New York Times media reporter David Carr hosted the 9th annual Alternative Newsweekly Awards Friday at the AAN Convention in San Antonio. (See
accompanying story.)
Two newspapers with circulation under 50,000 took the highest number of first-place awards: three each. Independent Weekly of Durham, N.C., won in the Column, Investigative Reporting and News Story categories. Orlando Weekly won in the Illustration, Political Commentary and Religion Reporting categories.
A story in the Ventura County Reporter, "Horace Bristol," won first place both in the Arts Feature and Editorial Layout categories.
Following is a list of the winners.
ARTS CRITICISM
Circulation < 50,000 First Place: Devin O’Leary, Weekly Alibi
Second Place: James McWilliams, Texas Observer
Third Place: Scot Lockman, Birmingham Weekly
Circulation > 50,000 First Place: Christine Biederman, Dallas Observer
Second Place: Brendan Bernhard, L.A. Weekly
Third Place: J.R. Jones, Chicago Reader
ARTS FEATURE
Circulation < 50,000 First Place: “Horace Bristol,” Hillary Johnson, Ventura County Reporter
Second Place: “The Mad Projectionist,” John Citrone, Folio Weekly
Third Place: “A Love Story,” Brenda Bell, Texas Observer
Honorable Mention: “Culture Club,” Celeste Miller and Emili Vesilind, Syracuse New Times
Circulation > 50,000 First Place: “The Ace is Wild: The Doug Chrismas Story,” Kristine McKenna, L.A. Weekly
Second Place: “Iraq War: The Movie,” Tim Appelo, Seattle Weekly
Third Place/Tie: “Disjointed,” Blake de Pastino, Baltimore City Paper
Third Place/Tie: “Girl,” Felicia Fester, Creative Loafing Atlanta
CARTOON
Fewer than five publications First Place: “Callahan,” John Callahan
Second Place: “Slowpoke,” Jen Sorensen
Third Place: “Samson Seagull,” Arden Hendrie
Honorable Mention: “The Pain, When Will It End?” Timothy Kreider
Five or more publications First Place: “Slow Wave,” Jesse Reklaw
Second Place: “This Modern World,” Tom Tomorrow
Third Place: “The City,” derf (John Backderf)
Honorable Mention: “Tom the Dancing Bug,” Ruben Bolling
COLUMN
Circulation < 50,000
First Place: Melinda Ruley, Independent Weekly
Second Place: Kathy Wilson, Cincinnati City Beat
Third Place: Donna Ladd, Jackson Free Press
Honorable Mention: Cara DeGette, Colorado Springs Independent
Circulation > 50,000 First Place: Bob Norman, New Times Broward-Palm Beach
Second Place: Tristram Korten, Miami New Times
Third Place: Joshua Greene, Cleveland Free Times
COLUMN -- POLITICAL COMMENTARY
Circulation < 50,000 First Place: Bob Whitby, Orlando Weekly
Second Place: Jack Spula, City Newspaper
Third Place: Kyle Whitmire, Birmingham Weekly
Circulation > 50,000 First Place: Dan Williamson, The Other Paper
Second Place: Tim Fleck, Houston Press
Third Place/Tie: Bob Norman, New Times Broward-Palm Beach
Third Place/Tie: Nat Hentoff, Village Voice
COVER DESIGN
Circulation < 50,000 First Place: Julie Barnett, San Antonio Current
Second Place: Tak Toyoshima, Boston’s Weekly Dig
Third Place: Gregory Dickens, MetroBEAT
Circulation > 50,000 First Place: Joe MacLeod, Baltimore City Paper
Second Place: Andrea Diaz-Vaughn, Larry Dalton and James McHughes, Sacramento News & Review
Third Place: Tim Silbaugh and Johanna Goodman, Seattle Weekly
EDITORIAL LAYOUT
Circulation < 50,000 First Place: “Horace Bristol,” Monica McGregor, Ventura County Reporter
Second Place: “Against the Odds,” Liz Holm and M.J. Sharp, Independent Weekly
Third Place: “Cover Up,” Diane Sullivan and Donald Eggert, Seven Days
Circulation > 50,000 First Place: “Ms. Fat-So,” Tricia Reinhold, Pittsburgh City Paper
Second Place: “A User's Guide to Kicking,” John Curry, L.A. Weekly
Third Place: “DIY Directory,” Anne Reeser, Jason Landis and Carson Ellis, Willamette Week
Honorable Mention: “Fast, Cheap, Out of this World,” Joe MacLeod, Baltimore City Paper
Honorable Mention: “Gary Coleman for Governor!” Mark Gartland, East Bay Express
FEATURE STORY
Circulation < 50,000 First Place: “Why Andy Won’t Die,” Dusty Rhodes, Illinois Times
Honorable Mention: “An Unresolved Death,” Mike Keefe-Feldman, Missoula Independent
Circulation > 50,000 First Place: “The Girl Who Played Dead,” Julie Lyons, Dallas Observer
Second Place: “War of Words,” Joe Miller, The Pitch
Third Place: “How Sweet It Was,” Celeste Fraser Delgado, Miami New Times
Honorable Mention: “Fishing the Mainstream,” Tommy Craggs, SF Weekly
Honorable Mention: “A Duty to Hack,” Matt Palmquist, SF Weekly
FOOD WRITING
Circulation < 50,000 First Place: S.C. Davis, MetroBEAT
Second Place: Ron Bechtol, San Antonio Current
Third Place: Adam Wilcox, City Newspaper
Circulation > 50,000 First Place: Robb Walsh, Houston Press
Second Place: Dara Moskowitz, City Pages (Twin Cities)
Third Place: Robert Sietsema, Village Voice
Honorable Mention: Jonathan Kauffman, East Bay Express
FORMAT BUSTER
Circulation < 50,000 First Place: “Clubscrawl,” Staff, Columbus Alive
Second Place: “Mayoral Pop Quiz,” Ted S. McGregor, Pacific Northwest Inlander
Third Place: “The Great Gubernatorial Quiz,” Hillary Johnson, Ventura County Reporter
Circulation > 50,000 First Place: “2003 Illustrated,” Michael Mechanic and Jesse Reklaw, East Bay Express
Second Place: “Expresso,” Dave Nuttycombe, Washington City Paper
Third Place: “The Seminal Test,” John Graham, Willamette Week
Honorable Mention: “What Do You Do?” Kevin Banks, Boston Phoenix
ILLUSTRATION
Circulation < 50,000 First Place: “Face Off,” Joe Bluhm, Orlando Weekly
Second Place: “Children of the Damned,” Peat Shaulis, Fort Worth Weekly
Third Place: “Oscar! Oscar!” Marc Bell, The Coast
Honorable Mention: “Scenes from the Underground,” Sandra Hoover, Reno News & Review
Circulation > 50,000 First Place: “Clan of the Cave Geek,” Chris Sickels, Cleveland Scene
Second Place: “The Great Left Hope,” Ismael Roldan, SF Weekly
Third Place: “Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid,” Schonie Hamilton, John Yardley, Jim Stawniak and David Chestnut, Creative Loafing Atlanta
Honorable Mention: “The Best of Tucson,” John Craig, Tucson Weekly
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
Circulation < 50,000 First Place: “Deep Trouble,” Jennifer Strom, Independent Weekly
Second Place: “The Orkin Scam,” Jeffrey C. Billman, Orlando Weekly
Third Place: “Buncombe Justice on Trial,” Cecil Bothwell, Mountain Xpress,
Circulation > 50,000 First Place/Tie: “Stolen Souls,” Dan Malone, Fort Worth Weekly
First Place/Tie: “Death, Maiming, Money and Muni," Peter Byrne, SF Weekly
Second Place: “The War Within,” Julie Jargon, Westword
Honorable Mention: “Innocent!” Adam Clay Thompson, San Francisco Bay Guardian
MEDIA REPORTING
Circulation < 50,000 First Place: “News Kid on the Block,” Justin Park, Syracuse New Times
(Park's story is also the recipient of the Connye Miller Award for Media Reporting.) Honorable Mention: “Send in the Scabs,” Jeffrey C. Billman, Orlando Weekly
Honorable Mention: “News Wars,” Joe Piaseki, Pasadena Weekly
Circulation > 50,000 First Place: “Off Target,” Eric Wemple and Josh Levin, Washington City Paper
Second Place: “All in the Family,” Tali Woodward, San Francisco Bay Guardian
Third Place: “The Next Battle in the Newspaper Wars,” Dave Schimke, City Pages (Twin Cities)
MUSIC CRITICISM
Circulation < 50,000 First Place: Sara Bir, North Bay Bohemian
Second Place/Tie: Andy Smetanka, Missoula Independent
Second Place/Tie:Donna Ladd, Jackson Free Press
Third Place: Frank DeBlase, City Newspaper
Circulation > 50,000 First Place: Roni Sarig, Creative Loafing Atlanta
Second Place: Gary Giddins, Village Voice
Third Place: Kate Sullivan, L.A. Weekly
Honorable Mention: Jonathan Valania, Philadelphia Weekly
NEWS STORY
Circulation < 50,000 First Place: Jon Elliston, Independent Weekly
Second Place: Mike Keefe-Feldman, Missoula Independent
Third Place: Jessica Lyons, Monterey County Weekly
Circulation > 50,000 First Place: Lisa Davis, SF Weekly
Second Place: Borzou Daragahi, Long Island Press
Third Place: Forrest Norman, Miami New Times
Honorable Mention: Trevor Aaronson, New Times Broward-Palm Beach
NEWS STORY -- IN-DEPTH
Circulation < 50,000 First Place: “Bloody Shoes and Snitches,” Leslie Blade, Cincinnati City Beat
Second Place: “The Best Council Money Can Buy,” Terje Langeland, Colorado Springs Independent,
Third Place: “Stinging Back,” Terje Langeland, Colorado Springs Independent
Circulation > 50,000 First Place: “Rent a Patient,” Paul Rubin, Phoenix New Times
Second Place: “Boss Hogtie,” Jason Cherkis, Washington City Paper
Third Place: “Harvest of Pain,” Vince Beiser, L.A. Weekly
PHOTOGRAPHY
Circulation < 50,000 First Place: “Fallen Soldiers,” Sean Cayton, Colorado Springs Independent
Second Place: “Faces of Iraq,” Alan Pogue, Texas Observer
Third Place: “Training Day,” Tim McGivern, Weekly Alibi
Circulation > 50,000 First Place: “Germantown Avenue,” Michael T. Regan, Philadelphia City Paper
Second Place: “Best of Pittsburgh,” Heather Mull, Pittsburgh City Paper
Third Place: “Great Walls of Detroit,” Dirk Bakker, Metro Times
RELIGION REPORTING
Circulation < 50,000 First Place: “Gay? Exodus International Can Fix That,” Jeffrey C. Billman, Orlando Weekly
Second Place: “Roadblock to Peace,” Terje Langeland, Colorado Springs Independent
Third Place: “Defender of the Faith,” Pete Sherman, Illinois Times
Circulation > 50,000 First Place: “True Believer,” David Schimke, City Pages (Twin Cities)
Second Place: “Fallen Angel,” J.D. Sparks, Dallas Observer
Third Place: “Doing Time,” Scott Nowell, Houston Press
The following media professionals judged the entries in the awards competition: Craig Aaron, Donnell Alexander, Paul Ben-Itzak, Chris Beringer, Joel Bleifuss, John Bloom, Katherine Boo, Anthony Dias Blue, John Burks, John Burnett, David Bollier, Russell Carollo, David Carr, Russell Clemings, John Cloud, Tracy Collins, David Corn, Anne-Marie Cusac, Bill Daley, Justin Davidson, Lane DeGregory, John Doe, J. Freedom DuLac, Cathleen Falsani, Kelly Frankeny, Nora Gallagher, Mario Garcia, Nick Gillespie, Michael Goldberg, Amy Goodman, Cynthia Gorney, Florence Graves, Tom Hallman, Margo Hammond, Glenn Harper, Sheila Himmel, Sid Holt, Chris Jones, Mad Kane, Rafique Kathwari, Molly Katzen, Keith Kelly, Tom Kelsch, Mignon Khargie, Peter Klein, Anita Kunz, Robert Kutner, Lucie LaCava, Brian Lambert, Jill Landes, Thomas Leitch, Louise Lief, William Marsden, David Mazzarella, John Miller, Phil Nesbitt, James Norton, Viveca Novak, Jesse Oxfeld, Michael Parenti, Mary Beth Pfeiffer, David Pratt, Sara Quinn, Raul Ramirez, Suneel Rattan, Ron Reason, D.K. Row, Miguel Sancho, Tom Scocca, Steven Shaw, Yonat Shimron, Choire Sicha, Michael Skube, Art Spiegelman, David Sterritt, Joe Strupp, Tony Sutton, Andras Szanto, Lee Thornton, Tommy Tomlinson, Mercedes Lynn de Uriarte, Steven Waldman, Simon Warner, Robin Washington, Warren Watson, Gayle White, Yumi Wilson, Mary Wiltenburg, Eric Wittmershaus, Matt Wuerker, Bill Wyman, Jeffrey Zaslow, Jason Zengerle and Kim Zetter.
