front page in terms of news, with engaging
headlines. INSIDE box on page 2 is the best we’ve
seen in the 50 or so Gen X papers we’ve judged
from NYPA - complete “how to” guide! Great to
have an editorial linked to your front page news
story. LIVING Section photo spread on RiverFest
is a strong package. REAL ESTATE ads are
predictably strong, and so is your CLASSIFIED
section. Clear, easy to see terms and who to call.
Service Guide and Business Card Directory seem
complete; deadlines are clear. Your “What’s On”
calendar listing is great, with a nice mix of color
photos/art and big category names. We appreciate
your hard-news approach on the front page with
in-depth reporting on key issues, and strong,
focused feature content. Your editorials are strong,
direct and support news coverage. Community
engagement is also 100%.
SECOND PLACE
TimesLedger, Queens
Good mix of editorial, cartoon and letters; staff box
is effective; letters policy is clear and generous.
Nice photo pages with captions so we know who
they are! Your text jump page style is simple and
effective. The top-flight agency ads really sparkle;
so do what appear to be your staff-produced ads.
Love the “Mets” story package. Election preview is
helpful; the red/blue page bug is effective. Your
Museum, Theater, etc. section drew me in. Good
effort made to cover people in your local sports
scene. Many things to like about what you are
doing. Headlines are strong, writing has a news
focus. Good mix of ads, large and small, with efforts
made to service specific industries. Favoring your
front page design just a bit over your closest
competitions. Congratulations and keep up the
community connections.
THIRD PLACE
Queens Chronicle, Queens
Front page: only observation, could your teaser
headlines in the left column have more verbs?
Inside, headlines are effective. Sports Section is
tiny. Overall editorial content is heavy on hard
news, light on features (except for your movie
section in this issue). Lots of news about crime and
politics, which shows a solid understanding of your
readership. Your 37th Anniversary edition is full of
good stuff — everything I need to know about the
history of NYC. A strong representative of a
borough newspaper that understands the local
market. Your papers are packed with news - not a
lot of “white space” dedicated for design. Plenty of
ads, too. Absence of a true Sports section cost
judging points against strong competition in this
category. Good effort on the special sections
contained in these 3 issues. Congratulations!
“ROOKIE” REPORTER
OF THE YEAR
FIRST PLACE
Press-Republican, Plattsburgh
Cara Chapman
Crisp writing, drops you right into the story and
doesn’t let go. Shows ability beyond that of
“rookie” status.
SECOND PLACE
Albany Business Review, Albany
Chelsea Diana
It’s always easy to cover topics on business and
economy, but she does a good job of explaining
issues and trends.
THIRD PLACE
Niagara Gazette, Niagara
Philip Gambini
Again, a first-year reporter showing experience and
range in writing general news. Covers issues of
interest… topics that engage readers.
HONORABLE MENTION
The Village Times Herald, Setauket
Giselle Barkley
From bees to cats, she shows versatility and a knack
for making the reader care about her subjects.
WRITER OF THE YEAR
FIRST PLACE
The Valley News, Elizabethtown
Pete DeMola
Pete did a great job of investigative reporting on
most of the stories — best among the 57 entries.
He also did a fine job of storytelling and using vivid
words to help with images. He showed great depth
in many of the stories, too. All five stories are
strong, which was rare. Pete was easily the winner
of the Writer of the Year competition.
SECOND PLACE
Rochester Business Journal, Rochester
Velvet Spicer
Velvet writes stories with a lot of depth and from
interesting angles, such as “Tech Appeal “ and “Job
Hoppers.” Enjoyed “One to Watch” and “Price of
Deception,” too. One of only a few entries that had
five strong stories. Unlike many entries she gives a
story what it’s worth, and doesn’t overwrite.
THIRD PLACE
The Villager (NYC),New York
Lincoln Anderson
Lincoln writes some fascinating stories with a lot of
depth. He could have finished higher, but a couple of
the stories - “Spy Cam” and “Pit bull” - were
overwritten. But the thoroughness of the reporting and
organization of the writing were exemplary.
HONORABLE MENTION
Gay City News, New York
Paul Schindler
Smooth writing, like smooth jazz, is easy to take in.
Paul is a fine story-teller. Stabbing story was excellent, as
were three others. A stronger fifth story could have put
him in the top three.
SPORTS WRITER OF THE YEAR
FIRST PLACE
Port Times-Record,
Port Jefferson/Mt. Sinai
Desiree Keegan
I was impressed by Desiree Keegan’s versatility as a sports
writer and her ability to draw the reader into her stories
with creative, inviting and yet simple leads. Once you
started reading, you wanted to know more about the
subjects of her stories.
SECOND PLACE
The Scarsdale Inquirer, Scarsdale
Todd Sliss
I appreciated the breadth of Todd Sliss’ stories and his
versatility as a writer.
THIRD PLACE
Christopher Barca
I feel I really got to know the subjects of Christopher
Barca’s stories and to appreciate their contributions to
the community.
HONORABLE MENTION
Gavin Menu
The structure of the state basketball championship story
was unconventional but provided added depth and
layers to what could have been a routine story.
PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
FIRST PLACE
The Rivertowns Enterprise,
Hastings-on-Hudson
Tim Lamorte
The judges said, “Tim’s work shows that he is more than
a proficient photographer; he’s a photojournalist, and he
should be proud to call himself this year’s Photographer
of the Year. The wide array of newsworthy subject matter
represented in his submissions, not to mention the
technical acumen consistently on display therein, hints
at his role as The Rivertowns Enterprise’s longtime
editor. He clearly made the right choice as a high school
senior when he took his fifth grade teacher’s advice to
pursue journalism. His photographs are sharp, wellexposed and generally well-composed. More
importantly, they capture unique moments conveying
a range of human emotion. His work is this year’s
strongest embodiment of the term photojournalism,
where photographic proficiency meets the day-in and
day-out practice of real-world, community journalism.
SECOND PLACE
Michael Heller
The judges said, “Michael’s submissions, especially their
technical consistency, are evidence of his long and
accomplished photography career.Many of his
photographs are visually stunning. It’s hard to find
much of anything to criticize about Michael’s
submissions, each of which are well-executed and show
forethought, the primary subject’s face is obstructed from
view, leaving the viewer looking for a human expression
to latch onto. Michael should consider himself a very
close second in the fight for this year’s Photographer of
the Year.”
THIRD PLACE
Norwood News, Bronx
Adi Talwar
Judges said, “Adi’s submissions show that he is willing to
seek out unique perspectives and is capable of producing
sharp, well-exposed photographs. His work appears to
rely on wider-angle lenses, which are often ideal in news
photography. When Adi gets close to his subjects, his
photographs are capable of grabbing the viewer with a
dominant subject while also conveying their
environment. His work clearly goes beyond solid
photography to tell the stories of and provide a window
into the communities he covers.At this rate, and with a
continued effort to make unique images, he stands to be
named Photographer of the Year in the very near future.
HONORABLE MENTION
The News-Review, Riverhead
Barbaraellen Koch
The judges said, “Barbaraellen is clearly a seasoned
community photojournalist consistently producing
sharp, quality images for Riverhead News-Review. Her
work deserves an honorable mention. Barbaraellen
excels at capturing people in peak action, in moments
that bring life to the stories her photographs
complement.”
BEST FRONT PAGE
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Business First of Buffalo, Buffalo
Nancy Knight
Covers are all consistent and clean, and graphics are
pleasing. Nice use of fonts and typefaces, strong color…
yet subtle enough to get the points across without over
powering the reader. Superb!
SECOND PLACE
Melissa Mangini
Great use of typography, photos and fonts.
Simple and clean.
THIRD PLACE
Colonie-Loudonville Spotlight, Colonie
David Abbott and Michael Hallisey
Chic, sophisticated, urbane design – graphic elements are
bold but not harsh; typography is front and center;
impressive layout buoyed by white space and thoughtful
sizing. Really great stuff!
HONORABLE MENTION
Great design, but headlines are a little heavy on opinion
(Gassed Up and Ready to Blow). Excellent use of photos
and typography.
D I V I S I O N
FIRST PLACE
Hamodia, Brooklyn
3
Great use of photos. The sidebar works really well on each
page. A lot of information is used on the pages without
distracting the reader. The overall look is clean and
modern.
SECOND PLACE
Lewiston/Porter Sentinel, Lewiston
Marci Jordan
Clean organization, great use of photos that catch the eye
but don’t over stimulate the reader.
THIRD PLACE
Seaford Herald Citizen, Seaford
Andrew Hackmack
Great use of multiple photos on each page. Design is clean,
but creative. Page is organized in a way that draws the
reader’s eye.
HONORABLE MENTION
Paul Schindler and Michael Shirey
Great use of images from design to photography. The covers
are clean without too much information distracting the
reader. Colors are nice and complimentary.
D I V I S I O N 5
FIRST PLACE
Great job using a strong main photo to anchor the page.
Bold headlines are eye-grabbing. Some of the graphics and
small photos make the front page a little busy.
SECOND PLACE
Epoch Times, New York
Excellent photography, dominant photo with little else to
distract from it. “The Uber Effect” cover is outstanding.
THIRD PLACE
Lake Placid News, Lake Placid
Andy Flynn
My favorite front page was the “let’s twist” one. The
headline made me laugh and the dog photo is sweet.
HONORABLE MENTION
The Brooklyn Paper, Brooklyn
Leah Mitch
Love the clever headlines and strong photography. The
page is pretty busy; I would like to see some one or two
strong photos and fewer smaller photos.
Writer of the Year, 2015
FIRST PLACE:
PETE DEMOLA, THE VALLEY NEWS
Pete DeMola is a reporter based in Essex County, New York.
Following his graduation from Syracuse University in 2005, DeMola traveled to China, where spent
five years living in Beijing honing his craft at a series of new media start-ups and state-run media outlets.
Stints in Guilin, Hong Kong and Korea followed.
His writings on music, culture and current affairs from across East Asia have appeared in numerous
publications while some of his creative campaigns, including the one that brought Record Store Day t
o Mainland China in April 2013, have received substantial media attention.
Since returning to live full-time in the United States, Pete has been reporting on some of the most critical
issues facing the Adirondack Park, including economic development and the effect state policies have on
rural, local governments.
About this year’s winning entries, the judges said, “Pete did a great job of investigative reporting on most of
the stories — best among the 57 entries. He also did a fine job of storytelling and using vivid words to help
with images. He showed great depth in many of the stories, too. All five stories are strong, which was rare.
Pete was easily the winner of the Writer of the Year competition. ”
SECOND PLACE:
VELVET SPICER, ROCHESTER BUSINESS JOURNAL
A reporter and editorial assistant at the Rochester Business Journal since September 2002, Velvet Spicer covers
the local automotive industry, printing, fuel cells, the economy and all areas of transportation including
trucking, aviation, buses/public transportation and railway.
While a member of the RBJ staff, Velvet earned a M.S. degree in communications (summa cum laude) from
the State University of New York College at Brockport. She also holds a B.S. degree in journalism (also
summa cum laude) from SUNY College at Brockport.
As a volunteer, she has worked with the Verona Street Animal Society and the Alzheimer’s Association.
The judges said, “Velvet writes stories with a lot of depth and from interesting angles, such as “Tech Appeal “
and “Job Hoppers.” Enjoyed “One to Watch” and “Price of Deception,” too. One of only a few entries that
had five strong stories. Unlike many entries she gives a story what it’s worth, and doesn’t overwrite.”
THIRD PLACE:
LINCOLN ANDERSON, THE VILLAGER (NYC)
Lincoln Anderson has been at The Villager since 1998, first working as an assistant editor, then becoming
managing editor in 2000. He was named the paper’ s editor in chief in 2012.
He has twice won the Writer of the Year Award in the New York Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest,
in 1996 and 2001. Among other awards, he won first place for News Story in 2008.
Under his editorship, The Villager has three times won NYPA’s Stuart Dorman Award, as best paper in the state,
in 2001, 2004 and 2005. Anderson loves everything about editing a community newspaper, from writing and
editing articles, to penning clever headlines, to doing photo layouts, to cutting articles to fit.
He’s a native New Yorker, having grown up on Manhattan’ s Upper West Side, and still lives in Manhattan.
Though these days he finds he’s spending a fair amount of time in Brooklyn — including in a place called
Metrotech.
The judges said, “Lincoln writes some fascinating stories with a lot of depth. He could have finished higher, but
a couple of the stories — “Spy Cam” and “Pit bull” — were overwritten. But the thoroughness of the reporting
and organization of the writing were exemplary.”
HONORABLE MENTION:
PAUL SCHINDLER, GAY CITY NEWS
Since co-founding Gay City News, New York City’ s lesbian and gay newspaper, in 2002, Paul Schindler
has served as its editor-in-chief, with responsibility for both the print edition and the online site at
gaycitynews.nyc. Prior to 2002, Schindler, who lives with his husband Bert Vaccari in the Bronx,
worked for five years at the helm of the biweekly publication LGNY, Lesbian and Gay New York.
He has also been a freelance contributor to a wide array of publications, including Newsday, New York
magazine, Smart Money, the Advocate, Out magazine, and POZ. Prior to his career in journalism,
Schindler worked as a finance specialist with state and municipal governments.
The judges said, “Smooth writing, like smooth jazz, is easy to take in. Paul is a fine story-teller. Stabbing
story was excellent, as were three others. A stronger fifth story could have put him in the top three.”
7
BEST EDITORIAL PAGE
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
The Altamont Enterprise
and Albany County Post, Altamont
The editorials are well written and interesting and the
graphics are very good. There are many letters evidence
of an engaged readership.
SECOND PLACE
Williston Times, Williston Park
Lots and LOTS of opinion. Good cross section of views.
Attractive pages and clear presentation.
THIRD PLACE
Andy Flynn
I really like the photos on the opinion pages — and I
think the issue Wanted: The next generation of leaders,
was good community service.
HONORABLE MENTION
Saranac Lake
Peter Crowley
The pages are attractive and the writing is engaging
and not preachy, with interesting editorial topics.
Reader shows good development of reader community.
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
The East Hampton Press, East Hampton
Worth the time to read; feels like a great lazy Sunday
morning ritual for readers of the Press. Strong selection
of letters, also well written. Comfortable layout.
Editorials take strong positions. Nice variety of voices.
Writers are pros.
SECOND PLACE
Pleasant layout, great letters, nice variety of topics and
cartoon that is certainly an original.
THIRD PLACE
Editorial pages seem to reflect the local issues and people
of Scarsdale. I appreciate the thought behind the
editorials and columnists that key in on the community.
HONORABLE MENTION
Southampton
This chain of newspapers is serving their
communities well.
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
The Villager (NYC), New York
Attractive clean layout breaks from the norm. Use of
photography to enhance the pieces is well done.
Refreshingly balanced editorials on a broad range of
topics bring a very personalized touch to compelling
arguments. In-depth well written columns further the
human interest. Headlines invite the reader in with a
strong appeal to the “Why should I care?” question.
Localized cartoon. A nice variety of reader letters shows
good engagement with your community. Good crosssection of voices represented.
SECOND PLACE
Paul Schindler, Ed Sikov, Kelly Cogswell,
Susie Day and Nate Riley
Use of design elements and typography elevates the
presentation of these pages. Editorials and columns
appear to be well-researched and strongly focused on
the concerns of the target audience. More reader
contributions would have put this one over the top in
this close decision.
THIRD PLACE
Bayside Times, Queens
Roz Liston
Hard-hitting editorials; no punches pulled here.
Yet when it came time to bid farewell to local voices
that had recently passed, one a former writer for the
paper and the other a frequent letter contributor, a well
penned respectful homage emerged. Localized cartoon.
Good variety of intelligent columns. Clean layout.
HONORABLE MENTION
Very clean layout. Prominent placement of the quality
political cartoons drew me into the page. Thought
provoking editorials. Would like to see headlines that
better reflect what the story is about to bring it to the
next level of reader enticement.
8
Excellence Awards
PHOTOGRAPHIC EXCELLENCE
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Caption style is short and sweet. Reproduction is crisp,
color and B/W. Graduation page - love the full-width
grad class photo. Not a poor photo anywhere! What
stands out the most are the B/W photos, because in
many publications, there is up-and-down quality in the
B/W reproduction - not here. Excellent job, start to
finish, from cropping choices to individual quality to
reproduction.
SECOND PLACE
Cover photos are strong. Concert action and crowd
photos are sized well with sharp focus. Black and white
photos inside show good range of gray to black.
Excellent job all the way through: cropping, local
focus, faces, reproduction.
THIRD PLACE
Hastings-on-Hudson
Tim LaMorte shows to be an equal to other
photographers featured in this competition category
and on top of that, he’s the editor - so extra credit!
Overall, your paper uses a mix of courtesy (no photo
credit) photos - reproduction quality on a good
number of B/W pages is not up to par as the top
competitors - not sure how much is production and
how much is press - but your primary photographer’s
creativity is above most in your category.
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
Super cover photo of the taxi driver; other cover art
works well and reproduction is tight; high-quality
paper makes a big difference. More great taxi story
photos inside with crisp B/W reproduction. FOOD
section front is great - more fine work from
photographer Samira Bouaou. Inside, the food photos
are tasty. FIT section is another nice, dominant photo.
The Epoch Times is the clear winner of this category
thanks to dominant photos displayed on high-quality
newsprint, and consistent reproduction quality
throughout. We appreciate the presence of
photojournalism, not just photos. Excellent job!
SECOND PLACE
Strong color reproduction and strong staff photos in
key places. Caption style is consistent. Sports photos
good. Good job!
THIRD PLACE
Michael Luongo and Donna Aceto
Bright cover the reproduced well. Lots of colors and
faces on p. 3 and they stand out. Good effort to have
consistent color reproduction in multiple photos
featuring multi-racial faces (page 28). Generally strong
reproduction throughout. Your style of mixing photos
with circles and some quasi-overlap (page 25) is
consistent and we appreciate the effort to squeeze in as
much art as possible. Nice color reproduction on this
page, too. You are true to your readership in terms of
the photos you display. Color reproduction is
consistent. Good job!
OVERALL DESIGN EXCELLENCE
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Strong front page design in both issues. Advertising is
well proportioned; good design on B&W pages and
lots of color on the CMYK pages; appreciate ads that
offer a price point product. “Neighborhood News”
pages are inviting and it’s obvious who is doing the
inviting. Headline style is carried out consistently
throughout the product. Page heads and standing
headlines are crystal clear. Consistent spacing between
headlines and text, and text and ad line. Calendar page
columns also line-up well. A top-shelf product in
terms of design and content.
SECOND PLACE
Melissa Mangini
Front pages are fantastic in terms of providing a lot of
invitations to turn inside, without being too splashy.
This is the third time we’ve seen a ABJ product before
us, and they are impressive in terms of the design and
page layout. We appreciate the tasteful and classy use
of spot colors in your charts and tables. Headline use is
solid and consistent. Standing heads and page headers
are perfect for your purpose - no other paper showcases
your staff so well. Advertising has plenty of faces, lots of
color; classy. That’s a word for our 40under40 feature
product -- classy. Your business journal design style is
clean and consistent with a ton of moving pieces you
fit into place. Close competition between all 3 business
journals in this category; we picked you due to front
page art, and feature page art layout. Excellent job!
THIRD PLACE
Ambrose Clancy and Charles Tumino
FRONT PAGES really sing, in both issues, with
dominant art and active headlines. OPINION
forum pages are well presented with mugshots, small
headlines for letters, staff box, etc. Huge B&W ads
with effective use of black and gray. The real estate
ads, of course, are spectacular. The Shelter Island Art
Gallery ad on page 33 of July issue is a stand-out for
simplicity. Photo quality and reproduction is good;
wish there was a caption of the 15 people in the
Class of 2015 photo on page 27 of July issue;
captions should be part of the design style. Nice use
of graduated purple screen on the standing heads of
the grad speech pages. We appreciate your captions
on the photo pages, which is not common in this
competition category when many papers leave
photos without captions. An excellent product, start
to finish, with proven attention to detail. The top
end of this design category is hotly contested and
any of the top 3 or 5 finishers could be in some other
order. In our opinion, your product deserves a top-3
award. Congratulations.
D I V I S I O N
FIRST PLACE
Ithaca Times, Ithaca
3
LOVE this paper’s design and presentation
throughout! Covers are eye-catching using a single
subject either photographically or with illustration.
Great use of color and tiling (teasing) inside stories
which are referred to in a clean and intelligent way.
Pleasing balance and movement. Bravo! Editorial
pages appear early in the publication and don’t
disappoint! Clean layout, jumpsare very reader
friendly, nice use of art. Inside page layout is also
clean and readable with text wrapping around
photos. Consider this a standing O for the overall
design of the Ithaca Times!
SECOND PLACE
Long Beach Herald, Long Beach
Well designed community newspaper from front to
back. Page 1 skyboxes break out and really pop. Very
clean and bold headlines, consistent use of white
space produces graphically sharp pages. Because of
the design, the Herald packs a lot of information
onto its pages. Inside pages are modular creating a lot
of room for presentation of news, photos and
captions. Excellent editorial page design, many
voices, cleanly presented. Same can be said for sports
and lifestyle pages. Each is a complete integrated
unit of design and content.
THIRD PLACE
The Villager has a very nice cover design template!
Well-branded flag; above the fold photo says
something local and personal. Teasers for inside
stories are given good front page treatment with
color and white space! Byline style has good
strength. Nice. Cover story stands out with the
placement and headline style. Applause! The photo
gallery of the pride march is stunning!!! Its layout
could not be more pleasing in the quality of the
photos (and printing), variation of sizes, balance of
color and the variety of images -- the gallery is in a
league of its own!!!.
HONORABLE MENTION
Michael Shirey and Paul Schindler
June 25 issue: NYC Skyline cover is signature. “In
This Issue” page is bright; I wanted to look at each
item. Use of spot color red is effective and tasteful,
not sure about the blue type. Consistent page design.
Believing that ‘white space is our friend’ in design,
your headline style (seniors, page 9) with a 3-word
main deck head stands out as being different and
perhaps less effective. Photo spreads: Prefer the circle
treatment than the square overlap (P 31)Jump page
design - the “jump word” could be larger type so
reader could quickly ID subject although I
understand the page has a text-maximizing style.
Advertising is fantastic; Dominant art and so many
smiling faces.
D I V I S I O N 5
FIRST PLACE
Fabulous oversized images and multiple entry points
below. Like the simplicity, nice use of white space
and strong contrast of content. You made your
broadsheet into a speciality magazine, love the look.
Like the bright white cover stock. Inside page layout:
Excellent white space, nice use of standardization
with teasers and drop quotes. Like the unapologetic
use of white space. Exceptional use of contrast when
applying columns widths. Great use of graphical
elements, reverse type, typography. Nice use of light
or regular typeface on captions; allows eye to hone in
on photos. Thoughtful color combinations.
Consistent use of cover layout. Advertising stacked
along outside page edges effective and pleasing to
both designer and advertiser. Amazing and
exceptional photography resources. Hard to
compete on that level. Advertising design:
Everyone’s a designer in NYC… are these all camera
ready? Exceptionally classy and well thought out.
Ads compliment your layout.
SECOND PLACE
Southampton
Admirable use of white space. Nice use of hairlines to
separate elements. Layout success lies in having a
dominant element. Invading your flag area with
graphic is very daring! Does your publisher know:)!
Well done ads. Real estate ads are very nice and
spacious looking. Good photos on real estate ads.
Really love ads going up outside erdge of pages.
Centered headline type with white space is very clean,
effective. To not use bold type is to be bold.
THIRD PLACE
The Southampton Press-Western Edition,
Westhampton Beach
Love dominent photo and simplicity on Opinion page.
Nice photo resources. Ad design: nice to see ads
running on outside edge. Good for layout and
advertisers probably like placement. Excellent ads,
good designers and resources.
ADVERTISING EXCELLENCE
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Very clean, readable and eye catching advertising.
SECOND PLACE
Well designed advertising and a well layout of the
classifieds.
THIRD PLACE
Clean advertising and layout of the ad groupings.
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
Rockville Centre Herald,
Rockville Centre
Your advertising is very clean with lots of variety in
your designs.
SECOND PLACE
Hamodia, Brooklyn
The advertisements are bold and eye catching. Great
use of white space.
THIRD PLACE
The Wave, Queens
Very clean advertising including an eye catching
classified section.
COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP
FIRST PLACE
First off, your newspaper team deserves a hearty round
of applause for excellence in Community Leadership
shown in this series of articles and photos. *clapping*
It is not an easy job in a smaller community to uncover
the truths behind council actions when the facts are
not there. Your coverage and community engagement
on your editorial page seems to have brought about
change in the council elections as well. You are a true
leader in community journalism and deserve this
special award - Congratulations!
SECOND PLACE
Wow you guys did it again! This series of articles
revealing the hardships of addiction and the justice
system were very well produced. Excellent job bringing
insight from your community about a national
problem. Your staff writing, photography and page
layouts were outstanding and engaging to this reader.
Once again you got the ball rolling to inspire your
community leaders to take a look at the process and
work on finding solutions to dissolve this problem.
THIRD PLACE
Lancaster Bee, Lancaster
Julie Halm, Mary Best and David Sherman
Bravo to Lancaster Bee staff on engaging your
community to get involved in this historic school
mascot name change. You showed through your story
timeline that change isn’t easy, but letting everyone
have a voice in a major decision like this is valuable. I
would give you an A+ grade for the leadership and
drive to educated your community about the different
sides to a national story in your own backyard.
HONORABLE MENTION
Julie Lane
Kudos to the Shelter Island Reporter staff for
investigating this environmental issue and having an
impact for a solution to the problem. Your news
coverage, photos and page layouts were all-around top
notch and informative.
Sports Writer of the Year, 2015
FIRST PLACE:
DESIRÉE KEEGAN, PORT TIMES-RECORD
Desirée Keegan has been the sport editor for Setauket-based Times Beacon Record Newspapers
since September of 2013.
After graduating from Stony Brook University’s School of Journalism in 2012, she began working for
Ultimate Athlete Magazine in Northport, covering high school and college sports in Nassau and Suffolk
County, and New York City.
In the summer of 2013, while working for Ultimate Athlete, she took on a freelance position covering
local news and features in Huntington Station, Huntington and Northport for Times Beacon Record
Newspapers, and soon after, became the chain’s sports editor.
This past year, while remaining the sports editor for the company’s six newspapers, she took on the
position of editor of one of those papers, The Village Beacon Record.
The judges said, “I was impressed by Desirée Keegan’s versatility as a sports writer and her ability to draw the
reader into her stories with creative, inviting and yet simple leads. Once you started reading, you wanted to
know more about the subjects of her stories.”
SECOND PLACE:
TODD SLISS, THE SCARSDALE INQUIRER
Todd Sliss came to The Scarsdale Inquirer as the Sports Editor fresh out of the journalism
program at SUNY New Paltz in the fall of 1999.
Since that time he has added Focal Points columnist and Special Sections Editor to his list
of duties. Sliss has placed in the Sports Writer of the Year category four times (one runnerup, three thirds), while winning 33 more awards total in a variety of categories (sports
coverage, sports/outdoor column, sports feature story, special sections).
The judges said, “I appreciated the breadth of Todd Sliss’ stories and his versatility
as a writer.”
THIRD PLACE:
CHRISTOPHER BARCA, QUEENS CHRONICLE
Christopher Barca, a native of New Fairfield, Connecticut, joined the Queens Chronicle as a reporter in
October 2013 after graduating from St. John’s University that May. He has since become an Associate
Editor, covering all aspects of nine Queens neighborhoods, the St. John’s University men’s basketball
team and other area sporting events.
The judges said, “I feel I really got to know the subjects of Christopher Barca’s stories and to appreciate
their contributions to the community. ”
HONORABLE MENTION:
GAVIN MENU, THE SAG HARBOR EXPRESS
Gavin Menu is the sports editor as well as the co-publisher and director of advertising for The Sag Harbor
Express, where he has worked alongside his wife, Co-Publisher and Editor Kathryn G. Menu, since 2012.
Prior to his work at The Express, Gavin was a sports and news reporter at The Southampton Press before
moving over to the advertising department.
Gavin won second place Sports Writer of the Year in 2013, third place in 2011 and honorable mentions
in 2012 and 2014.
Gavin and Kathryn have a seven-year old daughter, Ella, and a two year-old son, Charlie.
The judges said, “The structure of the state basketball championship story was unconventional but provided
added depth and layers to what could have been a routine story.”
2 0 1 5
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9
BEST NEWS WEB SITE
FIRST PLACE
Long Island Press, Syosset
Wow, what a beautifully designed site. Form and
function work effectively side-by-side on this well
executed website. A hierarchy of dominant images
and headlines and smaller clusters of descending
significance plays just as well on the digital platform as
it does in our print editions. This coupled with the
clean layout swaths a clear path for the eyes to follow,
free of distraction and clutter. Each item is illustrated
with impactful images to draw the visitor in. But this
site isn’t just a pretty face, the thought provoking
insightful writing is complemented by the stylish
presentation. The range from in-depth analysis and
news articles, to entertainment guides, to news of the
weird provides quality content for a broad variety of
site users. The advertising, from site sponsors, is
tastefully presented in large format with enough space
to express their messages. Site navigation is easy and
intuitive. Newsletter sign-up is simple too. Overall
excellent job.
SECOND PLACE
Strong design elements allow this site to present a large
amount of information in a well-organized and
pleasing manner. Navigation is a breeze. Site visitors
should find it easy to locate content they are interested
in with the user-centric labeling of items. The colorcoded special topic buttons and stylish homepage
slider are very appealing. Photo galleries are displayed
in a visually attractive and user-friendly fashion.
Advertisements are well-designed, your advertisers
should be pleased with the layouts and placements.
THIRD PLACE
Queens Courier, Queens
I usually don’t care for pop-up splashes on the
homepage, but this one is well done. Gives a quick
reference to guide visitors to the right path like an
information kiosk. The subscription promotion with a
trip giveaway is a nice tie to enticing subscribers.
Minimalist navigation menu and design makes it easy
for users to find their way around the site. Nice use of
ads interspersed in the homepage content for a clean
and effective presentation.
HONORABLE MENTION
Paul Schindler
Abundance of unique content presented for readers.
Eye-catching treatment of the homepage slider.
Combining the multiple menus and streamlining the
homepage article lists (less columns maybe?) would
take this entry to the next level for me.
COVERAGE OF LOCAL
GOVERNMENT
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
Stephen J. Kotz and Mara Certic
Excellent coverage! While some of the other entries
seemed to be regurgitating meeting handouts, your
staff went the extra mile to get quotes from officials but
also from those people in the community impacted.
SECOND PLACE
Saranac Lake
Chris Knight
Great coverage! While some newspapers seemed to
give the talking points of boards as fact and left it as
that, you questioned it and gave a good mix to present
each viewpoint without making the decision for the
reader.
THIRD PLACE
All excellent stories that covered all sides and gave
good background on issues that obviously had an
impact on life in the area. I don’t like stories that run
on forever unless they have content that has a point,
but these kept me interested throughout the read.
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Westhampton Beach
Kyle Campbell, Greg Wehner,
Erin McKinley and Alyssa Melillo
Obviously an entertaining set of government agencies/
issues/personalities. Coverage is well done and shows
long-term commitment.
SECOND PLACE
The Yorktown News, Yorktown
Brian Marschhauser
Love the councilman hiding behind a curtain! Good,
consistent coverage of town government.
THIRD PLACE
The Spotlight (Delmar), Delmar
Ali Hibbs
Lots going on here; good job of staying on top of it!
10
Excellence Awards
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
Bill Chaisson and Josh Brokaw
Consistently thought-provoking enterprise coverage
on a variety of topical, high-impact issues. Thorough
reporting drills down to the heart of the matter.
Compelling design and effective photography
enhance the story-telling.
SECOND PLACE
Daily Messenger, Canandaigua
Julie Sherwood
Aggressively tackles a difficult and divisive
community issue from a variety of angles without
waiting for meetings or hearings to move things
along. Comprehensive reporting reveals the links
between policy and politics, raising important
questions for the public’s consideration.
THIRD PLACE
The Photo News, Monroe
Religious, political and cultural issues collide in this
courageous coverage of how a seemingly simple
zoning proposal turned into a clash of community
values and interests. Reporting and writing powerfully
reflect the naturally occurring drama of the debate
without artificially hyping it.
COVERAGE OF EDUCATION
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
Long Island Business News, Ronkonkoma
Claude Solnik
Wow! Strong reporting and great graphics and
sidebars. Very nice package.
SECOND PLACE
Jaime Franchi
Really good writing and the stories are very
compelling and pull the reader along. I didn’t see a lot
of first hand stuff from the governor’s side, however.
THIRD PLACE
Kathryn G. Menu, Annette Hinkle
and Tessa Raebeck
Balanced reporting on Common Core gies the reader
a good understanding of the issue. Very nice package.
Very nice mix of stories. I would have liked to see
some kid comments in the cyber attack piece,
HONORABLE MENTION
Good mix of stories and excellent reporting in each
one! Good job!
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
The Red Hook Star-Revue, Brooklyn
George Fiala and Kimberly Price
Kimberly Gail Price’s article on PS15’s project draws
the reader in to share real moments with real people.
An outstanding read with a fantastic lead:
“That’s so Brooklyn!”
SECOND PLACE
Jen Nuzzo, Grant Parpan and Nicole Smith
From decades of valedictorians, school bonds and
athletic department staffing to kites, cadets and ecigarettes, the Suffolk Times submissions delivered
entertaining and informative insight into the local
education community.
THIRD PLACE
Megan Rogers
In articles on high-tech automotive career training
and academic entrepreneurs, Megan Rogers delivers
Albany Business Review readers clear information
supporting the direct role of education in securing
viable careers.
HONORABLE MENTION
Dan Miner, James Fink and Scott Thomas
In Dan Miner’s profile of University of Buffalo
President Satith Tripathi, readers share a personal
glimpse of Tripathi’s remarkable life spanning the
extremes of academic settings.
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
Isabel Angell
Nice Kids. Good Schools. Hard Drugs. — A Press
special report. The lead in to this deep story started
with a personal story which pulled the reader in, and
although the feature was long, it was a quick read and a
great inside look at what is happening to our teens. I
only judged three categories — about 100 entries —
but of all I read and viewed, this was the tops. The
reporter also wrote about kids going hungry after school
lets out, a breaking news gas blast at a school and
overcrowding. Isabel Angell is a real pro that any
newsroom would cherish. Kudos, Isabel, for a stellar
submission.
SECOND PLACE
Merrick Herald Life, Merrick
Scott Brinton and Julie Mansmann
This was a grouping of strong reporting in current, key
issues, from sports concussions to a favorite educator
who passed, to the impact on drugs on teens (with
breakout boxes this was a must read for parents) and a
report on problems with common core. Again, a solid
effort.
THIRD PLACE
Josh Broka, Michael Nocella and Bill Chaisson
Variety of stories welcome from this pool of reporters.
Readers well served by solid, nuts and bolts journalism.
HONORABLE MENTION
Rockville Centre Herald, Rockville Centre
Alex Costello
This was a close finish with the second and third place
entries. Reporter has a strong nose for news and the
variety of topics was appreciated. Writing is engaging,
which can be difficult on the education beat. I think
Alex would make a great crime reporter.
COVERAGE OF BUSINESS,
FINANCIAL & ECONOMIC NEWS
FIRST PLACE
James Fink, Dan Miner, Allissa Kline
and David Bertola
The strongest entry in this category by a wide margin.
Each article in the package was well-written and wellsourced. The writers kept an eye on neighboring
economies yet maintained a steadfast focus on the
business environment of their coverage area.
Bully to you.
SECOND PLACE
Livingston County News, Geneseo
Ben Beagle and Matt Leader
What struck me about this entry was the demonstrated
breadth in business coverage for a paper that does not
specialize in business news. You had strong continuing
coverage of Coast that anchored itself in an
understanding of the impact on local jobs. The Avon
Kraft plant story likewise remained grounded by a focus
on employment. The business profile of Monk’s Bread
was also well done. Overall clean, well-researched
writing that taught me several new things — it’s hard
to ask for more.
THIRD PLACE
This was a strong entry overall with clean writing,
interesting subject matter and solid research (for the
most part — there were some stray areas where I would
have liked better source attribution, like the pool sales
figure in the profile of Mark Laven). Honestly, this
package could have easily made second and been a
contender for first if it weren’t for the story on
Lionheart Pub. I’m not against first-person voice when
it suits the story -- in this case, it cost the story its clarity
and authenticity.
HONORABLE MENTION
Timothy Bolger and Spencer Rumsey
Serious, well-researched and — most importantly —
relevant coverage of Long Island business.
COVERAGE OF THE ARTS
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
Saranac Lake
Tom Salitsky
All of the stories in this collection of entries were
worth reading — from beginning to end. In “Lake
Placid native gets Oscar nod for movie sound,” staff
writer Tom Salitsky pulled me in with an effective lead
about the subject’s first career shoveling horse manure.
Great use of quotes. Salitsky also wrote a compelling
lead for his story “Artist will paint pond on basketball
court.” He also did a great job reporting on the
intricacies involved in the art process. In his story
“Music in matrimony,” Salitsky once again does an
excellent job illustrating this couple’s personalities
through the way they interact with each other with the
use of effective quotes. Well done.
SECOND PLACE
In “Artist finds die-hard fans for her mini crime
scenes,” Debra Banerjee writes a fascinating story
about a former crime beat reporter who finds therapy
through miniature crime scenes. Banerjee does a great
job describing the former crime reporter’s background
and what led her to this strange art. Great quotes and
descriptions.Banerjee also wrote a fun story about
Scarsdale’s clown and did a great job describing Mark
Gindick’s background and how he came into this line
of work. Linda Leavitt’s review “Too much money,
not enough love, just enough wit,” was also an
interesting read and well done.
THIRD PLACE
Southampton
What a great story “Shoot for the Stage” about an
often misunderstood and forgotten group of people
when it comes to arts coverage and life in general —
generation Y. Staff writer Michelle Trauring captured
me from the beginning of her story as she described
“entitled, lazy and narcissistic” youth, then shattered
these stereotypes as the storyunfolds and I got to know
some of the youth playwrights. Trauring also tells an
interesting story in “Fireside Sessions at Bay Street
rock on” and provides effective descriptions
throughout her stories. Great job.
HONORABLE MENTION
Grant Parpan, Vera Chinese, Paul Squire
and Nicole Smith
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Our Town Downtown, New York
Gabrielle Alfiero, Mary Gregory
and Val Castronovo
Very nice presentation! I loved Gabrielle’s profile of
sculptor Lynda Caspe. The photos with the Alice
piece were compelling and using the Ratatouille art
with the kids’ book expo was pretty.
SECOND PLACE — TIE
Yvonne Marcotte
Lively writing and great presentations on the artists.
I especially enjoyed the profile on Rayanne Rysinger.
SECOND PLACE — TIE
I love the variety of topics, including haunted houses,
Guerrilla Girls, and Penny Arcade. These are lively
pages with bright writing that I’m sure your readers
look forward to each issue.
THIRD PLACE
Cristina Schreil
Very interesting range of topics covered in the Arts
pages, with lively writing and excellent use of graphics
and photos on most pages.
HONORABLE MENTION
Long Island Weekly
Jennifer Fauci
Very interesting story with great details. Lots of photos
made this a very nice package.
COVERAGE OF THE
ENVIRONMENT
FIRST PLACE
Saranac Lake
Shaun Kittle
Great variety of topics, all with local relevance,
intelligently reported and enhanced by strong
graphics. Accessible writing style and anecdotal
examples connect with readers who might otherwise
be put off by scientific jargon.
SECOND PLACE
Josh Brokaw and Bill Chaisson
Excellent array of enterprise stories whose authority
comes from informed, multi-layered reporting.
Confident writing style and structure, combined with
effective graphics, compel the reader to follow
through to the end.
THIRD PLACE
Spencer Rumsey, Kaitlin Gallagher
and Sylvia Durres
This is how you turn what might be considered
routine breaking stories into information-rich
resources for local readers. Writers’ versatility,
knowledge, and keen interest in the subject matter
show through in an impressive variety of topics
and issues.
HONORABLE MENTION
Paul Squire, Chris Lisinski and Rachel Young
Consumer-friendly reporting, writing and packaging
are powerfully displayed with stunning graphics
and design.
Photographer of the Year, 2015
FIRST PLACE:
TIM LAMORTE, THE RIVERSTOWNS ENTERPRISE
During his senior year of high school, Tim Lamorte had to decide between his interest in becoming a forest ranger,
like Smokey Bear, and a suggestion from his fifth grade teacher, Sister Helen Bryant, that he pursue a career in
journalism. He decided to follow Sister Helen’s advice. Tim has since earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in
journalism as well as awards for photography and reporting from the New York Press Association and the National
Press Photographers Association. Tim lives in Westchester County, N.Y., where he has worked as the editor of the
Rivertowns Enterprise since 1998.
The judges said, “Tim’s work shows that he is more than a proficient photographer; he’s a photojournalist, and he
should be proud to call himself this year’s Photographer of the Year. The wide array of newsworthy subject matter
represented in his submissions, not to mention the technical acumen consistently on display therein, hints at his
role as The Rivertowns Enterprise’s longtime editor. He clearly made the right choice as a high school senior when he
took his fifth grade teacher’s advice to pursue journalism.
His photographs are sharp, well-exposed and generally well-composed. More importantly, they capture unique
moments conveying a range of human emotion.
His work is this year’s strongest embodiment of the term photojournalism, where photographic proficiency meets
the day-in and day-out practice of real-world, community journalism.
SECOND PLACE:
MICHAEL HELLER, THE SAG HARBOR EXPRESS
Michael Heller is a graduate of Bard College and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He has
won numerous awards from NYPA including Photographer of the Year in 2011 and 2014, second place Photographer
of the Year in 2010, and third place in 2013.
He has been an active firefighter for more than 25 years, and is a past president of the International Fire
Photographers Association.
The judges said, “Michael’s submissions, especially their technical consistency, are evidence of his long and
accomplished photography career.
Many of his photographs are visually stunning. It’s hard to find much of anything to criticize about Michael’s
submissions, each of which are well-executed and show forethought, the primary subject’s face is obstructed from
view, leaving the viewer looking for a human expression to latch onto. Michael should consider himself a very close
second in the fight for this year’s Photographer of the Year.”
THIRD PLACE:
ADI TALWAR, NORWOOD NEWS
Adi Talwar, a 13-year Bronx resident, was born in Delhi, India, to an artist mother and engineer father. He has been
involved with art and engineering all his life. During his 25-year career as an artist, he has expressed himself as a
designer, model maker and photographer.
Over the last five years, Mr. Talwar has been working on his awareness of light and the moment. He has received
awards for his photojournalism and has been published in the Norwood News, The New York Times, The Wall Street
Journal, The New York Daily News, City Limits Magazine, Next American City Magazine, MetroFocus, WNYC and several
other news magazines and local papers.
Mr. Talwar lives in the Bronx with his artist wife and bubbly beautiful daughter.
Judges said, “Adi’s submissions show that he is willing to seek out unique perspectives and is capable of producing
sharp, well-exposed photographs.
His work appears to rely on wider-angle lenses, which are often ideal in news photography. When Adi gets close to his
subjects, his photographs are capable of grabbing the viewer with a dominant subject while also conveying their
environment. His work clearly goes beyond solid photography to tell the stories of and provide a window into the
communities he covers.
At this rate, and with a continued effort to make unique images, he stands to be named Photographer of the Year in
the very near future.
HONORABLE MENTION:
BARARAELLEN KOCH, THE NEWS-REVIEW
Barbaraellen Koch was born on Long Island and attended SUNY New Paltz and the University of Maine in Portland.
She started photographing people at county fair events there. She them contributed them to a free Maine Women’s
newspaper and worked in the darkroom at the Portland Press Herald.
She has been working as a full-time photojournalist since 1976 when she got her start at the weekly paper
The Santa Fe Reporter in New Mexico. After that she worked at the Santa Fe New Mexican and Albuquerque Journal.
A move to Florida landed her jobs with the Hollywood Sun, Interval International (freelance) and the Miami Review.
She has worked for Times/Review Newspapers group since 1992. She has been the principal photographer for the
News-Review newspaper shooting features, news, community events, politics and sports.
The judges said, “Barbaraellen is clearly a seasoned community photojournalist consistently producing sharp, quality
images for Riverhead News-Review. Her work deserves an honorable mention. Barbaraellen excels at capturing people
in peak action, in moments that bring life to the stories her photographs complement.”
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COVERAGE OF HEALTH,
HEALTH CARE & SCIENCE
FIRST PLACE
Tracey Drury
Nice layout in first story. Enterprise story. Second story
felt authoritative and nice graphics and explainers.
Third story also enterprise and well told.
SECOND PLACE
Julie Sherwood
Stories take on interesting issues and localize them.
Pet story lede takes too long to get to the point.
THIRD PLACE
Paul Squire, Jen Nuzzo, Grant Parpan,
Chris Lisinski and Joe Pinciaro
Good story choices — mostly enterprise.
HONORABLE MENTION
Victoria Zunitch, Christopher Barca,
Anthony O’Reilly and Etta Badoe
Nicely written and illustrated, localized stories.
Excellence Awards
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Aaron Curtis
Great mix of crime, cops and court stories. Strong
writing and excellent detail make these stories shine.
Great quotes and context that takes these stories out
of the courtroom and jail and into the community.
Kudos to the designer (especially on the cold
case piece).
SECOND PLACE
North Country This Week, Potsdam
Jimmy Lawton, Craig Freilich
and Andy Gardner
Great stories — excellent reporting and great analysis.
Anytime I see “according to documents obtained by
the newspaper,” I know the reporter is doing their job
and it shows in these pieces. The only issue I had were
the confusing jumps (it’s hard for a reader to find the
jump when there are multiple jumps in a column).
Some design changes would really make these
stories shine!
THIRD PLACE
Duncan Osborne, Andy Humm
and Paul Schindler
Great reporting and writing. The reporters did a good
job not taking no for an answer with their sources.
HEADLINE WRITING
FIRST PLACE
When clever and meaningful collide, you get the
headlines from this newspaper. Appropriate levels of
humor mixed with strong answers to the question
“Why should I care?”. These headlines, with their
creativity and local focus, do their job of luring
skimmers into reading the articles very well. Nice job.
SECOND PLACE
Every headline clearly answers the “Why should I care”
question. Creates a sense of suspense making the reader
want to know more. Used clever phrasing where
appropriate.
THIRD PLACE
Norwood News, Bronx
David Cruz
Nice turns of phrase, managing to remain biting on
hard news stories. Heads and decks work well together
to give readers a snapshot of what to expect when they
read the stories.
HONORABLE MENTION
Some clever headlines here.
COVERAGE OF
CRIME / POLICE / COURTS
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
Grant Parpan, Paul Squire,
Joe Werkmeister and Tim Gannon
The staff of the Suffolk Times does an excellent job of
providing interesting crime and court coverage that
goes beyond the police report. In most cities, we often
read stories about a pedestrian who was struck and
killed in traffic, but oftentimes we walk away
wondering who the person was who was killed.
In the Suffolk Times’ story “Man struck, killed on
Main Road,” I did not walk away with that question.
I knew the man who was killed was George Kurovics,
his background and how much he meant to his family
and community. Great job going beyond the police
report, humanizing this story and answering who the
man was who was killed. In Paul Squire’s story
“Disorder in the Court,” his lead pulled me right in as
I envisioned a cramped jury room with a shiny oak
table. Squire took a seemingly mundane issue and
made it interesting and important for readers. He did
a great job going beyond the ho-hum “this city needs
a new facility” to illustrating what their current facility
looks like and how it impacts the people who work
there and the greater community. Great job
Suffolk Times staff.
SECOND PLACE
Southampton
Alisha Steindecker
Staff writer Alisha Steindecker goes above and beyond
in her reportage of a missing woman. She follows the
story from when the woman goes missing and covers
the family’s plea for help, the husband’s lie detector and
the recovery of the woman’s body. Steindecker dives
deep into the issues — great job.
THIRD PLACE
The Long Islander, Huntington
Daniel Schrafel
12
The Long Islander news staff does an elaborate job of
examining whether Huntington has a gang problem.
In the meantime, the staff covers the police shooting
and reports on the police officer’s recovery. Staff also
provides readers a helpful timeline of the officer’s
shooting. Overall, excellent job of looking at an
important issue in depth.
HONORABLE MENTION
Shant Shahrigian
The heroin story was the clear winner among these
entries, but they were all strong stories.
COVERAGE OF
ELECTIONS / POLITICS
FIRST PLACE
Julie Sherwood
Very competent coverage.
SECOND PLACE
Paul Schindler and Duncan Osborne
Nicely done.
THIRD PLACE
Anthony Rifilato
Very competent.
HONORABLE MENTION
Alfred Sun, Alfred
David L. Snyder
COVERAGE OF AGRICULTURE
FIRST PLACE
Dirt Magazine,
Goshen/Warwick/Highland Lakes
Becca Tucker
The whole magazine was an enjoyable read, even for
someone who’s not overly familiar with agriculture.
There were profiles of lots of interesting characters,
like the chef teaching culinary students to use every
part of an animal, and the 90-year-old farmer who’s
climbed mountains. The story about the West Coast
drought was nuanced, with a social conscience,
and the “greenest schools” feature was great
enterprise reporting.
SECOND PLACE
Rachel Young, Vera Chinese, Nicole Smith,
Joe Pinciaro and Tim Gannon
The story about loopholes in the farmland preservation
program and the story on new farm stand regulations
provide pertinent information for farmers, while the
staff editorial on medical marijuana shows thorough
knowledge of the local agriculture community,
and one farmer in particular.
THIRD PLACE
Yvonne Marcotte
The article on artisan cheese shows a farmer’s success
at doing something he loves, while the farm to school
article shows how agriculture touches everybody’s lives.
HONORABLE MENTION
Karen Gadiel and Josh Brokaw
COVERAGE OF RELIGION
FIRST PLACE
Rashed Mian
Great narrative storytelling delving into profiles of those
who have made a difference at a local AME Church and
a comprehensive look its history.
SECOND PLACE
Paul Schindler, Andy Humm,
Duncan Osborne and Katherine Stewart
The reporters provided exceptional coverage of issues that
should have more broad media attention.
THIRD PLACE
Grant Parpan, Cyndi Murray, Michael White,
Nicole Smith, Jen Nuzzo
The reporters provided comprehensive coverage of a local
church and landmark that was destroyed by a fire. The
accompanying story about the mural that was lost in the
fire added to the depth of coverage.
SPORTS FEATURE
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
Christian McClean
The clear winner among a bevy of ordinary, poorly
written entries. This one was well-written and a joy to
read — it served as history and travelogue. Great job.
Great photos.
SECOND PLACE
Rashed Mian and Jaime Franchi
Interesting and well-written story about a novel approach
to baseball that I’d never heard of before.
THIRD PLACE
Stephen J. Kotz
Good story about two immigrants enjoying ice fishing.
Good accompanying photos, and explanations about why
they are in the U.S. Be careful of using term “expat.”
HONORABLE MENTION
Westmore News, Port Chester
Michael Iachetta
Nice look back at a life.
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Paul Squire
This story stood out from the rest of the sports features,
with a personal story and not a sports story, as most of
the entries were.
SECOND PLACE
Robin K. Cooper
Quality story on a difficult person to interview, as
everyone in America wanted to know more about
the trainer, owner and horse.
THIRD PLACE
Grant Parpan
Fun read, good background.
THIRD PLACE
Joel Blizzard and Michael Nocella
With concussions/player safety a major topic in
football, Head First provides an in-depth look as to
how it has impacted youth sports. Whether one has
followed the topic over the years or has just heard
about it, the story can be enlightening to anyone.
Normally in articles the writer doesn’t refer to
themselves since it’s not an opinion piece, but in this
case it worked well. The personal experience was a
good hook that makes readers want to continue.
HONORABLE MENTION
Scott Brinton
This goes to show how prevalent concussions are,
and football isn’t the only sport in which athletes are
at risk. Not only was the article informative, it told
an emotional story of a kid getting hurt and what the
aftermath is like.
SPORTS COVERAGE
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
Amherst Bee, Williamsville
Patrick Nagy
Great variety and depth of local sports coverage;
provides a good sense of the place and affection
for the kids.
SECOND PLACE
Chris Metcalf
Knowledgeable and complete coverage of youth
sports; lots of scrapbook material here.
THIRD PLACE
Michael Iachetta, Jake Simon,
Matt Wolfson, Claire K. Racine,
Nadav Neuman and Daniel Rosenbaum
I love the variety of coverage here and close
connections with the kids and coaches.
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Southampton
Cailin Riley
For the March 26, 2015 issue, very nice layout with
numerous big, bold, colorful action photos that do
not look the same. The state championship is the
main coverage, but there are other interesting stories
such as swimming and a brief on an eighth-grade
basketball team. This paper paints the community’s
athletes in a positive manner.
SECOND PLACE
Bob Liepa and Joe Werkmeister
Fantastic array of stories, from the wrestler who gave
up his senior season to help his sister who has cancer
to the model to the golf column to a new lacrosse
coach. That may be a run-on sentence, but the point
is it’s good. Keep it up. Only real critique is to have a
more interesting main photo, such as maybe having
another picture of the kid wrestling from the past
season since that is mentioned in the headline.
THIRD PLACE
The Somers Record, Somers
Jim Maclean
HONORABLE MENTION
The Somers Record, Somers
Jim Maclean
Nice layout and action pictures on several different
sports including wrestling, softball, lacrosse and
fencing — as well as a question-and-answer with
an athlete. Headlines like “Somers sniper” and
“The Big Red Connection” draw readers in.
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
Norwood News, Bronx
David Cruz
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
The Northport Observer, Northport,
East Northport
David Ambro and Anthony Lifrieri
Fun intro, fun read.
Tells the tale that so many programs have to deal with,
just much better than most ever do. Multiple sources,
such as players and adults, made the story pop, as did
wordsman-like descriptions of the action. Similar to a
sports radio broadcaster, the writer made the reader feel as
if they were at the practice.
SECOND PLACE
Floral Park Dispatch, Floral Park
Stephen Romano
Until this article one might think catching a baseball at a
game is luck; however, Zack Hample proves otherwise.
Fascinating read. Good background on Hample’s life and
what transpired after catching A-Rod’s 3,000th hit, such
the “Pawn Stars” offer and the conversation he had with
his mom before leaving for the game.
Cow Harbor special section is really impressive, as
was the example of more routine coverage. Hard to
imagine sport coverage being done any better.
SECOND PLACE
The Mamaroneck Review, Mamaroneck
Mike Smith
Mike Smith does a fantastic job, keeping a lot of ball
in the air at once with his sports coverage.
THIRD PLACE
The Smithtown News, Smithtown
Anthony Lifrieri, David Ambro
and Seth Wallach
Nice, big, multi-faceted sports coverage that would
be the envy of most American towns.
HONORABLE MENTION
Bayside Times, Queens
Joe Staszewski
Great sports pages, narrowly edged out this year by
other strong competitors in this group.
Best Front Page, 2015
FIRST PLACE — DIVISION T-2
NANCY KNIGHT, BUSINESS FIRST OF BUFFALO
“Covers are all consistent and clean, and graphics pleasing. Nice use of fonts and typefaces, strong color...
yet subtle enough to get the points across without over powering the reader. Superb!”
HAMODIA
“Great use of photos. The sidebar works really well on each page. A lot of information is used
on the pages without distracting the reader. The overall look is clean and modern.”
FIRST PLACE — DIVISION S-5
THE SAG HARBOR EXPRESS
“Great job using a strong main photo to anchor the page. Bold headlines are eye-grabbing.
Some of the graphics and small photos make the front page a little busy.”
13
IN-DEPTH REPORTING
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
The Altamont Enterprise’s coverage of police tasing
practices is extensive, relevant and compelling. They
followed this case from start to finish and did a great s
ervice to readers in evaluating motorist rights and the
sheriff’s office policy.
SECOND PLACE
Saranac Lake
Tom Salitsky
Salitsky’s coverage of an understaffed NY developmental
facility is creative, articulate and extensive. He approaches
the subject from multiple angles, capturing the perspective
of staff and government entities.
THIRD PLACE
Matt Leader
Leader tackles local flooding with depth and dexterity
as he details the experiences of homeowners, community
solutions, and consequences for development.
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
Grant Parpan, Tim Gannon, Paul Squire,
Joe Werkmeister and Rachel Young
Outstanding job of bringing together so many elements
of this tragic story. In addition to the main piece, there is
personal information about the victims, an editorial and a
story about the traffic light. Well done on devoting that
entire edition to such a major story and issue for
the community.
SECOND PLACE
Aaron Curtis
The case about Cervone-Sollie blended fact
and personal stories very well. I was struck by the 81-yearold investigator. I would have liked to hear more about him
and his progress earlier in the story. The piece about Geurin
was hard for me to follow initially. The lede was confusing.
But once the story got into its rhythm, it flowed well. The
story about baby Wayne had an excellent lede that grabbed
me instantly. When you described his foot moving back
and forth on the gravel, it made me cry. The graphics and
presentation for all the stories were superb.
THIRD PLACE — TIE
The Yorktown News, Yorktown
Brian Marschhauser and Bryan Fumagalli
I like that you took a breaking news story and tied it to a
larger issue. I would have preferred to see headers within
the story to break it up — as well as a subhead on the front
page so readers knew the piece included an in-depth look
at the park itself.
THIRD PLACE — TIE
Michael White
Great layout and use of different editorial elements to
engage the reader. I would have loved to read the editorial
that you teased on page 3.
HONORABLE MENTION
Jason Chirevas
Your cover letter is what sold me on this story. Amazing job
of using journalism to make a difference. I am only giving
an honorable mention for this because I found this story
had the potential to be engaging but fell flat. The lede was
buried and the human side of this story — the patients and
their families — was missing entirely.
D I V I S I O N 5
FIRST PLACE
Excellent reporting, photography and design make this the
clear-cut winner. The Press-Republican’s staff found ways
to circumvent the limited flow of information by sourcing
stories with residents, stakeholders and officials whose
voices could have been ignored. Kudos go to the
newspaper’s editor, who obviously provided a clear idea of
what angles to take each day during this much-publicized
event. Great job by all.
SECOND PLACE
Lincoln Anderson
Excellent reporting, but even more kudos go to the victims
for their bravery sharing their stories about this individual.
SPOT NEWS COVERAGE
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
Andy Flynn and Matthew Turner
Great, comprehensive news coverage of the fire.
SECOND PLACE
Matt Leader and Ben Beagle
Comprehensive coverage
THIRD PLACE
Great Neck News, Great Neck
Adam Lidgett
The subject matter alone deserves an award —
tree falls on sleeping woman…
HONORABLE MENTION
The Columbia Paper, New Lebanon
Diane Valden
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Michael White, Grant Parpan
and Joe Werkmeister
Excellent job telling the story of this man’s life
alongside the criminal aspect of his death.
SECOND PLACE
Cyndi Murray
The reporter did a good job of covering the story,
and telling the families’ story. Good interviewing
skills evident, well written, good photos.
Nice package overall.
THIRD PLACE
The News-Review, Riverhead,
Mattituck
Paul Squire
Great detail and excellent job of weaving together
the current story with a past story.
HONORABLE MENTION
Grant Parpan, Joe Werkmeister,
Joe Pinciaro, Jen Nuzzo and Tim Gannon
This is a very tragic story that was written with
sensitivity and heart.
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
Home Reporter & Sunset News Group,
Brooklyn
Meaghan McGoldrick
The reporter covered all angles of this breaking
news story, talking to parents, school officials
and city officials. Comprehensive coverage,
well written.
SECOND PLACE
Alina Suriel
Quick, clear coverage of breaking news event —
good photo added to quality of coverage.
THIRD PLACE
Queens Ledger, Queens
Holly Bieler
Comprehensive coverage including detailed
conversations with counter-protestors.
Story was well-played — front page teaser well
sized, drove readers to story inside.
Good coverage, well written.
NEWS STORY
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
Mara Certic
The reporter did an excellent job giving a voice to
both sides of the story. Choosing to write separate
stories for each side worked well, too.
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Melissa Hale-Spencer and Marcello Iaia
This is an example of powerful investigative reporting
coupled with an even more powerful editorial. This
reporter should be proud for not only uncovering the truth
about a “creepy” man, but also calling the community to
action against allowing this type of behavior to go
unnoticed. Well done.
SECOND PLACE
Westhampton Beach
Kyle Campbell
I can’t say enough good things about this reporter. He is a
storyteller, first and foremost, but he informs readers as
much as he entertains them. He gives readers a reason to
feel connected to their hometown newspaper. Bravo.
THIRD PLACE
Alisha Steindecker
This story about a stolen Confederate flag localized a
national trend in “flag hating” that followed the
Charleston church massacre. It was newsworthy, thoughtprovoking and artfully written. This is what community
journalism is all about.
HONORABLE MENTION
Sullivan County Democrat, Callicoon
Dan Hust
This story makes a village’s permit process for soliciting an
interesting read. If I lived there, I might even attend a
board meeting to see this firefighters vs. police
disagreement for myself. My guess is, it inspired readers to
get informed and involved. Great job.
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
Lincoln Anderson
Wow! Such a heartbreaking story about the level of abuse.
Like pulling off a Band-Aid, it had to be done and this
story was done as well as it could have been. Can’t
imagine that competing papers had anything quite
as comprehensive.
SECOND PLACE
Massapequa Observer, Massapequa
Jennifer Fauci
This would be a tough story to write and not get an
emotional response, but is was very well written. However,
I would have liked a little more background on the
circumstances that led to the officer’s death.
THIRD PLACE
The Press of Southeast Queens, Queens
Trone Dowd
Nice to see when a news story gets the wheels turning to
help someone in need.
HONORABLE MENTION
Ashleigh Livingston
Gave a good background and a perfect call to action.
At the end, I wanted to know what happened.
FEATURE STORY
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
Long Island Business News, Ronkonkoma
Claude Solnik
Very well written and interesting. Lots of good quotes and
juicy detail. A single-source story but still, this took time to
research and write. Very difficult having a hard-news
business feature in with so many other light features, like
Romeo and Juliet getting married and Rambo the wayward
sheep. There are many, many solid features here. Very hard
to pick only three.
SECOND PLACE
Jaime Franchi and Jed Morey
Wow. Now this is a story. Well written and intense, vivid.
Interesting. This piece stood out. Thank you for writing it.
The subject was difficult, but the piece was easy to read.
Again, this was a difficult division to judge. It feels, frankly,
like there are many, many top-notch publications in New
York. There are so many talented writers. Great job.
THIRD PLACE
El Mensajero Catolico, Rochester
Annette Jiménez and Amy Kotlarz
SECOND PLACE
Stephen J. Kotz
THIRD PLACE
Diane Valden
HONORABLE MENTION
The West Side Spirit, New York
Daniel Fitzsimmons
THIRD PLACE
The Paper, Philipstown
Liz Schevtchuk Armstrong
HONORABLE MENTION
Shawangunk Journal, Ellenville
Chris Rowley
Excellent reporting and sourcing. The difference in these
stories and others in the category was the use of people.
Most stories led with a person’s voice, and followed up with
a strong nut graph giving context. Only then did the stories
go into statistics, trends and other salient details. Great job.
14
Excellence Awards
Great reporting and excellent sourcing.
The reporter took a story about building codes and
made it interesting. The sidebar with a breakdown
of neighboring towns’ codes was a useful tool for
comparison and kept the main story from being too
number heavy.
Well written story about a surprising county law.
Good background details. Can’t wait to read the
outcome.
This story was just fun to read all the way through. Yes,
“three sheep on the lam.” Well written piece, funny,
something everyone can enjoy because it’s so basic. Story
could happen anywhere, but writer made me feel like I was
there watching. Thank you!
There’s a tone to this story that just feels friendly.
It could have been a hard news story, but the
treatment is true feature.
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
James Fink
This was a cleanly written and engaging story on a
topic that could have easily come off as dry inside
baseball. Well done.
SECOND PLACE
Star Review, Liverpool
Ashley M. Casey
Clearly and colorfully written profile.
THIRD PLACE
Buffalo Law Journal, Buffalo
Michael Petro
Interesting article. I liked how you presented the
vicious circle created by this bottleneck: Cases back up,
the back-up causes scheduling conflicts for attorneys,
and the scheduling conflicts create further problems
for clients.
HONORABLE MENTION
Star Review, Liverpool
Sarah Hall
It would have been easy to provide just the shelter’s
perspective on the difficulties of finding adopters for
long-stay dogs, so it was nice to see an adopting
family included.
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
Ty Wenzel
Well written and engaging. The subject, although
written as a feature, is also news-worthy and that’s
appreciated. Also, the angle and perspective from the
photojournalist is a good one and works to create a
character. The feature is informative, looking at a
serious issue, but has a positive approach.
SECOND PLACE
East Meadow Herald, East Meadow
Julie Mansmann
Good, in-depth coverage. Nice job taking a real, local
person to anchor the feature and using that individual
story/perspective to branch out explore bigger issues
at hand.
THIRD PLACE
The Northport Observer,
Northport, East Northport
David Ambro
Nice insight into a place many of us don’t know much
about. Reads well, personable, even builds a sense of
character while remaining interesting. Although it’s a
feature, the writer provides some “newsy” information,
which is appreciated.
HONORABLE MENTION
David Ambro
Well written, engaging and interesting. The writer
does a nice job of giving insight into the reality of the
situation in Nepal. Would like to seen more voices
from local people.
D I V I S I O N 4
FIRST PLACE
Lake Champlain Weekly, Plattsburgh
Benjamin Pomerance
Wonderful story about a national treasure — with
recollections I’d never seen before. Excellent quotes,
pacing, word choice. Wouldn’t change a word.
SECOND PLACE
Port Times-Record,
Elana Glowatz
Truly remarkable story about a father’s devotion to
his daughter. Well told, with perfect quotes.
THIRD PLACE
Port Times-Record,
Elana Glowatz
Very interesting story with much human interest.
HONORABLE MENTION
The Rockaway Times, Rockaway
Katie McFadden
A heartfelt tribute that was very, very interesting
and touching.
Best Special Section Cover, 2015
FIRST PLACE — DIVISION 1
BRYAN BOYHAN AND GIANNA VOLPE, THE SAG HARBOR EXPRESS
“This ad just popped! The artwork and text just worked great together!”
KRISTINA WALSER AND DONNA ABBOTT-VLAHOS, ALBANY BUSINESS REVIEW
“This was outstanding. Definitely means business!
Elegant, simple and dynamic. Loved the way the art,
picture and text came together.”
MICHAEL GALLAGHER, PRESS-REPUBLICAN
“The layout and pictures capture the readers attention and brings several
emotions into play. This cover truly starts the story. Well done.”
15
FEATURE STORY
D I V I S I O N 5
FIRST PLACE
Amelia Pang
Good piece! Nice quotes, good flow, interesting
voices, well-constructed. Compelling. Well done.
SECOND PLACE
Hamodia, Brooklyn
Gabi Abramac
Compelling from the start. Vivid. Personal, crisp
writing with good flow throughout. This was one that
stood far and above the rest in the category. Excellent!
THIRD PLACE
The Chronicle (Goshen), Goshen
Pamela Chergotis and Ginny Privitar
Interesting take on an education trend most people
would overlook. Good quotes, plenty of voices,
conversational tone makes it a pleasure to continue
reading. Kudos.
HONORABLE MENTION
TimesLedger, Queens
Bill Parry
Nice profile of an interesting character, to say the
least. Telling quotes, good anecdotes, solid story
structure.
BEST NEWS OR FEATURE SERIES
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
Mid Hudson Times, Newburgh
Shantal Riley
This was a very interesting series. It shows how much
work is still left to do, and how we have not fully
recovered.
SECOND PLACE
Long Island Advance, Patchogue
Linda Leuzzi
Thorough and informative series!
THIRD PLACE
The River Reporter, Narrowsburg
Fritz Mayer
Detailed coverage of ongoing issues in local
government agency provides important information
to residents of Sullivan County.
HONORABLE MENTION
Saranac Lake
Tom Salitsky, Matthew Turner
and Chris Knight
I was hoping for a 4th part to include lesbian
coverage. Wondering if it was planned but then
canceled? I appreciated the series regardless.
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Scott Brinton, Mary Malloy,
Julie Mansmann and Barbra Rubin Perry
The Merrick Herald Life team does a great job of
showing the impact of a disaster (Hurricane Sandy) a
few years later economically and socially. Each piece is
strong and creates a clear picture of the devastation
using community voices and statistics. This is a series
that could be revisited and still be effective.
SECOND PLACE
Todd Sliss
I can tell this is definitely a passion project with a lot
of research and interesting ties to the community. You
made concussions an engaging subject and each piece
is thorough.
THIRD PLACE
Oyster Bay Guardian, Oyster Bay
Laura Lane
Each piece includes thorough research, several voices
(including the president’s in a unique way), and shares
a process that the public may not know much about.
It also creates a sense of community around this
landmark.
HONORABLE MENTION
Matt Leader
An interesting mystery where we get to see more of
the veil pulled back with each story. Each piece was
well written and creates enough interest to keep
readers wanting more.
Excellence Awards
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
Our Town (NYC), New York
Heather Clayton Colangelo
There were stories on corruption, change and
anniversaries, but the one I kept coming to was Hank.
Not every judge-worthy story needs to be about
something REALLY important. Readers want
engagement, and this series served them admirably.
There was a lot of reporting in this category, but not
much writing. Our Town wrote. The “A Note to
Readers” was a nice intro, and inspiring.
SECOND PLACE
Lincoln Anderson
A horrible story told admirably. Good job.
THIRD PLACE
Good job on explaining the EMS shortage.
Thorough, and very educational.
HONORABLE MENTION
Milene Fernandez
Good job of finding a cross-section of folks to write
about. The photography was engaging.
BEST OBITUARIES
FIRST PLACE
All of these obituaries had fascinating ledes that drew
the reader in. The first story, about Roger Spencer, is
particularly touching.
SECOND PLACE
Shawangunk Journal, Ellenville
Paul Smart and Sharon Richman
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Grant Parpan, Michael White
and Joseph Pinciaro
Straightforward and concise guidance on local issues.
SECOND PLACE
Joseph Pinciaro
Nice, strongly stated views on local issues, grounded
in local news coverage. Well done.
THIRD PLACE
Ambrose Clancy
Well-stated views on local topics of concern.
HONORABLE MENTION
The Southampton Press-Western
Edition, Westhampton Beach
Frank S. Costanza
I like the thought that went into these editorials, but
they should aim to be more to the point. Headlines
that go beyond labels would be helpful, too.
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
Paul Schindler
Paul Schindler’s columns were, by far, the best entry
in this contest. Each installment took a clear and
unwavering stance. The writing was exceptional and
often biting. Excellent work.
SECOND PLACE
Shant Shahrigian and Richard Stein
Clever, biting and well-written. Good job.
These well-written obituaries included fascinating
details about the subjects’ lives.
THIRD PLACE
Hamodia, Brooklyn
THIRD PLACE
Albert Amateau, Lincoln Anderson
and Judith Pasternak
HONORABLE MENTION
Valley Stream Herald, Valley Stream
John O’Connell
Strongly written. Good stuff.
Randi’s perspective made her standout. Her memories
about her former boss made me care. Her piece on the
LIRR made me want to take action. Her writing on the
process of hyper-local news showed readers the connection
between our communities and the world. Excellent allaround!
SECOND PLACE
Charley Githler
Charley’s columns bring a great sense of humor and
originality with them. All three pieces “Microaggravated,”
“”The New Normal” and “Vote Early” had me rolling.
THIRD PLACE
Kelly Cogswell
Kelly’s pieces are unique and bring an interesting
perspective to readers that’s not written much about in the
U.S. Going forward, the more voices you use, the better.
HONORABLE MENTION
Chelsea Now, Chelsea
Rick Carrier
Rick’s columns seem movie-worthy and make for a great
read. His voice is one of only a few left and to have him as a
resource is invaluable.
EDITORIAL CARTOON
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
Peter Waldner
The simple idea of an aged veteran with a cane, evokes a
pang of emotion as the reader shares the loss of his
comrades. Easily understandable, noble in its approach. No
caption needed.
SECOND PLACE
Carol Coogan
These obituaries included several profiles of very
interesting people, who were clearly an important part
of their community.
Timely, with a strong voice. Well done.
Beautiful and evocative drawing of the problem with
internet and racism. A difficult decision to place this as
second. Interesting that the Editorial matches the cartoon.
HONORABLE MENTION
Albert Amateau and Scott Stiffler
BEST COLUMN
THIRD PLACE
East Aurora Advertiser, East Aurora
Lee Nycz
EDITORIALS
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
Melissa Hale-Spencer
These editorials illuminate issues that impacted the
community in a meaningful fashion. The voice is clear
and consistent. Each editorial is well organized.
SECOND PLACE
Parry Teasdale
Editorial reflect important issues not only at a state
level but issues that affect people nationwide. The
voice is strong and clear and the editorial is well
organized.
THIRD PLACE
The Sun & Record, Sodus
James Russell
These editorials have a sense of narrative and a call to
action that is compelling. The reader gets a sense of
community as well as a sense of place.
HONORABLE MENTION
Andy Flynn
Clear organization and a strong voice. I better
understood the community after reading these
editorials.
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
Saranac Lake
Tom Salitsky
Quirky, amusing reviews.
SECOND PLACE
East Aurora Advertiser, East Aurora
Rick Ohler
The View from Right Field — entertaining,
amusing.
THIRD PLACE
The Sun & Record, Sodus
Chris Kenyon
Thoughtful, well researched advocacy piece urging
Seneca County to save the unique white tailed deer
population.
HONORABLE MENTION
Saranac Lake
Paul Willcott
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Ambrose Clancy
Clancy is clearly having fun! He grabs his readers’
attention with sardonic wit and just enough mystery.
Though, initially, you might think you’re just
learning about his bad cold or some old granny, by
the end of the piece, you’ve walked away with
something serious to ponder.
SECOND PLACE
Southampton
Phil Keith
Keith’s columns are persuasive and delightful,
offering intelligent analysis (esp. “Truly Time for a
Wakeup Call”) and good banter (esp. in “World
Peace”).
THIRD PLACE
Southampton
Tom Clavin
16
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
Nassau Herald, Lawrence
Randi Kreiss
Clavin is equally at ease tackling economic
inequality and corporate sin to his own sister’s
passing. His treatment of complex issues is
thoughtful and well-developed, offering both dignity
and balance.
Fearless!
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Peter Waldner
Great and timely cartoon.
SECOND PLACE
Vince Musacchia
Looks like this artist will be sorely missed.
THIRD PLACE
Peter Waldner
The Great Wall of Trump — on point.
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
Massapequa Observer, Massapequa
Matt Bodkin
Great job in bringing a universal truth to a local issue.
SECOND PLACE
The Press of Southeast Queens, Queens
Jim Meadows
Cuomo pulling the rug out from under DeBlasio — again.
THIRD PLACE
Howard Neseman
Thank you for an insightful use of symbolism to bring light
to a suggestion that made sense to far too many Americans.
HONORABLE MENTION
Dan’s Papers, Bridgehampton
Dan Rattiner
This was the only entry in the contest that generated
a laugh. Thank you.
Best Sports Action Photo(s), 2015
MICHAEL JOHNSON, LIVINGSTON COUNTY NEWS
Tough to Tackle — “Great perspective. Puts you in the game.”
DANIEL DE MATO, THE SUFFOLK TIMES
Keeping Watch on the Triathlon —
“Wow! look at all those swimmers splashing around.
Good color, composition, balance, background, and use
of the silhouetted lifeguard to bring interest to the photo,
making it a front page award winning photo.”
MICHAEL DAVIS, SYRACUSE NEW TIMES
Tyler Roberson and Rakeem Christmas in the game against Duke —
“Wow! Just like being there, great action, color, background,
and composition, like seeing everyones facial expressions”
17
Excellence Awards
BEST OVERALL DIGITAL
EXPERIENCE
BEST INTERACTION
WITH READERS
FIRST PLACE
FIRST PLACE
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Vera Chinese
SECOND PLACE
George Fiala and Kimberly Price
SECOND PLACE
Hastings-on-Hudson
Tim Lamorte
Dynamic site. Busy but organized. Tabs and
categories easy to follow. Good breadth of
advertisers and stories. Photos various sizes to
increase visual interest.
SECOND PLACE
The Southampton Press-Eastern
Edition, Southampton
Nice broad range of topics with clear indicators of
how to see them. Busy with plenty of options for
expansion. I appreciated a calendar and best bets
for events.
THIRD PLACE
Clean site. I appreciate the font and use of photos
as well as art. It is missing ads which is a drawback
for me. Nice variety of stories and coverage.
BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY
ON THE WEB
FIRST PLACE
You use videos and photos to tell your stories
as well as allow readers to upload photos for
increased interaction. Nice classifieds and
search features.
SECOND PLACE
Nice archives. I like the send a tip feature, it’s
unique and a great idea. The directory for
businesses who want to advertise is well done,
clean and helpful. Nice addition.
THIRD PLACE
Great best of contest with a lot of great
information, easy expansion to the topics that are
important, excellent use of the readers ability to
vote and the business ability to partner with you.
Clever and engaging. A great laugh for those of us in the
industry.
Great concept — instead of telling readers what the paper
thinks, the paper asked readers to share their opinions.
THIRD PLACE
During major news events, readers interact with staff via live
blogs — great way to interact and add to the story!
BEST REVENUE
GENERATION INITIATIVE
FIRST PLACE
Good, solid idea for getting a message out to your audience.
SECOND PLACE
Monthly directory — great reader service —
nice revenue stream.
THIRD PLACE
The Pelham Weekly, Pelham
Maggie Klein
BEST OVERALL MOBILE
EXPERIENCE
FIRST PLACE
Good responsive design. Easy to read and navigate on a
small device. All sections of the newspaper are clearly
displayed under the menu button. Great use of photo’s
with the articles.
SECOND PLACE
Not your typical mobile newspaper design.
BEST OVERALL USE OF
SOCIAL MEDIA
FIRST PLACE
Vera Chinese
Solid use of a wide variety of social applications
with good, regular postings and interaction with
audience.
SECOND PLACE
Around the clock updating of local news, keeping
their tens of thousands of followers responding
and engaged.
THIRD PLACE
Very intriguing content, and always driving
followers back to website in order to increase
traffic online.
BEST USE OF VIDEO
FIRST PLACE
The Tribeca Trib, New York
Carl Glassman and April Koral
Easy to find the videos. They are broad-reaching
in content and well done. Great sound and
compelling watching even though I am not from
the area.
SECOND PLACE
Carrie Miller
Great community engagement/community
service concept. This was a win/win concept.
THIRD PLACE
Videos take readers/viewers to places that
couldn’t normally go — inside the announcer’s
booth at the Saratoga Race Course and on Jet
Blue’s first flight out of Albany Airport. Great
ideas — nice local flavor.
THIRD PLACE
Southampton
Easy to navigate. Headlines are large and easy to read. Menu
bar at top has everything you need to find an article or a
section of the “newspaper”.
BEST USE OF PHOTOS ON WEBSITE
FIRST PLACE
Engaging, well-taken photos. Easy to follow and a nice
extension that adds to the story.
SECOND PLACE
Christina Daly
This was a great decision — I’m sure your readers enjoyed
their “tour” immensely.
THIRD PLACE
Southampton
FEATURE PHOTO(S)
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
Michael Heller
Right place. Right time.
SECOND PLACE
Michael Heller
Wonderful composition. Perfect example of being in the
right place at the right time… even if you timed it.
THIRD PLACE
Michael Koff
Rarely do you get to see this side of people. Photographer
brings you in so close you feel their grief.
HONORABLE MENTION
Lori Hawkins
18
Great use of light in a low-light situation.
You captured the perfect moment of levity during
graduation.
THIRD PLACE
Chris Lisinski
Love the contrast between the adult in children.
Wonderful perspective.
HONORABLE MENTION
Paul Squire
D I V I S I O N
FIRST PLACE
Tim Gera
3
Fantastic use of images in this page design — overall
quality and creativity is outstanding. Congratulations to
your team on this First Place win for Feature Photo!
SECOND PLACE
Gabe Dickens
This category had so many slices of life, but I love the
framing and emotion in this picture! You can tell this
mom has her hands full a lot. Great job tells their story
in one moment!
THIRD PLACE
Cristina Schreil
Photojournalism at its finest capturing a small piece of
history; very nice. Page design compliments your image
as well — kudos to your team!
HONORABLE MENTION
Greg Gulbransen
Overall a nicely done image capturing the story; kudos
to your headline writer for creativity, too. There were so
many great photos in this division, I had to throw a few
back to narrow down the top three winners.
SPORTS ACTION PHOTO(S)
D I V I S I O N
1
FIRST PLACE
Michael Johnson
Great perspective. Puts you in the game.
SECOND PLACE
Michael Heller
You can feel the anticipation.
THIRD PLACE
David F. Sherman
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
Syracuse New Times,Syracuse
Michael Davis
Wow! Just like being there, great action, color,
background, and composition, like seeing everyones
facial expressions
SECOND PLACE
The Times of Smithtown Township,
Smithtown
Bill Landon
Good football action, centered on the action, framed
perfectly.
THIRD PLACE
The Times of Smithtown Township,
Smithtown
Bill Landon
Great tight action, hair and ball flying, the arms
wrapped up, the balance of color and the figures, the
framing make it a very interesting shot.
HONORABLE MENTION
Rob Fountain
Nice sharp interesting action shot
SPORTS FEATURE PHOTO(S)
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
Michael Heller
I love how Michael Heller captured the expression of
the young girl and how he composed the photograph.
The photo captures the camaraderie of the event.
SECOND PLACE
Michael Heller
Michael Heller produced a wonderful portrait of
mother and child. You wonder what the baby is
thinking.
THIRD PLACE
Lancaster Bee, Lancaster
Jason Nadolinski
Jason Nadolinski tells the story of how teammates
support and encourage each other.
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Jim MacLean
Jim MacLean captures the excitement and joy of
sports. You can almost feel the emotions the players are
experiencing.
SECOND PLACE
Daniel De Mato
Daniel De Mato was at the right place at the right time
to take an unusual photo that depicts the intense
moments before a race.
THIRD PLACE
Daniel De Mato
What a way to treat your goalie after the saves she
made for you! Great timing on this shot.
Daniel De Mato’s photo combine a great shot of an
emotional football player with elements of Mother
Nature.
HONORABLE MENTION
Saranac Lake
Lou Reuter
HONORABLE MENTION
Hastings-on-Hudson
Tim Lamorte
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Daniel De Mato
Wow! look at all those swimmers splashing around.
Good color, composition, balance, background, and use
of the silhouetted lifeguard to bring interest to the
photo, making it a front page award winning photo.
SECOND PLACE
Jim McLean
Excellent, hands up, ball on the net, great color, action,
background, foreground, balance, and composition.
Fun and interesting to look at in a newspaper.
THIRD PLACE
Daniel De Mato
Good composition, color, sharpness, at night and in the
rain, It tells the story, the kick, the win, the players in
action, the rain and the fans in the background make
this an interesting newspaper photo.
HONORABLE MENTION
Daniel De Mato
Good action, everybody is off the ground.
I like how Tim Lamorte went behind the scenes to find
an engaging and subtle shot that could have easily
been overlooked.
Sharon R. Fulmer Award
for Community Leadership, 2015
FIRST PLACE — THE ALTAMONT ENTERPRISE AND ALBANY COUNTY POST
In the eight years that this award has been in existence, The Enterprise has been honored six times,
winning first place in 2011, winning second place three times and third place twice.
Seems like they really have their fingers on the pulse of the communities they serve.
“First off, your newspaper team deserves a hearty round of applause for excellence in Community Leadership shown in this series of
articles and photos. *clapping* It is not an easy job in a smaller community to uncover the truths behind council actions when the facts
are not there. Your coverage and community engagement on your editorial page seems to have brought about change in the council
elections as well. You are a true leader in community journalism and deserve this special award — Congratulations!”
The Altamont Enterprise and Albany County Post played a central
and essential role this past year in opening up the government in the rural
Helderberg Hilltown of Westerlo, New York.
We have included in this packet the important articles, editorials, and
some of the many letters that filled our pages in the months since May.
The Westerlo Town Board planned, and voted for, an expensive
project to build a new highway garage and to update the town hall,
breaking New York’s two sunshine laws in the process. The board met
illegally — not notifying the public — with engineers to plan the project
and then denied our Hilltown reporter, Marcello Iaia, access to documents
detailing the costs — documents to which the public was entitled.
Iaia persevered and informed the public. Our editorial outlined the
problems and called for citizens to petition for a vote on the $2.8 million
project. They did, and the issue was soundly defeated at the polls.
The controversy and our coverage — we’re the only media covering
Westerlo — spurred Republican candidates to back a full town board slate
S
H A R O N
R .
for the first time in memory. Democrats outnumber Republicans by more
than 4 to 1 in Westerlo and all the elected official are Democrats.
The first two questions we posed for candidates in our in-depth,
issues-based pre-election interviews were on the building project and on
government transparency.
Transparency was key to election results. The incumbent town
board member who kept his post said to The Enterprise during the
campaign that the illegal meeting with engineers was wrong, and, as soon
as he found out about it, he informed the town’s lawyer. The incumbent
who lost his seat said during the campaign there was nothing wrong with
the meeting, that board members were just taking measurements with
the engineers.
Our post-election editorial urged citizens to continue to demand
transparency from the representatives elected to serve them. We urged
them to keep paying attention, coming to meetings, writing letters to us
— and they have.
F
U L M E R
Sharon R. Fulmer was co-editor of The Review (Liverpool, NY). She served as president of the NYPA board of directors in 1994.
In recognition of the countless hours that Sharon devoted to community service, this award was established in her honor in 2008.
The award is presented with a stipend for the winner to donate to the community service project of his/her choice.
19
SPORTS FEATURE PHOTO(S)
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
The Northport Observer Northport,
East Northport
Richard Valkeo
Outstanding job on catching that celebratory
moment of coach and kids. You scored a
championship yourself Richard Valkeo in Division 3
Sports Feature Photo — Congrats!
SECOND PLACE
Christy Hinko
Nice selection of images from Cooperstown. Your
layout and sidebars hit this one out of the ballpark to
take home a BNC prize — kudos to your team!
THIRD PLACE
Jack Haley
Very creatively done image — that’s why it scored in
the top three for this category. Excellent overall story
layout with additional action photo of player taking a
swing. Overall it was a ‘hole-in-one’ hit with this
judge!
HONORABLE MENTION
Queens Tribune, Queens
Bruce Adler
Excellent photo finish capturing the emotion of the
crowd, horse and rider.
Excellence Awards
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
Christina Daly
The vanishing point perspective draws the eye
deeply into this photo. The near-mirror reflection
symmetry lends a pleasing balance. The crisp
metallic cars with their sleek blurred pastel
reflections contrast nicely with the faded yellow and
brown time-worn beams and stained pavement.
SECOND PLACE
Christina Daly
Very nice photo overall! This was a picture I enjoyed
looking at for a few minutes. Gave me that peaceful
and relaxed feeling. If I had a suggestion, it would be
that the photo was just a bit too symmetrical. Girl
perfectly centered. Horizon dead-centered, etc.
SECOND PLACE
Ross Corsair
Very nice photo. I think the composition was very
well done. And what a gorgeous color sky you had
to work with! The overall feeling, I got from viewing
this picture was peace and serenity. Well done!
THIRD PLACE
Claire K. Racine
I absolutely loved this photo! So well done regarding
composition and theme. This photo made me want
to read the accompanying article. The colors and
layout of the photo in a silhouette style rendered
respect to the participants of the event. I don’t like
titles placed within photos. But in this case, I think
that enhanced the effectiveness. Very nice job!
HONORABLE MENTION
Suffolk County News, Sayville
Rick Chalifoux
Very nice composition in this photo. It gave me the
impression of a beautiful day in a beautiful part of the
country. I typically don’t like cut-lines or mast heads
in photos. But in this case, the mast head did not
distract from the effectiveness of the photo.
Well done!
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Donna Abbott-Vlahos
The early morning light was captured perfectly, and
the bird without-stretched wings is the star of the
photo. The composition is good. Overall, a very
pleasing photo.
SECOND PLACE
Barbaraellen Koch
Beautiful shot! Captured the evening light and the
sprays of water perfectly.
THIRD PLACE
Southampton
Dana Shaw
This photo has a surreal quality to it that I found
pleasing. The photo was taken at just the right angle.
Great!
SECOND PLACE
Warwick Advertiser, Warwick
Robert G. Breese, Roger Gavan
and Renato Silvis
SECOND PLACE
Gabe Dickens
Outstanding work. Using a former local too bring
outstanding pictorial photo from far away is a gift to
the readers.
Beautiful. Calming.
THIRD PLACE
Robert G. Breese
THIRD PLACE
Robert G. Breese
HONORABLE MENTION
The Village Times Herald, Setauket
Heidi Sutton
When life imitates art. This misty reflection photo
strongly resembles a watercolor painting, making it a
perfect entry for this Art Photo category. The muted
warm fall colors and cool mistiness of the fog and
water set the stage for this tribute to autumn.
HONORABLE MENTION
Robert G. Breese
Eye-catching ethereal capture of a fireworks display.
Not your typical shot. Excellent contrast, yet some
representation of the surrounding background.
Nice title too, “Like Silk Curtains from the Sky”.
PICTURE STORY
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
Michael Koff
Engaging images really do the storytelling with
minimal assistance from the text. Black-and-white
used to excellent effect. Nice variety of angles and
close-up detail contrasted with wider-angle shots.
Admirable design restraint as well: one more image
would have been clutter.
SECOND PLACE
Michael Heller
Easy concept, difficult execution – and this entry
pulled it off wonderfully. Light and dark must be part
of every shot without losing the ambiance or the
context – it’s a challenging balance that is artfully
crafted in these photos. Attention to detail adds
elements of interest to every shot.
THIRD PLACE
Michael Heller
The two central photos are so powerful that they
almost overwhelm everything else. Animation and
variety in the other shots combine to round out the
story of what was going on that day.
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Katharine Schroeder, Chris Lisinski
and Rachel Young
Crisp photos combined with a wide variety of
activities brought home the gold. The flamboyant
mayor was the icing on the cake (sorry for the
cliche).
SECOND PLACE
Hastings-on-Hudson
Tim Lamorte
Black and white portraits of veterans made this entry
a worthwhile viewing for readers. The contrast with
the color photo of kids riding in the parade was a
welcome contrast and made for an enjoyable
photo package.
THIRD PLACE
Fred Stabbert III
Perhaps the photographer “fell” into the story, still,
it only lasted an hour and the photographer got it
all, including the final shot which was fully in focus
despite the speed of flight.
HONORABLE MENTION
Katharine Schroeder
Photographer captured this joyous event. If I
couldn’t make the event, the pictures allowed
me to pretend I was there.
20
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
Dan’s Papers, Bridgehampton/New York
Oliver Peterson
Capturing the casting action of the foreground
silhouette elevates this vibrant sunset photo.
Nice color and contrasts. Focal points in the lower
left and upper right thirds give good balance and
are visually pleasing.
ART PHOTO
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
Michael Heller
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
Q. Sakamaki
Too bad these pix didn’t get more space.
Giving a local camera club a couple pages for some
terrific photos gives back to readers.
SPOT NEWS PHOTOS
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
David Lee
Awesome action photo! This picture clearly told me the
story of the article. And what a fun day these kids were
having! Well done with your shutter speed. Pleasing, fun
photo all the way around.
SECOND PLACE
Akron Bugle, Akron
Tracy Johnston
Looks like this photographer did a little sleuthing to get
this shot! Nice photo of these people doing dumb,
illegal acts. Good job!
THIRD PLACE
Long Island Advance, Patchogue
Linda Leuzzi, Nicole Allegrezza
and Mark MacNish
This was a fun front cover to look at. I found it
interesting the way this page was laid out and kind of
took over the masthead. Facial expressions and action in
these pictures was quite interesting.
HONORABLE MENTION
Michael Heller
Nice job, especially in the first photo. The photographer
nicely captured the action of the firefighters battling this
blaze. Told the story nicely of the terrible events. The
second photo was a good supporting photo showing the
scope of the fires’ devastation.
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Alan Zale
Good shot of the firefighter’s silhouette. Shows the
humans working against nature in a different perspective.
SECOND PLACE
Katharine Schroeder
Nice, clean shot. Good human emotions.
THIRD PLACE
Grant Parpan
Powerful photos that capture the emotion of
the moment.
HONORABLE MENTION
Hastings-on-Hudson
Tim Lamorte
Good moment, way to capture the human emotion.
Next time, try to crop out unnecessary details, like
the column on the left side of the photo to highlight
the people.
This, by far was the finest series of photos. Each picture told
the story of this horrific event and the pain of the people
involved. I felt compelled to read the story to learn more
about the events that transpired. Great work.
Nice photo! Loved how the photographer captured Ziggy
wanting back into his barn. This was a great human interest
photo.
THIRD PLACE
The Rye City Review, Port Chester
Andrew Dapolite
You can see the look of shame on the face of this man!
He’s a busted individual and his demeanor shows.
Photographer did a fine job capturing this photo. Good job.
HONORABLE MENTION
Rob Fountain
I sure do recall this event! I believe this photo actually
appeared in our markets. I liked the way the photographer
captured the look of exasperation on the defendant’s face.
Very nicely done.
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
Chris Lester
Great photo — loved how the water, the dock and even
the American Flag were all captured in this shot. Not sure if
the flat was intentional but it really brought more depth
to the photo.
SECOND PLACE
Claire K. Racine and Richard Abel
Nice clean depiction on the hierarchy of the
police department.
THIRD PLACE
Carol Coogan
Great use of graphics and colors. Cleary shows the fear
of survivors.
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Paul Squire
Great illustrations that tell the story. It is nicely tied into
the written story. Well done and well researched. This is an
excellent example of the illustration enhancing the story
and grabbing attention.
SECOND PLACE
Peter Waldner
Complex, fun illustration. However, it does get the message
across loud and clear!
THIRD PLACE
Peter Waldner
Great illustration/cartoon. The one spot of color tells the
whole story. Very well done.
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
Hamodia, Brooklyn
Israel Bitton and Muhammad Sholichien
Immediately captured my attention and stuck in my mind.
Great use of color and graphics.
SECOND PLACE
Hamodia, Brooklyn
Israel Bitton
Beautifully designed. A clear and easy to follow time.
THIRD PLACE
Ella Jipescu
Love the creativity of putting the councilman in a general’s
uniform to bring the story to life. Great work Ella.
HONORABLE MENTION
The Brooklyn Paper, Brooklyn
Sylvan Migdal
Fun, colorful and creative approach to supporting the story.
Richard L. Stein Award
for Overall Design Excellence, 2015
THE NEWS-REVIEW
“Strong front page design in both issues. Advertising is well proportioned; good design on B&W pages
and lots of color on the CMYK pages; appreciate ads that offer a price point product. “Neighborhood News”
pages are inviting and it’s obvious who is doing the inviting.
Headline style is carried out consistently throughout the product. Page heads and standing headlines are crystal clear.
Consistent spacing between headlines and text, and text and ad line. Calendar page columns also line-up well.
A top-shelf product in terms of design and content.”
ITHACA TIMES
“LOVE this paper’s design and presentation throughout! Covers are eye-catching using a single subject either
photographically or with illustration. Great use of color and tiling (teasing) inside stories which are referred to in a
clean and intelligent way. Pleasing balance and movement. Bravo!
Editorial pages appear early in the publication and don’t disappoint! Clean layout, jumps are very reader friendly,
nice use of art. Inside page layout is also clean and readable with text wrapping around photos.
Consider this a standing O for the overall design of the Ithaca Times!”
FIRST PLACE — DIVISION S-5
EPOCH TIMES
“Fabulous oversized images and multiple entry points below. Like the simplicity, nice use of white space and strong contrast of content.
You made your broadsheet into a speciality magazine, love the look. Like the bright white cover stock.
Inside page layout: Excellent white space, nice use of standardization with teasers and drop quotes. Like the unapologetic use of white space.
Exceptional use of contrast when applying columns widths. Great use of graphical elements, reverse type, typography.
Nice use of light or regular typeface on captions; allows eye to hone in on photos. Thoughtful color combinations.
Consistent use of cover layout. Advertising stacked along outside page edges
effective and pleasing to both designer and advertiser.
Amazing and exceptional photography resources.
Hard to compete on that level. Great print registration. Great application of cut-away photos and text wrap.
Advertising design: Everyone’s a designer in NYC… are these all camera ready?
Exceptionally classy and well thought out. Ads compliment your layout.”
R
I C H A R D
L .
S
T E I N
Richard L. Stein is the former publisher of The Riverdale Press. He served as president of the
New York Press Association board of directors in 1988. Acknowledging the countless hours
Richard has spent sharing his award-winning design talents with journalism students and
newspaper graphic designers, the NYPA board established this award in his honor in 2008.
21
BEST SPECIAL SECTION COVER
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
Bryan Boyhan, Gianna Volpe
This ad just popped! The artwork and text just
worked great together!
SECOND PLACE
Bryan Boyhan, Michael Heller
Cover totally tells the story!
THIRD PLACE
Saranac Lake
Amy Bowers
Loved how this tells the story with the pictures
and text.
HONORABLE MENTION
Bryan Boyhan, Michael Heller
Very clever artwork.
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Kristina Walser, Donna Abbott-Vlahos
This was outstanding. Definitely means business!
Elegant, simple and dynamic. Loved the way the art,
picture and text came together.
SECOND PLACE
Mahopac News, Mahopac
Ashlee Florkowski and Brian Marschhauser
Makes me want to be there. Aerial shot was so eyecatching and with the fun fonts. Totally works!
THIRD PLACE
Kendra Beavis
The art and text and the way it was placed on the
page was awesome.
HONORABLE MENTION
Southampton
Kim Covell, and Kerri Cunningham-Pace
This just draws you into the wedding. It’s so colorful
and the little girl is precious!
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
Michael Gallagher
The layout and pictures capture the reader’s
attention and brings several emotions into play.
This cover truly starts the story. Well done.
SECOND PLACE
Syracuse New Times, Syracuse
Meaghan Arbital
This design entices you to think about creating your
own summer memories. It makes you want to
continue on and learn what activities are available.
THIRD PLACE
Stephen Reina
A fun and eye catching layout to an old topic of
getting fit. Great idea of putting the dancer over the
wording to allow for more white space.
HONORABLE MENTION
Hamodia, Brooklyn
Israel Bitton and Muhammad Sholichien
Excellence Awards
SPECIAL SECTIONS / NICHE
PUBLICATIONS
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
Fantastic product. Strong editorial, ads, photos,
layout. All the Snug Harbor entries are great.
We judges have picked this one as our favorite.
SECOND PLACE
The River Reporter, Narrowsburg
Amanda Reed
Excellent cover letter - not everyone submitted
one, and that was a mistake. Strong cover art.
Good mix of how-to stories, basic rules, etc. Nice
photos. Quality newsprint does help. Full range of
ads. As judges, we are spreading the love around
and we think your publication deserves recognition.
Great job!
THIRD PLACE
Starts off with a Welcome — which is appropriate.
Good mix of action photos and mug shots. Top 10 I will keep this if my relative is on the list. Ads are
mostly business card style, which are simple and
effective. Layout leaves a lot of white space at
bottom of columns - a choice you make because
not all the student bios are the same length —
still, it is distracting. We judges are awarding this a
top-3 trophy simply because it is LOCAL,
LOCAL, LOCAL, and a true Keepsake edition.
HONORABLE MENTION
Roslyn Times, Roslyn
Excellent guides with lots of photos, data, local info.
Helpful to residents. In terms of judging criteria, no
“editorial” content as we would typically associate
with text copy. But for the sheer effort required to
collect all these photos and info, we are rating this
one Honorable Mention to represent this style
of entry.
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Kendra Beavis and Vera Chinese
D I V I S I O N 3
FIRST PLACE
The product was extremely well done with a delicious
cover photo of a lobster roll, which was perfectly pared
with the tasteful regional cuisine most notable for the area!
I loved the size of the product. The print quality was
outstanding and felt like a full glossy product. The
advertising was sharp and well done. The writing was great.
And what I loved the most about the product was the
perceived ROI on the product. I bet it made a ton of
money! Well done.
SECOND PLACE
Saratoga Today, Saratoga Springs
This was a close second! The photography was
outstanding. It literally made me hungry. Great topic that
appeals to every reader… or at least it should . Well done.
THIRD PLACE
Niagara Gazette, Niagara
Loved this entry. The four-part series really made the
product feel like a hometown product. Great photography.
Great news and advertising flow. Well done!
HONORABLE MENTION
MAGAZINE
FIRST PLACE
Westchester County Business Journal,
White Plains
Georgette Gouveia
Very well put together magazine, the photos were good.
The layout was nice, advertising was also well balanced.
Great magazine!!
SECOND PLACE
Well put together. Great magazine. Good balance of ads
and editorial
THIRD PLACE
Fred Balzac
Excellent overall product. Wonderful! Consistent
design, strong photos, well categorized. Although it
has no editorial content as we generally consider it,
the guide and its lists are so user-friendly to all we
need to do and see. Helpful maps. “It’s so pretty” is
what 2 judges said. “I would pick this up and be
ecstatic.” We would say the Cover photo of fish
while colorful, it is not consistent with rest of
publication in terms of content. The fact that you
are No. 1 shows that a cover is not always the end
all, be all.
Good Layout, nice photos. Good balance of ads and
editorial.
SECOND PLACE
Loved everything from the cover to the informative articles
inside. This was not a fluff piece but rather an informative
section that readers can actually use to help them make
informed decisions about pest control, solar power, etc.
The use of E-Brite on the cover gave this piece more of a
coffee table feel rather than the whole thing in newsprint.
Nice Job!
40 under 40 topic: Each page is clearly a new
individual. Strong photos, great profile. Design and
layout is clean and consistent. Mostly content, not
many ads, which from a reader perspective is fine it shows a dedication to feature local people.
Cover is not revolutionary, but effective.
THIRD PLACE
Scott Thomas, Nancy Knight
and Jim Courtney
This guide about schools is super informative,
starting with a crystal clear index. The tabbed
sections make it easy to find your school district.
There is no guesswork of where to find what you
need. A lot of content info as articles, graphs,
numbers and visual info to accompany the editorial
text. Rankings of schools is helpful. Cover is a
dominant image and screams SCHOOLS. Great
job, all the way around!
HONORABLE MENTION
Ambrose Clancy
Consistent layout and design throughout; we
appreciate that a basic 10K event was used as a
vehicle to talk about running and fitness, beyond
just the one event. Good photos, not great, but well
above average. The package as a whole just works.
Cover makes the subject matter clear; could have
also teased that inside is more info than just the
event. Ads are fairly typical, solid.
BEST REAL ESTATE / HOME
SECTION
FIRST PLACE
SECOND PLACE
Christy Hinko and Alex Nunez
Very nice use of combining local real estate with DIY
projects for the readers. Loved the use of the color pages
with the bright eye-catching borders and headers.
THIRD PLACE
The cover shot is so inviting and make a reader want to
turn the page. The articles are useful and having one article
on a local family brings this section home. The mixture of
advertisers is impressive - from gardening equipment to
water delivery to realtors and mortgage companies - great
job sales team!
SPECIAL HOLIDAY EDITION
FIRST PLACE
The Southampton Press-Eastern Edition
Southampton
Creative, excellent list of events, well organized, excellent
features with items from different stores, organized and easy
to locate categories. Good cover listings and index. Ads
creative, colors excellent.
SECOND PLACE
Fred Balzac
Nostalgic theme carried throughout the edition. Good list
of events, ads well done. Many interesting features which
keep the reader interested, table of contents at front is a
definite plus.
THIRD PLACE
Great cover, excellent info and good detailed content.
Layout good and content that is interesting and well laid
out. Great lists of gifts for different groups..
22
HONORABLE MENTION
Paul Schindler and Michael Shirey
This is a well thought out Special Edition. It should receive
Honorable mention. Very informative, easily read and
great information.
BEST SPECIAL SECTION ADVERTISING
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
I loved the piece who does not want to support their
local volunteer firefighters. Great way to pull the
advertisers and the community in together!
SECOND PLACE
Kendra Beavis and Vera Chinese
I really liked the way the ads also told a story about the
business making it more than just an ad. The ready
could interact with the ads and it gave it a nice feel
and flow.
THIRD PLACE
Eric Hod
I loved how the content and the ads were equally
mixed it pulls the reader to the next page and there is a
new ad. Great job giving value to the reader and the
advertiser.
HONORABLE MENTION
Loved the calendar it gave you a reason to hold on
to it. Also the look and feel was nice.
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Kim Mousseau
Clear winner. Magazine format, good layout, excellent
paper quality and stunning cover made this an
excellent edition. Like how the book was balanced
between brides and grooms.
SECOND PLACE
This was a close second. Separation between First
Place and Second Place was stitching and trimming.
A nicer presentation would have resulted in a win.
Good, clean cover, nice article content and ads. Love
the fish-eye double-truck. I felt like I had been to this
place personally.
THIRD PLACE
Good ad content that draws the reader in even if it
is advertiser specific. I found myself compelled to
read on.
HONORABLE MENTION
You don’t get to celebrate a 350-year town anniversary
too often. That said, good articles and ad content for
this celebration but it was not a winner due to the
paper quality and lack of trimming. A 350 celebration
deserves a glossy paper throughout and trimming.
The ad content would have offset this additional cost.
BEST ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
George B. Fiala
The campaign shows creativity and humor. These ads
jump off the page in a way that is eye catching and
illuminates the product. It also shows the paper’s
knowledge of the community.
SECOND PLACE
Westhampton Beach
Eye-catching image makes you want to read more and
informs the reader about the advertising campaign.
This is a great ad that shows not only public service,
but a way to draw in more customers.
THIRD PLACE
Easy to read, modern and clean. Good use of space and
shows the reader what to expect in the establishment.
HONORABLE MENTION
Kristina Walser
Nice layout and tagline. Great use of images that
draw in the reader and clearly shows what the
campaign details.
Best Art Photo, 2015
MICHAEL HELLER, THE SAG HARBOR EXPRESS
“Very nice photo overall! This was a picture I enjoyed looking at for a few minutes.
Gave me that peaceful and relaxed feeling. If I had a suggestion, it would be that the photo
was just a bit too symmetrical. Girl perfectly centered. Horizon dead-centered, etc.”
DONNA ABBOTT-VLAHOS, ALBANY BUSINESS REVIEW
The early morning light was captured perfectly, and the bird with out-stretched wings is
the star of the photo. The composition is good. Overall, a very pleasing photo.
CHRISTINA DALY, LONG BEACH HERALD
“The vanishing point perspective draws the eye deeply into this photo. The near-mirror reflection symmetry lends
a pleasing balance. The crisp metallic cars with their sleek blurred pastel reflections contrast nicely with the
faded yellow and brown time-worn beams and stained pavement.”
Editor’s Note
Members of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association judged the
contest entries in January — no small task — there were 2,836 entries. We are
grateful for their time and commitment to this project, which means so much to
NYPA member newspapers.
NYPA staffers Rich Hotaling and Jill Van Dusen spend hours processing
entries, working with judges, verifying the winners, creating plaques, certificates,
award scripts, and the creating contest newspaper. Thank you for your
meticulous attention to detail and your good humor. You make the work fun.
NYPA’s adopted staff member, Rick Fensterer, who has for decades, been
the wizard behind the curtain, converting the winning entries into four separate
awards slide shows — all during his “free time.” Thanks Rick, we couldn’t do it
without you.
And to our good friends at Trumbull Printing — thank you for helping
us to showcase our winners by printing this newspaper. The newspaper is a
treasure to many — shared with family, friends and colleagues and then
tucked away for safe keeping. Thank you for your quality reproduction and
your generosity.
Finally, to all of the newspaper staff who entered — we know it is a time
consuming job and we’re grateful that you take the time. The contest
provides an opportunity to display the powerful, impactful work being done
by community newspapers — we are proud of you and we’re grateful for the
good work you do every day.
Michelle Rea — Executive Director
23
BEST ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Robert Counts
Great use of photos and color blocks. The font draws
in the reader and the food photos draw in the
customers. Use of menu in front and center is a great
use of space.
SECOND PLACE
Robert Counts
Beautiful use of photos that complement one
another. Clean lines and good use of space.
THIRD PLACE
The Garden City News, Garden City
Lorraine Menzies
Image of the doctor is a nice way to draw in
potential clients. Great organization of the text. The
use of color also neatly ties together all the ideas of
the ad in a way that is easy to read.
HONORABLE MENTION
The Spotlight (Delmar), Delmar
Dave Abbott
The wonderful photos are a great compliment to the
ads. The rodeo theme that ties all of the ads together
works really well in this campaign.
BEST LARGE SPACE AD
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
The “Amaden Gay” homeowner’s insurance
advertisement is great. Dealing with flood insurance
and using the ocean and beach photo is the perfect
combo, to say the least. The text overlaying the
photo is done well especially with the opacity of the
blocks to allow the copy to stay easily readable. Very
eye-catching.
SECOND PLACE
The Cornwall Local, Cornwall
This Memorial Day tribute ad is beautifully
executed. The fonts, the photograph of the three
candles and the feeling that it evokes is outstanding.
THIRD PLACE
The Southampton Press-Western
Edition, Westhampton Beach
Otis Ford Ad is great. Love the use of the fireworks
backdrop with the gold metallic headline font. Also,
the use of latest models and thanking both the
employees and customers was a nice touch.
HONORABLE MENTION
The Record-Review, Bedford
Katherine Potter
The “& James” ad is awesome. The combination of
the photo and color palette work great together, and
the simple amount of text keeps it looking organic.
Excellence Awards
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Dan’s Papers,
Bridgehampton/New York
BEST MULTI-ADVERTISER PAGES
This winner. This ad draws you into the bike with
incredible softness. It then is as pleasing to the eye
when introducing the properties. Good use of
fonts, even though they are small. Easy to read.
Pleasant color scheme. Not overly wordy. Nice ad.
SECOND PLACE
The Photo News, Monroe
Standalone was one the most captivating pictures
I’ve ever seen in an ad. The clarity of the picture is
outstanding. This ad deserved to be on a page of its
own. Consolidate the users of fonts, kerning and
bolding and this ad wins.
THIRD PLACE
Nicole Wynn
Stunning visual ad. Almost looks to real.
The mansion and the food are equally as nice.
Consolidate the use of various fonts and this ad
wins.
HONORABLE MENTION
The Wave, Queens
Janette Rappo
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
Cecile Lamy
HONORABLE MENTION
Dirt Magazine,
Goshen/Warwick/Highland Lakes
Very clean and crisp. Good use of humor. This was
a very tough category. In any other category, this
ad likely wins.
SECOND PLACE
SECOND PLACE
THIRD PLACE
Chris Ortiz
Back to School Safety is dynamite. Awesome use of
graphics, color selections, and the sponsors listing all pull
this together.
THIRD PLACE
Alden Advertiser, Alden
This is really nice. The 2015 Regional Champions is a
great way to show off the students. And the sponsor ads
all around make you feel like you’re on the field.
HONORABLE MENTION
Michele Gedney and Kate Vikstrom
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Love the subtle back ground, looks elegant and not too
busy.
SECOND PLACE
North Country This Week, Potsdam
Lisa Hoover, Georgia Schiavone & Cathy
Whalen
I like the white background and the fact that’s they don’t
over use art. Enticing to the readers.
BEST SMALL SPACE AD
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
Bright and beautiful photos that tell a story. Clean
lines, well organized text and modern design make
this a wonderful ad.
SECOND PLACE
Charlie Tumino
THIRD PLACE
Michael Shirey and Allison Greaker
Love pictures of babies so it really peeked my interest.
Nice soft colors, for the most part, a nice variety of color
and photos.
BEST HOUSE AD / AD CAMPAIGN
Creative and shows a great range of services
provided at the salon. Great use of a small space
that gives a wealth of information.
THIRD PLACE
Charlie Tumino
Creative use of photo, clear message and overall
memorable easy to read ad.
HONORABLE MENTION
Saranac Lake
Carol Swirsky
D I V I S I O N 1
FIRST PLACE
Kendra Beavis and Sonja Reinholt
Clean and vibrant design. Like the simplicity in text and
beauty of photo.
SECOND PLACE
Kristina Walser
Nice eye-catching design, and consistent campaign.
Great use of white space. This ad says a lot without
having to overdo the design.
THIRD PLACE
Nice typography. Striking image.
HONORABLE MENTION
Kendra Beavis, Sonja Reinholt
and Yvonne Leiblein
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Michael Shirey
This ad pops off the page with the red gloves.
The perfect amount of copy.
Good way to connect and relate with the reader. Fun pics
and nice design.
SECOND PLACE
Just the right amount of color to catch your eye.
Easy to get the message!
THIRD PLACE
It’s a fun ad, I want to know what these folks are
up to and follow them.
HONORABLE MENTION
Jan Schulman
PRINTING
24
Beautiful and technically skilled ads and campaign. Nice
way to intrigue the audience. Clean, cleaver and concise.
Shop Honesdale is a nice overall multi advertiser page.
I like the ads that are of equal size with nice creatives, atop
and below the Two Guys from Italy story. Very well done,
and give that quaint hometown feel.
Shop Local — nice clean ads that depict all sorts of shops.
Incredible use of visual art for an employment ad.
This is a tremendous ad. Tough category. Any
other year, this ad would win.
D I V I S I O N 2
FIRST PLACE
Hamodia, Brooklyn
Israel Bitton and Dhanank Pambayun
O F T H I S AW A R D S N E W S P A P E R
COURTESY OF
Fun photo. Encourages the reader to participate.
Good design choice with using the majority of the ad space
with striking photo of the well-known artist promoted.
Clean typography.
HONORABLE MENTION
John Sanchez
Striking image implores reader to engage in ad.
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
FIRST PLACE
Southampton
Love the map. Love the photos of staff, which really
personalizes the experience. And it’s full of classifieds!
Great work.
SECOND PLACE
Holly Schiferle
What I liked the most of this entry was the smell of it. I
smelled money! Great classified display advertisements.
And although the color was heavy, it was well balanced.
THIRD PLACE
Hamodia, Brooklyn
I loved the cleanliness of the pages. And the use of color
was perfect. Great advertising as well.
BLOOPER OF THE YEAR
FIRST PLACE
Alfred Sun, Alfred
David L. Snyder
One wonders how this happens after all these years. I have
to admit; it did make me chuckle out loud. I assume it was
a archiving error, but quite humorous.
2015 NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR
“We’ve never felt so excited about our business — nor as responsible to our community — as we do now.”
Seems the more things change, the more things remain the same — this is the second year in a row that The Sag Harbor Express
has taken home Newspaper of the Year honors. This small paper has had a huge presence on the South Fork of Long Island for many years.
Propelled by the innovative and insightful leadership of Bryan Boyhan, Gavin Menu and Kathryn Menu, the team at
The Express netted 410 points in the 2015 Better Newspaper Contest — more than double that of their closest competitor.
The Express won first place awards for General Excellence, Best Front Page, Coverage of Local Government, New Story and Editorial Cartoon.
But the paper excels in more than writing and reporting — the staff earned 12 photography awards, eight advertising awards,
and Best Overall Digital Experience. How’s that for running on all cylinders?
The judges said, “surprised by the width of this publication, but I like it. A throwback to days gone by. The writing is engaging, the variety of content interesting.
The Opinion page is well balanced, well designed and interesting to read. And this paper just keeps going… excellent features.
Great job. I want this newspaper delivered to MY doorstep!”
2015 STUART C. DORMAN AWARD FOR EDITORIAL EXCELLENCE
“There is no up and down quality in this publication — just an excellent job from start to finish.”
The staff at The Sag Harbor Express earned 185 points in the editorial contest,
with Stephen J. Kotz, Mara Certic, Christian McClean and Peter Waldner all taking home first place awards.
Photographer Michael Heller cleaned up with first and second place awards for feature photo and sports feature photo,
and first place for art photo. The paper took home 12 photography awards.
Time to find some more wall space for all the plaques.
2015 JOHN J. EVANS AWARD FOR ADVERTISING EXCELLENCE
Dan’s Papers
“A Hampton’s Original — a truly unique publication catering to locals, residents and visitors.”
Owned by Manhattan Media’s Richard Burns, founded by editor in chief Dan Rattiner, and widely distributed
on Long Island’s East End for more than 50 years, Dan’s Papers dishes up a delicious concoction for its readers, week after week.
The paper earned 65 points in the advertising contest, thrusting them into a comfortable lead over their next closest competitor.
They take home first place awards for Best Special Section/Niche Publication, Best Large Space Ad, and Best Multi Advertiser Pages.
The judges said, “… ads are elegant, easy on the eye, impactful — print quality is outstanding. Ads are sharp and well done.”
Congratulations on this well-deserved honor!
JOHN J. EVANS
STUART C. DORMAN
Stuart Callender Dorman established a precedent for excellence in
publishing when he owned the Suffolk Times (1969 - 1978) and the
News-Review (1976 - 1978). Dorman died in 1978, during the year
he was to have served as president of the New York Press Association.
Dorman was also president and founder of Graphics of Peconic.
John J. Evans is the former executive vice president
of Bee Publications, Inc., Buffalo.
Evans is a past president of the New York
Press Association and the New York Press Service.
Acknowledging the countless hours Evans has
devoted to assisting NYPA members with their
advertising programs, the NYPA Board of
Directors established the John J. Evans Award
for Advertising Excellence in 1990.
He was educated at Andover Academy and Harvard University.
Prior to purchasing the Suffolk Times, Dorman held a number of
important positions in the book publishing industry, including a
ten-year stint as vice-president of McGraw-Hill Book Co.
STUART C. DORMAN AWARD
1990 - The Riverdale Press
1993 - The Scarsdale Inquirer
1995 - The Cuba Patriot
1996 - The Record-Review
2000 - The Sag Harbor Express
2001 - The Villager (NYC)
2006 - The North Shore Sun
2008 - The North Shore Sun
2009 - The Suffolk Times
2010 - Long Island Press
2012 - Long Island Press
2013 - The News-Review
JOHN J. EVANS AWARD
1991 - East Hampton Star
2000 - The Village Times
2006 - The Southampton PressEastern Edition
2007 - The River Reporter
2008 - The East Hampton Press
2010 - Nassau Herald
2011 - The Village Times Herald
2013 - TIE — The Record-Review
and The Epoch Times
2014 - The Epoch Times
2015 - Dan’s Papers
25
Excellence Awards
2015 BEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER
The Ithacan
The amazing Ithacan does it again — they’ve won this award a record fourteen times!
Amassing 185 points (more than three times their nearest competitor) The Ithacan took home first place awards for
Best News Story, Best Feature, Best Design, Best Column (here they won first, second and third place awards!),
Best Sports Coverage, Best Editorial, and Best Use of Social Media.
They won second place for General Excellence and second and third place for Best Photography.
Congratulations to our college newspaper winners!
GENERAL EXCELLENCE
FIRST PLACE
The Hill, St. Lawrence University
Emma Cummings-Krueger, Elle Lucas
and Tom Mathiasen
Nice blend of information to keep students and
their families up to date about what is happening
around the area.
SECOND PLACE
The Ithacan, Ithaca College
Nice paper design and good story choices.
It would be nice to see a bit more color in the
advertisements.
THIRD PLACE
Fordham Observer, Fordham University
Clean, good variety of articles, really nice photos.
NEWS STORY
FIRST PLACE
Jonathan Beck
Great in-depth reporting on a subject and sport
that likely goes under-covered in many similar
instances.
SECOND PLACE
The Impact, Mercy College
Erminia Errante
Sensitive treatment of sexual assault, personal
responsibility and accountability.
THIRD PLACE
Avalon Singer
Under-reporting of drug violations — strong
graphic that accompanies story evidence of good
reporting, but reader is left wondering where the
administration stands on this issue.
HONORABLE MENTION
Stephen Kozub
FEATURE STORY
FIRST PLACE
Kristen Gowdy
DESIGN
FIRST PLACE
Grace Clauss and Alison Teadore
SECOND PLACE
Evan Popp
SECOND PLACE
Great use of multiple story and time lines.
More an opinion column than a feature story —
position outlined thoroughly but story didn’t
make a point or come to a conclusion.
THIRD PLACE
Karissa Allen
Feel good piece — nice photos, nice touch.
HONORABLE MENTION
Kayla Dwyer
COLUMN
FIRST PLACE
Marissa Booker
Great, catchy opening lines, and a good look at
the topic.
SECOND PLACE
Karissa Allen
THIRD PLACE
Evin Billington
This paper demonstrates a layout that is easy on the eyes
and balanced.
Clean overall design; nice use and sizing of photos; like
balance of black and white and full-color photography.
THIRD PLACE
The Hill, St. Lawrence University
Emma Cummings-Krueger, Elle Lucas
and Tom Mathiasen
Nice paper. The full-justified type breaks a bit strange in areas,
but coverage is good.
HONORABLE MENTION
Concordiensis, Union College
Erin Wade, Matt Wu and Drew McCalmont
Very neat and clean, but it definitely needs some tweaking.
Making some stories a different number of columns would
help break up the pages a bit.
PHOTOGRAPHY
FIRST PLACE
Reporter Magazine,
FIRST PLACE
Good, comprehensive look at the sports scene outside
the college’s main sports scene.
SECOND PLACE
Mohdshobair Hussaini
THIRD PLACE
The Campus Slate,
New York Institute of Technology
Matt Santamaria
EDITORIAL
FIRST PLACE
SECOND PLACE
Concordiensis, Union College
Kim Bolduc
THIRD PLACE
Jackie Miranda
Rochester Institute of Technology
Kristen McNicholas
BEST WEB SITE
Great angle from above — the viewpoint downward into the
kitchen is a very cool approach.
SECOND PLACE
Sam Fuller
FIRST PLACE
BEST USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Sam’s photo of the stroller-strapped child taking bites of an
enormous apple puts you into the world from a youngster’s
eyes… and taste buds.
THIRD PLACE
Amanda den Hartog
Very colorful and expressive photo to show the drag queen in
action. Nice show of support of the LGBT community.
HONORABLE MENTION
Tommy Battistelli
Awesome photo, but it does make your heart skip a beat
watching that student jumping that gorge.
26
BEST SPORTS COVERAGE
FIRST PLACE
Only entry, so easy winner.
Excellence Awards
2015 BEST HIGH SCHOOL NEWSPAPER
Tarmac
Tarmac, from Chaminade High School in Mineola, earned Best High School newspaper honors, garnering 105 points.
Colin Maloney won first place for Best Column, and the paper won first, second and third place honors for Best Use of Social Media —
the judges loved the look and feel of their Twitter feed, and the regularity and variety of posts.
Focus, the student newspaper from Blind Brook High School in Port Chester, took home second place in the overall competition,
scoring 80 points. Spencer Kaplan won first place for Best News Story, and Michael Discolo won first place for Best Sports Story.
Alyssa Wei and Spencer Kaplan earned first place for Best Web Site.
Third place went to Brocton Review, published by the students at Brocton Central School. The newspaper earned 60 points including
Damian Spencer’s first place award for Best Feature Story, and Angelina Dohre’s first place award for Best Photography.
Congratulations to the students and their advisors for their very good work!
GENERAL EXCELLENCE
FIRST PLACE
Spectator, Fredonia Central High School
The Spectator wins the General Excellence category
because it is an all-around quality newspaper. The
student journalists show consistently good writing
and a broad range of coverage, writing about high
school issues and life as well as stepping outside the
four walls of the school to tackle community issues
impacting their school. I enjoy seeing a high school
newspaper that grabs ads from the community.
The design was consistent throughout, with strong
photos and art.
SECOND PLACE
Brocton Review, Brocton Central School
I really enjoy this newspaper. The cover is
consistently strong and the design is clean and
colorful. The student journalists cover a broad range
of issues that are timely to student life. I loved the
student columnists. The paper has a nice mix of ads
and strong photography and student art. My one
suggestion would be to look for more of those
district or community news stories that impact
the high school.
THIRD PLACE
Focus, Blind Brook High School
The best aspect of the Focus is its extensive school
and community coverage. The student journalists
tackle community stories very well. Just a bunch of
great writers on staff. The issues had a nice mix of ads
from community advertisers. I especially appreciate
the time and work the staff put into the graphics
projects. The one suggestion I would have is to add
more color in the design and artwork on every page.
While the design was consistent throughout, I would
have liked to have seen more color. All in all, a great
source of information for the school.
HONORABLE MENTION
Tarmac, Chaminade High School
The Tarmac does an excellent job with design and
layout. The student artwork is a major plus, and
unique to the newspaper. The stories are also
thorough and well written and a great reflection
of life in the school.
NEWS STORY
FIRST PLACE
Spencer Kaplan
This story stood out by far in the news category.
The writer answered every question I had on this
story. While I would have moved the last three
paragraphs up in the story, the coverage was very
complete. And this isn’t an easy topic to cover. The
writer went straight to the proper sources, which was
wonderful to see. The lead for this news story was to
the point — just what I wanted. Overall, by far the
best news story. I was excited to read it.
SECOND PLACE
Robert Paradiso
This was a great story. The only things keeping it out
of No. 1 contention were the lead and the ending.
I would have gone with a narrative lead from one of
the boys or veterans and I would have ended the
story on the last quote. Otherwise, just a great all
around story. And how unique that these two boys
were in your school so that you had the opportunity
to interview them, making this an emotional story.
An especially great job on controlling the flow the
story. With such a long story, you could have lost my
interest, but with your writing skills you were able to
keep my attention right to the end.
THIRD PLACE
Colin Maloney
This was just a nicely written piece. It was clean and it
flowed very well. The only reason it didn’t break the
top 2 was because I would have liked to have seen the
writer take a different approach with the lead —
something a little more attention grabbing. But it was a
fantastic piece on a not-so-easy topic. I really enjoyed it.
HONORABLE MENTION
Dakota Gardner
I love that your sources are the school superintendent
and the mayor, two people who aren’t easy interviews
for high schoolers. Nice job of going outside the
comfort zone of the school to reach out to
community resources.
FEATURE STORY
FIRST PLACE
Damian Spencer
This article really stood out as well-written and
informational, with solutions needed for dealing with a
very ugly problem.
SECOND PLACE
The Phoenix, Kellenberg Memorial High School
Caitlin Gaine, James Perrone, Rudd Lowry
A great mix of interesting articles, both lighthearted
and more serious, with individual styles, backed up with
drawings and photos. The authors listed here have
three ID numbers total.
THIRD PLACE
Derek Walter
Good use of local health department and other area
offices and departments to get the word out about the
meth problem in the author’s area.
HONORABLE MENTION
Morgan Genovese
Lighthearted article about athlete superstitions.
Fun reading.
COLUMN
FIRST PLACE
Colin Maloney
Well-written articles that focus on the value of giving
help to and receiving help from others.
SECOND PLACE
Michael Brunetti
In-depth, well-researched opinion articles about
world affairs.
THIRD PLACE
James Hilepo
Written from the heart. Good research.
HONORABLE MENTION
MaKayla Weaver
“Leave It To Weaver” — Good articles about
issues affecting high school students, young women
in particular.
DESIGN
BEST SPORTS STORY
FIRST PLACE
FIRST PLACE
Michael Discolo
I love the cover page as well as the index page. Both put
color to excellent use. The design is consistent
throughout — consistently clean, attractive and
professional. The excellent use of photos is what put
this publication at No. 1.
SECOND PLACE
The publication has both strong photos and student
artwork. It has a consistent style throughout, while also
putting computer graphics to work. A job well done.
THIRD PLACE
No other publication in this category even attempted
to use such unique graphics. So nice job on pulling
them together. I would have liked to have seen more
color throughout; however, the design was consistent
throughout and reader friendly.
HONORABLE MENTION
This paper has a strong cover with a consistent design
throughout, putting color to good use on every page.
Again, photos stand out throughout this publication.
Student artwork also gives the design depth.
This story could be in any daily newspaper. The story
was very clean and had excellent flow. It was just a
very well written story and kept my attention from
beginning to end.
SECOND PLACE
Jake Simon
What struck me with this story was the writer’s
knowledge of the subject. His writing clearly showed he
knows soccer well. The story flowed very well, which is
a must for sports writing. I can look past some of the
editorializing because it’s sports writing, but only if I
enjoy the writing style. I did so here.Nice job.
THIRD PLACE
Frank Coppola
A few style errors kept this story out of the top two. The
writer still did an excellent job. The writer showed much
knowledge in the sport and the story had excellent flow.
Great job.
HONORABLE MENTION
Jake Bella
PHOTOGRAPHY
Great recap of the season. The writer did an excellent job
of giving us the highlights of the season.
FIRST PLACE
Angelina Dohre
BEST WEB SITE
Great portrait of a historic subject. It connects
with the viewer.
SECOND PLACE
Harrison Keller
Wonderful capture of a joyful, spontaneous moment.
THIRD PLACE
Samara Dulmaine
Good unobstructed action shot.
HONORABLE MENTION
Harrison Keller
Very dramatic. Good lighting effect.
FIRST PLACE
Alyssa Wei and Spencer Kaplan
Navigation is No. 1 for any reader, and this website is
easy to navigate. Along with having a clean, modern
design, the website also is packed with information. I had
to remind myself to stop reading the stories and get back
to judging the website. Nice job.
SECOND PLACE
BEST USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
FIRST PLACE
The Chaminade stands out in this category. Hard to
choose where they do it best, but I enjoyed the look and
feel of the Twitter feed the best. Regular posting, and a
variety of posts, was excellent. It can be easy to rely
heavily on sports on these sites; however, you have an
excellent mix.
SECOND PLACE
Regular posting, and a variety of posts, was excellent. It
can be easy to rely heavily on sports on these sites;
however, you have an excellent mix.
THIRD PLACE
HONORABLE MENTION
Alyssa Wei and Spencer Kaplan
27
Congrats...
to all of our winners!
N E W Y O R K P R E S S A S S O C I AT I O N
2 0 1 5 B E T T E R N E W S PA P E R C O N T E S T

Winners - New York Press Association

Transcription

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