Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Capital & Main Entry Title: On the Front Lines of “Reopen America” Entry Credit: Steve Appleford Judge Comment: Wonderful contrarian piece. Vivid direct street reporting with great use of quotes and excellent photos. This detailed look at those protesting the partial shutdowns during the pandemic goes a long way to airing these people's points of view and, as importantly, distinguishes between their rationales and those of virulent Trump supporters.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: California Health Report Entry Title: Alternatives to Calling the Police for Domestic Violence Survivors Entry Credit: Claudia Boyd-Barrett Judge Comment: Very compelling anecdotal lede and a wide-ranging look at the issues. Nicely took care of arguments for police intervention both through analysis and individual case stories. But the story becomes very abstract in the discussion about solutions. Would have been great to hear of real world examples in this section to match the vivid examples of abuse.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: California Health Report Entry Title: How Colleges Are Supporting Students Leaving Abusive Relationships Entry Credit: Claudia Boyd-Barrett Judge Comment: Good examination of the problem and excellent use of your protagonist, weaving her throughout the story. Weakness is that while you write about the support resources universities can provide, you don't really directly confront a key dilemma. In what way can schools of any sort actually "prevent gender-based violence," especially if it occurs off campus.
