Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: The San Diego Union-Tribune Entry Title: Returned series Entry Credit: Kate Morrissey, Nelvin C. Cepeda, Lauryn Schroeder, Alejandro Tamayo, Michelle Guerrero Judge Comment: The accessible explanatory journalism demonstrated throughout this project helps renew interest in a subject that we've heard about endlessly in recent years. It helped that the writers were able to weave in compelling personal anecdotes with all the data -- without weighing down the story unnecessarily.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Los Angeles Times Entry Title: A Toxic Secret Lurks in Deep Sea Entry Credit: Rosanna Xia, Sean Greene Judge Comment: Fascinating topic; and the writers and designers provided great execution on the presentation. Good job keeping a potentially dry story understandable and readable.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: San Francisco Chronicle Entry Title: The Suspect Next Door Entry Credit: Matthias Gafni Judge Comment: This was a story that could have been treated like any other homicide story -- superficially, only through police and court coverage -- but the decision to dig deep was a good one. Readers got a fascinating exploration of the local legal system that offered resolution for all parties and didn't feel exploitative.
Place Name: Fourth Place Contestant Name: The Sacramento Bee Entry Title: Nothing Wild Entry Credit: Ryan Sabalow Judge Comment: I loved how this series tied disparate environmental topics into a single thread. Unique approach!
Place Name: Fifth Place Contestant Name: Kaiser Health News Entry Title: Dialysis Industry Spends Millions, Emerges as Power Player in California Politics Entry Credit: Samantha Young Judge Comment: None
