2015 AAN Awards Finalists Announced
may 19, 2015 04:30 pm
The finalists for the 2015 AAN Awards have been selected. The
finalists below were chosen as the most outstanding from a field of 920 entries
submitted by 71 alternative publications across the U.S. and Canada.
The AAN Awards recognize the best in alternative journalism and
are a unique chance for alt-weeklies to compete directly against the work of
their peers in cities across the continent. For the second year in a row,
judging was conducted by the
Georgetown University Master's in Professional Studies
Program in Journalism.
"We really enjoyed judging the awards this year and having
the opportunity to see such great work from the alts," said Amy
Kovac-Ashley, assistant dean of the journalism program at Georgetown. "In
our final judging round, our judges kept talking about the difficulty of
deciding on the winners because there was so much excellent work."
The winners will be announced during a reception on July 18 at
the
AAN Convention
in Salt Lake City.
Finalists below are listed alphabetically by paper. Categories
with four or more finalists indicate either a tie or an honorable mention.
Categories with less than three finalists indicate that a 3rd place was not
awarded.
Writing Categories
Online Categories
Design Categories
Outside-the-Box
WRITING CATEGORIES
ARTS CRITICISM
circulation under 45,000
East Bay Express: Arts Criticism by Sarah Burke
Memphis Flyer: Finding Vivian Maier; Jodorowski's Dune; and Birdman, or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
by Chris McCoy
The Pitch: Flatfile Is All About Touching; Text Over Texture; and Selfie and Trans Cultures by Liz Cook
ARTS CRITICISM
circulation 45,000 & over
Fort Worth Weekly: Frank's Arrival; The Art of Preservation; and Urban Theater: Still/Here by Anthony Mariani
L.A. Weekly: American Sniper Is a Rah-Rah War-on-Terror Fantasy;
The Cutest Kiddie Cartoon Ever Made About Hitler;
and Brendan Gleeson Shows He's One of the Best Actors Alive
by Amy Nicholson
Salt Lake City Weekly: Edge of Tomorrow; Magic in the Moonlight; and St. Vincent by Scott Renshaw
ARTS FEATURE
circulation under 45,000
Cincinnati CityBeat: Stranger Than Fiction by Jacqueline Kern and
Nick Swartsell
Coachella Valley Independent: Art Is Not a Crime; More Art to Come; and Where's the Art? by Brian Blueskye
INDY Week: What Does a State Poet Laureate Do—and Why Does It
Matter? by Chris Vitiello
ARTS FEATURE
circulation 45,000 & over
Chicago Reader: Jason Molina's Long Dark Blues by Max Blau
L.A. Weekly: Where Television Matters by Zachary
Pincus-Roth
Willamette Week: 80 Million Paige Views by Rebecca Jacobson
BEAT REPORTING
circulation under 45,000
Boulder Weekly: Immigration Reporting (I; II; III; IV) by Michael de Yoanna
Boulder Weekly: Outdoor Sports Reporting (I; II; III; IV; V) by Elizabeth Miller
INDY Week: Criminal Justice Reporting (I; II; III; IV; V) by John H. Tucker
Lagniappe: Police Reporting (I; II; III; IV; V) by Alyson Stokes
BEAT REPORTING circulation 45,000
& over
Phoenix New Times: Medical Marijuana Reporting (I; II; III; IV; V) by Ray Stern
Washington City Paper: Housing Affordability Reporting (I; II; III; IV) by Aaron Wiener
Willamette Week: Sharing Economy Reporting (I; II; III; IV; V) by Aaron Mesh
COLUMN circulation
under 45,000
Colorado Springs Independent: "Taxi Driver" (I; II; III) by Terry Gibson
Gambit: Columns (I; II; III) by Kevin Allman and Clancy Dubos
Lagniappe: Columns (I; II; III) by Ashley Trice
COLUMN circulation 45,000 & over
Baltimore City Paper: Conflicts of Interest (I; II; III) by Baynard Woods
Creative Loafing Atlanta: Columns (I; II; III) by Rodney Carmichael, Joeff Davis, Debbie
Michaud, Ezra Morris, Max Blau, Thomas Wheatley, Wyatt Williams
Nashville Scene: Advice King (I; II; III) by Chris Crofton
COLUMN (POLITICAL) circulation under 45,000
INDY Week: The Republican Approach; McCrory's Sham Unemployment Claims; and Why Roy Cooper Should Follow His Conscience and the Law
by Bob Geary
Jackson Free Press: Politics of Corruption; 'Religious Freedom'; and A Barbour's Racism by Donna Ladd
Missoula Independent: Covert Oops; Morally Exposed; and What's Walsh Good For? by Dan Brooks
COLUMN (POLITICAL) circulation 45,000 & over
Chicago Reader: How the city cut funds for mental health
patients—and spied on them instead; Rahm's Balanced Budget Claims Don't Add Up;
and How investment bankers are set to profit from Rahm's
preschool plan by Ben Joravsky
Creative Loafing Atlanta: Georgia's Execution Secrecy Law; Exiled to Liberty Plaza; and Big Ol' Gun Bill a Big Ol' Waste of Time by
Max Blau, Rodney Carmichael, Joeff Davis, Debbie Michaud, Ezra Morris, Thomas
Wheatley, and Wyatt Williams
Metro Times: Detroit Worshipping Mike Ilitch; Detroit City Council Doesn't Deserve Transfer of Power;
and Our Broken System by Jack Lessenberry
ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING circulation
under 45,000
Arkansas Times: The Mayflower Oil Spill Robbed Michelle Ward of Her
Middle-Class Dream by Benjamin Hardy
Creative Loafing Charlotte: Charlotte is Ground Zero for Coal Ash by
Rhiannon Fionn
East Bay Express: Zoo Gone Wild and What's Poisoning the Bees by
Sam Levin
INDY Week: Bury the Truth by Billy Ball
ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING circulation
45,000 & over
Dallas Observer: The Trampling of the Trinity Forest (I; II; and III) by Eric Nicholson
Georgia Straight: Vancouver Aquarium Bucks National Trend by Keeping Whales
and Dolphins by Travis Lupick
Miami New Times: Mosquito-Borne Chikungunya Virus Invades America
by Trevor Bach and Dianna Wray
The Village Voice: Addition by Filtration by Cari Romm
FEATURE STORY circulation under 45,000
Charleston City Paper: Second Life by Paul Bowers
Cleveland Scene: Forgotten Assault by Eric Sandy
Flagpole: Finding My Father's Grave by Katherine
Thompson
FEATURE STORY circulation 45,000 & over
Houston Press: The Girl on the Torture Board by Craig Malisow
OC Weekly: The Very Merry Un-Gangs of Disneyland by
Charles Lam
Willamette Week: The Hole Story by Pete Cottell
FOOD WRITING circulation under 45,000
Cleveland Scene: Why I've Stolen Over 1,000 Menus and What They Can Teach
Us About Cleveland Cuisine by Douglas Trattner
Monterey County Weekly: Bounce, Baby by Mark C. Anderson
Riverfront Times: The Life, Death and Resurrection of the Craft Cocktail in
St. Louis by Patrick J. Hurley
FOOD WRITING circulation 45,000 & over
Chicago Reader: What Happens When All-Star Chefs Get In Bed With Big Food? by Mike Sula
Nashville Scene: Pure Pop for Now People by Steve Cavendish
Washington City Paper: Stall Tactics by Jessica Sidman
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING circulation under 45,000
Charleston City Paper: The View from Bridgeview by Paul Bowers
Folio Weekly: The Last Days of Daniel Linsinbigler by Susan
Cooper Eastman
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING circulation 45,000 & over
Dallas Observer: Deporter in the Court by Joe Tone
Miami New Times: The False 48 by Terrence McCoy
Westword: The Snitch Who Stole Christmas by Alan
Prendergast
LGBT / GENDER EQUALITY COVERAGE circulation under 45,000
East Bay Express: Moral Combat by Sarah Burke
INDY Week: Gay Is OK: Middle School Kids Fight to Form Gay-Straight Alliance;
After Four Meetings, Gay-Straight Alliance at Stanback
Middle School Eliminated; Principal Accused of Blocking Gay-Straight Alliance
Resigns by Billy Ball
Jackson Free Press: And LGBTQ Rights March On in Mississippi (I; II, III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX; X) by Anna Wolfe, Haley Ferretti, Kit
Williamson, R.L. Nave, Joce Pritchett, Eddie Outlaw, Zack Orsborn, Donna Ladd,
Trip Burns, and Dustin Cardon
LGBT / GENDER EQUALITY COVERAGE circulation 45,000 & over
Creative Loafing Atlanta: Body Politic by Rodney Carmichael
Isthmus: Same-Sex Marriage Ban Coverage (I; II, III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX; X) by Judith Davidoff, Kristian Knutsen,
Dean Robbins,and Joe Tarr
L.A. Weekly: Inside the Gay Wing of Men's Central Jail by
Ani Ucar
LONG-FORM NEWS STORY circulation under 45,000
East Bay Express: When the Mind Splits by Sam Levin
Folio Weekly: Life in a Police State by Susan Cooper Eastman
San Antonio Current: SAPD Issues Thousands of Tickets for Homelessness
by Alexa Garcia-Ditta and Elaine Wolff
LONG-FORM NEWS STORY circulation 45,000 & over
Chicago Reader: In Chicago's War Zones, the Tragedy Extends Beyond the
Kids Who Die by Steve Bogira
New Times Broward-Palm Beach: Photos of a Baby With Confederate Flags and Guns Couldn't
Persuade a Court to Prevent a Kidnapping by Kyle Swenson
The Village Voice: Don't Walk by Tessa Stuart
MUSIC WRITING circulation under 45,000
Arkansas Times: The Story of Jimmy Doyle's Country Club; Where Were You on Pharoah Sanders Day? and Jim Mize Will Have Another by Will Stephenson
INDY Week: Sturgill Simpson Is Outlaw Country's New Felon;
Merge 25 Ends Hot, Humid; and The Charitable Efficacy of Cats on the Internet
by Grayson Haver Currin
Orlando Weekly: Modest Mouse's Isaac BrockÕs Lyrical Battle With Self-Doubt; On T-PainÕs Relationship With Auto-Tune; and Tori Amos Spends Her Career Lifetime in Search of Herself by Ashley Belanger
MUSIC WRITING circulation 45,000 & over
The Inlander: We Are Flying Spiders; A Love Supreme; and Baby Got Backstory by Laura Johnson
Nashville Scene: David Olney Is Still a Contender; Nashville Outlaw; and I Want to Be Sergio Webb by Skip Anderson
Willamette Week: In the City; Former Lives; Katy Perry Reality Tour of Santa Barbara by
Matthew Singer
PUBLIC SERVICE circulation under 45,000
C-Ville Weekly: Campus Safety, Sexual Assault and a Community
in Crisis (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII) by Graelyn Brashear, Lisa Provence,
Courteney Stuart, and Nicolette Gendron
Jackson Free Press: Michelle Byrom: An Innocent Woman on Death
Row? (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX) by Ronni Mott, R.L. Nave, Oliver E. Diaz
Jr., and Donna Ladd
Reno News & Review: Fatal Encounters Coverage and Website by D. Brian Burghart, Dennis Myers, Brad Bynum, Brian
Breneman, and Jonathan Buck
Style Weekly: Caving In (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX; X) by Tom Nash
PUBLIC SERVICE circulation 45,000 & over
The Inlander: State of Mind (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX) by Jacob Jones, Deanna Pan, Daniel
Walters, Heidi Groover, and Young Kwak
Miami New Times: Florida's Guardians Often Exploit the Vulnerable
Residents They're Supposed to Protect by Michael Miller
Nashville Scene: Why Nashville Schools Are Failing: Speaking in Tongues; Growing Pains; and The Right School by Andrea Zelinski
Willamette Week: First Lady Inc. and follow-ups I, II, III, IV; V; VI by Nigel Jaquiss
DESIGN CATEGORIES
COVER DESIGN circulation under 45,000
Boulder Weekly: Covers (I; II; III) by Dave Kirby, Susan France, and Mark
Goodman
Cincinnati CityBeat: Covers (I; II; III) by Rebecca Sylvester
Dig Boston: Covers by Jeremy Fraga, Paul Roustan, Ellen
Crenshaw, Scott Murry
Wisconsin Gazette: Covers (I; II; III) by Louis Weisberg, Eric Van Egeren, and
Maureen M. Kane
COVER DESIGN circulation 45,000 & over
Las Vegas Weekly: Covers (I; II; III) by Corlene Byrd, Marvin Lucas, Elizabeth
Brown, Serge Seidlitz, Adam Shane, and Gerad Taylor
Miami New Times: Covers (I; II; III) by Miche Ratto
Sacramento News & Review: Covers (I; II; III) by Brian Breneman and Hayley Doshay
EDITORIAL LAYOUT circulation under 45,000
City Newspaper: Fest for All by Matt DeTurck
C-Ville Weekly: 15 Under 40 by Bill LeSueur and Max Marc
Riverfront Times: In Search of William S. Burroughs by Tom
Carlson
EDITORIAL LAYOUT circulation 45,000 & over
The Inlander: So You're Thinking About Getting High? by
Chris Bovey
Las Vegas Weekly: The Look of Love by Marvin Lucas and Erik
Stein
Nashville Scene: The Most Wonderful & Weirdest, Saddest and Craziest
Time of the Year by Elizabeth Jones
ILLUSTRATION circulation under 45,000
Charleston City Paper: Down with Tillman by Scott Suchy
Cleveland Scene: Johnny Manziel by Oliver Barrett
Folio Weekly: Against Amazon by Shan Stumpf and Ben Wallis
ILLUSTRATION circulation 45,000 & over
Creative Loafing Atlanta: Body Politic by Wes Duvall
The Inlander: Scholastic Fantastic by Jeff Drew
Nashville Scene: Boner Awards by Gary William Musgrave
PHOTOGRAPHY
circulation under 45,000
Monterey County Weekly: Photos by Nic Coury
San Antonio Current: Invisible Refugee; Transgender; and Gift Guide by Louie Preciado
Style Weekly: Photos (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX; X) by Scott Elmquist
PHOTOGRAPHY circulation 45,000 &
over
The Inlander: Photos (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX; X) by Young Kwak
Washington City Paper: Photos (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX; X) by Darrow Montgomery
Willamette Week: Photos (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX; X) by James Rexroad
ONLINE CATEGORIES
ARTS & CULTURE BLOG
Mountain Xpress: Moogfest
2014
Phoenix New Times: Up on the Sun (I; II; III; IV; V)
Seven Days: Live Culture (I; II; III; IV; V)
MULTIMEDIA
Chicago Reader: The People Issue by Staff
The Coast: Fort Mac to Halifax by Stephanie Johns,
Veronica Simmonds, Erica Butler, Elliot Magill, Meghan Tansey Whitton, and
Melissa Dubé
Washington City Paper: 24 Hours of Eating by Zach Rausnitz, Jessica
Sidman, Carey Jordan, and Jandos Rothstein
STAFF BLOG
Austin Chronicle: Chronolog (I; II; III; IV; V)
Cleveland Scene: Scene and Heard (I; II; III; IV; V)
Creative Loafing Atlanta: Fresh Loaf (I; II; III; IV; V)
OUTSIDE-THE-BOX CATEGORIES
CARTOON (listed
alphabetically by last name)
Steve Greenberg: The Critical Line
Tom Tomorrow: This Modern World (I; II; III; IV; V)
FREE SPEECH
Jackson Free Press: Fighting to Uncover Hidden PAC Money in
Mississippi (I, II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX; X) by R.L. Nave, Anna Wolfe, and Donna Ladd
Reno News & Review: Fatal Encounters Coverage and Website by D. Brian Burghart, Dennis Myers, Brad Bynum, Brian
Breneman, Jonathan Buck
Santa Fe Reporter: SFR vs. Governor of New Mexico (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII) by Justin Horwath and Joey Peters
INNOVATION / FORMAT
BUSTER
Cincinnati CityBeat: Faces of Pride by Jesse Fox
INDY Week: Mean Streets by Lisa Sorg, Andrew Edmonds,
Candice Jansen, and JP Trostle
Style Weekly: McDonnell Trial Activity Book by Ed Harrington
and Ned Oliver
SPECIAL SECTION
Chicago Reader: The Reader's Bar Issue 2014 by Staff
Cleveland Scene: The 2014 Comedy Issue by Staff
Willamette Week: Summer Guide 2014 by Martin Cizmar, Matthew
Korfhage, Rebecca Jacobson, and Matthew Singer
