2020 California Journalism Awards - Digital Division
Feature Story ( Monthly Unique Visitors: 100,001-400,000)Back
Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: CalMatters Entry Title: The pandemic’s great divide: Twelve hours in an L.A. restaurant Entry Credit: Nigel Duara Judge Comment: Nigel Duara?s piece offers a window into an L.A. vegan restaurant that few readers have ever visited, but it feels as if Duara could be peering behind the counter at any of our favorite local joints. We?ve all watched as the lights went out in some of our favorite local eateries, wondering which would be next, hoping that our favorite server is earning enough to live. Duara captures the uncertainty from inside, nailing the voices of the frustrated owners frantically looking for answers, the servers struggling to make the rent and feed their own families, the bored bartenders and brewers standing in front of empty barstools. The headline says 12 hours inside, but it feels as if he has spent months bumping up against these people in a tight kitchen and is telling the readers their backstory over a beer after a long shift.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Palo Alto Weekly Entry Title: Inside The Queen’s Gambit: Exploring the unknown Bay Area origins of the Netflix hit Entry Credit: Charles Russo Judge Comment: Charles Russo?s compelling story of a hometown boy who found success, though never real fame, is made all the more enjoyable by its underlying search for answers about how Walter Tevis? name and literature remain divorced from the stories he?s told us, even in his hometown of San Francisco. With witty wordplay worthy of Beth Harmon, Russo guides us through a brief history Tevis? life, explaining the foundations of his semi-autobiographical protagonist. A fascinating and fun read that will hopefully help introduce Tevis? name ? and perhaps even his work ? to a new generation.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: CalMatters Entry Title: For some California teens, school closures led to work in the fields Entry Credit: Elizabeth Aguilera Judge Comment: Elizabeth Aguilera offers an important and under-told story about the pandemic?s stunting effect on migrant students? education. Aguilar?s story offers readers a view of this vulnerable population, whose only vehicle to a better life is education, and serves as a stark reminder of the startling inequities in American education.
Place Name: Fourth Place Contestant Name: Long Beach Post Entry Title: When COVID-19 stranded them in the U.S., a killing tore this family apart Entry Credit: Valerie Osier, Stephanie Rivera Judge Comment: None
Place Name: Fifth Place Contestant Name: Palo Alto Weekly Entry Title: How San Jose became America’s Vietnamese food mecca Entry Credit: Elena Kadvany Judge Comment: None
