| Health, science and environmental writing |
Place: 1 |
| Name: Liz Mitchell |
Publication: Culpeper Star-Exponent |
| City: Culpeper |
Subject: |
| Comments: Solid copy and really has a knack for turning news stories into human interest pieces. She drew me in early, developed the piece and kept me reading. |
|
| Health, science and environmental writing |
Place: 2 |
| Name: Natalie Austin |
Publication: Northern Virginia Daily |
| City: Strasburg |
Subject: 1) Maidens by His design; 2) Septic health; 3) Surviving cancer |
| Comments: Nice voice and tone in her stories. Solid copy that moved at a logical pace. |
|
| Health, science and environmental writing |
Place: 3 |
| Name: Mike Owens |
Publication: The News Virginian |
| City: Waynesboro |
Subject: |
| Comments: Good story development, solid copy. Could be wordy at times, but, overall, three strong stories. |
|
| Series of news stories |
Place: 1 |
| Name: Frances Hubbard |
Publication: Tidewater Review |
| City: West Point |
Subject: Project Hope at Quin Rivers |
| Comments: The most hard newsy of the entrants. The reporter took on a topic that needs reporting on and spells out with good statistical backup the ongoing problem of domestic violence. Our only critique would be the first four stories were single-source stories. Still, the writing and use of quotes was good. |
|
| Series of news stories |
Place: 2 |
| Name: Amy Martin |
Publication: Tidewater Review |
| City: West Point |
Subject: The man behind the camera; Say cheeez!; Keeping time in a bottle |
| Comments: These stories, while good, were more feature than hard news. Still, the reporter's stories were interesting to read. |
|
| Series of news stories |
Place: 3 |
| Name: Dan Sherrier |
Publication: Toano-Norge Times |
| City: Toano |
Subject: Toano High School |
| Comments: The reporter did a fine job digging out the details. I would have liked to have known the ages of those interviewed and seen better use of quotes. |
|
| Critical writing |
Place: 1 |
| Name: Ethan Hamlin |
Publication: The Cavalier Daily |
| City: Charlottesville |
Subject: Reviews of recently released albums |
| Comments: Conversational and informal. Good stuff. |
|
| Critical writing |
Place: 2 |
| Name: Sarah Sherman |
Publication: The Cavalier Daily |
| City: Charlottesville |
Subject: Reviews of recently released albums |
| Comments: Good use of adjectives and a knowledge of music reflected in these reviews. |
|
| Critical writing |
Place: 3 |
| Name: Case Blackwell |
Publication: The Cavalier Daily |
| City: Charlottesville |
Subject: Movie reviews |
| Comments: Strongly opinionated in a way that suggests knowledge beyond a press kit. |
|
| Column writing |
Place: 1 |
| Name: Robert Mason Jr. |
Publication: Rappahannock Record |
| City: Kilmarnock |
Subject: Fiction or Fact |
| Comments: The best kind of column writing: You're enjoying it so much that you replay it, just to discover that you learned a thing or two. |
|
| Column writing |
Place: 3 |
| Name: Tana Knott |
Publication: The Farmville Herald |
| City: Farmville |
Subject: Stomachs of Steel; Chain Reaction; Talk Turkey |
| Comments: Nicely written, funny, easy-to-connect style. |
|
| Column writing |
Place: 2 |
| Name: Steve Thurston |
Publication: Arlington Connection |
| City: Arlington |
Subject: About Arlington, a column of life and politics in the county |
| Comments: An intelligent take on issues of local interest without trying to write over the readers' heads. |
|
| In-depth or investigative reporting |
Place: 1 |
| Name: Diana McFarland |
Publication: The Smithfield Times |
| City: Smithfield |
Subject: Workforce housing |
| Comments: A well-written and thoroughly reported exploration of the housing crisis in this region and how the lack of affordable housing impacts working Americans of all ages. An excellent job. |
|
| In-depth or investigative reporting |
Place: 2 |
| Name: Hannah Wever |
Publication: Orange County Review |
| City: Orange |
Subject: Uranium mining resurfaces |
| Comments: Reporter deftly communicates the fact that with uranium values at historic highs, a private corporation and interests at the state level are resurrecting the possibility of uranium mining in this region and clearly presents the opinions of those who are educated on the issue and testify eloquently about the risks involved. An important preliminary scrutiny of an issue sure to becoming more pressing in the near future. |
|
| In-depth or investigative reporting |
Place: 3 |
| Name: Jodi Deal, Bonnie Bates, Ida Holyfield, Kevin Mays |
Publication: The Coalfield Progress |
| City: Norton |
Subject: High school buildings debate |
| Comments: The staff did a thorough job of reporting on a critical pocketbook issue in their region, moving from routine reporting fulfilling their responsibility to keep readers apprised of the actions of governmental bodies, into an enterprising investigation of the impact of school consolidation on a nearby community. A very solid job of community reporting. |
|
| Government writing and public safety writing |
Place: 1 |
| Name: Amy Hunter |
Publication: Bristol Herald Courier |
| City: Bristol |
Subject: Refugee worker threatened, mentally ill suspect, meth's aftermath |
| Comments: All three interesting pieces. "Work with refugees" is the best of the batch. Takes a news story and uses it to illuminate a current hot topic -- immigration. |
|
| Government writing and public safety writing |
Place: 2 |
| Name: Seth Rosen |
Publication: The Daily Progress |
| City: Charlottesville |
Subject: Crumbling city pools, black school renovation, public housing's future |
| Comments: Breezy, well-written narrative that discusses the current policy debate over public housing. Localizes and illuminates issue with section explaining the residents' relationship to the housing authority. |
|
| Government writing and public safety writing |
Place: 3 |
| Name: Elisa Glushefski |
Publication: Potomac News |
| City: Woodbridge |
Subject: Man seeks answers in son's death in jail, Elderly woman victim of scam, Street lights installed |
| Comments: Less is more. Stood out in the category because these pieces were not tediously over-written. Nevertheless, the narratives were engrossing and highlighted important issues that might otherwise go undiscussed. |
|
| Health, science and environmental writing |
Place: 1 |
| Name: Beth Macy |
Publication: The Roanoke Times |
| City: Roanoke |
Subject: Health |
| Comments: A package of poignant tales that gave a human touch to a variety of medical and health struggles faced by ordinary people. |
|
| Health, science and environmental writing |
Place: 2 |
| Name: Scott Harper |
Publication: The Virginian-Pilot |
| City: Norfolk |
Subject: Science reporting |
| Comments: A clear and well-reported collection of environmental issues that allowed the debate to unfold without bias or favoritism. Easy to read and digest. |
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