And the 2019 Columnist Contest Winners Are…

A. General Interest – Print — Publications Over 50,000 Circulation

First Place
Dave Lieber: The Dallas Morning News
“Through a lively combination of consumer advocacy and investigative reporting, Lieber’s columns were models of suspenseful storytelling and public service.”

Links to winning columns:
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/watchdog/2018/01/19/thanks-readers-waitress-beat-auto-dealer-court-gets-surprise-lifetime

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/watchdog/2018/11/19/jfks-assassin-shot-husband-wants-buried

Second Place
Maria Panaritis: The Philadelphia Inquirer
“With the persistence of a seasoned reporter, Panaritis’ columns presents a strong voice for ethics and accountability as she exposes a cynical alliance between clergy and politicians to block legal reforms and accountability.”

Winning Columns available in Print Only

Third Place
Tony Norman: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“One of the biggest challenges faced by a columnist is to help channel the extreme anger and grief that follows senseless tragedy and help readers to organize their own feelings. Tony Norman did that with excellent columns— on the Tree of Life synagogue massacre and a suspicious shooting by police of a civic-minded black man—that skillfully struck just the right tone.”

Links to winning columns:
https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/tony-norman/2018/10/30/Tony-Norman-Tree-of-Life-Squirrel-Hill-Trump-Jewish-leaders-Legion/stories/201810300020

https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/tony-norman/2018/09/11/Tony-Norman-When-eternity-came-knocking-for-Botham-Jean/stories/201809110029

Honorable Mention
Mary Mitchell: Chicago Sun-Times
“Amid Chicago’s exhaustively covered Laquan MacDonald police shooting scandal, Mitchell found some inspiring signs of both danger and hope in young street protesters and a police department whistleblower.”

Links to winning columns:

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2018/11/30/18474175/chicago-cop-s-testimony-of-a-laquan-coverup-brings-out-an-ugly-side-of-policing

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2018/10/5/18454898/small-band-of-activists-made-all-the-difference-in-justice-for-laquan-mcdonald

Honorable Mention
Shira Ovide: Bloomberg Businessweek
“Although everyone knows about Amazon’s incredible growth, Shira Ovide’s research and explanatory columns raise intriguing questions about when and whether enough growth is enough, even for Amazon’s own good.”

Links to winning columns:

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2018-amazon-industry-displacement/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-08/amazon-captures-5-of-american-retail-spending-is-that-a-lot

B. General Interest – Print — Publications Under 50,000 Circulation

First Place
Casey Blake: Asheville Citizen Times
“Casey Blake shows her journalistic chops with two fiery columns playing off the news. In one, she recounts a harrowing tale of police violence against a black jaywalker, replete with racial taunts — while highlighting that only a leak of body-cam footage to her news outlet brought the atrocity to light. In another, she shares the pain of losing brethren journalists at the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland — shot dead by a disgruntled source in the same kind of easy-to-access newsroom that she works in.”

Links to winning columns:

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/opinion/2018/03/01/blake-shameful-police-brutality-isnt-all-your-mind-now/387274002/

One column was print only

Second Place
Rini Jeffers: The Chronicle-Telegram
“Rini Jeffers uses her ‘Mommy Wars’ column to wage war on deadly serious parenting issues. She takes on bullying in a column about nasty anti-Semitic comments on the middle school bus, artfully tying it to battles to fund more security and mental health intervention in schools. Her ruminations about the boy who stole her grade-school lunchbox were perfect for a #MeToo world. She provided a poignant reminder about how long society has accepted a ‘boys will be boys’ attitude toward pervasive gender oppression.”

Links to winning columns

http://www.chroniclet.com/attachment/2019/06/23/Rini-Jeffers-Hate-comes-to-middle-school.pdf

http://www.chroniclet.com/attachment/2019/06/23/Rini-Jeffers-Lunch-Box.pdf

Third Place
Kenneth Tingley: The Post-Star, Glens Falls, NY
“Kenneth Tingley employs clear interviewing finesse in his columns about parental pain. The quotes provide the perfect pace and emotional wallop in one column about a mother’s love for a daughter with an addiction and criminal record, and another about a husband and wife reeling in grief after a child’s suicide.”

Links to winning columns:

https://poststar.com/opinion/columnists/column-love-you-to-the-moon-and-back/article_f99d6339-9293-5cd8-ba84-f515f3ca81ad.html

https://poststar.com/opinion/columnists/column-time-stands-still-for-moreau-parents-who-lost-son/article_9b6499d7-f264-5f10-891e-d8266b6a9eee.html

Honorable Mention
Donato Pietrodangelo: Tallahassee Democrat
“Donato Pietrodangelo reflects on Nobel Peace Prize winners to convince his readers that Donald Trump will never, ever be worthy of Nobel. In a second piece, he calls out Trump for his harsh characterization of Haiti, recalling his own meaningful work with Haitians and telling the president to watch his words.”

Links to winning columns:

https://www.tallahassee.com/story/opinion/2018/05/18/nobel-peace-prize-not-chance-opinion/623301002/

https://www.tallahassee.com/story/opinion/2018/01/25/opinion-words-matter-especially-when-youre-president/1049173001/

C. General Interest – Online, Blog and Multimedia Columns — Over 100,000 Monthly Unique Visitors

First Place
Shannon Shelton Miller: Shondaland.com and Instyle.com
“Shannon Shelton Miller for offering originality, fantastic writing about current issues without simply reacting to the news.”

Links to winning columns:

https://www.shondaland.com/live/a22665934/the-worst-story-i-never-wrote/

https://flipboard.com/@instyle/i-once-got-paid-%24900-to-let-someone-highlight-my-hair/f-63823979ce/instyle.com

 

Second Place
Markos Kounalakis: The Washington Monthly
“Markos Kounalakis for offering insightful commentary about news that everyone else isn’t writing about.”

Links to winning columns:

How America’s KKK Is Exporting Its Hate Overseas

The Sad Saga of Saudi Lies

 

Third Place
Derrick Z. Jackson: The American Prospect Online & ESPN’s ‘The Undefeated’ Blog
“Derrick Z. Jackson for offering incisive, hard-hitting analysis of issues regarding race.”

Links to winning columns:

https://prospect.org/article/trumps-great-american-whitewash

NCAA needs a reality check when it comes to grad rates for black athletes

 

Honorable Mention
Sophia Jones, Christina Asquith, and Neha Wadekar: The Fuller Project and Foreign Policy Magazine
“Sophia Jones, Christina Asquith and Neha Wadekar for their heartbreaking commentary about the unfair fate of Iraqi women”

Links to winning columns:

Iraq Is Tempting Fate by Punishing Women

Women Want to Put Yemen Back Together Again

 

Honorable Mention
Rick Wilson: The Daily Beast
“Rick Wilson for offering a look at the Trump presidency as a wannabe dictatorship.”

Links to winning columns:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-the-insecure-pledge-in-the-dictatorship-fraternity

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-gop-a-conspiracy-of-dunces

 

D. General Interest – Online, Blog and Multimedia Columns — Under 100,000 Monthly Unique Visitors

First Place
Rob Azevedo: Manchester Ink Link
“Azevedo clearly has something to say and the skills to say it. His entries showed a strong sense of story and a clear sense of empathy, with notable pacing and energetic wit. Happily, too, he eschewed sappy sentimentality, even when writing about sharing pizza with a homeless man and saying goodbye to his mother.”

Links to winning columns:

Of night crawlers, back alleys and a pizza slice of life

Death stinks, life rules, and the terrible, beautiful, impossible farewell

 

Second Place
Carol Zollinger: The Circus Press
“Zollinger approached her two subjects with sincerity and grace. In a piece about the death of a friend’s mother, we recognize the power of welcoming other people’s children into our homes and our lives. In a piece about losing an adopted child, we recognize the power of even small gestures of friendship.”

Links to winning columns:

Elephants, and Friends

The Unexpected Grace of Pumpkins

 

Third Place
None

E. Humor – Print — Publications Over 50,000 Circulation

First Place
Jerry Zezima: Stamford Advocate

Links to winning columns:

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Jerry-Zezima-Isn-t-it-romantic-12843930.php

Jerry Zezima: Out to lunch at Victoria’s Secret

 

SecondPlace
Dana Shavin: Chattanooga Times Free Press

Links to winning columns:

https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/life/entertainment/story/2018/dec/16/shavin-marriage-directinot-always-clear/484872/

Second column is print only

Third Place
Susan Sparks
GateHouse Media’s “More Content Now”

https://www.dispatch.com/lifestyle/20180530/susan-sparks-weaponization-of-pimento-cheese

https://www.dispatch.com/lifestyle/20180221/susan-sparks-you-cant-love-your-neighbor-when-youre-hangry

 

F. Humor – Print — Publications Under 50,000 Circulation

First Place
Archer Parquette: Kenosha News
“So freaking delightful. I squealed many times. Archer’s strong voice and surprising takes made these columns my favorites. Archer is a talent to watch.”

Links to winning columns:

http://bcheights.com/author/archerparquette/

https://www.kenoshanews.com/opinion/local_columnists/my-turn-archer-parquette-s-ballad-of-the-two-jackets/article_7854512f-f3b4-591b-a700-da8178e2e337.html

 

Second Place
Carole Vasta Folley: Vermont Community Newspaper Group LLC’s ‘THE OTHER PAPER’
“Amusingly self-aware and self-deprecating, Carole is especially adept at bringing pieces back around to a universal truth.”

Links to winning columns:

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/travel/fl-fea-scottish-key-lime-pie-20180911-story.html

Second column is in print only

Third Place
Mark Gauert: City & Shore, the monthly magazine of the Sun Sentinel newspaper in Fort Lauderdale, FL
“I love the subtlety and heart of Mark’s delivery.”

Links to winning columns:

http://www.cityandshore.com/departments/here-now/key-lime-pie-our-gift-to-civilization-or-is-it/

http://www.cityandshore.com/departments/here-now/learning-my-limitations-on-a-big-home-project/

Honorable Mention
John Breunig: Stamford Advocate
“John’s work is simultaneously erudite and approachable – a wonderful balance.”

Links to winning columns:

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/John-Breunig-13304605.php

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/John-Breunig-Like-a-bat-we-hang-around-13181621.php

Honorable Mention
Jase Graves: Kilgore News Herald
“Utterly relatable. Jase does a great job of generously making himself the brunt of the jokes.”

Links to winning columns:

https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2018/09/03/victims-guide-swimming-pool-ownership/1160133002/

https://www.kilgorenewsherald.com/opinion/columnists/pierced-fears-adventures-in-body-modification/article_1a2acc3e-e566-5e44-8829-a9249b9075fd.html

G. Humor – Online, Blog and Multimedia Columns — Over 50,000 Monthly Unique Visitors

First Place
Mary Kay Jordan Fleming: McSweeney’s Internet Tendency & Next Tribe

Links to winning columns:

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/parent-readiness-quiz

The Silver Lining to Getting a Colonoscopy Is Reading This No B.S. Survival Guide

Second Place,
Peter Funt: CagleCartoons.com

I’m Failing at Passwords

https://www.caglecartoons.com/column.asp?columnID=%7B816F0291-8BC9-4A28-9265-10DBF929AD49%7D

 

Third Place
Greg Schwem: Tribune Content Agency

Links to winning columns:

What America would look like under President Howard Schultz

‘Why aren’t senior citizens playing ‘Fortnite’?

 

H. Humor – Online, Blog and Multimedia Columns —Under 50,000 Monthly Unique Visitors

First Place
Chris Gaffney: uncommondiscourse.com

“Delightfully surprising. I’d read any and all of Chris’ bath product copy.”

Links to winning columns:

Every Time I Order Coffee at a Restaurant, I Fear the Waitstaff Hates Me

Toiletry Loyalty

 

Second Place
Karen Doak: okaydoak.com
“I appreciate Karen’s ability to ground her pieces with subtle loving commentary on her relationships.”

Links to winning columns:

TFW you realize talking to a pet psychic means you have to talk to a pet psychic

Edgar Degas died of dropsy and I’m on my third fish in as many months

 

Third Place
Elaine Ambrose: elaineambrose.com
“Elaine’s affection for her family adds heart to her humor.”

Links to winning columns:

https://elaineambrose.com/blog/does-the-parade-end-at-the-empy-nest/

Can Midlife Marriage Survive a Prolapsed Bladder?

 

Honorable Mention
Lori Duff: LoriDuffWrites.com
“Lori is the funny best friend everyone needs.”

Links to winning columns:

Sleep Training my Teenager

Stay-Away-Muffs

 

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