Here are most of the winners of the 2013 SPJ Northwest Excellence in Journalism Contest for daily newspapers with a circulation of 25,001 to 65,000. This honors the best in journalism in SPJ’s Region 10, which includes Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. This year’s contest covers work produced or published in 2013. The awards were announced at ceremonies Saturday in Seattle and Portland, Oregon.
General Excellence
1st place: The Bulletin
2nd place: The Columbian
3rd place: The Daily Herald, Everett, Washington
Comprehensive Coverage
1st place: Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News, State of Intoxication
2nd place: Tyler Graf, The Columbian, “Travis &Mandy: A journey through addiction,” “Down a winding path” and “Paths to Sobriety diverge”
3rd place: Scott North and Noah Haglund, The Daily Herald, Fall from grace
Investigative Reporting
1st place: Scott North and Noah Haglund, The Daily Herald, Aaron Reardon’s fall from grace
2nd place: Stevie Mathieu, The Columbian, Benton’s ballyhooed management experience is hazy
3rd place: Aaron Corvin, The Columbian, Port of Vancouver open meetings law violations
Spot News Reporting
1st place: Diana Hefley and Rikki King, The Daily Herald, Everyone he met mattered to him
2nd place: Gale Fiege and Eric Stevick, The Daily Herald, All Saved After Bridge Collapses
3rd place: Bill Sheets, The Daily Herald, Lake Stevens runner just feet away from explosion
Crime and Justice Reporting
1st place: Eric Stevick, The Daily Herald, A bleak life, a tragic death
2nd place: Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News, A knock at the door
3rd place: Tyler Richardson, Tri-City Herald, Sex offenders next door
Government &Politics Reporting
1st place: Noah Haglund and Diana Hefley, The Daily Herald, Stuck with the bill 2nd place: Ross Courtney, Yakima Herald-Republic, Mad Cow: Did We Learn Anything
3rd place: Tyler Graf, The Columbian, Officials online learn new roles for chat
Health Reporting
1st place: Markian Hawryluk, The Bulletin, This little clinic said “no” to big pharma
2nd place: Markian Hawryluk,The Bulletin (Bend, Ore.), Blocking Generics
3rd place: Quinn Brown, The Daily Herald, From professor to patient
Environment &Science Reporting
1st place: Aaron Corvin, The Columbian, Uneasy neighbors
2nd place: Eric Florip, The Columbian, A world of interest in St. Helens science
3rd place: Kate Prengaman, Yakima Herald-Republic, Paradise, watered down
Business Reporting
1st place: Elon Glucklich, The Bulletin, State action opens new front on MERS
2nd place: Aaron Corvin, The Columbian, Nike recruitment efforts revealed
3rd place: Julie Muhlstein, The Daily Herald, For mill workers, a year shaped by loss
Social Issues Reporting
1st place: Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News, Fighting a killer: How Nome built a safety net for drinkers
2nd place: Sara Schilling, Tri-City Herald, The Charitable Cities
3rd place: Diana Hefley, The Daily Herald, Two strangers, two saviors
Personalities Reporting
1st place: Andrea Brown, The Daily Herald, Hot rod legend is still popping wheelies
2nd place: Andrea Brown, The Daily Herald, This housewife is the real deal
3rd place: Tom Vogt, The Columbian, Deep Respect
Lifestyles Reporting
1st place: Tom Vogt, The Columbian, Lawn-ch of a Lifetime
2nd place: Andrea Brown, The Daily Herald, More men dyeing to look younger
3rd place: Marissa Harshman, The Columbian, A hunger for food knowledge
Long Feature Story
1st place: Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News, After the crash
2nd place: Sheila Miller, The Bulletin, The (ex) spy among us
3rd place: Mike Dunham, Anchorage Daily News, 70 years ago this month the Battle of Attu raged
Arts Reporting
1st place: Andrea Brown, The Daily Herald, Gordon Ramsay comes to town
2nd place: Gale Fiege, The Daily Herald, And the rest is music history
3rd place: Pat Muir, Yakima Herald-Republic, Art &Ambition (Mighty Tieton’s Mosaic Project)
Sports Reporting
1st place: Roger Underwood, Yakima Herald-Republic, The Paper Trail (CWU football coach firing)
2nd place: Craig Craker, Tri-City Herald, Smaller moments make for big miracle
3rd place: Dave Thomas, Yakima Herald-Republic, Minor Leagues, Major Hurdles: Pro Sports in Yakima Valley face uphill struggle
Sports Feature Story
1st place: Eric Stevick, The Daily Herald, Small gesture, big difference
2nd place: Paul Valencia, The Columbian. Blocking Cancer
3rd place: Craig Craker, Tri-City Herald, Tough girl
Sports Column
1st place: Greg Jayne, The Columbian, Greg Jayne: Feb. 10; May 12; July 14
2nd place: John Boyle, The Daily Herald, 1) Hey! Why so late? 2) Stern takes another jab 3) Wrestling’s Olympic flameout
3rd place: Roger Underwood, Yakima Herald-Republic, Feeling at home (first of three columns in entry)
Editorial &Commentary
1st place: John Laird, The Columbian, In our view: March 8; May 3; July 11
2nd place: Neal Pattison, The Daily Herald, 1) A damnable convenience 2) Let’s not take a flying leap 3) Baseball’s rivalry chills out
3rd place: Peter Jackson,The Daily Herald, 1) Hope for the waterfront 2) Peace after the IAM vote 3) Hitching to conservation
General Column
1st place: Julie Muhlstein, The Daily Herald, 1) At-risk youths urged to ask ‘if’ 2) Long before Seahawks’ 12th man 3) Survivors share, release
2nd place: Greg Jayne, The Columbian, Greg Jayne: Sept. 22; Oct. 20; Oct. 27
3rd place: John Laird, The Columbian, John Laird: Jan. 20; Feb. 3; May 26
Page Design
1st place: Katie Mayer, The Daily Herald, 1) All saved … 2) Fall from grace 3) Ahhh, autumn
2nd place: Marsha Matta, The Columbian
Page design: Feb. 3; Oct. 20; Dec. 29
3rd place: Savannah Tranchell, Yakima Herald-Republic, Three page designs
Headlines
1st place: Dave Leder, Yakima Herald-Republic, The bong squad (first of six headlines in entry)
2nd place: Colleen Keller, The Columbian
3rd place: Susan Abe, The Columbian
News Photography
1st place: Larry Mayer, Billings Gazette, Shooting Reaction
2nd place: Ross Courtney, Yakima Herald-Republic, Prosser wildfire
3rd place: Larry Mayer, Billings Gazette, Flood Cleanup
Sports Photography
1st place: Troy Wayrynen, The Columbian, Snowshoeing
2nd place: Nick Adams, The Everett Herald, Golf Watch
3rd place: Zachary Kaufman, The Columbian, Dunked
Meanwhile, HeraldNet.com won the award for best general news website, competing across all media and newspaper circulation sizes:
1st place: The Daily Herald, HeraldNet.com
2nd place: KING-TV, KING5.com
3rd place: Seattle Times, Seattletimes.com
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.