Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Thousand Oaks Acorn Entry Title: Invisible T.O. Entry Credit: Dawn Megli Judge Comment: This was a strong and competitive division, but the Acorn nonetheless clearly stood out above the rest with its very thorough reporting, including extensive reporting from the field, and very clear writing into a topic that may be the most profound facing California today and for coming years.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Santa Barbara Independent Entry Title: One Santa Barbara Deputy, Five Violent Deaths Entry Credit: Tyler Hayden Judge Comment: None
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Metro Silicon Valley Entry Title: California Gets Devastating Welcome to Era of Megafies Entry Credit: Jennifer Wadsworth Judge Comment: None
Place Name: Fourth Place Contestant Name: Monterey County Weekly Entry Title: Tara Reade, Joe Biden's accuser—the local connection Entry Credit: Mary Duan, Sara Rubin, Asaf Shalev Judge Comment: None
