To protect and serve the common interests of its newsmedia members, to help members inform and thereby strengthen their communities, and to foster the highest ideals, ethics and traditions of journalism, a free press and the news profession.
By default, the table below displays the 2017 California Journalism Awards winners by category.
The table is sortable by the column headers (Newspaper, Place, Category, Name of Entry, Staff Credit and Judge’s Comments) but you probably want to zero in on your own newspaper. The easiest way to do that is to use the search box to type in the name of your newspaper.
A search will begin as soon as you start typing in the box. The more specific you are, the faster you’ll find your results.
For example, if you type “Press” or “News” you’ll end up with a lot of unwanted results. Instead, try the exact name of your newspaper or a portion thereof, such as “Press-Enterprise” or “Mercury News” for more specific results. If you still don’t see your specific results, try putting quotes around your search terms.
For a list of Campus winners, visit this page.
Category | Place | Newspaper | Name of Entry | Credit | Judge’s Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Agricultural Reporting | 1st | The Business Journal | “Foreign ag visitors weary of President Trump” | David Castellon | A well-written, well-organized article with multiple interviews about an important subject affecting local & international agriculture, with a good presentation. |
Agricultural Reporting | 2nd | Petaluma Argus-Courier | “The changing face of ag” | Hannah Beausang | The story addresses looming, sobering issues facing the agricultural community in general- attrition, social, economic, & technological change. A good overall effort, with some awkward sentences. The photograph is very much to the point of the story, & touching. |
Agricultural Reporting | 3rd | St. Helena Star | “More than peaches” | Tom Stockwell | A nicely written article, & well-organized. It's a compassionate bit of storytelling with local interest. |
Agricultural Reporting | Finalist | St. Helena Star | “Heat led to grape harvest before fires” | David Stoneberg | Generally a well-organized, well-presented, coherent & informative article; some awkward sentences detract from the quality of the whole. |
Agricultural Reporting | Finalist | Half Moon Bay Review | “Legal cannabis draws local entrepreneurs” | Sara Hayden | |
Agricultural Reporting | 1st | Sacramento News & Review | “Out of the dark” | Scott Thomas Anderson | |
Agricultural Reporting | 2nd | New Times | “Sucking Air” | Peter Johnson | |
Agricultural Reporting | 3rd | The Salinas Californian | “Low wages, high prices drive desperate housing choices for farm workers & tough questions for community” | Amy Wu | |
Agricultural Reporting | Finalist | Chico News & Review | “Meet your meat” | Staff | |
Agricultural Reporting | Finalist | The Salinas Californian | “From Farms to Incubators: Telling the stories of minority women entrepreneurs in agtech in the Salinas Valley & beyond” | Amy Wu | |
Agricultural Reporting | 1st | The Record | “End of Delta asparagus?” | Alex Breitler | This story gave readers a real sense of the community's loss of an agricultural identity, from the multiple generations farming asparagus to the water tower & logo that showed community pride. The story was written with breadth & clarity about the forces working against the local asparagus market. |
Agricultural Reporting | 2nd | The Desert Sun | “Hardships for retiring farmworkers” | Rosalie Murphy, Omar Ornelas | An authentic look into the lives of retired farmworkers & the challenges they face. The story is well told with significant context, along with evocative photos & videos, |
Agricultural Reporting | 3rd | The Desert Sun | “Farmworker housing crisis” | Gustavo Solis, Omar Ornelas | A shocking account of a problem never fixed & getting worse. Powerful visuals. |
Agricultural Reporting | Finalist | Napa Valley Register | “Female workers are a growing presence in Napa vineyards” | Henry Lutz | |
Agricultural Reporting | Finalist | The Tribune | “Morro Bay farm grows the unexpected: coffee beans, dragon fruit & limes that look like caviar” | Lindsey Holden | |
Agricultural Reporting | 1st | Los Angeles Times | “California’s Farms Confront a Labor Shortage” | Geoffrey Mohan, Natalie Kitroeff | |
Agricultural Reporting | 2nd | San Francisco Chronicle | “Wine Country Woes” | Esther Mobley | |
Agricultural Reporting | 3rd | San Francisco Chronicle | “Rise of Faux Meat” | Tara Duggan, Jonathan Kauffman | |
Agricultural Reporting | Finalist | The Bakersfield Californian | “Is John Vidovich planning to sell off the valley's lifeblood? Or is he just the latest water baron on the block?” | Lois Henry | |
Agricultural Reporting | Finalist | The Fresno Bee | “It may be the oldest orange grove in the San Joaquin Valley – & the fruit tastes good” | Lewis Griswold | |
Artistic Photo | 1st | Calistoga Tribune | “Morning awakens” | Bill Broich | Spectacular shot. Is that the shadow of the balloon on the cloud? |
Artistic Photo | 2nd | Claremont Courier | “Spider web from 400 feet” | Peter Weinberger | Another great shot by Peter Weinberger. More convinced he's a drone. |
Artistic Photo | 3rd | South Pasadena Review | “Catch a Tiger By the Tail” | Henk Friezer | Hah! That's grrrrreat! |
Artistic Photo | Finalist | Claremont Courier | “Never say never” | Peter Weinberger | Peter can go anywhere! |
Artistic Photo | 1st | Petaluma Argus-Courier | “Dia de los Muertos” | Crissy Pascual | |
Artistic Photo | 2nd | Sacramento Business Journal | “Greg Kennedy” | Dennis McCoy | |
Artistic Photo | 3rd | The Davis Enterprise | “Sunflowers Under the Milky Way” | Wayne Tilcock | |
Artistic Photo | Finalist | Ledger Dispatch | “Eyes on the Sky” | Rich Hoffman | |
Artistic Photo | 1st | Atascadero News | “Milky Way Panorama over the Hill Fire” | Luke Phillips | |
Artistic Photo | 2nd | Mountain View Voice | “Underwater Rugby” | Michelle Le | |
Artistic Photo | 3rd | Lamorinda Weekly | “Smoke puts a chokehold on Lamorinda” | Andy Scheck | |
Artistic Photo | Finalist | Poway News Chieftain | “Blue on blue” | Criselda Yee | |
Artistic Photo | 1st | Santa Barbara Independent | “Thomas Fire” | Paul Wellman | A particularly newsworthy & creative photograph given the wildfires that ravaged California last year. Great framing. |
Artistic Photo | 2nd | Santa Barbara Independent | “Tim Hushion” | Paul Wellman | Fantastic portrait with striking colors. |
Artistic Photo | 3rd | Thousand Oaks Acorn | “Sunset with a best friend” | Michael Coons | Great use of silhouettes to tell a story. |
Artistic Photo | Finalist | Simi Valley Acorn | “Star-spangled skies” | Michael Coons | Dynamic photograph. |
Artistic Photo | 1st | The Reporter | “In Flight Meal” | Joel Rosenbaum | Stellar framing, stop action, froze image at the peak of the takeoff. |
Artistic Photo | 2nd | Visalia Times-Delta | “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” | Ron Holman | Showstopping color & subject. |
Artistic Photo | 3rd | Santa Maria Times | “Sands of Mandala” | Len Wood | Image appropriately & thoroughly captures the subject of the story. |
Artistic Photo | Finalist | The Union | “All about the eclipse” | Elias Funez | Clever framing enhances what could have been a pedestrian subject. |
Artistic Photo | 1st | The Tribune | “Pismo Beach sunset” | David Middlecamp | With the hustle & bustle of every day I enjoy this photo of being along on a beach at sunset running the cares of the day away. |
Artistic Photo | 2nd | Marin Independent Journal | “Circus” | Alan Dep | This is an intriguing photo as I am curious to know what the audience is so engrossed in! |
Artistic Photo | 3rd | The Desert Sun | “Mojave Trails monument” | Jay Calderon | This photo belongs in an art gallery. Lovely! |
Artistic Photo | Finalist | Marin Independent Journal | “Midway” | Robert Tong | This looks so fun! Nice job! |
Artistic Photo | 1st | The Press Democrat | “Christmas Filled with Hope” | Kent Porter | |
Artistic Photo | 2nd | The Sacramento Bee | “From the Ashes” | Paul Kitagaki Jr. | |
Artistic Photo | 3rd | The Press Democrat | “Helicopter Encounters Traffic” | Kent Porter | |
Artistic Photo | Finalist | The Press Democrat | “Ridgeline Wreckage” | Chad Surmick | |
Artistic Photo | 1st | Los Angeles Times | “Aimee Mann” | Genaro Molina | |
Artistic Photo | 2nd | The San Diego Union-Tribune | “Glowing!” | Howard Lipin | |
Artistic Photo | 3rd | Los Angeles Times | “Solar Eclipse” | Marcus Yam | |
Artistic Photo | Finalist | Los Angeles Times | “Hurricane Harvey” | Marcus Yam | |
Arts & Entertainment Coverage | 1st | The Ark | “ArkBeat” | Staff | Ark Beat, both visually & informationally, stood above the rest. |
Arts & Entertainment Coverage | 2nd | Shasta Lake Bulletin | “After Five Magazine” | Staff | |
Arts & Entertainment Coverage | 3rd | The Sonoma Index-Tribune | “Valley Life” | Staff | |
Arts & Entertainment Coverage | Finalist | Ledger Dispatch | “On The Vine” | Caitlyn Schaap | |
Arts & Entertainment Coverage | 1st | Metro Silicon Valley | “Arts & Entertainment section” | Nick Veronin, Staff | |
Arts & Entertainment Coverage | 2nd | Palo Alto Weekly | “Arts & Entertainment section” | Karla Kane, Staff | |
Arts & Entertainment Coverage | 3rd | Sacramento News & Review | “Arts & Entertainment section” | Staff | |
Arts & Entertainment Coverage | Finalist | North Coast Journal | “Arts & Entertainment section” | Staff | |
Arts & Entertainment Coverage | 1st | The Desert Sun | “DESERT magazine” | Kristin Scharkey, Kate Franco | The Desert is absolutely lovely in all ways. Content is informative, layout easy to skim through to see something that you want to stop to read. Text & use of fonts in titles is attractive as well as varied. This reads more like a magazine than an A & E guide. |
Arts & Entertainment Coverage | 2nd | The Tribune | “Ticket” | Sarah Linn | For an entertainment guide - I like this one the best even though the layout is not as lovely as The Desert. I'd give Ticket the highest points for CONTENT, usefulness as an A & E Guide. I'm just not fond of the 6 column layout - jarring to read, but at least it's not hyphenated text in narrow columns so I give them extra points for that! This serves the purpose very well. |
Arts & Entertainment Coverage | 3rd | The Union | “Prospector” | Sean Jordan | I like the use of color in the text, pull-quotes, breakouts so you get a summary of who-what-where-when. This is easy to find your way through the pages to content that has personal interest. And there is kenty to find interesting! |
Arts & Entertainment Coverage | Finalist | The Union Democrat | “The Weekender” | Mike Morris | Until this section gets to the center map, it's fairly ordinary, then breaks out into a much better layout that is attractive & easy to read. I'd like to see the whole section look like this center What's Happening pages. |
Arts & Entertainment Coverage | 1st | Los Angeles Times | “Sunday Calendar” | Staff | Strong stories, photography edited for impact & consistent use of excellent illustration raise the LA Times Calendar section above the other entries. The Hollywood Values coverage is a clever mix of stories with a uniquely LA perspective. |
Arts & Entertainment Coverage | 2nd | The San Diego Union-Tribune | “Arts & Culture section” | Staff | The San Diego Union-Tribune Arts + Culture sections are vibrant & designed with clean lines & reader-friendly organization. |
Arts & Entertainment Coverage | 3rd | The Press Democrat | “SonomaGo” | Staff | The Press Democrat’s Sonoma Go section is consistent but lacks a visual personality. The use of full-width images in Summer Arts & Events section were a nice, consistent change of pace. |
Arts & Entertainment Coverage | Finalist | The Bakersfield Californian | “Sunday Eye Street” | Staff | The Bakersfield Californian's Eye Street section provides readers with sense-of-place cover stories. However, beyond the main cover feature, the section offers the reader mostly wire content with a conventional design. |
Breaking News | 1st | The Trinity Journal | “Helena fire claims 72 homes in Junction City area” | Amy Gittelsohn, Wayne Agner, Sally Morris | Excellent photos, great use of maps & the one-word headline made me want to read more. I especially appreciated hearing from the residents impacted by the fire. |
Breaking News | 2nd | St. Helena Star | “Firefighters recall epic fight against wildfires” | Jesse Duarte | Nice look at what firefighters go through during a catastrophic wildfire. |
Breaking News | 3rd | Calistoga Tribune | “Fire in the Night” | Pat Hampton, Kim Beltran | Great in-depth reporting of the wildfires in Napa & Sonoma counties. I especially admire the bravery of those who covered the story since they themselves were forced to evacuate. |
Breaking News | Finalist | The Ark | “Destruction, loss & compassion” | Matthew Hose, Kevin Hessel, Emily Lavin, Jeff Dempsey | I enjoyed the story about the woman who is coordinating volunteers & donations during the wildfires & I appreciated the variety of stories in the "Hitting Home" article. |
Breaking News | Finalist | The Ark | “Feds charge Tiburon man with child porn” | Matthew Hose | Excellent & frightening story. Kudos for scooping the county daily. |
Breaking News | 1st | Petaluma Argus-Courier | “Petaluma a shelter in firestorm” | Hannah Beausang, Matt Brown | |
Breaking News | 2nd | Big Bear Grizzly | “Storm of the Decade” | Judi Bowers, Kathy Portie, Kelsey Bowers, Natalie Williams | |
Breaking News | 3rd | Ledger Dispatch | “Tragedy Strikes Main Street” | Jack Mitchell, Caitlyn Schaap, Bill Lavallie | |
Breaking News | Finalist | Santa Ynez Valley News | “Flames yards away send campers fleeing from Cachuma Lake” | Mike Hodgson | |
Breaking News | Finalist | The Sonoma Index-Tribune | “Fires Scorch Sonoma” | Christian Kallen | |
Breaking News | 1st | San Francisco Business Times | “After the Fires” | Katie Burke, Todd Johnson, Kevin Truong, Jim Gardner | All three stories tackled the fires' aftermath with skillful brevity, allowing the importance of the reporting, the enormity of the disaster & the economic realities it fostered to shine. |
Breaking News | 2nd | The Malibu Times | “Brush fire in Malibu Park contained within an hour Thursday” | Emily Sawicki, Shivani Patel | While not a “big” story, the reporting was superb in its incorporation of multiple voices to round out the traditional public-safety coverage. |
Breaking News | 3rd | The Downey Patriot | “Downey resident escapes Vegas attack with minor injuries” | Alex Dominguez | This is a harrowing story succinctly told, which is notable because accomplishing such a feat with such a widely reported subject covered from countless angles isn’t easy. That the victim’s mental anguish in the aftermath of the Las Vegas shooting was addressed is commendable & humanizing. |
Breaking News | Finalist | Los Altos Town Crier | “Local group aids in Hurricane Harvey rescue” | Grace Hase | |
Breaking News | Finalist | Mountain View Voice | “Police tow RVs on Crisanto Avenue” | Mark Noack, Michelle Le, Andrea Gemmet | |
Breaking News | 1st | Santa Barbara Independent | “The Forever Season” | SB Indy News Team | Exciting photos; interesting four-part story. Good writing and filled with facts, local and important state-wide. Excellent coverage. |
Breaking News | 2nd | Sacramento News & Review | “Bidding in secret: Officials quietly solicit contracts on ‘twin tunnels’ project despite lawsuits, lack of permits” | Scott Thomas Anderson | Breaking news of both local and state-wide importance; facts impressive. |
Breaking News | 3rd | Thousand Oaks Acorn | “Super storm strikes Thousand Oaks” | Becca Whitnall, Kyle Jorrey | Really good local coverage with overall viewpoint of storm and focus on man who died. Nice juxtaposition. Good photos. |
Breaking News | Finalist | Palo Alto Weekly | “$40M deal saves Buena Vista mobile homes” | Sue Dremann | Good graphics, incredible involvement in long-term story; breaking news most recent event, but otherwise, not of immediate import; clear writing on complex subject. |
Breaking News | Finalist | Simi Valley Acorn | “Raw emotions give way to ambush attack at Simi High” | Sylvie Belmond, Hector Gonzalez | Breaking news — an exclusive, apparently — but almost no information because no one can talk. Limited by topic, not by reporting. |
Breaking News | 1st | Record Searchlight | “Rancho Tehama shooting” | Staff | I was impressed with how well these reporters were able to write with clear heads in the moment of this tragedy for the community. The story package shows that the paper put its heart into covering this event from a range of angles. |
Breaking News | 2nd | Chico Enterprise-Record | “Ready to spill?” | Staff | While reading this, I thought to myself, "This is how to do breaking news coverage." I loved the in-depth, creative coverage of exactly what happens to a city when it's evacuated (impacts on business, break-ins, etc.) & its residents (school closures, where to get prescriptions filled, etc.). Great photography too. |
Breaking News | 3rd | Napa Valley Register | “Wildfires Devastate Napa County” | Staff | These wildfires moved so quickly, I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to report on this, especially when staffers' own homes were threatened. This reporting provided clear, helpful information while I'm sure a lot of chaos was going on. |
Breaking News | Finalist | The Ukiah Daily Journal | “Firestorm” | Carole Brodsky, Chris Pugh, KC Meadows | I thought the coverage package here was thorough & timely. I was impressed that coverage started a 4 a.m.,within an hour of receiving news of the fire in the middle of the night. Really strong photos too. |
Breaking News | Finalist | The Union | “Lobo, McCourtney fires coverage” | Staff | I was impressed by the publisher's note indicating that one of the reporters had been displaced herself during the fire. Top marks for quality of writing — great, vivid descriptions of the setting. |
Breaking News | 1st | The Sun | “North Park Elementary shooting” | Beau Yarbrough | Well-written stories with strong quotes & a gripping interview with someone who was inside the classroom during a school shooting. |
Breaking News | 2nd | Daily Pilot | “Video shows officer fatally shooting man outside H.B. store; police chief defends actions” | Hannah Fry | Well-rounded series on a police shooting including interviews with the mother of the man shot dead, outside perspective & multiple videos. |
Breaking News | 3rd | The Tribune | “Matthew Frank, the anonymous SLOStringer, died the way he lived — chasing news” | Gabby Ferreira, Joe Johnston | Breaking-news event turned profile on the fly. Compelling end product, use of social media & photographs. |
Breaking News | Finalist | The Desert Sun | “Corruption at City Hall” | Barrett Newkirk, Brett Kelman, Jesse Marx, Corinne Kennedy | In-depth & extensive reporting on a prosecution stemming from the newspaper's own work. Fantastic reporting but tough competition in this category, particularly against well-rounded stories on a school shooting & police shooting. |
Breaking News | Finalist | Ventura County Star | “Father & son die in Port Hueneme fire” | Christian Martinez, Arlene Martinez, Juan Carlo | Strong reporting on breaking news with effective uses of photos & video. |
Breaking News | 1st | The Press Democrat | “October wildfire coverage” | Staff | Comprehensive coverage from all angles. Timely, & fantastic photos that really tie together the whole package. |
Breaking News | 2nd | The Sacramento Bee | “Oroville spillway failure & evacuation” | Staff | Timely coverage with good information for those affected by the evacuation. |
Breaking News | 3rd | The Bakersfield Californian | “Jury finds Sabrina Limon guilty of first-degree murder in husband's death” | Jason Kotowski, Joseph Luiz, Harold Pierce | All angles of this story were covered nicely. It also reads easily for those of us who are unfamiliar with the case. |
Breaking News | Finalist | The Fresno Bee | “Shooting rampage stories” | Staff | |
Breaking News | Finalist | The Press-Enterprise | “Elementary school hostage situation” | Ryan Hagen | |
Breaking News | 1st | San Francisco Chronicle | “Wine Country Fires” | Staff | This package had a great use of imagery, including several photos, graphics & the listing of mass shootings throughout the states. While at times difficult to read, the firsthand accounts were told in a compelling & succinct way. I thought it was also an interesting touch to write about who the shooter was & how people who knew him never expected him to do something like this. the headlines were captivating & really set the stage for what I was about to read. |
Breaking News | 2nd | Los Angeles Times | “Las Vegas Shooting” | Staff | Strong use of visuals that conveyed the horror but not the carnage. They had a day to pull it all together, & it wasn't in their hometown, but they made good use of the strong connections to Las Vegas, detailing victims, the sidebar on Vegas as a venue. |
Breaking News | 3rd | The Orange County Register | “Judge rules out death penalty for Scott Dekraai in Seal Beach mass murder case” | Tony Saavedra, Kelly Puente | A complicated topic well explained, & on deadline. I wish the headline had reflected more of the story, which had a broader topic as the judge rebuked the prosecutors. |
Breaking News | Finalist | Los Angeles Times | “Southern California Fires” | Staff | This package told the after math & destruction of the fires well. The photos really captured the heartbreak & tragedy of the fires that swept through wine country, & the in-depth coverage of the different areas was well done. I particularly liked the personal accounts of how the fires touched people's lives, mixed in with the comments of officials. The writing is strong & really connects the reader to devastation that may not have taken place near them. |
Breaking News | Finalist | Los Angeles Times | “Northern California Fires” | Staff | Dynamic, colorful photos help the reader navigate the coverage of the Southern California fires & puts them there. I appreciated the in-depth coverage of all areas affected, as well as the graphics of fire spread & weather patterns. While the story is about wildfires, I felt as though some of the facing photos or the side-by-side photos were too flame-focused. Overall, I thought the writing & presentation of the information was clean & vibrant. |
Columns | 1st | The Ferndale Enterprise | “From the Back Pew” | Wendy Lestina | The column on the sexual assault was compelling, brave subject matter. The subject itself elevates the entry. |
Columns | 2nd | The Healdsburg Tribune | “Main Street” | Ray Holley | |
Columns | 3rd | The Recorder | “A Criminal Waste of Space” | William Bedsworth | |
Columns | Finalist | Lincoln News Messenger | “Fake news” and “Sleeping with the enemy: Post-Valentine’s Day reflections” | Carol Feineman | |
Columns | Finalist | Glendale News-Press | “Turning on the AC: Glendale High's Michael Davis shows up” | Andrew Campa | Solid, engaging writing. Both capture the feel of covering local sports. |
Columns | 1st | The Davis Enterprise | “The story behind Colombia’s better Escobar” and “Poles apart on national fervor?” | Evan Ream | A sports column with real heart and soul. |
Columns | 2nd | Petaluma Argus-Courier | “What they say, what they mean” and “When bad thing happen, we are not alone” | John Jackson | Great entries: one humorous, one tragic. |
Columns | 3rd | The Sonoma Index-Tribune | “Appetites for Destruction” and “Not All Non-Citizens Are Created Equal” | Jason Walsh | Thoughtful commentary delivered with flare. |
Columns | Finalist | Silicon Valley Business Journal | “SVBJ Viewpoint” | J. Jennings Moss | |
Columns | Finalist | Ledger Dispatch | “Rivers & Rhymes” | Kat Everitt | A poetic column! I love it. |
Columns | 1st | Santa Maria Sun | “Generation X-It” | Rebecca Rose | Delightful. If someone set a book by Rebecca Rose in front of me right now, I’d read it. This reminded me, in a sense, of the new award-winning Amazon series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maizel,” because it works so hard to be so seriously, consistently funny. I believe both of these submissions have a specific audience (me: a nearing-middle-aged women). And that’s fine! These were wonderfully written, laugh-out-loud columns that hit the spot and never let up. Every sentence was crafted, it felt, with care, intended to deliver a distinct visual, a laugh, and in the end, a subtle but broader point about what it means to want what you want as a middle-aged woman. Brava. |
Columns | 2nd | North Coast Journal | “Seriously?” | Jennifer Fumiko Cahill | I bet Jennifer Fumiko Cahill’s columns drum up a healthy reaction. Both impressively written, both funny — both scathing. The satire about punctuation especially felt original and biting and was a wonderful usage of column space. She’d likely be great no matter what publication she wrote for, but it helps her cause, I think, that the North Coast Journal is more HBO than NBC. |
Columns | 3rd | Poway News Chieftain | “Au Contraire” | Amy Roost | Whoa. Well. Both of those columns packed a PUNCH. Both clear, concise accounts of sobering current topics. I have a hunch both of these pieces stayed with readers long after they put down the paper; Roost was able to effectively personalize societal topics in such a raw, jarring way — brava. |
Columns | Finalist | Poway News Chieftain | “Get Real” | Dick Lyles | Hear! Hear! to advocating so articulately that “Americans to pause a moment, take a deep breath and jump back into the vast sea of open mindedness that once nurtured the seeds most responsible for America’s magnificence.” It’s a lovely notion, spiritedly delivered, though Lyles’ sort of makes his own point when he broadly characterizes “unkind” people who disagree (with him perhaps) as broadly labeling those THEY disagree with as “fascist, racist or hopelessly bigoted.” Seems it’s hard not to put people in boxes, even when a you’re arguing against it. Still, hooray for the invitation to dialogue. Lyles’ column on the Weinstein situation probably drew a few (more than a few?) responses, with his describing sexual harassment like some might describe steroid use in sports: “The sexual revolution,” as he sees it, “imposes an overwhelming burden on people of virtue who want to pursue their careers based on merit,” he writes. That’s the type of writing that’s definitely likely to start a conversation — and good for it. |
Columns | Finalist | Palisades News | “Dining Early-Bird Style” | Bob Vickrey | A thoroughly entertaining, honest, illuminating account letting readers of all ages into a slice of life a particular segment of the population has to figure out. I chuckled aloud picturing Vickrey and his tablemates yelling back at the young waitress as though she were hard of hearing. A wonderful contribution to a local newspaper. The second column was maybe more fun than the first — I think I’d like to be friends with this man, I’ve so enjoyed his two columns that blend snark and sweetness so originally. |
Columns | 1st | Grunion Gazette | “Pinch of Salt” | Harry Saltzgaver | |
Columns | 2nd | Grunion Gazette | “About Sports” | JJ Fiddler, Mike Guardabascio | |
Columns | 3rd | Santa Barbara Independent | “High Sobriety” and “Smutty Buddies” | Starshine Roshell | |
Columns | Finalist | Chico News & Review | “Second & Flume” | Melissa Daugherty | |
Columns | Finalist | Sonoma County Gazette | “Our County” | Lynda Hopkins | |
Columns | 1st | Napa Valley Register | “Jersey Girl” | Maria Sestito | This is a textbook example of how to take what is essentially a personal column and make it feel universal and not like self-absorbed navel-gazing. Your compact, incisive writing style makes your points come across clearly. In particular, the column about how someone with a college education and a “nice car” still needs help getting by in affluent Northern California resonates strongly at a time when people are working harder and harder to get by. |
Columns | 2nd | Napa Valley Register | “Other Side of the Fence” | Yousef Baig | A great example of a sports column that’s stronger for not sticking to solely what happens on the field. You’ve got strong opinions, you don’t mince words and you know how to make your points tidily. Keep at it. |
Columns | 3rd | Daily Press | “This Desert Life” | Matthew Cabe | These two columns are terrific. The one about the relationship with your dad was great, a personal story that contains a nugget of advice readers can use to improve their own relationships. The raven column was a great find, too. Each of these could use a little stronger editing. I caught a dropped word in the dad column and the “most unique” in the raven lead stopped me, as there are not degrees of uniqueness. But they were only minor distractions from otherwise great work. |
Columns | Finalist | Visalia Times-Delta | “Life With Mike” | Mike Hazelwood | Your two humor columns take personal experiences that are easy to relate to and make them feel universal. They were light, easy to read and a great addition to your paper, I’m sure. |
Columns | Finalist | Napa Valley Register | “Simple & Sassy” | Samie Hartley | The sexual harassment column was a strong entry. The chips column was breezy and light and a little bit entertaining, but it didn’t quite stand out as much as some of the other light-hearted columns in this category. Regardless, your writing voice is well-developed, your thoughts well-organized and your copy clean. Nice work. |
Columns | 1st | The Record | “Memorable welcome to Stockton” and “It’s decision time for SUSD on Davalos” | Michael Fitzgerald | A story of loss and community told without melodrama and an important but sensitive issue for the community show this columnist’s pitch-perfect range of reporting and writing skill. |
Columns | 2nd | The Tribune | “SLOStringer carved out a unique spot between the media & public safety”and “Pirate’s Cove is still disgusting, and it’s the Board of Supervisors’ fault” | Joe Tarica | |
Columns | 3rd | Marin Independent Journal | “So It Goes” | Vicki Larson | |
Columns | Finalist | The Desert Sun | “Golf rule” and “Bell victory” | Larry Bohannan | |
Columns | Finalist | The Record | “From blue collar to white collar” and “A mother's legacy much to be thankful for” | Donald Blount | |
Columns | 1st | The Fresno Bee | “Tokyo Gardens” and “Online Trolling” | Rory Appleton | Loved the story about the history of his family combined with the history of the restaurant. Trolling is an important subject and I liked that the author admitted to it — drew the reader in instantly and kept me reading. |
Columns | 2nd | The Bakersfield Californian | “What? Them worry? Not our millennials” and “Mom’s first anniversary without Dad” | Herb Benham | Nice take on the millennials — made me laugh. Mom and her first anniversary alone and what to do was poignant and one that most readers will probably face. Two nice creative efforts. |
Columns | 3rd | The Press Democrat | “Harder to enjoy football as head injuries mount” and “Amid gratitude and grief, sports has its place” | C.W. Nevius | Two reader-friendly stories about topics that I found really interesting — concussions and brain injuries told from an interesting perspective, and the horrific fires told from a different perspective. |
Columns | Finalist | The Modesto Bee | “She gave the shoes off her feet to the barefoot woman in the rain” and “Fearful of immigrants, military is shooting itself in both feet” | Mike Dunbar | The shoe story was nicely and simply told and the image stayed. The military story was important and well written. Two entirely different stories, nicely done. |
Columns | Finalist | The Modesto Bee | “When it comes to water, what’s worse: Conspiracy or incompetence?” and “In this horror flick, we’re playing the part of Victim No. 1” | Mike Dunbar | Well-researched and important information about water that doesn’t reach other areas of the state. Makes me wish I could read a reliable news story because Dunbar was certainly convincing. |
Columns | 1st | Los Angeles Times | “A true L.A. hero: For people dying on L.A. streets, he offers help, and he won't take no for an answer” and “Neither bills nor advancing age can dim the glow of a drummer's dream” | Steve Lopez | |
Columns | 2nd | Los Angeles Times | “Not forgotten: For every Super Bowl star, there's an equally talented player who didn't make it” and “A cautionary tale of what can happen when a sports parent pushes too hard” | Bill Plaschke | Column on contrasting footballer fortunes is excellent, fresh approach to an issue in every fan’s mind. And column on pushy dad’s regrets shines light on what all parents of sports kids should think about. Both are original approaches that required creative story telling, which expanded reader appeal beyond sports fans. |
Columns | 3rd | The San Diego Union-Tribune | “More Californians living in cars? A ‘wheel estate’ boom is coming” and “Answer to housing crisis is in plain sight: manufactured homes” | Chris Reed | |
Columns | Finalist | The San Diego Union-Tribune | “The Olympics and the pursuit of irrelevance” and “The best thing that ever happened to US Soccer” | Mark Zeigler | Although IOC and US soccer mess ups are grist for any armchair sports columnist, the author infuses his viewpoint through well-written analysis of what led to catastrophes in each organization. More than that, also offers Rx for what ails them. |
Columns | Finalist | San Francisco Chronicle | “Stuck in the middle with few housing options” and “For fire victims, replacing lost things can be long, painful process” | Kathleen Pender | |
Coverage of Business News | 1st | Winters Express | “PG&E Gas Safety Academy Opens” | Debra DeAngelo | This piece made me feel like a part of the community & a participate in the excitement of the day. |
Coverage of Business News | 2nd | The Weekly Calistogan | “Sonoma Vinegar Works will sell boutique vinegars, bitters & shrubs” | Anne Ernst | This was a very interesting story. |
Coverage of Business News | 3rd | The Recorder | “For Some Big Firms, It's Still All About That IPO Equity” | Rebecca Cohen | Very informative. |
Coverage of Business News | Finalist | The Recorder | “Driverless Car Trade Secret Coverage” | Scott Graham, Ben Hancock, Caroline Spiezio, Ross Todd | Great topic that appeals to the modern audience. Well written. |
Coverage of Business News | Finalist | The Ark | “Sam's being sold to local investor” | Deirdre McCrohan | Nicely done with good background. |
Coverage of Business News | 1st | Silicon Valley Business Journal | “Dude, what happened to Mavericks? Inside the crest & crash of an epic contest” | Jody Meacham | Great read. Great presentation. Fascinating story. |
Coverage of Business News | 2nd | Sacramento Business Journal | “Failing To Produce New Programmers” | Mark Anderson | Interesting stuff |
Coverage of Business News | 3rd | Silicon Valley Business Journal | “China's Silicon Valley Push” | Cromwell Schubarth | I liked this but the first graphics seemed to undercut the story. Looks like the impact happened years ago. |
Coverage of Business News | Finalist | Silicon Valley Business Journal | “How Amazon fits in Silicon Valley” | Janice Bitters, Jennifer Elias | Good read, but struggled with presentation. It didn't support the story. |
Coverage of Business News | Finalist | Sacramento Business Journal | “The Kings of Real Estate” | Ben Van Der Meer | Interesting information. Didn't seem to go very far for what it all means, but great presentation |
Coverage of Business News | 1st | Mountain View Voice | “Brouhaha continues over city's business licenses” | Mark Noack | |
Coverage of Business News | 2nd | San Francisco Business Times | “Gray Area: Why the Bay Area is facing a looming retirement crisis” | Mark Calvey | |
Coverage of Business News | 3rd | Los Gatos Weekly-Times | “Low unemployment great for employees, not so much for some employers” | Khalida Sarwari | |
Coverage of Business News | Finalist | Santa Maria Sun | “Where's the Beef?: Central Coast chefs, hell-bent on sustainability & community sourcing, have a tough time getting their hands on local beef” | Rebecca Rose | |
Coverage of Business News | Finalist | The Valley Voice | “Local Cities Looking for New Revenue, Possible Expense Cuts” | Nancy Vigran | |
Coverage of Business News | 1st | Palo Alto Weekly | “Detroit dethroned?” | Eric He, Jocelyn Dong | Excellent graphics, cover! Loaded with info, some technical, competition for jobs, hot new topic, good writing, varied information. Excellent. |
Coverage of Business News | 2nd | Metro Silicon Valley | “South Bay Pizzeria Slices Up Its Ownership, Cuts Employees In” | Jennifer Wadsworth | Thorough exposition of co-ops; beginning and end of story tied to human interest story; interesting, good writing; good photos. |
Coverage of Business News | 3rd | Grunion Gazette | “Alamitos Bay Landing Parking Woes Continue” | Ashleigh Ruhl | Balanced, well-laid-out issues; interplay of politics, environment, business concerns, well written; so-so graphic. |
Coverage of Business News | Finalist | Palo Alto Weekly | “Short on staff” | Elena Kadvany | Good exposition of cost of labor in high-end market. Nice photos; Good money figures. No mention of immigration problems? Economics of restaurants. |
Coverage of Business News | Finalist | Thousand Oaks Acorn | “Bowled Over” | Dawn Megli-Thuna | Cautionary tale about investing. Everyone hurt. Real coup to get perpetrator to respond from Hawaii. How things can go wrong. Blah images. |
Coverage of Business News | 1st | The Union | “The Union Eye on the Economy” | Liz Kellar, Elias Funez, Samantha Sullivan | An ambitious look, complete with graphics, video, photos & more, at a topic of central importance to the local community. |
Coverage of Business News | 2nd | Napa Valley Register | “First Street Napa reaches out to retailers amid battered mall landscape” | Howard Yune | A clearly written story that comprehensively explores a subject with significant implications for the city. |
Coverage of Business News | 3rd | Visalia Times-Delta | “Not your father's bowling alley: Visalia Bowlero gets 21st Century update” | James Ward | A well-written piece that captures a larger trend — how competition is spurring malls, bowling alleys & other entities to up their entertainment options — as well as the local angle. |
Coverage of Business News | Finalist | Record Searchlight | “Timber, forest jobs go high-tech” | Nathan Solis | An interesting, on-the-scene look at a changing industry. |
Coverage of Business News | Finalist | Times-Standard | “Well Played: Fortuna store establishes local Hearthstone Tavern” | Catherine Wong | Plenty of voices & a fun headline on this story about an emerging activity in Humboldt County. |
Coverage of Business News | 1st | The Desert Sun | “Rewiring the west: California power grid expansion plans” | Sammy Roth , Robert Hopwood, Jay Calderon | This series represents the best of journalism: A comprehensive, commanding body of work that draws from rich graphics & photos to illustrate a topic of national, state & local importance. The stories explore economic, political & environmental implications of the power grid proposals & break complex issues down into comprehensible form. Well-written & beautifully presented. |
Coverage of Business News | 2nd | The Desert Sun | “Guide to recreational pot in the Coachella Valley” | Amy DiPierro, Corinne Kennedy | News-you-can use of enormous local relevance, formatted in a clear, reader-friendly way, with an engaging “fun fact” for each community. |
Coverage of Business News | 3rd | Ventura County Star | “Facing large bills, public agencies work to rein in retiree health costs” | Arlene Martinez | Interesting piece on an important & undercovered topic, that also sketches out the local implications. |
Coverage of Business News | Finalist | Santa Cruz Sentinel | “Judge orders Goodwill Central Coast to reinstate two Watsonville forklift drivers fired in 2015” | Jondi Gumz | Solid story with nice breakup of the text through subheds & bullet points, capped off by a nice photo of the two forklift operators. |
Coverage of Business News | Finalist | The Record | “9 businesses shut down” | Roger Phillips | A story of broad local interest with a nice lede, complete with a reference to the Ghose Ship fire. |
Coverage of Business News | 2nd | The Fresno Bee | “Can this Fresno cafe, & owner’s damaged heart, survive Fulton Street reopening?” | Marek Warszawski | This video actually added something to the story. However the auto-play on the others & the one that follows you down the page are just too much. Finally, a useful link to the short story that inspired the restaurant's name. I checked to see if they were still open, & sadly, they appear to have closed. Very well told, but only two sources who are related. The last line felt a bit too much like a column. I cared about these people because the story gave me a window into their world. |
Coverage of Business News | 3rd | The Fresno Bee | “Do Fresno passengers face a gamble with this airline's Vegas flights?” | Tim Sheehan | The video was not needed, & the only art was of a plane. Links should be useful. For instance, this one should have had a link to the statistics page, not the home page. In contrast, data from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics shows that other airlines serving Fresno collectively reported more than 4,000 departures, with just over 16 percent experiencing delays of 15 minutes or more, & 31 cancellations, over the first six months of the year. Some missing punctuation. Good headline. Story pulled me through well. I would have liked to know how many other airports Allegiant flies out of, but maybe I missed it. |
Coverage of Business News | Finalist | The Fresno Bee | “Where have all the restaurants gone? And are big-name chains taking the biggest hit?” | Bethany Clough | |
Coverage of Business News | Finalist | East Bay Times | “In costly Bay Area, even six-figure salaries are considered 'low-income'” | Annie Sciacca | Only a web address, so design can't really be considered. Clear graphic. Could they have made it better with a way to check your status there & in other areas? A graphic on housing prices would be nice, too. Not sure what the picture of the playground is supposed to represent. Story contains a lot of numbers & perspective, but more charts/graphs would help. I found some of the sentence transitions awkward & found myself rereading passages to make sure I got it. Clear headline. |
Coverage of Business News | 1st | The Press Democrat | “Pot businesses fill once-empty spaces” | Julie Johnson | Attractive, clear design. Good art, graph. I like how some of the art was saved from being ordinary by using interesting angles. Story has multiple sources and covers many angles well. Good flow, great information. Well done! |
Coverage of Business News | 1st | Los Angeles Times | “Immigrant Labor in the Time of Trump” | Natalie Kitroeff | An essential read. Fantastic reporting & innovative presentation of information make the story easier to understand & gripping throughout. |
Coverage of Business News | 2nd | Los Angeles Times | “California's Power Glut” | Ivan Penn, Ben Welsh, Ryan Menezes, Eben McCue | A powerful blend of enterprise & investigative journalism. |
Coverage of Business News | 3rd | The Orange County Register | “Social Security & the the disabled” | Margot Roosevelt, Kurt Snibbe | |
Coverage of Business News | Finalist | San Francisco Chronicle | “Driving the Future” | Carolyn Said, David Baker | |
Coverage of Business News | Finalist | The Mercury News | “Tesla fires hundreds after company-wide performance reviews” | Louis Hansen | |
Coverage of Local Government | 1st | The Ark | “Councilmember is Tiburon's top Airbnb renter” | Deirdre McCrohan | Compelling read, with good investigative work. |
Coverage of Local Government | 2nd | Glendale News-Press | “Residents demand more study of renewable-energy alternatives to Grayson Power Plant renovation” | Jeff Landa | Good introduction to an issue that will likely merit ongoing coverage. |
Coverage of Local Government | 3rd | The Trinity Journal | “County: Trespass grows taint streams” | Amy Gittelsohn | Interesting angle on the illegal pot industry, given all the coverage legalization is getting. |
Coverage of Local Government | Finalist | The Recorder | “Ninth Circuit Openings” | Ross Todd | Interesting topic, but more a national issue than a community one. |
Coverage of Local Government | Finalist | American Canyon Eagle | “American Canyon struggles with Watson Ranch project” | Noel Brinkerhoff | Good coverage of local development, the bread & butter of community news. |
Coverage of Local Government | 1st | Petaluma Argus-Courier | “Geography, luck spared Petaluma from fires” | Matt Brown | Thorough explainer on a topic that was of high interest this fall: the Northern California wildfires. Great use of official sources. |
Coverage of Local Government | 2nd | Petaluma Argus-Courier | “In Trump budget, cuts for local programs” | Hannah Beausang | Great job localizing a national story & explaining to residents what programs will be affected. |
Coverage of Local Government | 3rd | Big Bear Grizzly | “Meeting in Alaska creates concern” | Natalie Williams | This is such a bizarre story that stuck out in my mind long after I read it. Great reporting on the strangest local government issue ever. |
Coverage of Local Government | Finalist | La Cañada Flintridge Outlook | “An 'Unparalleled' Civil Servant, Spence Dies at 80” | Mirjam Swanson | We all have to write obits for public figures at some point & I was blown away by the thoroughness of this profile. |
Coverage of Local Government | Finalist | Ledger Dispatch | “Jackson Fined By State Water Board” | Jack Mitchell, Caitlyn Schaap, Matthew Hedger | Solid watchdog reporting. |
Coverage of Local Government | 1st | North Coast Journal | “Magney” | Kimberly Wear | Strong story telling techniques used in article that weaves how a county tried to take away the medical decisions for a dying man with the love story of the couple. |
Coverage of Local Government | 2nd | Santa Maria Sun | “Failure to communicate: With the city's financial future in question, the Lompoc City Council struggles to find common ground” | Spencer Cole | The writer puts the reader right in the middle of the dysfunction of a local government, then pans out to show how the war between a city council & city manager affects the community. |
Coverage of Local Government | 3rd | Pleasanton Weekly | “Verona Reach creek erosion series” | Julia (Reis) Brown | This series shows how bureaucratic red tape literally leaves homeowners hanging for solutions as the bank behind their homes crumbles. Good job showing the growing frustration. |
Coverage of Local Government | Finalist | Pleasanton Weekly | “PUSD superintendent turnover series” | Julia (Reis) Brown, Jeremy Walsh | Good use of public records requests to uncover why the superintendent was fired. The series follows through on the issue. However, the story on the new superintendents meeting with the board went on a bit too long. |
Coverage of Local Government | Finalist | Bohemian | “Weighting Options” | Tom Gogola | This article effectively shows how government can make it difficult for homeowners to recover from disasters. Good use of the homeowner's own story through his words as he's woven through the issue. |
Coverage of Local Government | 1st | Monterey County Weekly | “Revealing corruption & leadership changes at Del Rey Oaks City Hall” | David Schmalz | |
Coverage of Local Government | 2nd | Palo Alto Weekly | “Coming into focus” | Gennady Sheyner | |
Coverage of Local Government | 3rd | Good Times | “Building Material” | Jacob Pierce | |
Coverage of Local Government | Finalist | SF Weekly | “A Burning Need for Sprinklers” | Nuala Sawyer | |
Coverage of Local Government | Finalist | Good Times | “Defense Spending” | Georgia Johnson | |
Coverage of Local Government | 1st | Daily Press | “The Marc Puckett Saga” | Matthew Cabe | |
Coverage of Local Government | 2nd | Record Searchlight | “REU late fees in organizations' crosshairs” | Sean Longoria | |
Coverage of Local Government | 3rd | The Daily Independent | “Jessica Weston - Sgt. John Pinney Memorial Pool series” | Jessica Weston | |
Coverage of Local Government | Finalist | The Union Democrat | “State spent millions on youth facilities despite a drop in crime” | Alex MacLean | |
Coverage of Local Government | Finalist | Monterey Herald | “Around we go” | Jim Johnson | |
Coverage of Local Government | 1st | The Desert Sun | “A row of trees sign of systematic racism in Palm Springs” | Corinne Kennedy | Deep research, good writing, strong photos & a fair approach to a complex issue. Long, but held my interest to the end. |
Coverage of Local Government | 2nd | The Desert Sun | “Coachella & Indio bill residents thousands for their own prosecution” | Brett Kelman | Compelling photos, clean writing, & good use of public records to highlight a frustrating problem. |
Coverage of Local Government | 3rd | The Tribune | “Who should pay for SLO County affordable housing — new homebuyers or taxpayers?” | Lindsey Holden | Good analysis, good use of statistics. |
Coverage of Local Government | Finalist | Marin Independent Journal | “County loads up on media staffers” | Richard Halstead | An interesting look at how local governments are turning to public information officers to get their message out. A local story that highlights a general trend. |
Coverage of Local Government | Finalist | The Record | “Protests disrupts council meeting; DA files charges against council protesters; Police overtime bill $18K” | Roger Phillips | Sensitive but even-handed approach to an emotional issue. Good use of numbers through public records. |
Coverage of Local Government | 1st | The Sacramento Bee | “Driving (and walking) while black” | Anita Chabria, Phillip Reese | |
Coverage of Local Government | 2nd | The Modesto Bee | “City of Modesto overspending” | Kevin Valine | |
Coverage of Local Government | 3rd | The Press Democrat | “Juvenile detention fees” | Julie Johnson, J.D. Morris | |
Coverage of Local Government | Finalist | The Press Democrat | “Nightmare Next Door” | Julie Johnson | |
Coverage of Local Government | Finalist | The Fresno Bee | “Coalinga made millions from pot, so why could some city employees lose their jobs?” | Rory Appleton | |
Coverage of Local Government | 1st | Los Angeles Times | “Anaheim's Subsidy Kingdom” | Daniel Miller, Priya Krishnakumar, Ben Poston | Deep dive into complex issue connects the dots on relationship between city government & major industry, a dance going on for years while mostly, it appears, paying less attention to the interests of the city's citizens than those of the corporation & city politicians. To-the-point graphics & video complement extensive reporting to give readers a better understanding of issues involved & how they have evolved through the years. An outstanding, fully realized team effort illuminates an important public trust issue. |
Coverage of Local Government | 2nd | San Francisco Chronicle | “Wine Country Fires Response” | Joaquin Palomino, Kimberly Veklerov | In-depth reporting details what went wrong in the early stages of the massive complex of wine country fires, uncovering issues with warning call systems & mutual aid response. Valuable historical context shows changes over time that have eroded emergency responders ability to protect lives & property when called to do so, giving the public & politicians insight into problems that need attention. |
Coverage of Local Government | 3rd | San Francisco Chronicle | “S.F. 911 Call Center” | Heather Knight | Heather Knight uncovers the astonishing fact that emergency calls go unanswered far more often in San Francisco than other places & in San Francisco itself in past years. Thorough reporting on potential solutions as well as causes makes this an especially useful series of columns. |
Coverage of Local Government | Finalist | The Orange County Register | “Taxpayer cost for mass murderer Scott Dekraai’s case tops $2.5 million” | Tony Saavedra | The high cost of justice is something some officials weren't keen to discuss, but Tony Saavedra persisted, putting together an accounting of what taxpayers ended up having to cough up to cover costs of prosecutorial misconduct. |
Coverage of Local Government | Finalist | The Orange County Register | “Southern California jailers are injuring inmates with abusive ‘chicken winging’ holds” | Jordan Graham, Tony Saavedra | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 1st | Glendale News-Press | “L.A. County committee gives preliminary approval to Sagebrush transfer” | Kelly Corrigan | Professionally reported & written story outlining the importance & complexity of the issue, & reflecting years of reporting on a long-running story. |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 2nd | Greenfield News | “Caring for Others” | Ryan Cronk | Well done look at youth efforts to understand a complex, under reported issue, & help out. |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 3rd | The Ark | “As sex harassment cases ...” | Jeff Dempsey | Solid story on educators' efforts to address a critical issue for youth, would have placed higher with some youth perspective & a lede that got to the point quicker. |
Coverage of Youth & Education | Finalist | American Canyon Eagle | “Legacy students in American Canyon give gift of healing to teen who nearly died” | Noel Brinkerhoff | Heartwarming story about challenged students reaching out on their own to support a fellow youth who survived a near-death experience. |
Coverage of Youth & Education | Finalist | Half Moon Bay Review | “Students jump in to learn life lesson at HMB swim school” | Sara Hayden | A solid feature on a program aimed at helping low-income students learn how to swim, which got a boost due to its role in helping secure grant funding. |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 1st | San Marino Outlook | “SMHS Student Sees His Calling in Peer Mentoring” | Zane Hill | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 2nd | Placer Herald | “Anything but glamorous’: Teen suicide in South Placer” | Mackenzie Myers | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 3rd | La Cañada Flintridge Outlook | “Later Start Reviews Mixed; More Sleep, Less Time” | Mirjam Swanson | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | Finalist | The Davis Enterprise | “Growing up transgender in Davis” | Anne Ternus-Bellamy | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | Finalist | The Morgan Hill Times | “Students embrace goats” | Scott Forstner | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 1st | Mountain View Voice | “Series: Digital math program's flaws hidden from school board, community” | Kevin Forestieri, Andrea Gemmet | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 2nd | Mountain View Voice | “District struggles to keep special ed staff” | Kevin Forestieri, Andrea Gemmet | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 3rd | Los Altos Town Crier | “Urban farm takes root at Alta Vista High School” | Jane Ridgeway | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | Finalist | Palisades News | “Alpharoah Tells His DACA Story at PaliHi” | Laurel Busby | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | Finalist | Santa Maria Sun | “Undocumented & unprotected: Nearly 9,000 Santa Barbara County immigrants in uncertainty after Trump administration announces plans to rescind DACA” | Kasey Bubnash | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 1st | Palo Alto Weekly | “Sexual misconduct in Palo Alto schools” | Elena Kadvany | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 2nd | SF Weekly | “Gender Warriors” | Nuala Sawyer | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 3rd | Beverly Hills Courier | “#MeToo In Beverly Hills:Former Student Details Sexual Harassment While Attending BHUSD School” | Laura Coleman | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | Finalist | Thousand Oaks Acorn | “Cultures clash over core literature titles” | Dawn Megli-Thuna | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | Finalist | Santa Barbara Independent | “Bravo!” | Charles Donelan | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 1st | Daily Press | “The Saga of Bright Futures Academy” | Matthew Cabe, Charity Lindsey | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 2nd | Napa Valley Register | “Napa teen picked for Walt Disney animation festival” | Jennifer Huffman | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 3rd | The Daily Independent | “Michael Smit - Reflecting on Rand School” | Michael Smit | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | Finalist | Napa Valley Register | “Fate of Napa High Indian debated” | Noel Brinkerhoff | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | Finalist | Chico Enterprise-Record | “Teaching aide recounts lockdown” | Andre Byik | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 1st | The Desert Sun | “Teen Suicide” | Kristen Hwang | The Desert Sun's coverage of education & youth is exemplary, as reflected by this poignant. well-researched & artfully written series on teen mental health. |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 2nd | The Desert Sun | “Undocumented immigrants bring U.S. citizen kids back to Mexico” | Kristen Hwang, Omar Ornelas, Gustavo Solis | It's heartening to see newspapers continue to muster great talent, resources & teamwork to create truly outstanding journalism, such as this series on the children of undocumented immigrants caught in a political twilight zone. |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 3rd | Ventura County Star | “Truant kids focus of reforms to fix flawed system” | Amanda Covarrubias, Cheri Carlson, Yazmin Cruz, Anthony Plascencia | An eye-opening package on truancy, with strong graphics & data, above-and-beyond reporting, & excellent writing. |
Coverage of Youth & Education | Finalist | The Desert Sun | “Palm Springs students less prepared for college than other CA students” | Kristen Hwang | Mixing deft storytelling & analysis, The Desert Sun reveals a glaring challenge for Palm Springs students, & points out likely contributing factors. This is a journalistic wake-up call for the community. |
Coverage of Youth & Education | Finalist | The Tribune | “She says he sexually assaulted her. Cal Poly believed him” | Andrew Sheeler | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 1st | The Sacramento Bee | “In the killing zone: Why can't we keep them safe?” | Ryan Lillis, Cynthia Hubert, Phillip Reese | Powerful photos & videos - nice package for print & online. It shows the strong research the reporters achieved through hard work. |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 2nd | The San Francisco Examiner | “Students returning to Bayview school find new walls & pride” | Laura Waxmann | Enjoyable story to read - would have liked "before" pictures to go with the photos showing the current changes. |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 3rd | East Bay Times | “Sexual assault/harassment on high school campuses” | Annie Sciacca, Matthias Gafni, Sharon Noguchi | Since it was a package, the second & third story needed different art. |
Coverage of Youth & Education | Finalist | The San Francisco Examiner | “Black student achievement in San Francisco schools” | Laura Waxmann | It needed more personal interviews with the superintendent. |
Coverage of Youth & Education | Finalist | The Fresno Bee | “She put newspaper in her underwear because her school charged for pads. A new law ends that” | Mackenzie Mays | Needed stronger art, but the story did feature some good stats. |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 1st | Los Angeles Times | “Education Coverage in L.A.” | Anna M. Phillips, Howard Blume | Excellent work detailing & explaining complex situations in a turbulent education system. The work on the Lennox Virtual Academy story was particularly interesting & impressive. |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 2nd | San Francisco Chronicle | “Mr. Wilson's Second Act” | Jill Tucker | Beautifully written narrative. Kudos for a touching feature that highlights an important issue in schools nationwide, the lack of support for arts education. |
Coverage of Youth & Education | 3rd | Los Angeles Times | “Problems at Celerity Charter” | Anna M. Phillips | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | Finalist | The Orange County Register | “More colleges add free food pantries as 'starving student' cliche becomes reality” | Roxana Kopetman | |
Coverage of Youth & Education | Finalist | San Francisco Chronicle | “Sex Assault at Los Altos High” | Roxana Kopetman | |
Editorial Cartoon | 1st | St. Helena Star | “Naughty, nice” | Joan Martens | This cartoonist has a wonderfully folksy style while maintaining high levels of artistry. Her cartoons have a subtle charm about them, making a point, but doing so with a light touch. What a treat for local readers. |
Editorial Cartoon | 2nd | Petaluma Argus-Courier | “Mass shooting” | Pete McDonnell | Hard-hitting cartoon with a very clear message. Excellent artwork. |
Editorial Cartoon | 3rd | St. Helena Star | “We used to pray in that church” | Joan Martens | Strong local angle reflected with just the right blend of humor & sensitivity. Art is very nice - even Thurberesque. |
Editorial Cartoon | Finalist | Ledger Dispatch | “No Chemistry Teacher Hired; Class to be taught Online Only” | Rob Brant | Simple, straightforward artwork commenting on an issue of local interest. |
Editorial Cartoon | Finalist | The Weekly Calistogan | “Hug a newsperson” | ||
Editorial Cartoon | 1st | Sacramento News & Review | “Women's March Fold-In Comic” | Serene Lusano | The interactive folding is very creative. A fun way to get readers engaged. |
Editorial Cartoon | 2nd | Sacramento News & Review | “Progress of a weed fiend” | Devon McMindes | |
Editorial Cartoon | 3rd | Sacramento News & Review | “High expectations” | Serene Lusano | |
Editorial Cartoon | Finalist | Palisades News | “Let's Just Take a Family Staycation"!!!”" | Ann Cleaves | |
Editorial Cartoon | Finalist | Sacramento News & Review | “The Mechanics of Art & Gentrifications through the speculations of the Vulture Capitalist” | Serene Lusano, Devon McMindes, Karlos Rene Ayala | |
Editorial Cartoon | 1st | Marin Independent Journal | “Family” | George Russell | This work strikes straight to the heart. Fine work. Clearly superior. If I lived there, I would frame this in my home. |
Editorial Cartoon | 2nd | Marin Independent Journal | “Marijuana” | George Russell | |
Editorial Cartoon | 3rd | Napa Valley Register | “Roberto's Napa” | Roberto Tinoco | |
Editorial Cartoon | Finalist | Marin Independent Journal | “Answers” | George Russell | |
Editorial Cartoon | Finalist | The Union | “It takes a village idiot”" | R.L. Crabb | |
Editorial Cartoon | 1st | Los Angeles Times | “The Court of Donald I” | Steve Brodner | |
Editorial Cartoon | 2nd | The Fresno Bee | “How would an editorial cartoonist map out Trump’s first 100 days? Just like this” | SW Parra | |
Editorial Cartoon | 3rd | The Fresno Bee | “Above Average Snowpack” | SW Parra | |
Editorial Cartoon | Finalist | The San Diego Union-Tribune | “Steve Breen Editorial Cartoons 2017” | Steve Breen | |
Editorial Cartoon | Finalist | Los Angeles Times | “White Christmas” | Steve Brodner | |
Editorial Comment | 1st | Half Moon Bay Review | “Harbor District runs out of second chances” | Clay Lambert | |
Editorial Comment | 2nd | The Weekly Calistogan | “Calistoga is open for business” | Anne Ernst | |
Editorial Comment | 3rd | The Ark | “On the cover: What it looks like without local journalism” | Kevin Hessel | |
Editorial Comment | Finalist | The Trinity Journal | “Trinity need not take lead in RailConnect project grant” | Wayne Agner | |
Editorial Comment | Finalist | Half Moon Bay Review | “Drilling off California shore may be worst idea yet” | Clay Lambert | |
Editorial Comment | 1st | The Sonoma Index-Tribune | “On Stars, Stripes & Sonoma” | Jason Walsh | Well done! The piece is grounded, which is more of what we need in this industry. |
Editorial Comment | 2nd | Ledger Dispatch | “Rose is wrong, Sac is screwed, Caltrans don’t care, Amador gets used” | Jack Mitchell | Great information & perspective. Love the graphic! |
Editorial Comment | 3rd | Ledger Dispatch | “We stand by our reporting” | Jack Mitchell, Matthew Hedger | Nice job calling out your critics & sticking to your guns. |
Editorial Comment | Finalist | The Sonoma Index-Tribune | “Sanctuary for the Soul” | Jason Walsh | Good job on calling government to task. |
Editorial Comment | Finalist | Del Mar Times | “Leaving our mark on the world” | Marsha Sutton | Very thoughtful. It was a nice reminder of perspective. |
Editorial Comment | 1st | Free Lance | “Leaders silent on Dabo” | Barry Holtzclaw | |
Editorial Comment | 2nd | Poway News Chieftain | “Lessons learned from lockdown?” | Steve Dreyer | |
Editorial Comment | 3rd | San Francisco Business Times | “A housing opportunity that the Bay Area can't afford to squander” | Jim Gardner | |
Editorial Comment | Finalist | Free Lance | “Mitchell Dabo's departure from public life is long overdue” | Barry Holtzclaw | |
Editorial Comment | Finalist | Palisades News | “Hiding Out on the Internet” | Sue Pascoe | |
Editorial Comment | 1st | Palo Alto Weekly | “Time for McGee to go” | Bill Johnson | |
Editorial Comment | 2nd | Palo Alto Weekly | “Deja vu for school district” | Bill Johnson | |
Editorial Comment | 3rd | Palo Alto Weekly | “A council adrift” | Bill Johnson | |
Editorial Comment | Finalist | The Acorn | “Our unaffordable, affordable housing” | John Loesing | |
Editorial Comment | Finalist | Thousand Oaks Acorn | “Video reveals an ugly side of the bubble” | Kyle Jorrey, Idie Emery, Carol Pond | |
Editorial Comment | 1st | The Union | “Our View: Considering both sides; what a concept” | Brian Hamilton | |
Editorial Comment | 2nd | Visalia Times-Delta | “Editor: How Mathis' representative tried to intimidate a T-D reporter” | Silas Lyons | |
Editorial Comment | 3rd | Merced Sun-Star | “Voters can flush bad odor from MID board” | Mike Dunbar | |
Editorial Comment | Finalist | Napa Valley Register | “Recognize the workers who make this possible” | Staff | |
Editorial Comment | Finalist | Imperial Valley Press | “Putting lipstick on a pig” | Editorial Board | |
Editorial Comment | 1st | The Tribune | “Home Builders Association doesn’t like SLO County’s affordable housing fee. Too bad” | Stephanie Finucane | Clear, cogent examples cited in argument. Opponents arguments are rebutted. Contains specifics of what it would mean to the average home purchaser. Sets forth persuasive stances & backs up w/facts & stats. |
Editorial Comment | 2nd | The Record | “So far, Swenson golf course proposal is a triple-bogey” | Donald Blount | Makes you care about a golf course issue even though many readers (like me) have no idea what a triple bogey is. |
Editorial Comment | 3rd | The Desert Sun | “City is at stake with bribery charges” | Al Franco | |
Editorial Comment | Finalist | Marin Independent Journal | “Supervisors sidestep open process for bridge seat” | Brad Breithaupt | |
Editorial Comment | Finalist | Marin Independent Journal | “Novato should have delayed TAM tax vote” | Brad Breithaupt | |
Editorial Comment | 1st | The Fresno Bee | “We’ve failed our children by neglecting sex education. Here’s what we must do” | Gail Marshall | Excellent public service editorial. Well written. It describes the problem & offers solutions, noting that everyone has a stake in helping young people navigate an over sexualized society. |
Editorial Comment | 2nd | The Modesto Bee | “Why bring Coulter’s commercialized hate into our home?” | Mike Dunbar | Highly readable editorial that blasts local readers for worsening a national concern. |
Editorial Comment | 3rd | The Fresno Bee | “Disgraceful, deplorable, dysfunctional. These ‘D’ words fit California Democrats” | Bill McEwen | |
Editorial Comment | Finalist | The Press Democrat | ““A new peril that’s preventable & deplorable: gouging” | Paul Gullixson | |
Editorial Comment | Finalist | The Sacramento Bee | “Sacramento Bee Editorials” | Staff | |
Editorial Comment | 1st | San Francisco Chronicle | “The Housing Hole” | Josh Gohlke, Caille Millner | |
Editorial Comment | 2nd | Los Angeles Times | “Our Dishonest President” | Nicholas Goldberg | |
Editorial Comment | 3rd | Los Angeles Times | “Why Trump Lies” | Robert Greene | |
Editorial Comment | Finalist | The San Diego Union-Tribune | “Trump's Paris climate accord withdrawal worst decision of his life” | The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board | |
Editorial Comment | Finalist | The San Diego Union-Tribune | “Chargers moving to L.A.? Time for San Diego to move on, too.” | The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 1st | The Recorder | “How Jones Day Unmasked a Litigation Funding Deal & Won” | Ben Hancock | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 2nd | The Trinity Journal | “Trinity's missing” | Amy Gittelsohn, Bridget Carson | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 3rd | American Canyon Eagle | “Residents accuse city of American Canyon of causing storm flooding on their property” | Noel Brinkerhoff | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | Finalist | Idyllwild Town Crier | “San Jacinto Fault very active” | JP Crumrine | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | Finalist | Santa Ynez Valley Star | “JDRF” | Raiza Giorgi | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 1st | The Folsom Telegraph | “Behind Prison Walls; an inside look at Folsom Prison's rehab programs” | Rachel Zirin, Bill Sullivan | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 2nd | Black Voice News | “Hate Rising” | S.E. Williams | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 3rd | The Business Journal | “Power of the pop up: Retail model less about sales, more about buzz” | Edward Smith | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | Finalist | San Marino Outlook | “SMPD Chief Patrols Town, Urges Safeguards Against Burglaries” | Zane Hill | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | Finalist | San Marino Tribune | “It's No Good Here” | Mitch Lehman | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 1st | Free Lance | “Mitchell Dabo & missing funds from charitable trust” | Barry Holtzclaw | Well done. Reporting & writing are top-notch. Way to stay with this story. |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 2nd | Santa Maria Sun | “Deer(ly) departed: Five years of drought & decades of habitat loss could be impacting deer & their predators” | Spencer Cole | This story is well done. I enjoyed reading it. |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 3rd | The Almanac | “Policing, race & community” | Kate Bradshaw | Well written but is lacking somewhat. The writing is good, & the subject matter is strong. I just didn't feel it was as complete as it could be. |
Enterprise News Story or Series | Finalist | Santa Maria Sun | “No longer silent: Local support organizations, law enforcement, & survivors speak out to end the cycle of domestic violence” | Joe Payne | The subject for this piece is great & the personal stories of the victims & survivors are moving. There are some long sentences & the story is very long. I suggest breaking it into at least two stories or maybe three for a better read. |
Enterprise News Story or Series | Finalist | Tracy Press | “Edible pot in schools” | Michael Ellis Langley, Denise Ellen Rizzo | Interesting topic. But it lacked substance. There are too many unanswered questions. |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 1st | Sacramento News & Review | “Killing Mom: A terminal cancer patient wants to die. Will California’s end-of-life bureaucracy let her?” | Raheem Hosseini | A very poignant, moving story using a painful, personal experience to shine light on a controversial issue. Well done. |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 2nd | Good Times | “Santa Cruz's Restaurant Crisis” | Lily Stoicheff | A well-written, well-researched & well-sourced enterprise story on an issue many California communities are facing. Very informative. |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 3rd | The Salinas Californian | “Getting out of Chinatown” | Chelcey Adami | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | Finalist | The Salinas Californian | “He’s an all-American boy, but will he ever be an American?” | Amy Wu | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | Finalist | Palo Alto Weekly | “Guardians of the Code” | Gennady Sheyner | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 1st | Santa Maria Times | “Pot of Gold; Shedding the Stigma; Legalization changes landscape of law enforcement” | Willis Jacobson | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 2nd | Record Searchlight | “Redding's most dangerous streets for bicyclists” | Jenny Espino | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 3rd | Record Searchlight | “Should sex offenders charge GPS devices at the library?” | Alayna Shulman | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | Finalist | Times-Herald | “Saving the cemetery” | Rachel Raskin-Zrihen | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | Finalist | Santa Maria Times | “Cannabis clashes in Tepusquet provide snapshot of industry” | Logan Anderson | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 1st | Ventura County Star | “Night on patrol in Ventura County: From heroin to headlights” | Staff | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 2nd | Ventura County Star | “Ventura County's opioid fix: 'I crave it all the time'” | Tom Kisken, Anthony Plascencia | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 3rd | The Tribune | “6 people have died on Hwy. 46 in 2 months. What can be done to make the road safer?” | Nick Wilson, Joe Johnston | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | Finalist | The Desert Sun | “California's Dying Sea” | Ian James, Sammy Roth, Zoe Meyers, Jay Calderon | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | Finalist | The Tribune | “There’s so much water in the Salinas that these adventurers kayaked from Atascadero to Paso” | Travis Gibson, Joe Johnston | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 1st | Los Angeles Daily News | “Women on Skid Row” | Susan Abram | Compelling street-level look at life on the streets for women, showing great empathy. It effectively uses data & adds important dimension of the life situations that has resulted in the women being homeless. |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 2nd | The Fresno Bee | “Too Young” | Mackenzie Mays | Exceptional series tackling an important public health topic for the Central Valley, looking at the issue with a fact-based & student-focused approach, considering solutions from multiple angles, in the face of naysayers & local officials. |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 3rd | The Press Democrat | “Crisis Care” | Martin Espinoza | An extraordinary effort that identifies a crisis in mental health care, takes a look at fiscal & human costs, & analyzes solutions; adding bonuses of public involvement & a bibliography of sources. |
Enterprise News Story or Series | Finalist | The Sacramento Bee | “In the killing zone: Why can't we keep them safe?” | Ryan Lillis, Cynthia Hubert, Phillip Reese | Reporters focus on the victims, rather than the killers, of teen homicides, shaking a community out of stereotyped responses to the killing, adding video & social media components. |
Enterprise News Story or Series | Finalist | The Fresno Bee | “Human Trafficking series” | Rory Appleton | This well-written exploration of the issues & people involved with sex trafficking goes beneath the surface with people & data. |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 1st | Los Angeles Times | “Battling a Superbug” | Melody Petersen | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 2nd | Los Angeles Times | “Harvard Park” | Nicole Santa Cruz, Cindy Chang | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | 3rd | The Orange County Register | “Transgender school bus driver makes difficult decision to undergo sex-altering surgery” | David Whiting | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | Finalist | Los Angeles Times | “Hidden Donors Fund an Advocate for Transparency” | John Myers | |
Enterprise News Story or Series | Finalist | The San Diego Union-Tribune | “Border reporting” | Kristina Davis, John Wilkens, Sandra Dibble | |
Feature Photo | 1st | Claremont Courier | “Queen's surprise” | Steven Felschundneff | Excellent element of surprise & the emotion of both subjects, from the homecoming queen to her proud father. This image truly portrays "hometown newspaper photojournalism" |
Feature Photo | 2nd | The Trinity Journal | “Stick horse” | Wayne Agner | Obviously this shooter was well prepared to capture that one special moment when it occurred the happiness on the little girls face is priceless |
Feature Photo | 3rd | The Trinity Journal | “Going crazy” | Wayne Agner | Excellent composition & use of color, this photo doesn't say what's happening but instead raws the reader to be curious to learn whats happening. Fun shot! |
Feature Photo | Finalist | Calistoga Tribune | “Kids catch learning bug at summer camp” | Clark Mishler | The macro focus on the insect is superb & the intensity on the students face is excellent. |
Feature Photo | 1st | Merced County Times | “From One Generation to Another” | John Miller | Wonderful photograph & an incredible connection between two generations from a little boy who dresses up as a soldier to a woman who lived through World War II. |
Feature Photo | 2nd | The Sonoma Index-Tribune | “Things We Lost in the Fire” | Robbi Pengelly | Nice job of detailing the aftermath of the fires, at least for this photographer. |
Feature Photo | 3rd | Silicon Valley Business Journal | “King of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk” | Vicki Thompson | This is a classic shot of Americana & what joy he brings to riding a roller coaster! |
Feature Photo | Finalist | Ledger Dispatch | “Little League Opening Day: Serious Baseball” | Jonathan Knittel | This could have been shot anytime from the 1950s to today & it happens every spring. What makes this shot special is the expression on the kids' faces. |
Feature Photo | 1st | Rancho Bernardo News Journal | “Little squirts” | Chuck Kaye | |
Feature Photo | 2nd | Moorpark Acorn | “Year ends wrapped in a bow” | Michael Coons | |
Feature Photo | 3rd | Los Altos Town Crier | “More Cowbell” | Megan Winslow | |
Feature Photo | Finalist | Mountain View Voice | “Art appreciation” | Michelle Le | |
Feature Photo | 1st | Thousand Oaks Acorn | “Sea of Flags” | Bobby Curtis | Beautiful image was great visual impact. Great color & composition. Stood out above the rest. |
Feature Photo | 2nd | Camarillo Acorn | “Look, you're not my father” | Michael Coons | Great moment & face on the kid. The girl looking at the camera draws my eye away, but good overall image. |
Feature Photo | 3rd | The Salinas Californian | “Camp Grace” | Chelcey Adami | Great storytelling moment. Suffered from technical difficulties. |
Feature Photo | Finalist | The Acorn | “Hanging out” | Michael Coons | Good moment with great faces. Images could have benefitted from a tighter crop. |
Feature Photo | 1st | Visalia Times-Delta | “County Fair Thrills” | Ron Holman | |
Feature Photo | 2nd | Daily Press | “The long way home” | James Quigg | |
Feature Photo | 3rd | Times-Herald | “Rebel yell” | Chris Riley | |
Feature Photo | Finalist | Napa Valley Register | “Brandon Ontell Sees Colors” | Samie Hartley | |
Feature Photo | 1st | The Tribune | “Eagle vs. hawk” | David Middlecamp | |
Feature Photo | 2nd | The Record | “Christian Christmas” | Calixtro Romias | |
Feature Photo | 3rd | The Tribune | “Santa Claus baby” | Laura Dickinson | |
Feature Photo | Finalist | The Sun | “The Haircut” | Micah Escamilla | |
Feature Photo | 1st | Los Angeles Daily News | “La La Land” | David Crane | |
Feature Photo | 2nd | The Press-Enterprise | “Coachella” | Watchara Phomicinda | |
Feature Photo | 3rd | The San Francisco Examiner | “Shelix prepares for Bingo Night” | Jessica Christian | |
Feature Photo | Finalist | The Fresno Bee | “Losing Their Locks for a Good Cause” | Craig Kohlruss | |
Feature Photo | 1st | Los Angeles Times | “Making the Leap” | Robert Gauthier | Not an easy image to capture, but also so well done. Stunning visual impact & excellent composition. |
Feature Photo | 2nd | Los Angeles Times | “Yosemite” | Marcus Yam | Wow. the majesty of Yosemite coupled with the splendor of the gazing woman. Wonderful tone & color. |
Feature Photo | 3rd | Los Angeles Times | “A Devastating Fire” | Marcus Yam | The blue swimming pool makes this more than just another aerial shot of the devastating fires. Great story telling. |
Feature Photo | Finalist | The San Diego Union-Tribune | “The Happy Place” | Hayne Palmour | A beautiful moment captured perfectly, revealing so much emotion behind the story of this family. |
Feature Story | 1st | St. Helena Star | “PUC physics experiment sees the universe in a beam of ions” | Jesse Duarte | |
Feature Story | 2nd | Half Moon Bay Review | “Rare arctic bird leaves fans flying” | Carina Woudenberg | |
Feature Story | 3rd | The Ark | “Kidney transplant gives year-old a second chance” | Emily Lavin | |
Feature Story | Finalist | Santa Ynez Valley Star | “Car Crash Heroes” | Drew Esnard | |
Feature Story | Finalist | The Ark | “Tiburon girl conquers Alcatraz ...” | Jeff Dempsey | |
Feature Story | 1st | Clovis Roundup | “Clovis: Not just a gateway, a destination” | Valerie Shelton | Great story & photos. Makes me want to go to Clovis |
Feature Story | 2nd | Del Norte Triplicate | “CHP boot camp opens to reporters” | Tony Reed | Everyone needs this bootcamp to really appreciate our CHP. |
Feature Story | 3rd | Del Mar Times | “Symposium offers latest on breast cancer treatments, research” | Joe Tash | Nice story, good photos. |
Feature Story | Finalist | La Cañada Flintridge Outlook | “LCF is Backbone for Family of Boy With Crohn's” | Mirjam Swanson | Making a life better. Well done. |
Feature Story | Finalist | The Davis Enterprise | “Remembering Noah” | Lauren Keene | We need to reach out to people in need. |
Feature Story | 1st | North Coast Journal | “Hash Lab Murder” | Thadeus Greenson | A great lede. This story really has it all: the specific (a neighborhood surprised by dangerous drug production); an interesting larger issue (how legalizing marijuana has unintended dire consequences for this community); something complicated that we don't know (about drug production) made simple; & circles back around. The layout helps the flow & the illustration is helpful (with a funny caption) & the photo makes the product of a dangerous process beautiful. |
Feature Story | 2nd | Pleasanton Weekly | “Your Muslim Neighbor” | Erika Alvero | A vital story for communities, well-told, & with an outstanding print layout. |
Feature Story | 3rd | La Jolla Light | “Ghost-Flustered: We tried sleeping in a haunted Grande Colonial hotel room in La Jolla” | Corey Levitan | A fun, lighthearted take on a familiar story (the haunted hotel) that while subjective is also reported. |
Feature Story | Finalist | The Almanac | “Living with uncertainty” | Kate Bradshaw | A well-reported story of three DREAMers shows how distinct & individual these young women are while placing their situation in a larger political context. Strong photography. |
Feature Story | Finalist | The Malibu Times | “Guerrilla tribute paid to Malibu Pink Lady artist” | Jimy Tallal, Julie Ellerton | An unexpected tale of a local legend revived unexpectedly, told with flair, reporting & fun. |
Feature Story | 1st | Sacramento News & Review | “Why save the Delta? Unknown river towns fear untold devastation from Jerry Brown’s twin tunnels project” | Scott Thomas Anderson | |
Feature Story | 2nd | Chico News & Review | “A fowl death” | Ken Smith | |
Feature Story | 3rd | Palo Alto Weekly | “The wave that changed the world” | Linda Taaffe | |
Feature Story | Finalist | SF Weekly | “How the Stud Was Saved” | Peter Kane | |
Feature Story | Finalist | Grunion Gazette | “Family Connects Through Deployments With Reading” | Emily Thornton | |
Feature Story | 1st | The Union | Trimmigrants’ descend on Nevada County, for better or for worse” | Matthew Pera | Timely topic, balanced & well written. |
Feature Story | 2nd | Napa Valley Register | “The woman that Napa fire evacuees left behind” | Kevin Courtney | Story has authenticity, is well-written & offers insight about an event of importance. |
Feature Story | 3rd | The Union Democrat | “More than 100 years of Sonora history now resides in the Smithsonian & Yale University” | Lyn Riddle | Good writing made historical detail easy to follow. Nice connection to African American history. Well done. |
Feature Story | Finalist | The Daily Independent | “Jessica Weston — Las Vegas Shooting Survivors” | Jessica Weston | Authenticity in quotes, captures moments & weaves a strong narrative through chronology. |
Feature Story | Finalist | Daily Press | “Brothers claim ‘dug up’ photo shows Billy the Kid with Joseph Antrim” | Matthew Cabe | Fun story, well-crafted & balanced. Strikes the right tone & made for a good read. |
Feature Story | 1st | The Record | “From heartbreak to hope” | Joe Goldeen | I was literally tearing up reading this. Great story. Phenomenal quotes. Moving & the pictures were great! |
Feature Story | 2nd | Marin Independent Journal | “Studio San Quentin” | Paul Liberatore | Found a great story here. Loved the background & how far these prison stories reach |
Feature Story | 3rd | The Record | “They took half of my heart” | Almendra Carpizo | Moving story. Felt like breaking news with more depth. |
Feature Story | Finalist | The Tribune | “SLO climber searches the Sierra for a missing man he never met” | Sarah Linn | Amazing quotes! Did I mention amazing quotes? |
Feature Story | Finalist | The Desert Sun | “Secret of the 'magic needle' unites women in indigenous culture” | Anna Rumer, Omar Ornelas | Loved the photo & the history & a glimpse into what are rarely heard stories. |
Feature Story | 1st | The Press Democrat | “A Fire Story” | Martin Espinoza, Brian Fies | Excellent combination of story, graphics & photos that personalize the story. Moving & heartbreaking. |
Feature Story | 2nd | The Fresno Bee | “Fresno’s faithful on front lines of protecting undocumented immigrants” | Carmen George | Well-written, compelling & involving. |
Feature Story | 3rd | The Bakersfield Californian | “When the earth shook: Memories of temblors remain vivid in minds of Kern residents who lived through them” | Steven Mayer | Well-researched & comprehensive. Personal stories, though a bit repetitive, add a nice touch. |
Feature Story | Finalist | The Fresno Bee | “Decades after it was destroyed, Yosemite’s last Native American village is returning” | Carmen George | |
Feature Story | Finalist | The Fresno Bee | “This Fresno County dinosaur could be California’s next ‘rock’ star” | Tim Sheehan | |
Feature Story | 1st | San Francisco Chronicle | “A Dream Deported” | Hamed Aleaziz, Leah Millis | A raw, unflinching story of a family in the middle of incredible heartbreak. The author was given a challenging opportunity & clearly made the most of it. |
Feature Story | 2nd | San Francisco Chronicle | “Finding Himself” | Ryan Kost | The author took a difficult, & sensitive topic, & the sources' trust, & produced a powerful story that feels as if that trust was well-placed. |
Feature Story | 3rd | Los Angeles Times | “Police Partners” | Cindy Chang | A fun & unusual look at an aspect of policing few ever get to experience. The story really sells the "end of an era" narrative & does a good job pulling you in to the day-to-day routine of the two officers. |
Feature Story | Finalist | Los Angeles Times | “Wrongful Conviction” | Marisa Gerber | |
Feature Story | Finalist | The Mercury News | “California's right-to-die law: One woman's last days have powerful impact on family & friends” | Tracy Seipel, LiPo Ching | |
Front Page Layout & Design | 1st | Black Voice News | “Hate Rising / Robots are Coming to take a Job near You / The Resurgence of Hate” | Chris Allen | All three designs are dramatic & demand the reader pick up these papers. You maintain your style from cover to cover, yet each is distinct & strongly illustrates your cover story. You make me want to pick up your paper. |
Front Page Layout & Design | 2nd | Silicon Valley Business Journal | “Silicon Valley Business Journal cover designs: Amazon, Google, Yuan” | Doug Magill | It can be very difficult to illustrate business stories, but you sure found ways! I like the dominant image & story followed by the refers at the bottom. Totally works. |
Front Page Layout & Design | 3rd | Sacramento Business Journal | “SBJ Front Page Layout—Healthiest Employers” | Jacqueline Prins | It is hard to illustrate many business stories. I give you lots of credit for finding a way to do it! |
Front Page Layout & Design | Finalist | The Sonoma Index-Tribune | “The Week Sonoma Burned” | Staff | The simple, straightforward design matches the solemnity of the news. Good use of dramatic photos. |
Front Page Layout & Design | Finalist | Ledger Dispatch | “Water, Frogs & Bubbles — Oh My!” | Jack Mitchell, Caitlyn Schaap, Rachel Norris, Sarah Tullus | I like the impact of the designs. I really like the look of the High Water story, but I wouldn't have started the little bit of story on the cover. I would have referred to the story inside. |
Front Page Layout & Design | 1st | Palo Alto Weekly | “Front Page layouts” | Paul Llewellyn, Shannon Corey, Doug Young | Excellent use of words that not only tell the story, but work well with the very creative & well-executed graphics. Easily the best of the bunch. |
Front Page Layout & Design | 2nd | The Almanac | “Front Page layouts” | Paul Llewellyn, Rosanna Kuruppu, Doug Young | Well-conceived & executed covers. Good mix of words & art. Some nice touches on each without overdoing it. |
Front Page Layout & Design | 3rd | Atascadero News | “Atascadero News Front Pages” | Staff | Fun mix of news & local community events, far better executed than most papers in this category. Looks like an easy paper for the community to enjoy. |
Front Page Layout & Design | Finalist | Chico News & Review | “CN&R cover design” | Tina Flynn | Creative cover ideas, well-executed throughout. Good mix of fun, newsy & "weird." |
Front Page Layout & Design | Finalist | North Coast Journal | “NCJ Covers” | Holly Harvey, Lynn Leishman, Jonathan Webster | Creative covers, good use of color, nice job capturing the local news & vibe. |
Front Page Layout & Design | 1st | Imperial Valley Press | “Imperial Valley Press front page designs” | Staff | Impressive creativity & good use of color. Especially unique sports front page with clever use of fold. |
Front Page Layout & Design | 2nd | Times-Standard | “Front page design” | Staff | Creative graphics that actually serve an informative purpose. Unfortunately the submissions were too low-res to read type, making it more difficult to read. |
Front Page Layout & Design | 3rd | The Record | “No. 20 Front page layout & design 117, 9-217, 217” | Staff | |
Front Page Layout & Design | Finalist | Chico Enterprise-Record | “Chico Enterprise-Record fronts” | Staff | |
Front Page Layout & Design | Finalist | Napa Valley Register | “Napa Valley Register A1” | Staff | |
Front Page Layout & Design | 1st | San Francisco Chronicle | “SF Chronicle's front page design” | Staff | Pages are crafted with great skill & care. Deft headline writing & savvy use of photos & graphics combine for covers both powerful & nuanced. |
Front Page Layout & Design | 2nd | The Mercury News | “The Mercury News / front page layout & design” | Chris Gotsill, Mike Mayer, Scott Swyres | Wonderful use of photos & graphics distinguish these pages, which artfully capture an array of news & features. |
Front Page Layout & Design | 3rd | The Press Democrat | “Press Democrat front pages from Oct. 10, 11 & 8, 2017” | Jonathan Byrd, Emmanuel Lopez | With skillful use of art & language, the Press Democrat reflected the horror of catastrophe. |
Front Page Layout & Design | Finalist | The Fresno Bee | “Front Page Layout & Design: Feb. 12, May 23 & Aug. 22, 2017” | Michael Yparrea | The Fresno Bee's covers are thoughtfully planned & executed, with excellent use of art & graphics. |
Front Page Layout & Design | Finalist | Los Angeles Times | “L.A. Times Front Page Layouts: Jan. 22, Oct. 3, Oct. 7” | ||
Illustration | 1st | Black Voice News | “Celebrating Barack Hussein Obama-Nikkolas” | Nikkolas Smith | |
Illustration | 2nd | Santa Barbara Independent | “Denzel Washington” | Ben Ciccati | |
Illustration | 3rd | Acton-Agua Dulce News | “Le Chene Valentine Murder Mystery Dinner Show” | Gayle Joyce, John Joyce, Juliann Mullady | |
Illustration | Finalist | Sacramento News & Review | “Reading the resistance” | Sarah Hansel | |
Illustration | 1st | Los Angeles Times | “Sunday Calendar: The Year in Review” | Adam Simpson | I love the idea here, that it was run on two section fronts. The lack of color actually increases interest & allows the reader to look at each frame, which tells it's own story. Intricate, delicate & worthy of a reader's attention. |
Illustration | 2nd | Los Angeles Times | “Pets” | Cameron Cottrell | Such a great sense of place in this one. What an L.A. scene! Each pet owner has a personality. |
Illustration | 3rd | San Francisco Chronicle | “The future of money” | Steven Boyle | Just so well conceived. The color of money... the binary background... the illustrator's representation of Bitcoin. Nicely done. |
Illustration | Finalist | Los Angeles Times | “World Series Preview” | Robert Carter | This is a piece of art. It's "simpleness" is deceiving. An artist's hand is at work. |
Illustration | Finalist | The Fresno Bee | “Gray Wave can’t sustain Fresno State sports by itself much longer” | SW Parra | |
In-Depth Reporting | 1st | Sonoma West Times & News | “Outdoors in paradise” | Bleys Rose, Amie Windsor, Frank Robertson, Rollie Atkinson | Comprehensive package with great diversity of sources & viewpoints, but little to no repetition. Signs of great planning & coordination. |
In-Depth Reporting | 2nd | The Ark | “'Slow-moving emergency'; Belvedere faces sea-rise issues head-on” | Gretchen Lang, Matthew Hose | Good research, well sourced locally. |
In-Depth Reporting | 3rd | Half Moon Bay Review | “Unbudgeted, not unspent” | Kaitlyn Bartley | Great job of getting this story & explaining the issue to readers. |
In-Depth Reporting | Finalist | Lincoln News Messenger | “Criminal controversy with possible relocation of sexual predator” | Carol Feineman | The series got better incrementally. |
In-Depth Reporting | Finalist | The Recorder | “The GC Who Blew the Whistle” | Ross Todd | A compelling yarn. |
In-Depth Reporting | 1st | Sacramento Business Journal | “Behind the Deal: Sacramento's Long Sales Pitch to Centene” | Scott Rodd | Excellent coverage of an important business story that also provided nuance & context about the deal & the company. (And I loved the back story of the mayor's office's shenanigans.) |
In-Depth Reporting | 2nd | The Davis Enterprise | “Affordable housing series” | Felicia Alvarez | Thorough examination of a pressing topic. These stories did a great job illuminating the various facets of a complicated issue. |
In-Depth Reporting | 3rd | Mountain Democrat | “Father of year-old stabbing victim recounts finding girl & his slain mom” | Pat Lakey | Compelling coverage that helps shed light on a terrible crime. |
In-Depth Reporting | Finalist | San Marino Tribune | “Bullying In Schools - A Special Report” | Mitch Lehman | |
In-Depth Reporting | Finalist | The Davis Enterprise | “Foster Care series” | Anne Ternus-Bellamy | |
In-Depth Reporting | 1st | North Coast Journal | “David Marcus” | Staff | Breadth of undertaking probably makes this one the clear winner. |
In-Depth Reporting | 2nd | The Almanac | “Cause for alarm? | Firefighters deserve high pay, chief says | Fire district gets big slice of property taxes | Fire district considers revenue-raising measures” | Barbara Wood | |
In-Depth Reporting | 3rd | Santa Maria Sun | “Protect the plain: The Carrizo Plain National Monument is under review by the federal government” | Camillia Lanham | |
In-Depth Reporting | Finalist | The Valley Voice | “Tulare Local Healthcare District & management coverage” | Tony Maldonado, Dave Adalian | |
In-Depth Reporting | Finalist | Mountain View Voice | “Animal clinic facing new complaints” | Mark Noack | |
In-Depth Reporting | 1st | Sacramento News & Review | “Joseph Mann coverage” | Raheem Hosseini | One of the more responsible & thorough looks at the concerns around excessive force that I've ever read; a balanced consideration of the issue gleaned from what had to have been countless hours of interviews & research, which were well-demonstrated. |
In-Depth Reporting | 2nd | Palo Alto Weekly | “Housing for the homeless” | Jocelyn Dong, Veronica Weber | Homelessness affects every community, & it was interesting the way this report contrasted the challenges that a relatively affluent community faces in dealing with these, humanizing the concerns surrounding the issue by really showing the personal impacts. |
In-Depth Reporting | 3rd | New Times | “Balancing Act” | Camillia Lanham | The way the reporter was able to capture & share moments left me very interested in a story that I would have otherwise found tough to follow. The precision & care with the topic drew me in to the point where I felt much more knowledgeable about the topic after having read this report. One part that stood out was when the author described the subject of her lede & then went back & portrayed him at a commission meeting. |
In-Depth Reporting | Finalist | Palo Alto Weekly | “Sexual misconduct in Palo Alto schools” | Elena Kadvany, Bill Johnson | These issues are extremely difficult to report on & the reporter still did a fantastic job of getting information. I can appreciate the obstacles & difficulty in getting people to discuss the issues surrounding this topic & still felt as though I came away very informed on this story. |
In-Depth Reporting | Finalist | Simi Valley Acorn | “Free at last” | Melissa Simon | The topic & reporter's following of this story showed an award-winning effort that was well-executed. There was a really good examination of both sides, & the reporter objectively told the story without resorting to hyperbole. |
In-Depth Reporting | 1st | Santa Maria Times | “Green Rush in the 805?” | Staff | |
In-Depth Reporting | 2nd | Chico Enterprise-Record | “Oroville spillway collapse” | Dan Reidel, Risa Johnson, Heather Hacking | |
In-Depth Reporting | 3rd | Appeal-Democrat | “Cascade Fire” | Staff | |
In-Depth Reporting | Finalist | Appeal-Democrat | “Close Call” | Staff | |
In-Depth Reporting | Finalist | Record Searchlight | “Why some use drugs & steal: How addiction works” | Joseph Szydlowski, Jenny Espino | |
In-Depth Reporting | 1st | The Desert Sun | “Rewiring the west: California power grid expansion plans” | Sammy Roth, Jay Calderon, Robert Hopwood | Excellent overall presentation with photos & graphics, strong writing made long & complex story move fairly briskly. |
In-Depth Reporting | 2nd | Daily Pilot | “‘Problem Home,’ Chapter 1: How a little house in Costa Mesa triggered a 20-year war between its owner & the city” | Bradley Zint | |
In-Depth Reporting | 3rd | The Desert Sun | “Addicted & homeless in Palm Springs” | Barrett Newkirk, Zoe Meyers | |
In-Depth Reporting | Finalist | The Sun | “San Bernardino terror attack victims & PTSD” | Suzanne Hurt | |
In-Depth Reporting | Finalist | The Tribune | “No way woman died from LSD overdose at local music fest, experts say — ‘It’s not possible’” | Monica Vaughan, Matt Fountain, Andrew Sheeler, Stephanie Finucane | |
In-Depth Reporting | 1st | The Fresno Bee | “Human Trafficking” | Rory Appleton | Fantastic work. I can't imagine a more important topic. In some investigative packages, the prose gets bogged down with too many numbers & too much information from official sources or spokespeople, but not here. The copy is easy to digest & it never loses the reader's interest. The reporter has a great ear for quotes. The victim stories contain a lot of depth & answer the big question a lot of people have, which is, how do girls & women get pulled into this? |
In-Depth Reporting | 2nd | The Fresno Bee | “Too Young” | Mackenzie Mays | This is a relevant topic that obviously engaged the community. The reporter does a great job pulling out & executing all the sidebar ideas. The copy is engaging & easy to read. The reporter takes on touchy subjects, such as why Hispanics have higher rates of teen pregnancy. The reporter uses a broad range of many sources & does a great job getting information from young people who might be reluctant to talk. This could be a first-place winner if not for the outstanding competition. |
In-Depth Reporting | 3rd | The Press Democrat | “Crisis Care” | Martin Espinoza | The reporter does a good job of tackling a complex issue & providing context with numbers & historical information. The family sidebar was riveting. The ledes draw in the reader. A lot of good reporting was done here. |
In-Depth Reporting | Finalist | The Sacramento Bee | “Why we still kill cougars” | Ryan Sabalow, Phillip Reese | The anecdote to lede the story is good, with a lot of detail, & pulls the reader in. The reporting is good & utilizes a lot of sources. |
In-Depth Reporting | Finalist | The San Francisco Examiner | “Fallout from San Francisco's emergency response to heat wave & power outage” | Ryan Sabalow, Phillip Reese | |
In-Depth Reporting | 1st | San Francisco Chronicle | “A Life on the Line” | Vivian Ho | This package is absolutely amazing. I felt I was “watching” more of a documentary rather than an article; the author presents such vividness within her writing & details provided. |
In-Depth Reporting | 2nd | Los Angeles Times | “L.A.'s Great Shelter Shortage” | Doug Smith | I really enjoyed this series as it pulled on my heartstrings a bit; homelessness is such a significant issue in this country & this series presents the harsh, devastating truths about it in one of America's largest cities. I appreciate the journalist providing an article about the current issues, what locals/entrepreneurs/programs are doing about it, & especially the Q&A I think it deciphers a lot of people's questions & understandings. |
In-Depth Reporting | 3rd | Los Angeles Times | “LAPD Cadets” | Kate Mather, James Queally, Richard Winton, Cindy Chang | This series is jaw-dropping good; it feels like I just consumed a bunch of secret information I wasn't supposed to know. Well, it's not quite “secret” as it's published, but the presentation of information & sources made me feel that way. I appreciate the break out of topics in each article — from recent incidents, to history about the program, & to problems the program had in the past. I hope this article has changed or at least made some kind of impact when it comes to these scandalous cadets. |
In-Depth Reporting | Finalist | The San Diego Union-Tribune | “Border reporting” | Kristina Davis, Sandra Dibble, John Wilkens | This series provided a behind-the-scenes look of the happenings beyond the border that isn't discussed enough. Not only is it news but it's a captivating, educational read supporting vivid storytelling through hard facts. |
In-Depth Reporting | Finalist | The Mercury News | “Wine Country fire: Could faulty PG&E equipment be to blame?” | Matthias Gafni and Paul Rogers | |
Informational Graphic | 1st | North Coast Journal | “Myclobutanil” | Holly Harvey | |
Informational Graphic | 2nd | Ledger Dispatch | “By The Numbers” | Jack Mitchell, Caitlyn Schaap | |
Informational Graphic | 3rd | North Coast Journal | “BHO” | Holly Harvey | |
Informational Graphic | Finalist | Ledger Dispatch | “New Hire — By The Numbers” | Jack Mitchell, Caityln Schaap | |
Informational Graphic | Finalist | Ledger Dispatch | “Charted Photos” | Caityln Schaap | |
Informational Graphic | 1st | Los Angeles Times | “Wine Country Fires” | Staff | Really impressive work that gives readers perspective on the scope of the damage. Great use of satellite imagery. |
Informational Graphic | 2nd | Chico Enterprise-Record | “Oroville spillway collapse” | Esmeralda Ramirez | Tells the story better than any narrative could. Good combination of photos & graphics. |
Informational Graphic | 3rd | Los Angeles Times | “Freeway Pollution” | Jon Schleuss | The interactive feature allowing readers to plug in their own address is invaluable. |
Informational Graphic | Finalist | The Orange County Register | “Shark Tech” | Jeff Goertzen | A fascinating story better told with graphics than text. Wonderful job weaving the map into the right side of the graphic. |
Informational Graphic | Finalist | San Francisco Chronicle | “How reliever usage, bullpen results have changed since 1960” | Todd Trumbull, Michael Massa | Captures trends in relief pitching & does a good job of drawing the reader in. |
Inside Page Layout & Design | 1st | Silicon Valley Business Journal | “Franchises on the Menu” | Doug Magill | |
Inside Page Layout & Design | 2nd | Ledger Dispatch | “Start on Steiner” | Jack Mitchell, Sarah Tullus | |
Inside Page Layout & Design | 3rd | Silicon Valley Business Journal | “Cybersecurity tech heats up” | Doug Magill | |
Inside Page Layout & Design | Finalist | San Marino Tribune | “Valentine's Day Gift Guide” | Nancy Lem | |
Inside Page Layout & Design | Finalist | Sacramento Business Journal | “SBJ Inside Page Layout & Design” | Jacqueline Prins | |
Inside Page Layout & Design | 1st | Chico News & Review | “CN&R Resist” | Tina Flynn, Sandy Peters | |
Inside Page Layout & Design | 2nd | Santa Barbara Independent | “The Forever Season” | Caitlin Fitch, Ben Ciccati | |
Inside Page Layout & Design | 3rd | Palo Alto Weekly | “Inside Page layouts” | Diane Haas, Doug Young | |
Inside Page Layout & Design | Finalist | The Almanac | “Inside Page layouts” | Doug Young | |
Inside Page Layout & Design | Finalist | San Francisco Business Times | “Mission Bay's hot corner”" | Mitch Green | |
Inside Page Layout & Design | 1st | Napa Valley Register | “Home & Garden” | Staff | |
Inside Page Layout & Design | 2nd | Chico Enterprise-Record | “Chico Heat page” | Esmeralda Ramirez | |
Inside Page Layout & Design | 3rd | The Record | “No. 21 Inside page layout & design 9-217” | Staff | |
Inside Page Layout & Design | Finalist | Napa Valley Register | “Food section” | Staff | |
Inside Page Layout & Design | 1st | Los Angeles Times | “The Oscars” | Staff | Definitive. Worthy of a local story that everyone around the world knew. Big, bold use of photos. |
Inside Page Layout & Design | 2nd | San Francisco Chronicle | “Wine Country Fire coverage” | Staff | Spectacular photography and great throughout the section as a whole. |
Inside Page Layout & Design | 3rd | Los Angeles Times | “World Series Preview” | Kelli Sullivan, Tim Hubbard, Jason Clark | I’ve seen a lot of baseball special sections, but none as good as this. Very clean layout, beautiful portraits, great content, including the Lasorda column. |
Inside Page Layout & Design | Finalist | Los Angeles Daily News | “Beauty & the Beast” | Kay Scanlon | Really nice combination of graphics and photography. |
Inside Page Layout & Design | Finalist | The Mercury News | “Peas” | Staff | Love the colors and the inside teasers. |
Investigative Reporting | 1st | The Ark | “Councilmember is Tiburon's top Airbnb renter” | Deirdre McCrohan | Excellent reportage on a very timely topic with a great local-corruption angle. Superb. |
Investigative Reporting | 2nd | Petaluma Argus-Courier | “Animal shelter workplace under scrutiny” | Matt Brown | While I would have structured it so that the financial mismanagement was the lede, this is great reporting on a real public-policy dilemma: What do you do when the only shop in town is unsatisfactory? |
Investigative Reporting | 3rd | Ledger Dispatch | “Jackson Fined By State Water Board” | Jack Mitchell, Caitlyn Schaap, Matthew Hedger | Well-researched. Hopefully it will spur action. |
Investigative Reporting | Finalist | Ledger Dispatch | “TOXIC” | Jack Mitchell, Caitlyn Schaap, Matthew Hedger | Too information-dense & slightly at war with itself over the danger (dam collapse of contamination?) but certainly important. |
Investigative Reporting | Finalist | The Folsom Telegraph | “Moose Lodge members demand answers” | Rachel Zirin (Writer), Bill Sullivan (Photographer) | I wish there had been more context about the importance of the Moose Lodge, but they're obviously up to no good & it matters a lot to the town. |
Investigative Reporting | 1st | Metro Silicon Valley | “County’s Top Taxpayer-Funded Child Care Provider Clams Up over Missing Pension Payments” | Jennifer Wadsworth | Nice series of stories exposing the wrongdoing by a taxpayer funded non-profit. Great quotes & use of public records (and one not so public record that unexpectedly became public). The story may even have helped retired employees receive their pensions that appear to have been wrongly withheld…something that may not have happened or come to light for some time without this writer’s & news organization’s persistence. Great job. |
Investigative Reporting | 2nd | Palo Alto Weekly | “The $6 million blunder” | Elena Kadvany | It just shows that print journalism can still have an impact in local communities striving to keep government agencies honest & accountable to the people they serve - or potentially have them suffer the consequences if they don’t. Great job. |
Investigative Reporting | 3rd | Chico News & Review | “Hired guns” | Ken Smith | Great job in using public records & in getting all sides of the story to go on the record. Lots of good quotes. It also shows that you never know where the impetus for a story might come from…in this case, the homeless population in Chico. |
Investigative Reporting | Finalist | Metro Silicon Valley | “Rogue Rehab” | Jennifer Wadsworth | Lots of great quotes, easy to follow, good use of public records to dig out the story. I would have liked to have seen some follow-up contact with those people & organizations who had praised the subject of the story (Franko) in written letters, such as the Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County. But this is an example of a very good writer and/or editor who knows how to organize & tell a story. |
Investigative Reporting | Finalist | North Coast Journal | “Prelude/Swept” | Linda Stansberry | Those who work in government agencies have learned that they need to practice better self-censorship in their email exchanges due to the fact that their correspondence may become exposed to the public through public records requests. They even take classes on how to do that. This story, however, shows that even those with the best intentions are generally more relaxed or honest in their opinions expressed through email exchanges than they are in the often “Bull Durham” type responses they give in public. Good job. My only suggestion would be to try & include a lot more quotes. |
Investigative Reporting | 1st | San Gabriel Valley Tribune | “City of Industry investigation” | Jason Henry, Steve Scauzillo | Outstanding investigative work. The writers did a great job of clearly explaining a complicated topic. |
Investigative Reporting | 2nd | Visalia Times-Delta | “State cites TRMC, surgeon in two deaths” | James Houck , Sunrise A4232 | Extremely well-written & reported. |
Investigative Reporting | 3rd | Appeal-Democrat | “Marysville Police chief investigated” | Rachel Rosenbaum, Jake Abbott | Excellent job covering all angles of this complicated case. |
Investigative Reporting | Finalist | Merced Sun-Star | “Violent child molester released from Merced Jail. 'It was a screw up,' sheriff says” | Rob Parsons | Terrific reporting, writing. |
Investigative Reporting | Finalist | Daily Press | “In Old Town Victorville, inmate releases threaten turnaround effort” | Shea Johnson | Strong reporting, writing. Covered all angles of this interesting story very well. |
Investigative Reporting | 1st | The Desert Sun | “Imperial Irrigation District investigation” | Sammy Roth | A very thorough & exhaustive piece of investigative reporting. The results of this report could have statewide impact if this contractor is doing this in other communities. |
Investigative Reporting | 2nd | The Desert Sun | “Path of a pedophile” | Brett Kelman | This investigative piece, of course, is timely, & it brings to light change in our society about this horrible crime. This is a commendable job on an issue needing as much attention we as reporters an give it. |
Investigative Reporting | 3rd | Press-Telegram | “Years of neglect puts Queen Mary's future at risk” | Courtney Tompkins | This story brought to light the dark underworld of the Queen Mary. Even the ghost tours will be scarier. What incredible reporting. |
Investigative Reporting | Finalist | The Desert Sun | “Nestle spring water investigation” | Ian James | Terrific reporting on the convoluted issue of water rights. |
Investigative Reporting | Finalist | Ventura County Star | “Hospitals sent untreated medical waste to landfill, records show” | Tom Kisken | Great job of digging up the background on this messy subject. |
Investigative Reporting | 1st | The Fresno Bee | “Human Trafficking series” | Rory Appleton | |
Investigative Reporting | 2nd | The Sacramento Bee | “Death at Goodwill” | Marjie Lundstrom | |
Investigative Reporting | 3rd | The Sacramento Bee | “Sexual harassment in California politics” | Taryn Luna, Alexei Koseff | |
Investigative Reporting | Finalist | The Fresno Bee | “Deposition tells of Ashjian's $300,000 lawsuit, LGBT comments & 'Don Corleone'” | Mackenzie Mays | |
Investigative Reporting | Finalist | The Fresno Bee | “Evidence from hundreds of rape survivors' bodies sat in a Fresno police freezer for years” | Rory Appleton | |
Investigative Reporting | 1st | The Orange County Register | “Rehab Riviera: An investigation into the abuses of Southern California's drug rehab industry” | Staff | The reporting by the Orange County Register & Southern California News Group is thorough & riveting. Drug abuse is a polarizing subject, & when drug centers that are supposed to help addicts instead exploit loopholes for money, it puts lives at risk. The OCR team did an excellent job using data, records & interviews in bringing light to this matter. Especially impressive is the online landing page that links the web together & the use of video & mapping of the various centers. |
Investigative Reporting | 2nd | San Francisco Chronicle | “Fostering Failure” | Karen de Sá, Cynthia Dizikes, Joaquin Palomino, Leah Millis | Does an excellent job of exposing a chronic pattern that appears at times to do more harm to some of California's most vulnerable citizens. |
Investigative Reporting | 3rd | Los Angeles Times | “The Secret Life of a USC Dean” | Staff | Strong interviews, thorough & dogged research, digging deeper in what appears to be a systemic issue that prompted investigations & further reporting. A great piece worthy of awards. |
Investigative Reporting | Finalist | Los Angeles Times | “Mexico's Housing Debacle: A Failed Vision” | Richard Marosi | Marosi’s Mexico’s Housing Debacle series goes above & beyond in detailing the chronic deterioration & decay of Mexico’s affordable housing projects. He sheds light on the homeowners who are stuck with no way out, & the alleged corruption involved in the whole affair. |
Investigative Reporting | Finalist | Los Angeles Times | “A Secret List of Deputy Misconduct” | Maya Lau, Ben Poston, Corina Knoll | The LA Times series on the LACSO’s Brady report does a great job of chronicling the abuses of the deputies that are on the list. The article also goes into detail the challenges faced in attempting to impose reforms within the sheriff’s office when LA Sheriff McDonnell attempted to release the list to the DA’s office. Use of source documents, interviews & attempts to get comments from those involved go hand in hand with use of infographics & data reporting. Particularly important was the story on the various deputies relating to their misconduct. The third part shows the impact this type of investigative reporting by detailing information that high-level officials — namely McDonnell himself — did not know about prior to publication. |
Land-Use Reporting | 1st | The Ark | “Strawberry seminary development” | Emily Lavin | |
Land-Use Reporting | 2nd | The Ark | “Developing the Tiburon Ridge” | Deirdre McCrohan | |
Land-Use Reporting | 3rd | American Canyon Eagle | “Affordable housing project finally gets going” | Noel Brinkerhoff | |
Land-Use Reporting | Finalist | Claremont Courier | “Hillside development/Village West developer” | Matthew Bramlett (writer), Steven Felschundneff, Peter Weinberger (photographers) | |
Land-Use Reporting | Finalist | South Pasadena Review | “Tenants to Speak About Poor Conditions, Dramatic Rent Increases at Next City Council Meeting AND Tenants at 265 Monterey Rd. Receive Final Offer from Landlords in Mediation” | Harry Yadav | |
Land-Use Reporting | 1st | Silicon Valley Business Journal | “Silicon Valley's last orchards” | Janice Bitters | Everything was outstanding, from the writing to the photos to the graphics. It was a very well-thought-out presentation. |
Land-Use Reporting | 2nd | Silicon Valley Business Journal | “The Wild West of Weed in Silicon Valley” | Lauren Hepler | Great graphics, photos, engaging copy. This topic has been covered by many publications but it was fresh in this edition. |
Land-Use Reporting | 3rd | Sacramento Business Journal | “Saving Tahoe” | Mark Anderson | The graphics & photos were nice. The copy was easy to read. |
Land-Use Reporting | Finalist | Petaluma Argus-Courier | “Tight housing market tightens” | Hannah Beausang | Good reporting. I would have liked to see bigger photos to break up the large amount of copy. |
Land-Use Reporting | Finalist | Ledger Dispatch | “TOXIC” | Jack Mitchell, Caitlyn Schaap, Matthew Hedger | Good report but it needed to be a little snappier. |
Land-Use Reporting | 1st | San Francisco Business Times | “An empire in decline” | Blanca Torres | Full package: Excellent graphics, well-researched, thoroughly reported & writing that reflects reporter's firm grasp of the story. |
Land-Use Reporting | 2nd | San Francisco Business Times | “San Francisco's new '49ers'” | Roland Li | Excellent explanatory reporting, simplified to shed light on complex issue. |
Land-Use Reporting | 3rd | Mountain View Voice | “North Bayshore housing would flood local schools” | Kevin Forestieri, Andrea Gemmet | Solid deep-dive into an important local issue, with diligent follow-ups. |
Land-Use Reporting | Finalist | San Francisco Business Times | “Housing's tale of two cities” | Blanca Torres | A well-written & researched piece with solid use of sources. |
Land-Use Reporting | Finalist | La Jolla Light | “Roadblock to abandoned La Jolla cottages' restoration could be cleared next year” | Corey Levitan | Strong writing & research. Contains an element of quirkiness that helped it stand out. |
Land-Use Reporting | 1st | Santa Barbara Independent | “Housing in Santa Barbara” | Tyler Hayden | This is my favorite because the writer was able to capture the mood & emotion without showing bias. |
Land-Use Reporting | 2nd | New Times | “Affordability Gap” | Camillia Lanham | This is my second favorite because of the intelligent, well-researched, informative writing. |
Land-Use Reporting | 3rd | Palo Alto Weekly | “Stanford's big plans” | Gennady Sheyner | Very well-written. Interesting. Community interest galore. |
Land-Use Reporting | Finalist | Sacramento News & Review | “Why save the Delta? Unknown river towns fear untold devastation from Jerry Brown’s twin tunnels project” | Scott Thomas Anderson | Extremely well-written & interesting. |
Land-Use Reporting | Finalist | SF Weekly | “Green-Light District” | Peter Kane | Well researched. Excellent writing. |
Land-Use Reporting | 1st | Santa Monica Daily Press | “Asbestos apartments” | Kate Cagle | Great reporting overall & excellent follow-ups. Series has the potential to have a real impact on this community. Good sources on both sides. |
Land-Use Reporting | 2nd | Record Searchlight | “Large expanse of forest still closed 5 years after fire” | Damon Arthur | This reporter did what we should all do sometimes: look back long after a calamity & ask "why hasn't anything changed?" Great writing & good video element. |
Land-Use Reporting | 3rd | Napa Valley Register | “Napa asks, How many hotel rooms are enough?” | Howard Yune | Well-reported business story that really explored every angle of the growing hospitality industry in Napa. Good writing, sourcing & data. |
Land-Use Reporting | Finalist | Santa Monica Daily Press | “Overlooked in 88 square feet, Santa Monica senior barely hangs on to home” | Kate Cagle | The reporter tells a deeply personal & affecting story of what happens to lower income people who are being forced out of the housing game. |
Land-Use Reporting | Finalist | Monterey Herald | “Back to the wild” | James Herrera | Interesting story about a golf course given back to nature. Great visual & headlines. |
Land-Use Reporting | 1st | The Tribune | “Marijuana boom in jeopardy as SLO County considers ban in California Valley” | Monica Vaughan, Joe Johnston | This series really hit all the marks. It was comprehensive yet readable, very well organized & presented. This was a significant public service, helping readers understand all sides of this issue. |
Land-Use Reporting | 2nd | Marin Independent Journal | “Tam Ridge Apartments” | Adrian Rodriguez | Very thoroughly reported. A reader with no background knowledge of this controversial issue was able to grasp the essential parts of the issue quickly. The stories were fact-filled & well-written. |
Land-Use Reporting | 3rd | Santa Cruz Sentinel | “Santa Cruz seeks public bathroom solutions while its homeless population crosses its legs” | Jessica York | Good job taking on what must be a vexatious issue for everyone in downtown Santa Cruz. Well told from several directions. It would have been a good idea to reach out to other municipalities to see what solutions others have come up with in similar situations. |
Land-Use Reporting | Finalist | The Desert Sun | “RDA Lands Still in Limbo” | Jesse Marx, Corinne Kennedy, Anna Rumer, Sherry Barkas | Lots of information here, & lots of reporting calories. Of course complexity is a given in this acronym-laden subject, & the stories were not always as accessible as they could be, but kudos for taking this project on with a big-view approach. |
Land-Use Reporting | Finalist | The Record | “Council Infill, not sprawl” | Roger Phillips | |
Land-Use Reporting | 1st | The Press Democrat | “Highway 12 corridor: A1 & D1 package” | Staff | An excellent, well-written examination of development along a stretch of Highway 12 in Sonoma County's Valley of the Moon. The second part of the series really shines with a package of stories about residents & businesses in the area affected by the development. A clean layout & good photos complete the package. |
Land-Use Reporting | 2nd | The Fresno Bee | “Fulton Street stories” | Marek Warszawski | An interesting approach to a series about downtown redevelopment in Fresno using a mix of commentary with news. The short (approximately to minute) video clips add to the stories, as do the photos. The series was entered only as links to the online package. A look at how the package was handled in print would have been useful. |
Land-Use Reporting | 3rd | The Fresno Bee | “Booze flows freely in Fresno, but where you find it makes a difference” | Tim Sheehan | |
Land-Use Reporting | Finalist | The Fresno Bee | “Historic brick home avoids wrecking ball, & may see new life as a restaurant” | Bethany Clough | |
Land-Use Reporting | 1st | Los Angeles Times | “Freeway Pollution” | Tony Barboza, Jon Schleuss, David Zahniser | The L.A. Times' investigation of the connection between residential development & personal health helps the reader understand the real & very serious consequences of land-use planning. The series clearly spotlights the conflicts in the city's policies & pressures on transportation, housing, health & the environment, & importantly shows the individuals who are adversely affected. It was a crusading story that stands up for so many individuals who thought they'd purchased homes that are affordable & safe, who later suffer or are put at risk due to its location. The stories squarely point out how government officials & developers have sacrificed public health in the name of economic growth, as well as explain the complexity in protecting homeowners while also accommodating the city's inevitable need for housing. |
Land-Use Reporting | 2nd | Los Angeles Times | “California's Housing Crisis” | Liam Dillon | The lack of affordable housing in urban areas has become a common around the country as the economy has bounced back. But gentrification that comes from the prosperity of certain cities has had a well documented cost: housing for middle- & low-income residents has evaporated. The series by the Los Angeles Times explains that the damage was foreseeable & preventable — if cities would have simply followed their own plans. The Times reports about the influence of wealthy residents who curbed reasonable housing projects & the lack of enforcement for government planning should draw the ire of Californians now grappling with a crisis, & be used by communities across America who may end up in the same spot. |
Land-Use Reporting | 3rd | San Francisco Chronicle | “Transbay Transit Center” | John King | Excellent use of graphics & interactive material. Interesting topic that gets overlooked by many. Good to see the Times pay attention. |
Land-Use Reporting | Finalist | The Mercury News | “Google village” | George Avalos, Ethan Baron | Precise and concise. Doesn’t get long-winded. Good approach in today’s world of newspaper writing. |
Land-Use Reporting | Finalist | The Orange County Register | “Eviction trends in Southern California” | Jeff Collins | Good demonstration of the challenges facing people from all walks of life. Would be a complete series if one of the stories had focused more on the landlord side of the issue. |
News Photo | 1st | The Trinity Journal | “Helena fire” | Wayne Agner | |
News Photo | 2nd | The Intermountain News | “California Highway Patrol officer Chris Ogden handcuffs & detains motorist Al Tari” | Craig Harrington | |
News Photo | 3rd | Lompoc Record | “Retardant drop from afar” | Len Wood | |
News Photo | Finalist | Calistoga Tribune | “Nighttime harvest” | Richard Wood, Kim Beltran | |
News Photo | 1st | The Sonoma Index-Tribune | “Rising from the Ashes” | Robbi Pengelly | Very compelling photo as homeowner surveys the scene of the devastation left in the wake of wildfire. Noting in the photo caption that this was the site of her home for 53 years makes it even more moving. |
News Photo | 2nd | Merced County Times | “Wildfire Darkens Sky, But Sparks Hope, Goodwill” | John Miller | Great use of light with the sun peeking through the smoke. This photo captures the scope of the blaze ripping up the hillside with a artistic quality. Well done. |
News Photo | 3rd | The Folsom Telegraph | “Flirting with flames of disaster” | Bill Sullivan | Firefighters face to face with flames is always a compelling shot. This particular photo captures just how up close & personal these guys got with this home fire. |
News Photo | Finalist | Ledger Dispatch | “Now just ashes” | Bill Lavallie | Without a person in the photo, & just small fire still burning, the light filtering through he smoke in heavenly fashion makes for a great photo. |
News Photo | 1st | Tracy Press | “Moment of mourning” | Glenn Moore | Nice composition, moment & faces. I like that you can see faces & emotion. Stood out from other entries. |
News Photo | 2nd | Lamorinda Weekly | “Orinda Sinkhole Fix to Take Weeks” | Tod Fierner | Nice images showing the collapse with the guy for size. Looking at it it feels like this guy is dangerously close. Good moment. |
News Photo | 3rd | The Almanac | “Eclipse” | Natalia Nazarova | Decent composition & subject matter. |
News Photo | Finalist | San Francisco Business Times | “Dub Nation celebrates the Warriors championship win” | Todd Johnson | Visual impact got this image to where it is. I wish there was more emotion on Durant's face. |
News Photo | 1st | Thousand Oaks Acorn | “Fallen brother” | Michael Coons | This is a sad, but amazing, moment with excellent photo composition. The white glove on the casket, the faded men & women in uniform in the depth of field. Outstanding photo & the best in this category. |
News Photo | 2nd | Santa Barbara Independent | “Rainy Friday” | Paul Wellman | The sheer size of the trunk of the tree, the smashes pick up truck. the look of wonderment of the fire fighter. Excellent overall image. |
News Photo | 3rd | Santa Barbara Independent | “Women's March” | Paul Wellman | Love the composition with duality of focus — on the sheer size of the crowd & on the one featured protestor. |
News Photo | Finalist | Grunion Gazette | “Powerful Memories” | Geronimo Quitoriano | Story-telling image. |
News Photo | 1st | Daily Press | “Trapped in ravine, injured horse hoist-rescued near Bowen Ranch” | James Quigg | Stunning image that grabbed my eye immediately. Such an unusual occurrence, but it reads so clearly. I especially love the movement & sense of the horse's weight. |
News Photo | 2nd | Napa Valley Register | “Trapped Man at Baskin-Robbins” | JL Sousa | This is a memorable image that leaves me wanting to know what the heck is going on here! I'm not sure if it was ok to laugh, but I definitely did. It would have been a first place contender if the focus was sharper. |
News Photo | 3rd | The Reporter | “A Family's Grief” | Joel Rosenbaum | This photo has wonderful emotion but it also technically beautiful. |
News Photo | Finalist | Times-Herald | “Out on a limb” | Chris Riley | |
News Photo | 1st | The Tribune | “Parkhill Fire watcher” | Joe Johnston | |
News Photo | 2nd | The Desert Sun | “Thomas fire” | Richard Lui | |
News Photo | 3rd | Ventura County Star | “Firefighter silhouette in front of a burning home” | Chuck Kirman | |
News Photo | Finalist | Ventura County Star | “Chicken rescued from residential street ravaged by Thomas Fire” | Juan Carlo | |
News Photo | 1st | The Press Democrat | “Firestorm Lays Waste” | Kent Porter | |
News Photo | 2nd | The Press Democrat | “Shattered Lives” | Beth Schlanker | |
News Photo | 3rd | The Fresno Bee | “Fire destroys homes.” | Eric Paul Zamora | |
News Photo | Finalist | The Bakersfield Californian | “Murderer mocks victim's family” | Felix Adamo | |
News Photo | 1st | Los Angeles Times | “Thomas Fire” | Marcus Yam | Excellent work in what must have been a very chaotic environment. |
News Photo | 2nd | Los Angeles Times | “Scuffle at MAGA March” | Irfan Khan | Image captures the key moment in a heated confrontation between protesters. Great capture. |
News Photo | 3rd | Los Angeles Times | “Fleeing the Thomas Fire” | Marcus Yam | Image really illustrates the looming threat of the fire. |
News Photo | Finalist | San Francisco Chronicle | “Wine Country Fires” | Mason Trinca | |
Online Breaking News Coverage | 1st | Santa Ynez Valley Star | “Whittier Fire” | Raiza Giorgi, Daniel Dreifuss, Victoria Martinez, Dave Bemis | |
Online Breaking News Coverage | 2nd | The Trinity Journal | “Helena fire” | Amy Gittelsohn, Sally Morris, Wayne Agner | |
Online Breaking News Coverage | 3rd | The Business Journal | “Former Angels pitcher buys Fresno auto dealerships” | Gabriel Dillard | |
Online Breaking News Coverage | Finalist | Ledger Dispatch | “High Water — Amador County Flooding” | Jack Mitchell, Caitlyn Schaap, Bill Lavallie, Sarah Spinetta | |
Online Breaking News Coverage | 1st | Palo Alto Weekly | “San Francisquito Creek nears flood levels” | Staff | |
Online Breaking News Coverage | 2nd | Santa Barbara Independent | “Thomas Fire” | Staff | |
Online Breaking News Coverage | 3rd | The Valley Voice | “Tulare Regional Medical Center Temporary Shutdown” | Tony Maldonado | |
Online Breaking News Coverage | Finalist | Palo Alto Weekly | “Superintendent Max McGee resigns” | Elena Kadvany | |
Online Breaking News Coverage | 1st | Record Searchlight | “Rancho Tehama shooting” | Staff | |
Online Breaking News Coverage | 2nd | Record Searchlight | “Oroville Dam crisis” | Staff | |
Online Breaking News Coverage | 3rd | The Union | “Coverage of Lobo, McCourtney fires” | Staff | |
Online Breaking News Coverage | Finalist | The Tribune | “Matthew Frank, the anonymous SLOStringer, died the way he lived — chasing news” | Gabby Ferreira, Joe Johnston | |
Online Breaking News Coverage | 1st | The Press Democrat | “October wildfires: Day 1 coverage online by The Press Democrat” | Staff | |
Online Breaking News Coverage | 2nd | San Francisco Chronicle | “Northern California Wildfires” | Staff | |
Online Breaking News Coverage | 3rd | Los Angeles Times | “Southern California Fires” | Staff | |
Online Breaking News Coverage | Finalist | Los Angeles Times | “Northern California Fires” | Staff | |
Online Photo Story/Essay | 1st | Shasta Lake Bulletin | “Old Antlers Bridge Demolition” | Ron Harrington, Craig Harrington | Good storytelling, included participant interviews, showed difficulties, then wrapped everything up. |
Online Photo Story/Essay | 2nd | The Trinity Journal | “Helena fire destruction” | Wayne Agner | |
Online Photo Story/Essay | 3rd | Shasta Lake Bulletin | “Shasta Dam Water Release” | Ron Harrington | |
Online Photo Story/Essay | Finalist | Shasta Lake Bulletin | “Shasta Dam Drum Gates Tested” | Ron Harrington | |
Online Photo Story/Essay | 1st | The Desert Sun | “Katie Griffith pitching for the California King Baseball team” | Richard Lui | Beautiful vivid photos, well presented & a perfect complement to the article. |
Online Photo Story/Essay | 2nd | The Desert Sun | “Toxic Dust & asthma plague Salton Sea communities” | Zoe Meyers | A good mix of photos of the human element & the problem. |
Online Photo Story/Essay | 3rd | Chico Enterprise-Record | “Oroville spillway collapse” | Bill Husa, Dan Reidel, Emily Bertolino | Could have been edited down a bit for more impact. |
Online Photo Story/Essay | Finalist | The Desert Sun | “Rehabilitation of Todd Marinovich” | Richard Lui | Very vivid photos, just not quite as compelling as Katie Griffith. |
Online Photo Story/Essay | 1st | San Francisco Chronicle | “Wine Country Fires” | San Francisco Chronicle Photo Team | This collection of photos gave a full-depth view of the fires from the actual blaze to people returning to their homes to church services to firefighters. It painted a wholesome picture of what happened & I was eager to continue flipping through the selection to see more. All the images were high quality & the photographers behind each camera seemed to have a good sense of capturing scenes that had optimal impact on the viewer. |
Online Photo Story/Essay | 2nd | Los Angeles Times | “Fires in Southern California” | Staff | Incredible, I like how there were 15 photos — must’ve been difficult to select the best ones & as a viewer made me curious about which images were selected by the photographer. There was plenty of variety & the captions helped give the story layers. |
Online Photo Story/Essay | 3rd | Los Angeles Times | “Tragedy in Venezuela” | Oscar Castillo | There was an incredible selection of photos that were very evocative. Given how many fires were burning in the region, I would’ve liked to have seen more images beyond the fires, firefighting & destruction, such as people returning to their homes to see what’s left. |
Online Photo Story/Essay | Finalist | Los Angeles Times | “Deadly Airstrike in Mosul” | Marcus Yam | The emotional impact was apparent through the images & appreciated the accompanying story link. I would’ve liked to have seen more photos from the hospital. |
Photo Illustration | 1st | Black Voice News | “Teacher, Student Shot to Death - What happens when domestic abuse & gun violence collide” | Chris Allen | |
Photo Illustration | 2nd | Black Voice News | “Let Us Following the Teachings of a King” | Chris Allen | |
Photo Illustration | 3rd | The Trinity Journal | “Trinity's missing” | Bridget Carson | |
Photo Illustration | Finalist | San Francisco Business Times | “Is California ready to become the nation's largest legal retail marijuana market?” | Todd Johnson, Carolyn Seng, Kevin Truong | |
Photo Illustration | 1st | The Press Democrat | “Children's Authors Sun, Moon, Friendship” | John Burgess | Using a page from a Children's book, the designer incorporated the author & the artist in this illustration. Even though a little busy, I believe this concept works because it puts the two subjects firmly into the picture & show a collaboration using their own visual product. The designer used a post-shoot filter (posterization?) to add & blend with the book artist's style of work. |
Photo Illustration | 2nd | The Fresno Bee | “5 seconds captured this iconic image of Fresno’s history as it fell” | John Walker | How to illustrate a story on the photographic coverage on a planned landmark building? That was the problem this photographer was assigned & the use of the original negative storage envelope, original 8x10 prints, camera gear & a piece of the building was the still-shot solution. I would REALLY like to have seen a field portrait of the photographer who took the original images, since the story is about the event & how it was covered. The accompanying video was interesting & well done. |
Photo Illustration | 3rd | San Francisco Chronicle | “Stick to sports? Not this year” | Tam Duong | Collage generated images can be busy & confusing. The problem can be how to get so much visual information in a limited space. This image tries to get A LOT in & with so many faces & different sizes & perspectives of teams & characters it seems to be to much to get a powerful idea across. Perhaps if the designer would have limited the visual elements to maybe two central figures (Trump & Kaepernick) or somehow placed more emphasis of one player on a knee the concept would have been easier to read & understand. Or even ONLY use the saluting Trump with the cut out of knee-taking teams at the bottom, showing more of a “collaborative idea vs. President” concept. The American flag fading out towards the bottom is a good & effective choice. |
Photo Story/Essay | 1st | Del Norte Triplicate | “Summer Gone to Seed” | Bryant Anderson | Incredible shots. Why seeds? Why not? Visually they pull you in, begging you to explore something many of us don't often see in such detail. |
Photo Story/Essay | 2nd | Ledger Dispatch | “Faces of the Italian Picnic” | Jack Mitchell, Caitlyn Schaap, Bill Lavallie, Johnny Knittel | |
Photo Story/Essay | 3rd | Shasta Lake Bulletin | “Kaboom! - Old Antlers Bridge Demolition” | Craig Harrington | |
Photo Story/Essay | Finalist | Calistoga Tribune | “Our Lady of Guadalupe parade” | Clark Mishler, Pat Hampton | |
Photo Story/Essay | 1st | The Almanac | “Silicon Valley's Hidden Lands” | Michelle Le | |
Photo Story/Essay | 2nd | Thousand Oaks Acorn | “The Circus Life” | Michael Coons | |
Photo Story/Essay | 3rd | Mountain View Voice | “City tows RVs from makeshift trailer park” | Michelle Le | |
Photo Story/Essay | Finalist | Camarillo Acorn | “The belles of the ball” | Bobby Curtis, West Maatita | |
Photo Story/Essay | 1st | Daily Press | “Tragedy through a teapot” | James Quigg | |
Photo Story/Essay | 2nd | The Desert Sun | “Addiction in plain sight” | Zoe Meyers | |
Photo Story/Essay | 3rd | Daily Pilot | “Photo Gallery: Brawl at Make America Great Again march at Bolsa Chica State Beach” | Raul Roa | |
Photo Story/Essay | Finalist | Times-Herald | “Refuge from the inferno” | Chris Riley | |
Photo Story/Essay | 1st | San Francisco Chronicle | “Devastation in Wine Country” | San Francisco Chronicle Photo Team | |
Photo Story/Essay | 2nd | The Orange County Register | “Heroin’s hold: One man’s journey through the Southern California rehab industry” | Mindy Schauer | |
Photo Story/Essay | 3rd | The Press Democrat | “Finding Christmas in a Fire zone” | Christopher Chung, Alvin Jornada, Kent Porter, Beth Schlanker | |
Photo Story/Essay | Finalist | Los Angeles Times | “The Rising, Hidden Toll of Airstrikes” | Marcus Yam | |
Photojournalism | 1st | Ledger Dispatch | “Ledger Dispatch” | Jack Mitchell, Caitlyn Schaap, Sarah Tullus, Beth Barnard | Kudos to the Ledger Dispatch for its commitment to photography. Nearly every news page in all 3 entries included at least one photo. Together they captioned a community that looks like a lot of fun & not a bit stuffy. The Student Art Gallery — 16 photos over a page & a half was particularly impressive, not only for the photos themselves, but for the captions describing the photographer & his or her aspirations & a quote from each. All three sports sections were jam-packed with photos of local kids. The front page with Faces of the Italian Picnic included 12 photos. Yes, that's a lot in a small amount of space — & it worked nicely. |
Photojournalism | 2nd | Mountain View Voice | “Mountain View Voice, March 31, June 16 & Sept. 29” | Michelle Le, Ana Sofia Amieva-Wang, Veronica Weber | Nice mix of staff photography & handout art. Photographer Michelle Le is everywhere in Mountain View. I particularly liked the Google construction photo. It's anything but typical & completely unexpected. |
Photojournalism | 3rd | The Trinity Journal | “July 5, Sept. 6, Sept. 27” | Staff | Great impact especially on the fire photos; quality sports as well. |
Photojournalism | Finalist | The Healdsburg Tribune | “Taking time to honor veterans” | Ray Holley | Great emotion on display in this photo; good catch. |
Photojournalism | Finalist | Santa Ynez Valley Star | “Napa Fires” | George Rose, Raiza Giorgi | Great mix of photos to tell the story of the fires. Very impactful. |
Photojournalism | 1st | San Francisco Chronicle | “San Francisco Chronicle Photojournalism” | San Francisco Chronicle Photo Team | Each photo in the Chronicle adds to the story & gives more information. Leah Mills' front-page photo of the tearful deportation her parents is one of the strongest examples. The photography from this in-depth report is beautiful & nicely composed as the photos give a window into a new culture through the eyes of the exiled parents. The sheepherders photo is technically excellent with its focus on the herders' hats. The photo of the destruction of the Santa Rosa neighborhood with a single car for perspective was especially appreciated for its contrast with the near panoramas of swaths of neighborhoods that we have almost become numb to. The community & Style sections have lots of photos of real people & society folks, all presented in a classy way. The Style section, as you would hope to expect, takes risks in its bold photo presentation. The photos with wire service stories make you feel like you are just steps away from the scene. The Chronicle nicely balances effective photo presentation & story length. |
Photojournalism | 2nd | The Press Democrat | “Press Democrat editions from Oct. 10, 11 & 21, 2017” | Staff | Fire photos set this entry apart. Every photo is different. Kudos to the Press Democrat for its well-coordinated effort to document the breadth of the fires, the dynamic editing of the photography & the well-edited captions. Nation & World pages have a good mix of words & images. |
Photojournalism | 3rd | The Fresno Bee | “Photojournalism March 6, April 19 & Oct. 19, 2017” | Staff | Terrific job of covering high school state championships. In a time when many are cutting back on high school sports coverage, it is refreshing to see this huge time-commitment to young athletes & their fans. |
Photojournalism | Finalist | The Union | “The Union - Photojournalism” | Elias Funez | The Union's photography gives a strong sense of place & a window into the people who call the area home. |
Profile Story | 1st | The Ark | “Up in the air” | Matthew Hose | |
Profile Story | 2nd | The Ark | “Bouncing back from rock bottom” | Matthew Hose | |
Profile Story | 3rd | After Five: The North State Magazine | “Joan Osborne Interview” | Jim Dyar | |
Profile Story | Finalist | The Intermountain News | “Hat Creek resident & internationally renowned  lm preservationist David Shepard dies at age 76” | Jon Lewis | |
Profile Story | Finalist | Claremont Courier | “David Oxtoby, Pomona College president, reflects on 14 years” | Kathryn Dunn | |
Profile Story | 1st | Ledger Dispatch | “An Angel for Angel” | Jack Mitchell | |
Profile Story | 2nd | The Sonoma Index-Tribune | “Things We Lost in the Fire” | Kate Williams | |
Profile Story | 3rd | The Sonoma Index-Tribune | “Immigrant Song” | Kate Williams | |
Profile Story | Finalist | The Davis Enterprise | “Piano man lifts hearts of all who pass by” | Anne Ternus-Bellamy | |
Profile Story | Finalist | San Marino Tribune | “Thankfully, He Still Hasn't Found That Plan B”" | Mitch Lehman | |
Profile Story | 1st | Mountain View Voice | “The philanthropist pauper” | Mark Noack, Andrea Gemmet | A great & unexpected story about a longtime member of the community. Well-written & hard not to love. |
Profile Story | 2nd | The Malibu Times | “'King of Traffic' reigns in Malibu” | Jimy Tallal, Julie Ellerton | |
Profile Story | 3rd | La Jolla Light | “Homeless for the Holidays: How one human being ended up on the streets of La Jolla” | Corey Levitan | A warm & well-crafted portrait of a member of the community, with details the reader wasn't expecting. |
Profile Story | Finalist | Pleasanton Weekly | “An American classic: Pleasanton man behind SF’s La Taqueria takes home coveted James Beard Award” | Julia (Reis) Brown | |
Profile Story | Finalist | Pasadena Outlook | “Little Rock 9 Alumnus Reflects 60 Years Later” | Camila Castellanos | |
Profile Story | 1st | SF Weekly | “ORFN: A Life Under Shadows” | Stephen Jackson | |
Profile Story | 2nd | Good Times | “Maestro on a Mission” | Steve Palopoli | |
Profile Story | 3rd | Sacramento News & Review | “A death in Syria: Michael Israel’s quest for peace” | Scott Thomas Anderson | |
Profile Story | Finalist | The Acorn | “Gold Rush” | Jonathan Andrade, Eliav Appelbaum | |
Profile Story | Finalist | New Times | “Supporting Dreams” | Karen Garcia | |
Profile Story | 1st | The Signal | “'Mama Betty’ shares mobile ministry with those visiting Pitchess Detention Center” | Christina Cox | Such an amazing story of a woman who saw human suffering & did something about it! A model of kindness & compassion! |
Profile Story | 2nd | Record Searchlight | “Before going away to prison, a man organizes his life” | Nathan Solis | What an amazing topic... how many of us will ever know what that feels like - to know we will go to prison the next day. Very creative & compelling topic. |
Profile Story | 3rd | Napa Valley Register | “L. Pierce Carson, an institution in the Napa Valley, dies at 76” | Sasha Paulsen | While this is essentially a very embellished obituary, it is also very well written & truly paints a colorful picture of this man. I feel I know him a little, even though we've never met. What a life - to have been loved & appreciated by so many! |
Profile Story | Finalist | Napa Valley Register | “Family tragedy has rocked the Napa Valley sports community” | Marty James | What a heartbreaking story. A man who spent nearly a lifetime helping & encouraging youth, having it all end in a flash. What a loss to the community. You really captured the community's loss in this story. |
Profile Story | Finalist | Record Searchlight | “Cottonwood barrel racer hits the big time” | Patrick Carr | Very interesting & engaging story of a barrel-racing family & all they go through for their sport. Also, a relatively unusual topic. Well done! |
Profile Story | 1st | The Desert Sun | “Selfless Rescue” | Brett Kelman | This article is well-written & compelling & in-depth. |
Profile Story | 2nd | The Desert Sun | “Rehabilitation of Todd Marinovich” | Shad Powers | Terrific profile. |
Profile Story | 3rd | The Tribune | “Judge’s career spanned Rex Krebs, Kristin Smart & the ‘most heinous crimes imaginable’” | Matt Fountain | Great work because both a strong profile & an in depth look at his career. |
Profile Story | Finalist | Ventura County Star | “Kathy Long finishes career on top after tough childhood” | Kathleen Wilson | Nice work. |
Profile Story | Finalist | Daily Breeze | “Mystery of beloved homeless man endures after his death” | Sandy Mazza | Nice work. |
Profile Story | 1st | The Press Democrat | “Remembering Who We Lost” | Staff | A great tribute to a community. |
Profile Story | 2nd | The Bakersfield Californian | “Hope through hoops; How Braxton Huggins went from east Bakersfield to budding college star” | Trevor Horn | A great story of one person's struggles & their motivation. |
Profile Story | 3rd | The Fresno Bee | “At 14, she was told to hide her baby bump & switch schools. Her shaming wasn’t unique” | Mackenzie Mays | A great topic that needs more coverage. |
Profile Story | Finalist | The Fresno Bee | “She was a hospital worker. He sold her for sex before, during & after her shifts” | Rory Appleton | This story was very real & that it left me wanting to help. |
Profile Story | Finalist | The Modesto Bee | “Polo-wearing intellectual, or racist bigot? A look at Nathan Damigo of Oakdale” | Garth Stapley | An interesting take on a profile. |
Profile Story | 1st | The Mercury News | “Jim Plunkett's painful journey” | Elliott Almond | |
Profile Story | 2nd | The Orange County Register | “Homecoming queen dream comes true for Riley McCoy, the girl who can't go out in the sun” | Keith Sharon | |
Profile Story | 3rd | The Mercury News | “Following Iranian immigrant Omid Kordestani's in building Google's business,” | Queenie Wong, Leia Parker | |
Profile Story | Finalist | Los Angeles Times | “Mob Boss” | Cindy Chang | |
Profile Story | Finalist | The Orange County Register | “The Ballfather: LaVar Ball & his 3 sons intend to change basketball forever” | Ryan Kartje | |
Public Service Journalism | 1st | The Sonoma Index-Tribune | “Coverage of the Sonoma Valley fires” | Staff | Hands down the best of the entries. The staff of the Index-Tribune took their responsibility & their commitment to the community seriously & helped walk their neighbors through the tragedy with a multi-layered approach that provided useful information but also chronicled the real human toll taken by the fires with empathy. And then they followed up with multiple stories of the aftermath. Plus, they had the presence of mind to allow readers to submit their own photos, to add an interactive approach. If your readers didn't know you cared about them before this, they know now. |
Public Service Journalism | 2nd | Ledger Dispatch | “Publishers Pig Project” | Jack Mitchell | The essence of journalism is speaking for & helping those who can't help themselves. The Ledger Dispatch got involved & helped out a young woman who was in dire circumstances. It rallied the community behind an effort to help this young woman & succeeded. That's terrific community journalism. |
Public Service Journalism | 3rd | Winters Express | “Project Playground” | Debra DeAngelo | Thoroughly documented a community effort to rebuild a needed community touch point. |
Public Service Journalism | Finalist | Santa Ynez Valley Star | “SYV Aquatics” | Raiza Giorgi | |
Public Service Journalism | Finalist | Rosamond News | “Kern supervisors ban marijuana: Money's not the issue — health is” | JOHN JOYCE, GAYLE JOYCE, Michael Crabtree | |
Public Service Journalism | 1st | Mountain View Voice | “Digital math program's flaws hidden from school board, community” | Kevin Forestieri, Andrea Gemmet, Renee Batti | I applaud Kevin Forestieri & his colleagues for their tenacity & attention to detail in pursuing this story. Mr. Forestieri presents his findings in a clear, engaging way that had me looking forward to each subsequent story. That's a tough feat to accomplish when writing about school district finances. Everyone in the Mountain View Whisman School District — taxpayers, teachers, students & families — benefits from Mr. Forestieri uncovering the convoluted disaster that was the Teach to One digital math program. |
Public Service Journalism | 2nd | Santa Maria Sun | “No free rides: Detainees released late at night from Santa Barbara County Jail don't get a ride home anymore, including those from North County” | Kasey Bubnash | Rookie reporter Kasey Bubnash knocks it out of the park. She sheds light on an issue that the county overlooked & that readers otherwise may not have been aware of. Her thorough, compassionate reporting led to real results when the jail reinstated its late-night transportation program. |
Public Service Journalism | 3rd | The Valley Voice | “Tulare Local Healthcare District & management coverage” | Tony Maldonado, Dave Adalian | Great use of digital embed technology to make source materials available directly to readers. This was an extravaganza of reporting for hard-core followers of the topic. |
Public Service Journalism | Finalist | Milpitas Post | “Milpitas city manager” | Robert Devincenzi , Ian Bauer, Morton Levine, Mario Dianda | |
Public Service Journalism | Finalist | The Campbell Reporter | “VTA considers changing fares to combat projected deficit” | Jasmine Leyva | |
Public Service Journalism | 1st | New Times | “Sexual Assaults in San Luis Obispo” | Chris McGuinness, Peter Johnson | |
Public Service Journalism | 2nd | Chico News & Review | “Mental health in policing” | Ken Smith | |
Public Service Journalism | 3rd | Metro Silicon Valley | “Floodgate: How the Water District & City’s Comedy of Errors Became a Local Tragedy” | Jennifer Wadsworth | |
Public Service Journalism | Finalist | Palo Alto Weekly | “The $6 million blunder” | Elena Kadvany, Bill Johnson | |
Public Service Journalism | Finalist | Santa Barbara Independent | “Santa Barbara in The Time of Trump” | SB Indy News Team | |
Public Service Journalism | 1st | Visalia Times-Delta | “Coverage of Tulare Regional Medical Center” | James Houck, Luis Hernandez, Calley Cederlof, Sheyanne Romero | The coverage of the incredible saga of what was happening at Tular Regional Medical Center is exactly the type of journalism that makes the biggest impact on a community. It was literally a life-and-death situation. Those types of mismanagement problems can go undetected for years, but these journalists followed the documents, the money, the court action, the hospital closure & ultimately the voter impact, which was no doubt a direct result of the coverage. Bravo! |
Public Service Journalism | 2nd | The Signal | “Project: Overdosed” | Austin Dave, Jim Holt, Katharine Lotze, Christina Cox | This was a well-done combination of stories & video that gave a personal look inside what is a continuous problem with drug addiction. Inside access to people is always the easiest way to get a message across. Capturing emotions & drama is the part that makes it stand out. |
Public Service Journalism | 3rd | Times-Standard | “Tsunami readiness” | Staff | Helping the public prepare for disaster is one of the greatest public service projects any journalism organization can do. Every organization should do something to help their audience learn how they can best help themselves face whatever disaster is most likely for their area. Great visuals, helpful information. |
Public Service Journalism | Finalist | The Union | “The Union successfully argues for access to all meetings of community advisory group on cannabis regulations” | Alan Riquelmy, The Union Editoral Board | |
Public Service Journalism | Finalist | The Reporter | “3Finalist Merriment on Main” | The Reporter Newsroom | |
Public Service Journalism | 1st | Press-Telegram | “The Digital Divide” | Staff | True public service journalism. This is the kind of story people get into journalism for, where you can see your work actively making a difference in people's lives. Extraordinary work. These organizations should be proud, & these communities are lucky to have such dedicated servants in these publications. |
Public Service Journalism | 2nd | Ventura County Star | “The Thomas Fire” | Staff | Disaster reporting is one of those things that is a true public service when done well — & you did it well. Not only did you provide examples of your spot reporting but you dug into context with mudslide worries, mental health impacts, healthcare impacts & more. My one critique is that you should have included with your entry the social media posts, email alerts, text alerts & every other aspect of reporting that you offered your community. I would have liked to have seen a well-rounded approach to efficiently informing the community as well as your in-depth coverage. Good job in extremely trying circumstances. In a terrifying & chaotic time, the Star provided steady, unsensationalized coverage as well as important safety information to readers. An invaluable service. |
Public Service Journalism | 3rd | The Desert Sun | “Imperial Irrigation District investigation” | Sammy Roth | This is a good examination of a public issue that no one, it appears, knew about but that changed through the demand of the community following your reporting. I might not have used the same art as the main asset in multiple stories. As a general rule, I would also suggest that you add an explanation about why you entered your series in the category. Fortunately, it was easy to connect the dots from this series to "performing a public service.” The community acted on the information they got from you & that's the most we can hope for. Good job. |
Public Service Journalism | Finalist | The Record | “Mayor Anthony Silva” | Roger Phillips, Donald Blount, Michael Fitzgerald, Clifford Oto | |
Public Service Journalism | Finalist | The Tribune | “Inmate died in SLO County Jail after 46 hours in restraint chair, coroner says” | Matt Fountain | |
Public Service Journalism | 1st | East Bay Times | “Coverage of Ghost Ship warehouse fire” | Staff | A relentless & inspiring series that exposes a city so dysfunctional it cost dozens of people their lives. |
Public Service Journalism | 2nd | The Press Democrat | “Press Democrat reporting on failures of emergency alert system during October wildfires” | Staff | A series that, in a very short time, spotlights the sheer shortcomings of the emergency alert system & the leaders' decision not to send a widespread notification. |
Public Service Journalism | 3rd | The Sacramento Bee | “Oroville Dam Crisis” | Dale Kasler, Ryan Sabalow | This series covers the gamut — from crisis, to response, to engineering, to statewide dam safety. |
Public Service Journalism | Finalist | The Bakersfield Californian | “Just One Breath: Why are people still dying from valley fever & tens of thousands getting sick?” | Center for Health Journalism Collaborative | This series is a treasure trove of data & information about a lesser-known disease & the challenges to raise awareness about it. |
Public Service Journalism | Finalist | The Fresno Bee | “Human Trafficking” | Rory Appleton | An eye-opening series about the sex trade in the Central Valley. |
Public Service Journalism | 1st | Los Angeles Times | “Sexual Harassment in Sacramento” | Melanie Mason, Chris Megerian, Dakota Smith, Jack Dolan | Public service reporting that yields clear-cut results always reflects brightest in competitions such as this. The Times' aggressively reported look at the sexual harassment climate at the state capital in Sacramento resulted in the resignations of two legislative stalwarts once the facts exposed their pattern of regular out-and-out sexism. The newspaper's ability to get many women to step forward publicly to tell their stories was a critical piece of reporting that separated the Times from its competitors in this category. |
Public Service Journalism | 2nd | The San Diego Union-Tribune | “No help for the homeless” | Dan McSwain | It was refreshing to see a formidable good, old one-reporter campaign to improve something in a community — in this case San Diego's growing homeless problem. McSwain's regular strongly written & deeply reported missives throughout 2017 kept pressure on city leaders to once & for all get serious about addressing the problem. |
Public Service Journalism | 3rd | The Orange County Register | “Rehab Riviera: An investigation into the abuses of Southern California's drug rehab industry” | Staff | An exhaustive look at the failures of the region's many drug rehab clinics to actually rehabilitate a respectable number of clients. Instead, the reporting showed it's a seriously flawed money-first proposition in which patients are actively & competitively recruited from across the country. |
Public Service Journalism | Finalist | San Francisco Chronicle | “Fostering Failure” | Karen de Sá, Cynthia Dizikes, Joaquin Palomino, Leah Millis | Interesting look at the problematic increased level of incarceration of children across California for seemingly minor reasons. |
Special Publication | 1st | Mountain Democrat | “El Dorado County Adventures” | Mimi Escabar, Letty Baumgardner | An entry like this inspires one to hone their craft be it photography, graphic design or writing. There is a diversity of articles of interest to locals & visitors alike. This is a beautiful & well written section, & they should be very proud of their work! |
Special Publication | 2nd | The Intermountain News | “The Intermountain News Visitors Guide 2017” | Staff | Nice publication with useful, well-written information, especially for visitors to the area. Enjoyed the photography & maps. |
Special Publication | 3rd | Claremont Courier | “Claremont Courier 2017 Almanac” | Staff | Interesting concept & original – nice articles that were informative. Nice architectural photography, however, would like to have seen more life (people) in the photos. |
Special Publication | Finalist | Idyllwild Town Crier | “Explore Idyllwild Directory” | Halie Wilson, Lisa Streeter, Becky Clark, Mandy Johnson | Nice graphic design work & layout, which earned this entry placement in the Top 4. In the future, I would like to see more in-depth writing on potential subject matter. |
Special Publication | 1st | North Coast Journal | “Insider” | Staff | Engaging writing, interesting stories, nice use of photos & layouts, lots of good local information. |
Special Publication | 2nd | Monterey County Weekly | “Best of Monterey Bay Food & Drink” | Staff | Nice use of photos & layouts, solid writing, snappy heds, good local information. |
Special Publication | 3rd | Palisades News | “Official Parade Program — Palisades On Parade”" | Sue Pascoe, Manfred Hofer | I enjoyed the many angles the editors took on the annual event. Lots of good information. |
Special Publication | Finalist | Tehachapi News | “Tehachapi Visitor Guide 2017” | Staff | Full of great information for locals & visitors. |
Special Section | 1st | Silicon Valley Business Journal | “Structures 2017” | Lynn Stock, Doug Magill, Janice Bitters | Beautifully designed, compelling content. Easily the best of the entries, but could have been even better with more thoughtful photo editing. Some stories had too many repetitive photos of the same structure, e.g. the Apple building story. Pick one photo & run it large instead of five photos that illustrate extremely similar angles. |
Special Section | 2nd | Ledger Dispatch | “Best of Amador” | Jack Mitchell, Caitlyn Schaap, Sarah Tullus, Beth Barnard | |
Special Section | 3rd | Big Bear Grizzly | “Big Bear Now” | Staff | |
Special Section | Finalist | Shasta Lake Bulletin | “Shasta Lake & North State Visitors Guide” | Staff | |
Special Section | 1st | San Francisco Business Times | “Bay Area Biotech” | Richard Procter, Ron Leuty | The publication as a whole had a clean & dynamic look that felt fluid throughout. The design complemented the content, which was digestible—considering the complex topics — & engaging. |
Special Section | 2nd | Chico News & Review | “CN&R Death Issue” | Staff | |
Special Section | 3rd | Sacramento News & Review | “Sac eats the world” | Staff | |
Special Section | Finalist | Palo Alto Weekly | “Delish” | Elena Kadvany, Staff | |
Special Section | 1st | Napa Valley Register | “Inside Napa Valley” | Staff | This guide provides an awesome snapshot of the Napa Valley — from the story content & photos to the advertising. It's an extremely quality publication. I'm ready to book a flight. |
Special Section | 2nd | Imperial Valley Press | “2017 High School Football Season Preview Special Section” | Staff | The cover is very engaging...it begs to be opened & further explored. The patterned layouts make for easy reading. The photos with the athletes' autographs is a nice touch. Incorporating “football cards” of individual athletes with the advertising is a creative idea. |
Special Section | 3rd | Santa Monica Daily Press | “2017 Recipe Guide” | Matthew Hall, Jenny Medina, Darren Ouellette | This section is a creative way to focus on local restaurants & farmers. I think the overall quality would be enhanced if the images were sharper. Fruits & vegetables can really pop with color & sharpness. Some of the descriptions & photos left me salivating. Including recipes makes an inviting package. |
Special Section | Finalist | The Record | “Special section Outlook 19-17” | Staff | The use of the gears graphic on the front cover is a creative way to show how the different concepts work together. The “Edison a bright light in education...” was an interesting read. As important as agriculture is in that part of the state, I might have put the “Farmers are optimistic people closer to the front of the publication.” |
Special Section | Finalist | The Union | “The Union - A Day at Play (July 1)” | Staff | |
Special Section | 1st | The Mercury News | “Pets Magazine” | Jennifer Schaefer | Attention-keeping, fun & well-implemented diversity of graphics, photographs & page layouts. Creative mix of methods of information delivery, including articles, lists, infographics & screen captures. |
Special Section | 2nd | Los Angeles Times | “Mexico's Housing Debacle: A Failed Vision” | Staff | Thorough research & compelling photography make for a package that fully explains the situation from its genesis to the present. Explicitly connecting the subject to the subprime lending crisis in the U.S. makes it especially relevant for American readers. |
Special Section | 3rd | The Press Democrat | “Gratitude” | Staff | |
Special Section | Finalist | The Bakersfield Californian | “2017 BVarsity Football Preview” | Staff | |
Special Section | Finalist | The Fresno Bee | “Central Valley Magazine” | Staff | |
Special Section Cover | 1st | The Business Journal | “Book of Lists/Profiles in Business/Made in the Central Valley” | Joe Verduzco | The only entry that showed real creativity were The Business Journal covers. Each gave an indication of the contents by the choice of images & use of type & text on the cover. |
Special Section Cover | 2nd | Los Banos Enterprise | “Los Banos tomato festival” | Gene Lieb | Los Banos has a great tomato photo - solid black was good choice to make green & red stand out. |
Special Section Cover | 3rd | The Ark | “Special section covers” | Jeff Dempsey | The Ark Back to School cover was an exception in the three submitted. Images for the Table of Contents SHOW the topics Inside. The other two covers were not inspiring. They might want to use this cover as a template for others. |
Special Section Cover | Finalist | Calistoga Tribune | “2017 Mud City Weekender” | Pat Hampton, Clark James Mishler, Linda York, Karen Lynn Ingalls | The Weekender used color well to differentiate each special from a previous one, so if they were to be set out in a stack, each would have an independent personality. Cropping photos tighter would help in the yoga & grape stomping images - close in on the benefits & beauty of yoga, & the excitement of the grape stomp - no need to uninterested expressions on faces, etc. |
Special Section Cover | 1st | Santa Barbara Independent | “Home & Garden, Booze & Bites, Gift Guide” | Caitlin Fitch, Ben Ciccati | |
Special Section Cover | 2nd | Chico News & Review | “CN&R special section cover” | Tina Flynn, Mark Ulriksen | |
Special Section Cover | 3rd | Palisades News | “Holiday Gift Guide” | Sue Pascoe, Manfred Hofer, Shelby Pascoe | |
Special Section Cover | Finalist | Palo Alto Weekly | “Home + Garden Design” | Elizabeth Lorenz, Staff | |
Special Section Cover | 1st | The Signal | “Roland Hardson 2017 SCV High School Football Preview” | Nikolas Samuels | |
Special Section Cover | 2nd | Napa Valley Register | “Inside Napa Valley magazine” | Staff | |
Special Section Cover | 3rd | Los Angeles Times | “L.A. Times Special Section Covers: Feb. 27, Aug. 27, Dec. 31” | Michael Whitley, Kelli Sullivan, Robert Carter, Cameron Cottrell | |
Special Section Cover | Finalist | The Signal | “JT Shrout 2017 SCV High School Football Preview” | Nikolas Samuels | |
Special Sports Section | 1st | Ledger Dispatch | “Champions! Argonaut Mustangs 2017 CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI Softball Champions” | Jack Mitchell, Aaron Johnson, Jonathan Knittel | |
Special Sports Section | 2nd | Thousand Oaks Acorn | “2017 Acorn Pigskin Preview” | Staff | |
Special Sports Section | 3rd | Register-Pajaronian | “RP Special Sports Section 2017” | Tony Nunez | |
Special Sports Section | Finalist | Del Norte Triplicate | “Del Norte Warriors” | Michael Zogg, Bryant Anderson | |
Special Sports Section | Finalist | Thousand Oaks Acorn | “2017 Acorn Pigskin Preview” | Staff | |
Special Sports Section | 1st | The Signal | “2017 Football Preview” | Staff | Ambitious multi-cover presentation of the central movie-poster theme highlights this colorful, attractive & readable prep football preview. Strong writing & fine use of color & statistical features |
Special Sports Section | 2nd | The Record | “No. 34 Special sports section 217” | Staff | Well-organized & attractive, all the more so considering the large number of schools in the paper's circulation area. Well-written, with strong photography & interesting information packages. |
Special Sports Section | 3rd | The Desert Sun | “CareerBuilder Challenge” | Staff | Varied & interesting content; a well-put-together preview of a local professional event, complete with statistical resources & complementary side features. |
Special Sports Section | Finalist | Napa Valley Register | “2017 Prep Football Preview” | Marty James, Andy Wilcox, Yousef Baig | A well-written, colorful & comprehensive guide to the prep football season. |
Special Sports Section | Finalist | Imperial Valley Press | “2017 High School Football Season Preview” | ||
Special Sports Section | 1st | Los Angeles Times | “L.A. Times Baseball Preview” | Staff | |
Special Sports Section | 2nd | San Francisco Chronicle | “Warriors: Dynasty Driven / San Francisco Chronicle” | Al Saracevic, Elizabeth Burr, Janny Hu, Nicole Fruge | |
Special Sports Section | 3rd | The Fresno Bee | “Bulldogs: A new era” | Staff | |
Special Sports Section | Finalist | The San Francisco Examiner | “Mr. Reliable: Kevin Durant leads Golden State Warriors to 2017 NBA Championship” | Staff | |
Sports Action Photo | 1st | Shasta Lake Bulletin | “Battle for the Ball” | Ron Harrington | Great shot! You could shoot 100 high school football games & not get a shot like that! It's great that you can see both faces, & the shutter went off at the exact right second. |
Sports Action Photo | 2nd | Claremont Courier | “Slide into home” | Steven Felschundneff | Great action & facial expression! I love when the dust kicks up around home plate in photos. |
Sports Action Photo | 3rd | The Trinity Journal | “Eyes on his next move” | Wayne Agner | Very good shot. I like the determination that you can see in his eyes, & the defender laying on his back in the background is a nice little bonus. |
Sports Action Photo | Finalist | Los Banos Enterprise | “Football catch” | Gene Lieb | Great shot, great focus, & you can even see his face well, which is tricky in football. Only complaint (and I'm sure it's because of the lighting at the high school stadium) is that the football is pretty blurry. |
Sports Action Photo | 1st | The Davis Enterprise | “Tagging Pig-Pen” | Fred Gladdis | The entire sports package is in this photo. You have both faces & the tongue in cheek. Ball in mid-air. Dirt flying everywhere. Was he out? Safe? Depth of field is excellent. Spot on focusing. |
Sports Action Photo | 2nd | The Davis Enterprise | “Losing a helmet” | Wayne Tilcock | Could have beaten out the first place winner if the defenders face was clearer. Shooting football at night is tough. Lighting is always unknown from field to field. Excellent timing & placement of helmet. Depth of field was great. Great crop. |
Sports Action Photo | 3rd | Register-Pajaronian | “RP Sports Action Photo 1” | Tony Nunez | The emotions in this photo make it a winner. Very intense & in focus. Maybe too much in focus. Perhaps a little too much depth of field. And I would have cropped out the glaring light in the center. But you can't ignore the emotion. Good shot. |
Sports Action Photo | Finalist | The Davis Enterprise | “Header” | Wayne Tilcock | The lack of depth of field, combined with the lighting on the faces & the punch to the face makes this photo work. The ball in the upper left corner & the two faces & the shoe makes the eye follow the action nicely. Great job! |
Sports Action Photo | 1st | Moorpark Acorn | “Goal!” | Michael Coons | Excellent timing & framing, showing the emotional reactions of all the players involved in the scoring of a goal. |
Sports Action Photo | 2nd | Moorpark Acorn | “In the air” | Michael Coons | Superb timing, showing the intense concentration of young football players scrambling for a pass. |
Sports Action Photo | 3rd | Tracy Press | “Eye of the beholder” | Glenn Moore | Perfect timing & framing, showing the intense focus of a young tennis player. |
Sports Action Photo | Finalist | Moorpark Acorn | “Whoa” | Michael Coons | Nicely framed photo showing the youthful satisfaction of a well-made play. |
Sports Action Photo | 1st | Camarillo Acorn | “Ode to joy” | Michael Coons | Rodeo can be hard to shoot. This is especially well done. |
Sports Action Photo | 2nd | Camarillo Acorn | “Cowboy up!” | Bobby Curtis | Celebration photos never get old! Great job with this one! |
Sports Action Photo | 3rd | Brentwood Press | “Liberty High School girls' soccer team wins North Coast Section title” | Tony Kukulich | Great action photo of a key play. |
Sports Action Photo | Finalist | Santa Barbara Independent | “Dos Pueblos High School vs San Marcos High School Track” | Paul Wellman | Good photo of a hard moment to capture in a hurdle event. Nicely done! |
Sports Action Photo | 1st | Times-Herald | “Leap of faith” | Chris Riley | Excellent photo timing of a great athletic football play. |
Sports Action Photo | 2nd | Merced Sun-Star | “Softball catch” | Andrew Kuhn | |
Sports Action Photo | 3rd | Chico Enterprise-Record | “Fierce delivery” | Bill Husa | |
Sports Action Photo | Finalist | Lodi News-Sentinel | “Bulled by the horns” | Bea Ahbeck | |
Sports Action Photo | 1st | Marin Independent Journal | “Bobbled” | Robert Tong | |
Sports Action Photo | 2nd | The Record | “Tracy baseball” | Clifford Oto | |
Sports Action Photo | 3rd | Marin Independent Journal | “Focus” | Robert Tong | |
Sports Action Photo | Finalist | The Tribune | “Rock climber” | Joe Johnston | |
Sports Action Photo | 1st | East Bay Times | “Carr attempts touchdown, gets tackled” | Jose Fajardo | Great in-your-face action shot of quarterback losing a potential touchdown to a fumble but only getting a fleeting fingertip touch on the pigskin. Photographer had to be in the corner & close & right-on focus to capture this vivid action shot. |
Sports Action Photo | 2nd | The Sacramento Bee | “Race to the Finish” | José Luis Villegas | Good slow-shutter-speed & camera-panning image of men's 100 final with sharp focus on apparent winner. This is a chancy shot to take but when it works, it works well & this shot does just that. |
Sports Action Photo | 3rd | The Fresno Bee | “Bullard wins D1 girls soccer section championship on late-game goal” | Craig Kohlruss | Good action, good faces and, as a bonus, the ball is in the shot! |
Sports Action Photo | Finalist | The Press Democrat | “Drawing A Foul” | Christopher Chung | Good action shot of LeBron James tossing his head back & fighting to keep the ball from Klay Thompson. The slightly overhead angle the photographer chose put him in the right place to catch the intense face grimace & helped turn what could have been an average basketball action shot into a much more interesting image. I would have liked to have seen a much tighter cropping, say just below LeBron's right elbow & just slightly into the top of Thompson's head to help put even more emphasis on the facial expressions. |
Sports Action Photo | Finalist | The Sacramento Bee | “Race to the Finish” | José Luis Villegas | |
Sports Action Photo | 1st | Los Angeles Times | “Game 5 of the World Series” | Wally Skalij | |
Sports Action Photo | 2nd | The Mercury News | “Mavericks” | Patrick Tehan | |
Sports Action Photo | 3rd | Los Angeles Times | “Chargers-Eagles” | Wally Skalij | |
Sports Action Photo | Finalist | Los Angeles Times | “Hit by a Pitch” | Wally Skalij | |
Sports Feature Photo | 1st | Claremont Courier | “Rain soaked soccer” | Steven Felschundneff | |
Sports Feature Photo | 2nd | Santa Ynez Valley Star | “Ranch Rope Series” | Lauren Maeve, Raiza Giorgi | |
Sports Feature Photo | 3rd | Half Moon Bay Review | “Half Moon Bay Review Sports Feature Photo” | Jamie Soja | |
Sports Feature Photo | Finalist | The Trinity Journal | “Cold, dark & stormy night” | Wayne Agner | |
Sports Feature Photo | 1st | The Folsom Telegraph | “Salute to the little guy” | Bill Sullivan | Love the emotion on their faces. |
Sports Feature Photo | 2nd | The Folsom Telegraph | “End zone emotions” | Bill Sullivan | That's quite a meaningful hug. |
Sports Feature Photo | 3rd | Ledger Dispatch | “Youth Football Gets Patriotic” | Jeremy Malamed | Great color & composition. Cute kids too! |
Sports Feature Photo | Finalist | Ledger Dispatch | “2017 Argonaut Varsity Girls' Basketball Night” | Jack Mitchell | Joining in their excitement! |
Sports Feature Photo | 1st | Moorpark Acorn | “Time of the Season” | Michael Coons | |
Sports Feature Photo | 2nd | Los Altos Town Crier | “Hanging in Suspense” | Megan Winslow | |
Sports Feature Photo | 3rd | Lamorinda Weekly | “Campolindo wins NCS Championship- Best sports pics 2017” | Gint Federas | |
Sports Feature Photo | Finalist | The Almanac | “Rodeo” | Ana Sofia Amieva-Wang | |
Sports Feature Photo | 1st | Camarillo Acorn | “Wing walkers” | Michael Coons | The photo's composition is very artistic. The photographer made the event seem like an event I wish I had attended. |
Sports Feature Photo | 2nd | Thousand Oaks Acorn | “In the moment” | Michael Coons | The girls have great expressions. You can also see the team unity in the photo. |
Sports Feature Photo | 3rd | The Salinas Californian | “Toes up” | Chelcey Adami | It's often hard to get an interesting photo when there are lots of people but you can see the emotions on all the boys' faces. Plus it's an action shot, which isn't always easy to get. |
Sports Feature Photo | Finalist | Simi Valley Acorn | “Anticipation” | Michael Coons | Anticipation is my fourth place choice but the photo won't drag above. The photographer did a good job of catching the boys' determination. |
Sports Feature Photo | 1st | Lodi News-Sentinel | “Agony of defeat” | Bea Ahbeck | |
Sports Feature Photo | 2nd | Merced Sun-Star | “Swimmer” | Andrew Kuhn | |
Sports Feature Photo | 3rd | The Reporter | “Walk Off Victory” | Joel Rosenbaum | |
Sports Feature Photo | Finalist | The Union | “Metal mayhem closes out county fair” | Elias Funez | |
Sports Feature Photo | 1st | The Record | “Challenger tennis tournament” | Clifford Oto | |
Sports Feature Photo | 2nd | The Tribune | “Wrestler Alexis Garcia” | Joe Johnston | |
Sports Feature Photo | 3rd | The Desert Sun | “ANA Inspiration” | Jay Calderon | |
Sports Feature Photo | Finalist | The Record | “Manteca football” | Calixtro Romias | |
Sports Feature Photo | 1st | The Press Democrat | “Golden State Warriors Championship Parade” | Alvin Jornada | |
Sports Feature Photo | 2nd | The Modesto Bee | “Hilmar celebration” | Andy Alfaro | |
Sports Feature Photo | 3rd | The Press Democrat | “Iguodala & the Crowd” | Christopher Chung | |
Sports Feature Photo | Finalist | The Press-Enterprise | “Homeplate celebration” | Terry Pierson | |
Sports Feature Photo | 1st | San Francisco Chronicle | “Taking a knee” | Santiago Mejia | An intimate moment of a teammate's support as one baseball player makes a first-of-a-kind statement for Major League baseball. |
Sports Feature Photo | 2nd | Los Angeles Times | “Ready to Bat” | Wally Skalij | A pine-tarred logo & a steady gaze capture a moment of truth in the batter's box of Dodger Stadium. |
Sports Feature Photo | 3rd | Los Angeles Times | “A Win for El Toro” | Wally Skalij | Photographers can capture the moment of lifetime for young athletes. |
Sports Feature Photo | Finalist | Los Angeles Times | “In the Bullpen” | Robert Gauthier | A pitcher may just be warming up, but he also is demonstrating extraordinary form, grace & physicality. |
Sports Feature Story | 1st | St. Helena Star | “St. Helena's Sanchez brothers making history at Badwater ultramarathon” | Yousef Baig | |
Sports Feature Story | 2nd | The Ark | “With renewed passion ...” | Jeff Dempsey | |
Sports Feature Story | 3rd | St. Helena Star | “Brotherhood carrying defensive-minded PUC through historic season” | Yousef Baig | |
Sports Feature Story | Finalist | Santa Ynez Valley Star | “Shotgun Gold” | Raiza Giorgi | |
Sports Feature Story | 1st | Ledger Dispatch | “Vintage Baseball’s golden “Nugget”” | Jeremy Malamed | |
Sports Feature Story | 2nd | Petaluma Argus-Courier | “Trojans' all-league fan” | John Jackson | |
Sports Feature Story | 3rd | La Cañada Flintridge Outlook | “LCF Amateur Golf Star Takes Aim at International Glory” | Mirjam Swanson | |
Sports Feature Story | Finalist | San Marino Tribune | “It's An Entirely Different Pitch for Nate Rolfe” | Mitch Lehman | |
Sports Feature Story | 1st | North Coast Journal | “Holding on” | Linda Stansberry | The sophisticated, colorful writing perfectly captured a day in the life of a struggling rodeo. |
Sports Feature Story | 2nd | Mountain View Voice | “Rugby H2O: unusual underwater contact sport finds a home in Mountain View's city pools” | Mark Noack, Michelle Le, Andrea Gemmet | Solid, well-written piece on a sport few Californians know anything about. |
Sports Feature Story | 3rd | Pasadena Outlook | “Pasadena's Friedman Helps Build Dodgers Into World Series Contenders” | Oscar Areliz | Sophisticated, well-written profile of a local resident’s key role in rebuilding the Dodgers organization. |
Sports Feature Story | Finalist | Pasadena Outlook | “Former Maranatha Star Leads Oregon to NCAA Final Four” | Oscar Areliz | Solid, lively profile of a former high school basketball standout. |
Sports Feature Story | 1st | Sacramento News & Review | “Rock Star: Alex Honnold scales epic rock walls with nothing but his hands, feet & heart” | James Raia | Very well done. The story was constructed in a compelling manner, enhanced by graphics & illustrations. The writing was clear & the organization was strong. A clear first-place winner. |
Sports Feature Story | 2nd | Santa Barbara Independent | “Victory at Sea: Santa Barbara Surfer Ben Andrews Rides 5Foot Wave And Wins $50,000” | Keith Hamm | A strong entry with a good narrative, clean presentation, & nice photos & graphics. A compelling read. |
Sports Feature Story | 3rd | Camarillo Acorn | “And Justis for all” | Eliav Appelbaum | The story is a good one, although the writer should avoid cliches whenever possible. The photos were fine, although the presentation, overall, could have been stronger. |
Sports Feature Story | Finalist | Thousand Oaks Acorn | “A dream & a golden voice” | Jonathan Andrade | This was a good attempt, but it could have been much stronger with a better presentation & more play. Still, a nice try. |
Sports Feature Story | 1st | The Signal | “Army veteran provides leadership for COC football” | Haley Sawyer | Outstanding two-graf lead. Good flow. Wonderful, honest personal history quote: “I got stuck, like, being anxious, being depressed, not knowing if I was succeeding, what I would do, how I was going to succeed, & I kind of just lost my way for a little while,” he says. “For about a year & a half, two years maybe, I lost my way. And then I was just like, I want to play football.” I personally dislike the use of “says.” Someone “said” something in an attribution, EXCEPT if the person is repeating something — such as a politician stating a position on some burning (or dull for that matter) issue. |
Sports Feature Story | 2nd | The Signal | “7year old powerlifter from Saugus wins international gold” | Haley Sawyer | Great story of ageless determination & joy in one’s abilities. Good use of quotes, strong organization & flow, & enough detail to really set the stage to see the person in a powerful, so to speak, sense. |
Sports Feature Story | 3rd | Napa Valley Register | “Napa's Cocks to guide blind triathlete in Japan race” | Andy Wilcox | Well-written & easy to read long feature story on two remarkable women. Good tight writing & paragraphing. Flows with the ease of a downhill run on a tandem bike. |
Sports Feature Story | Finalist | The Union | “Battling back: Nevada Union’s Garrett Graves overcomes adversity, makes triumphant return for senior season” | Walter Ford | Excellent, tight writing throughout the long & detailed story of a young man with real determination & joy in what he’s doing — & going to be doing. |
Sports Feature Story | 1st | Santa Cruz Sentinel | “Wharf to Wharf 2017: Elite competitors ready to run” | Julie Jag | This story offers a unique & well-written look at the process behind the selection of elite athletes. The facts are presented in an understandable, highly readable & enjoyable way. |
Sports Feature Story | 2nd | The Tribune | “Motivated by loss, Jordan Hasay poised to be America’s next great distance runner” | Travis Gibson | The first of several stories on this list that chronicle an athlete's journey to where they feel they belong. In this case, the writing stood out as a cut above, conveying a depth of knowledge on the sport while offering a poignant glimpse into the life of the charismatic, pained & searching marathon runner at the story’s center. |
Sports Feature Story | 3rd | The Desert Sun | “Escape Act” | Andrew John | It’s always tricky to weave a complex family history into a story because it will largely be read by strangers who might get lost, but the writer pulled it off with ease here. Bookending the story with Diego De La Hoya inside the Volkswagen proved almost cinematic, especially at the end, & suggested a future he’s been working toward his entire life. |
Sports Feature Story | Finalist | Marin Independent Journal | “Former TL standout taking on the world” | Danny Schmidt | |
Sports Feature Story | 1st | The Press Democrat | “Dedication after tragedy” | Phil Barber | Heartfelt story tastefully handled. Well-done! |
Sports Feature Story | 2nd | The Fresno Bee | “Fresno State AD reveals molestation as child, tells other victims ‘don’t be ashamed’” | Carmen George | Sensitive topic well-handled. |
Sports Feature Story | 3rd | The Bakersfield Californian | “Life in the big leagues: From Bakersfield's big league family to big-league bullpen catcher” | Teddy Feinberg | Insightful look at big league life. |
Sports Feature Story | Finalist | The Fresno Bee | “Fresno State baseball knows ‘Fibber’ Hirayama is a treasure. Now you will, too” | Marek Warszawski | Interesting look at a sensitive historical subject. |
Sports Feature Story | 1st | The Orange County Register | “Inside the unregulated world of recruiting consulting services” | Ryan Kartje | Great story! Recruiting is a shady world that people don't always like to think about, but this is the kind of hard hitting story that parents & athletes in that situation really need to hear. Great information, great research, & great job of presenting both sides. Pretty good photo with the story. |
Sports Feature Story | 2nd | Los Angeles Times | “A Prospect Becomes a Suspect” | Nathan Fenno | Really good story. Great job of scouring for sources. Even though lots of people either didn't respond or declined to comment, you still did a really nice job of finding people that were willing to talk & blending that with public information to give a really detailed picture of what occurred. The biggest question that I was left with was did he ever take that CTE that his mother wanted him to get, & did it show anything? Can't see the main photo at the top of the page, but other than that the visuals were really good, & went well with the story. I especially appreciated having the court documents (though a little tricky to actually read) included as extra visuals. |
Sports Feature Story | 3rd | The San Diego Union-Tribune | “UCSD swimmer stays close to brother with Down syndrome” | Tod Leonard | Great heartwarming story. I was especially encapsulated by the descriptive writing & attention to detail used to bring things to life for the reader. It may have been nice to expand a little big more on the blog that she writes, & what her posts were about. |
Sports Feature Story | Finalist | The Mercury News | “Where Have You Gone, Tim Lincecum?” | Daniel Brown | I really enjoyed the story. It was cool to see the parallels between Lincecum's relationship with his high school & Washington transposed with the whole Giants situation. It's impressive that you were able to write a story about a subject (Lincecum) whom you did not speak with, yet still were able to teach the reader something new about. I wasn't a huge fan of the ending. It felt like the bit about Paul Simon & Joe, while interesting trivia, was just kind of shoe-horned in there to make your last sentence make sense. |
Sports Game Story | 1st | St. Helena Star | “Lower Lake hands St. Helena frustrating 314 defeat” | Yousef Baig | |
Sports Game Story | 2nd | San Marino Outlook | “Titans Reach Quarterfinals for First Time Since 1978” | Oscar Areliz | |
Sports Game Story | 3rd | St. Helena Star | “Saints look rusty after fast start as Mustangs roll, 37” | Yousef Baig | |
Sports Game Story | Finalist | Petaluma Argus-Courier | “Egg Bowl worth the wait” | John Jackson | |
Sports Game Story | 1st | Grunion Gazette | “Poly's Emotional, Improbable State Championship” | Mike Guardabascio | The Long Beach Poly girls unlikely & surprising state track & field title is well-written with excellent quotes, information & history. |
Sports Game Story | 2nd | Los Altos Town Crier | “Pinewood's quarter rally comes up short” | Pete Borello | |
Sports Game Story | 3rd | Grunion Gazette | “Women's Basketball Will Dance” | Mike Guardabascio | |
Sports Game Story | Finalist | Pasadena Outlook | “Polytechnic Erases Deficit to Win 2nd CIF Championship” | Oscar Areliz | |
Sports Game Story | 1st | Times-Herald | “Vallejo Admirals are 2017 Pacific Association champions!” | Matt O’Donnell | |
Sports Game Story | 2nd | The Union | “Gridiron Grit: How the Bear River Bruins clawed their way to a championship” | Walter Ford, Brian Shepard, Elias Funez | |
Sports Game Story | 3rd | The Desert Sun | “Splash of Controversy” | Larry Bohannan | Thought reporter did a good job breaking down a complex ruling. |
Sports Game Story | Finalist | Marin Independent Journal | “Hamilton to the rescue” | Danny Schmidt | Incredible game. Good story, very in depth, multiple sources. |
Sports Game Story | 1st | Los Angeles Times | “World Series Game 5: Gut Punch” | Andy McCullough | |
Sports Game Story | 2nd | The San Diego Union-Tribune | “Aztecs survive sorry start, defeat UNLV in OT” | Mark Zeigler | |
Sports Game Story | 3rd | Los Angeles Times | “The Rose Bowl: Late Boomer” | Zach Helfand | |
Sports Game Story | Finalist | Los Angeles Daily News | “Dodgers walk-off thriller” | Bill Plunkett | |
Sports Section | 1st | Los Angeles Times | Staff | Terrific World Series coverage. Fantastic photos & multiple perspectives make the section shine. | |
Sports Section | 2nd | San Francisco Chronicle | Al Saracevic, Janny Hu, Mike Lerseth | Variety of sports covered in section. Good layout & strong coverage of Warriors in NBA Finals. | |
Sports Section | 3rd | Napa Valley Register | Marty James, Andy Wilcox, Yousef Baig | ||
Sports Section | Finalist | Marin Independent Journal | Mark Volain, Ian Ross, Danny Schmidt, Dave Allen | ||
Sports Section | 1st | Ledger Dispatch | Jack Mitchell, Jeremy Malamed, Craig Baracco, Sarah Tullus | Good community newspaper, branching out beyond scholastic coverage. | |
Sports Section | 2nd | Register-Pajaronian | Tony Nunez | A full-service paper for its size, with coverage of everything from the NFL to community sports. Eye-grabbing layouts & strong sports photography. | |
Sports Section | 3rd | Clovis Roundup | Paul Meadors, Billy Xiong | Although the sports covers are lacking in impact, the creative & colorful Page 2 centerpieces provide balance | |
Sports Section | Finalist | Tracy Press | Bob Brownne | Strong coverage of all corners of local scholastic sports. | |
Video Journalism | 1st | Half Moon Bay Review | “Christmas dinner for all” | Carina Woudenberg | Starts with the feel of a mundane community event, but then reveals surprising emotional impact. Hinting at the powerful review earlier would likely result in strong audience response. |
Video Journalism | 2nd | Half Moon Bay Review | “The right side of the road” | Sara Hayden, Jamie Soja | Emotional interview about U.S. mistreatment of Italians in World War II (with an appropriate nod to the fare worse fate of the Japanese). Hurt by stereotypical music choices; better explanation of the series could have been helpful. |
Video Journalism | 3rd | Shasta Lake Bulletin | “Old Antlers Bridge Demolition” | Ron Harrington, Craig Harrington | Strong documentary coverage of an important community & news event. Plus explosions! The failure of parts of the demolition could have been explored more aggressively. |
Video Journalism | Finalist | Santa Ynez Valley News | “'Bug Ology,' one bite at a time” | Jason Anderson, Logan Anderson | Fun & informative video with kids, bugs & some solid information concealed in the recipe. Hurt by the artificial feeling of the event, with several people who seemed like media featured in the video. |
Video Journalism | Finalist | The Recorder | “Tiny Train Town: Sedgwick Partner's Christmas Tradition” | Jason Doiy | Well-produced interview with a funny anecdote at the end – perhaps a bit late for viewer interest. |
Video Journalism | 1st | San Francisco Business Times | “2017 Executive of the Year Joe Lacob is at the top of his game with the Golden State Warriors” | Todd Johnson, Kevin Truong, Ron Leuty | |
Video Journalism | 2nd | Grunion Gazette | “Port Disney Long Beach - Discovered History” | Jesse Lopez, Kurt A. Eichsteadt | |
Video Journalism | 3rd | Palo Alto Weekly | “A New Study To Treat Depression” | Veronica Weber | |
Video Journalism | Finalist | The Salinas Californian | “Getting out of Chinatown: Yoli's Story” | Chelcey Adami | |
Video Journalism | Finalist | Vida en el Valle | “Fresno Unified staff, teachers & students shave their heads for cancer research” | Maria Ortiz-Briones | |
Video Journalism | 1st | The Desert Sun | “For some Palm Springs homeless they ask, how to get high?” | Zoe Meyers | |
Video Journalism | 2nd | The Signal | “Santa Clarita parents fight toddler's rare terminal disease” | Austin Dave, Samie Gebers | |
Video Journalism | 3rd | The Signal | “Santa Clarita teen wrestles with death as eight friends overdose in one night” | Austin Dave | |
Video Journalism | Finalist | The Signal | “From the crash to the courtroom, simulation aims to save lives” | Austin Dave, Michelle Logan, Georgia Rios | |
Video Journalism | Finalist | The Desert Sun | “Nestle's label of spring water draws criticism” | Jay Calderon | |
Video Journalism | 1st | San Francisco Chronicle | “A life on the line” | Lea Suzuki, Manjula Varghese, Guy Wathen | The combination of video & and the audio of 911 calls made this video especially powerful. Excellent use of video to illustrate a very real problem & tell the story of this woman's life & tragic death. |
Video Journalism | 2nd | The Mercury News | “California's right-to-die law: The last days of Jil Finnegan” | LiPo Ching, Tracy Seipel, Jane Tyska | A beautiful & impactful video. Strong use of voices to help explain the decision to end one's life. It would have been easy to end this video at the moment of Jil's death. It was a wise decision to extend it beyond that. |
Video Journalism | 3rd | San Francisco Chronicle | “Borders between us” | Leah Millis | The human element of U.S. immigration policy can often be difficult to illustrate through words. This video does just that. |
Video Journalism | Finalist | Los Angeles Times | “Delphi: A Tale of Two Cities” | Katie Falkenberg | Stories on policy issues almost always need the human side to be told completely. This video is an excellent demonstration of winning & losing. Outstanding editing. |
Video Journalism | Finalist | San Francisco Chronicle | “Finding Himself” | Leah Millis | A decision of this magnitude made by a child could easily be brushed off. This video does an outstanding job of capturing the sincerity of this child & his emotions. |
Writing | 1st | Santa Ynez Valley Star | “Only The Brave” | Raiza Giorgi | |
Writing | 2nd | The Intermountain News | “Wall of secrecy at BOE” | Craig Harrington | |
Writing | 3rd | The Weekly Calistogan | “25 years at the Roastery” | Tom Stockwell | |
Writing | Finalist | The Recorder | “What You Need to Know About Emoji Law (Yes, That's a Thing)” | Ross Todd | |
Writing | Finalist | The Weekly Calistogan | “Two tales of survival in Calistoga hills” | Anne Ernst | |
Writing | 1st | The Sonoma Index-Tribune | “Tales from Crypt 31” | Jason Walsh | Really enjoyed this straightforward & well-written take on a man's quest to ensure his final resting place would be as he would like. It was tightly edited while still including historical context on the subject. |
Writing | 2nd | The Davis Enterprise | “Piano man lifts hearts of all who pass by” | Anne Ternus-Bellamy | Beautiful story about a unique personality. Tightly edited to include interesting background about the piano program while still engaging the reader. Great scene descriptions & details about his relationship with the craft as well. |
Writing | 3rd | The Sonoma Index-Tribune | “Not All Non-Citizens Are Created Equal” | Jason Walsh | A personalized & unique insight on a highly-generalized topic weaved in with relevant facts. |
Writing | Finalist | Del Norte Triplicate | “Keeping the Flame” | Jessica Cejnar | A well-written take on a community’s unique connection with controlled burns, giving ample detail on their history with it as well as how it applies to their lifestyle these days. |
Writing | Finalist | Santa Ynez Valley News | “‘The trees didn’t have time to catch fire & burn’” | Mike Hodgson | Nicely detailed story about one couple’s loss in the fire, walking through their harrowing ordeal & then the difficulty & range of emotions in the aftermath. |
Writing | 1st | The Valley Voice | “Lawsuit Claims TCSO Deputies Ambushed Innocent Man” | Dave Adalian | |
Writing | 2nd | The Downey Patriot | “Searching for Jerry Baxter” | Lawrence Christon | |
Writing | 3rd | North Coast Journal | “How to Dine Alone” | Jennifer Fumiko Cahill | |
Writing | Finalist | Palisades News | “Saving a Life While Videotaping Riots” | Laurel Busby | |
Writing | Finalist | The Downey Patriot | “For Dr. Mary Stauffer, education is the best investment” | Eric Pierce | |
Writing | 1st | Sacramento News & Review | “Killing Mom: A terminal cancer patient wants to die. Will California’s end-of-life bureaucracy let her?” | Raheem Hosseini | Beautifully written. So clear & simple in its telling, with splashes of color & imagery. A joy to read. |
Writing | 2nd | Metro Silicon Valley | “Brotopia: How the Valley’s Elite Plan to Outlive the Rest of Us” | Tori Truscheit | A fascinating look at another side of the tech elite. Great detail & depth in its storytelling. |
Writing | 3rd | New Times | “Cocaine Hustle” | Chris McGuinness | A nicely told inside look at a crime partnership. Well done. |
Writing | Finalist | Santa Barbara Independent | “Who Killed Henry Han & His Family?” | Nick Welsh | Another well told, thoroughly reported crime saga. A good story solidly written. |
Writing | Finalist | SF Weekly | “Totalitarianism: Chasing the Solar Eclipse to Idaho” | Peter Kane | Finely written but didn't get the connection between the eclipse & totalitarianism. |
Writing | 1st | Napa Valley Register | “Crying in the courtroom: Officer recounts day he found Kayleigh Slusher's body” | Maria Sestito | |
Writing | 2nd | The Whittier Daily News | “Video game currency empire brought down by FBI raid” | Brian Day | |
Writing | 3rd | The Union Democrat | “Everything for a purpose” | Giuseppe Ricapito | |
Writing | Finalist | Napa Valley Register | “After incident, a Napa man’s organs to become gifts of life” | Howard Yune | |
Writing | Finalist | The Union | “Nevada County father fights for medical marijuana awareness” | Alan Riquelmy | |
Writing | 1st | The Desert Sun | “Sonny Bono: 20 years later” | Bruce Fessier | A thorough & engaging look back at what Sonny Bono meant to Palm Springs & the desert communities, & how it all came to a tragic end. |
Writing | 2nd | The Desert Sun | “The Coldest Case” | Brett Kelman | Engrossing story 40 years in the making. Great use of records as principals were reluctant to talk. |
Writing | 3rd | The Record | “Miguel's saga” | Almendra Carpizo | Sad story of homelessness that comes with a happy ending. |
Writing | Finalist | Marin Independent Journal | “Saga of The Fork causes neighborhood stir” | Mary Ann Hogan | The right combination of fun & intrigue for a whimsical story. |
Writing | Finalist | The Tribune | “SLOStringer carved out a unique spot between the media & public safety” | Joe Tarica | |
Writing | 1st | The Fresno Bee | “Tokyo Garden is worth saving. But we may have to let it go” | Rory Appleton | Great, punchy, impactful lead. The personal stories from the writer add more color to a story that would otherwise be straightforward. |
Writing | 2nd | The Bakersfield Californian | “Remains of pilot identified, but his Bakersfield crewman still unaccounted for” | Steven Mayer | Lead hooks you in. Descriptive, emotional language keeps you reading. |
Writing | 3rd | The Press Democrat | “Hope Amid the Ruins” | Meg McConahey | |
Writing | Finalist | The Fresno Bee | “Fresno State baseball knows 'Fibber' Hirayama is a treasure. Now you will, too” | Marek Warszawski | |
Writing | Finalist | The San Francisco Examiner | “Murder trial nears end in the controversial killing of Kate Steinle” | Michael Barba | |
Writing | 1st | The Mercury News | “Hanging: The Mysterious Case of the Boy in the Barn” | Julia Prodis Sulek | I agree this article artfully combines quality investigative journalism with a sensitivity that humanizes all the subjects. Appropriate tone, language effectively conveys the mood of this case. Appreciate the thorough research that went into this, & the storytelling qualities. Full of revealing, sobering & intriguing details. |
Writing | 2nd | Los Angeles Times | “Dirty John” | Christopher Goffard | Well written & constructed story. It reads like a mini novel, keeping the reader in suspense until the very end. It also combines quality investigative journalism with sensitivity for all the subjects. |
Writing | 3rd | San Francisco Chronicle | “A Life on the Line” | Vivian Ho | This series effectively tackles the subject of domestic violence. It is informative & balanced, & clearly exposes the holes that still exist in our systems to protect victims. |
Writing | Finalist | The Orange County Register | “Homecoming queen dream comes true for Riley McCoy, the girl who can't go out in the sun” | Keith Sharon | Enticing lead & well-written story giving the reader a glimpse into what life is like for Riley & how other individuals involved in her life are working to make her journey the best it can be. |
Writing | Finalist | Los Angeles Times | “Cold Case” | Kate Mather | |
Online General Excellence | 1st | Silicon Valley Business Journal | bizjournals.com/sanjose/ | Staff | |
Online General Excellence | 2nd | The Sonoma Index-Tribune | sonomanews.com | Staff | |
Online General Excellence | 3rd | Petaluma Argus-Courier | petaluma360.com | Staff | |
Online General Excellence | Finalist | Ledger Dispatch | ledger.news | Staff | |
Online General Excellence | Finalist | Claremont Courier | claremont-courier.com | Staff | |
Online General Excellence | 1st | San Francisco Business Times | sanfranciscobusinesstimes.com | Staff | Strong news content, good headlines. Video of Chase Center construction timely, interesting. |
Online General Excellence | 2nd | The Valley Voice | ourvalleyvoice.com | Staff | |
Online General Excellence | 3rd | Palo Alto Weekly | paloaltoonline.com | Staff | |
Online General Excellence | Finalist | Mountain View Voice | mv-voice.com | Staff | |
Online General Excellence | Finalist | Pleasanton Weekly | pleasantonweekly.com | Staff | |
Online General Excellence | 1st | Santa Maria Times | santamariatimes.com | Staff | This entry was my standout favorite. Very easy to navigate, full of local news, not busy or overcomplicated. I love the masthead. Also enjoyed some of the coverage, such as the "Good News" story I stumbled on—clearly community driven. |
Online General Excellence | 2nd | The Union | theunion.com | Staff | A great deal of effort went into the creation of this website, clearly. Although quite busy, I did not get the feeling I was being fed filler stories or "spam" that some newspaper sites deliver. Overall very good. |
Online General Excellence | 3rd | The Tribune | sanluisobispo.com | Staff | This website was easy to navigate & full of local news. Impressive overall. |
Online General Excellence | Finalist | Record Searchlight | redding.com | Staff | |
Online General Excellence | Finalist | The Record | recordnet.com | Staff | |
Online General Excellence | 1st | San Francisco Chronicle | sfchronicle.com | Staff | The home page balanced local, state & regional news all presented in a clean layout. There were many attention-catching headlines, but each section didn't seem overcrowded or overwhelming to the eye. |
Online General Excellence | 2nd | The Press Democrat | pressdemocrat.com | Staff | The website was well-organized & I appreciated the headings within each section. The website has a good balance of photos & text given how much content is published. |
Online General Excellence | 3rd | The Fresno Bee | fresnobee.com | Staff | The integration of photos & videos throughout the website draws you into what the story is all about. There was a clear distinction on all the pages between the stories & ads, which were also sectioned off into designated areas instead of being integrated. |
Online General Excellence | Finalist | Los Angeles Times | latimes.com | Staff | The full banner ad at the top of each section below the heading takes away from useful space for a story, especially on the home page, but the following content gave the impression that the Times is up to date with the latest news. The spacing of the articles & between stories was also easy to navigate. |
Online General Excellence | Finalist | The Mercury News | mercurynews.com | Staff | I applaud the breadth of coverage from a local, state & regional standpoint, however the ads at times became distracting from the news itself. |
General Excellence | 1st | Claremont Courier | Staff | Adventures in Haiku rocks! I also appreciated the readers comments on Page 2, thinking that’s pretty smart. The house ads were also a good idea that is well-implemented. I love the occasional humor in the Police Blotter, too. Nobody does long and interesting obituaries anymore, so this was a treat. This is intensely local and so well done. | |
General Excellence | 2nd | Half Moon Bay Review | Staff | The Half Moon Bay Review has a very nice design — well labeled, nice front, one big photo and refers, clean layout, and good, solid photos. The editorial pages are excellent, with interesting editorial cartoons. Letters on Page 2 are nice. The obits are wonderful, the ad stacks unobtrusive, the calendar attractive and the staff profiles are well done. | |
General Excellence | 3rd | Calistoga Tribune | Staff | The Calistoga Tribune has really great photos. The fire coverage was good for small paper. Nice editor's notes on letters. Reads like a local newspaper that knows its community well. | |
General Excellence | Finalist | Lompoc Record | Staff | Lots to like here. Good use of photos throughout. Layout on feature sections impressive. Good overall local coverage and solid local sports. | |
General Excellence | Finalist | The Trinity Journal | Staff | Nice photos throughout The Trinity Journal. Good local news content but centered headlines should be used only in features. Otherwise a clean look. Listings should always be flush left. The sheriff's listing looks very awkward and hard to read. | |
General Excellence | 1st | Silicon Valley Business Journal | Staff | I already find this more compelling and diverse than a larger category’s submission, although they seem to be owned by the same group. Compelling photos of people, not just mugs, buildings and architectural renderings, although some are photo illustrations and not so labeled. I loved the tech garden campus photo page. This is a very approachable business journal. A well-designed, well-written, insightful paper that reflects the area’s business community on multiple levels. Design and diversity of content engages the reader. | |
General Excellence | 2nd | Petaluma Argus-Courier | Staff | The Petaluma Argus-Courier is a really usable, reader-friendly paper that includes solid journalism. Good tailoring of fire coverage to the readership. Broad scope of coverage with sports section, schools/youth and community, weekend, food, opinion. | |
General Excellence | 3rd | The Sonoma Index-Tribune | Staff | First rate coverage of wine country fires including writing, news people can use, photography, design, ads. The coverage under extreme conditions stands out as an example of how local journalism tells readers' stories and acts as an anchor and source of usable information during crisis. All sections of the paper reflect this commitment. | |
General Excellence | Finalist | The Business Journal | Staff | The Business Journal is a comprehensive look at business issues and people in the community. The stories are well-written, and the paper has a good ad/news content ratio. | |
General Excellence | Finalist | The Folsom Telegraph | Staff | The Folsom Telegraph knows its readership and plays to it. It recognizes the place of the prison in the community. Writing is clean and the content is broad-based with community features, sports, food, entertainment, fun features such as Folsom Zoo and man on the street. The paper maintains a balanced ad/news content ratio. | |
General Excellence | 1st | Mountain View Voice | Staff | The Mountain View Voice is cleanly designed with cohesive typography. Pages look pretty much the same from one week to the next, though. Stories make you care about the topic, such as the car break-ins and the poplar tree stand on the front. A lot of sharing of stories and ads, especially editorials and entertainment listings, garden supplement, with sister papers. Good mix of local, local news and entertainment. It’s a newsy publication and seems like it is in touch with the community it covers. | |
General Excellence | 2nd | San Francisco Business Times | Staff | Good mix of stories (news, analysis, themed sections). Good use of graphics. | |
General Excellence | 3rd | Tracy Press | Staff | The Tracy Press is an excellent community newspaper that tackles tough issues in community. Good reporting. Varied content (good features, event coverage, sports). Vibrant opinion page. Good design. | |
General Excellence | Finalist | Pleasanton Weekly | Staff | The Pleasanton Weekly is a very good read with a nice mix of stories (news, entertainment, sports and a well-reported, in-depth cover story). | |
General Excellence | Finalist | Lamorinda Weekly | Staff | The Lamorinda Weekly is chock full of different types of stories that make an interesting local read. Good news coverage. Need to work on design, especially to make sure headlines fit across columns. | |
General Excellence | 1st | Sacramento News & Review | Staff | The Sacramento News & Review has a total sense of place, with relevant news stories that look at the big picture. This is a gritty, no-holds barred publication when it sets its mind to it, with edgy and smart writing and art. The cover design is excellent. | |
General Excellence | 2nd | Monterey County Weekly | Staff | The writing in the Monterey County Weekly is witty and smart. Plenty of local news, tending toward government and business. The opinion pages are good, with varied points of view. Love the Photo of the Week, as it actually shows something. Headlines in general are witty. This is a first-rate publication. | |
General Excellence | 3rd | Chico News & Review | Staff | ||
General Excellence | Finalist | Palo Alto Weekly | Staff | ||
General Excellence | Finalist | New Times | Staff | ||
General Excellence | 1st | The Union | Staff | Strong, clean design guides the reader nicely into these stories. Great to see a cover and immediate ensuing pages filled with staff-written local coverage and some reader-generated content. Local focus shines throughout. Police blotter’s always a favorite. Short on news briefs, and the unbylined “submitted” stories are a bit disconcerting — is that paid content? Nice design — perhaps too many art heads — but it works. Loved the engaging entertainment section. | |
General Excellence | 2nd | Appeal-Democrat | Staff | Fantastic and thorough coverage of a huge news event that rocked the community. Use of timelines, personal accounts and strong photography drove it home. This paper did a wonderful job of humanizing a big and sometimes complicated topic while doing its best to keep readers informed and aware. | |
General Excellence | 3rd | Napa Valley Register | Staff | The Register may be small on page count, but it’s big on local news coverage. Alongside fantastic articles and photography of the Northern California fires in these editions, the Register provides local news briefs, local real-estate coverage and business briefs and an all-local opinion-and-letters page. With bold photography and good organization and design, this paper seems to be doing its readers great local service. | |
General Excellence | Finalist | Santa Maria Times | Staff | Good mix of local and regional stories but an over-reliance on wire news from far-flung areas. Good use of photography. Sports coverage was thorough and impressive at the prep level. | |
General Excellence | Finalist | Times-Standard | Staff | A significant amount of well-written hyperlocal news coverage, complete with what amounts to a second front page with even more local coverage. Nice to see strong local contributions to the Arts and Sports sections. Though it’s cookie-cutter design from a centralized desk, it’s still effective and does a good service to guiding the reader through the paper. Some odd headline choices, however, like hanging fourth-line decks with a single short word? | |
General Excellence | 1st | The Desert Sun | Staff | Wow! Every page in The Desert Sun has a moment of serendipity. The paper has strong design throughout, including the atypical treatment for the opinion pages, using photos for local editorials, letters and columns. The prep sports coverage is excellent, particularly the football flashback with its engagement points. The Las Vegas shooting package stood out, as did small touches like the Political Insider column. | |
General Excellence | 2nd | Marin Independent Journal | Staff | Like that local news is toward the front. Six-Word Stories is fun idea. Extensive fire coverage from many angles. The drama comes through in some of the stories. | |
General Excellence | 3rd | The Tribune | Staff | ||
General Excellence | Finalist | The Record | Staff | ||
General Excellence | 1st | The Press Democrat | Staff | This publication weaves a sense of place in every paragraph. The photography was excellent and the graphics were helpful and clear. I really liked the “By the Numbers” feature and the “how to get help” or “get involved” sidebars. Similarly, the “Tell Us” and reaching out to hear readers’ stories were nicely done. This writing was exceptional, especially during the fire it was full of pathos and empathy. It stands out as breaking news reporting that gets to the next level of diving deep. There were local editorials that were well done. This publication knows how to design and use images for impact. I don’t live near here, at all, but wanted to subscribe to get a dose of great writing and photos. | |
General Excellence | 2nd | The Sacramento Bee | Staff | The Sacramento Bee is a well-designed newspaper. The headlines, images and writing gave a sense of urgency. The newsroom seems good at finding oft-overlooked stories. Fire and Kings coverage was good. | |
General Excellence | 3rd | The Bakersfield Californian | Staff | ||
General Excellence | Finalist | The Fresno Bee | Staff | ||
General Excellence | Finalist | The Modesto Bee | Staff | ||
General Excellence | Finalist | The San Francisco Examiner | Staff | ||
General Excellence | 1st | San Francisco Chronicle | Staff | The San Francisco Chronicle knows its audience and its stuff. The writing is clear and compelling, the photos and graphics are very good. Headlines were clear and descriptive. Feature stories offer a good mix of heart-warming and information. The Chronicle had many varied paths to fully cover the fires. There was a good bit of serendipity with nice finds tucked throughout the pages. I loved the choice of words, such as humdinger, flabbergasted, kablooey. This gives the writing such texture. Great attention to sports and business in these editions. This publication is massive with something for everyone. | |
General Excellence | 2nd | Los Angeles Times | Staff | The Los Angeles Times is full of compelling, well-crafted stories. The paper has lots of local news and a robust sports section, all complemented by good photographs. The lifestyle and entertainment sections were well done and the travel section was fun. Opinions were strong. | |
General Excellence | 3rd | The Mercury News | Staff | ||
General Excellence | Finalist | The San Diego Union-Tribune | Staff |