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Congratulations to this year’s Northwest Excellence in Journalism Contest Winners

Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Northwest Excellence in Journalism contest, for stories reported in 2015! Award recipients were announced tonight at our annual Region 10 SPJ Gala, hosted by the SPJ Western Washington Pro chapter, and all are listed below. 

This SPJ Region 10 contest is the largest of its kind in the nation, with 2300 entrants and 150 categories. It honors journalists across the very diverse Society of Professional Journalists Region 10. The contest covers some of the least populated areas of the United States, some of its most densely populated, and everything in between, including Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Oregon. All proceeds from this contest support the efforts of Region 10 and its active chapters to protect First Amendment freedoms, foster excellence among journalists, inspire young journalists, encourage diversity in our industry, and promote the free practice of journalism in our communities.

We were also excited to honor our SPJ Gala Award winners tonight and hear them speak. Learn more about them at our blog post, published earlier in June, when the winners were announced, and check back tomorrow for our full post-gala wrap-up!

Categories are listed below in this order:

Small Daily Print and Online

Medium Daily Print and Online

Large Daily Print and Online
Very Large Daily Print and Online

Visuals

Magazines

Nondaily

Radio

Television

SMALL DAILY PRINT AND ONLINE

General Excellence

1st place: The Seattle Globalist

2nd place: The B-Town (Burien) Blog

3rd place: CHS Capitol Hill Seattle

 

Arts & Entertainment

1st place:

KTOO.org

Ugly? Too abstract? Sculptor speaks in defense of Nimbus

Matt Miller

2nd place:

Ellensburg Daily Record

Perpetual motion music machine

Matt  Carstens

3rd place:

Crosscut.com

The end of everything: The Harvard Exit takes its final bow

Laura Kaufman


Business Reporting

1st place:

The Seattle Globalist

Which Seattle small businesses are in developers’ crosshairs?

Melissa Crowe, Alex Stonehill

2nd place:

BikePortland

This $50 device could change bike planning forever

Michael Andersen

3rd place:

Crosscut.com

Socialist councilmember Sawant calls for a new tech revolution

Drew Atkins


Column

1st place:

Ellensburg Daily Record

Nation of Mike columns

Michael Gallagher

2nd place:

Crosscut.com

Drew Atkins columns

Drew Atkins

3rd place:

No winner


Comprehensive Coverage

1st place:

Crosscut.com

City Council election profiles

David Kroman

2nd place:

Crosscut.com

Racism and the Public Lands: The case of Coon Lake

Knute Berger

3rd place:

The Seattle Globalist

Nestora Salgado Case

Venice Buhain, Alysa Hullett, Thomas Antkowiak, Alejandra Gonza


Crime and Justice Reporting

1st place:

Crosscut.com

Reforming Ferguson-style debtors’ prison here in Washington State

Eric Scigliano

2nd place:

No winner

3rd place:

No winner


Critique and Review

1st place:

Crosscut.com

The new Seattle, where everything looks like same

Mark Hinshaw

2nd place:

Crosscut.com

New film ‘Spotlight’ argues for journalism that can take on a system

Drew Atkins

3rd place:

GeekWire

As science fiction ascends, its popular award ‘the Hugo ‘ threatens to nosedive

Frank Catalano


Editorial & Commentary

1st place:

The Seattle Globalist

Commentary by Sharon H. Chang

Sharon H. Chang, Alex Stonehill

2nd place:

GeekWire

Frank Catalano commentaries

Frank Catalano

3rd place:

Ellensburg Daily Record

Daily Record editorials

Michael Gallagher


Environment, Nature & Science Reporting

1st place:

Ellensburg Daily Record

Air quality series

Nicole Klauss, Mike Johnston

2nd place:

Crosscut.com

Fecal matter in the public water: The case of Snydar Farm

Drew Atkins

3rd place:

No winner


Food & Drink

1st place:

Great Northwest Wine

Charles Smith turns Seattle into his personal playground

Andy Perdue

2nd place:

Great Northwest Wine

Abacela discovers 140-year-old Mission grape planting

Eric Degerman

3rd place:

Great Northwest Wine

NATO mission pulls Pittock Shouldis from Oregon wine harvest

Eric Degerman


General News Reporting

1st place:

BikePortland

Why would anyone ride on that scary stretch of Lombard?

Jonathan Maus

2nd place:

KTOO.org

Forgiving without forgetting: A Tlingit village up in smoke

Elizabeth Jenkins

3rd place:

Ellensburg Daily Record

Marijuana market takes root

Andy Matarrese

 

Government and Politics Reporting

1st place:

Crosscut.com

Metro buses: Pedestrians in a blind spot?

Laura Kaufman

2nd place:

Animal News Northwest

Animal rescue nonprofit fights tax ruling on pet adoptions

Karen Ducey

3rd place:

Crosscut.com

King County Metro’s bathroom reform: Constipated or incompetent?

Laura Kaufman


Health Reporting

1st place:

Crosscut.com

A fading community

David Kroman

2nd place:

No winner

3rd place:

No winner


Investigative Reporting

1st place:

Crosscut.com

Metro Buses: Pedestrians in a blind spot?

Laura Kaufman

2nd place:

Crosscut.com

King County Metro’s bathroom reform: Constipated or incompetent?

Laura Kaufman

3rd place:

No winner


Lifestyles Reporting

1st place:

Crosscut.com

Living in a micro-apartment — and loving it

Suzanne Jacobs

2nd place:

KTOO.org

With love and hairspray: The art of making drag queen hair in Juneau

Lisa Phu

3rd place:

No winner


Long General Feature Story

1st place:

Crosscut.com

Hacking the feds

Drew Atkins

2nd place:

Crosscut.com

Olympia For Dummies

John Stang

3rd place:

Crosscut.com

The end of everything: The Harvard Exit takes its final bow

Laura Kaufman

 

Short General Feature Story

1st place:

Animal News Northwest

Rescue Pony Auctioned for a Pretty Penny

Karen Ducey

2nd place:

Ellensburg Daily Record

Terror on hole 2: Meet Frankie the dog

Matt Carstens

3rd place:

No winner


Personalities Reporting

1st place:

Crosscut.com

Goodspaceguy: The definitive interview with King County’s perennial candidate

Drew Atkins

2nd place:

No winner

3rd place:

No winner


Social Issues Reporting

1st place:

The Seattle Globalist

Back Across the Border

Alysa Hullett, Alex Stonehill

2nd place:

Crosscut.com

Why some UW professors want a union, and others resist one

Mason Bryan

3rd place:

No winner


Sports Feature Story

1st place:

Crosscut.com

Team penning, where the people drive the action but the cows often win

John Stang

2nd place:

Cougfan.com

The inspiration behind Luke Falk’s wrist band

Greg Witter

3rd place:

SportspressNW.com

Chambers Bay ready for gritty glam shot

Art Thiel

Sports Reporting

1st place:

Cougfan.com

Why oddsmakers miss on WSU so badly each week

Matt Moore

2nd place:

Cougfan.com

Cougs, Canes and far different recruiting paths

Barry Bolton

3rd place:

Cougfan.com

How long will Ol’ Crimson continue to fly?

Matthew Zimmer

 

Spot News Reporting

1st place:

CHS Capitol Hill Seattle

Seattle May Day 2015 turns into a riot on Capitol Hill

Justin Carder, Bryan Cohen, Alex Garland

2nd place: KTOO.org

Passengers survive, pilot dies after Wings plane crash near Juneau

KTOO.org Staff

3rd place: EastIdahoNews.com

Police chase ends at EastIdahoNews.com

Nate Eaton, Nate Sunderland

 

MEDIUM DAILY PRINT AND ONLINE

General Excellence

1st place: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

2nd place: The Daily Astorian

3rd place: Bozeman Daily Chronicle

 

Arts & Entertainment

1st place: The Daily Astorian

Translating nature into art

Rebecca Sedlak

2nd place: The Daily Astorian

Goonies fans turn out for bonfire

Erick Bengel

3rd place: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Healing and a harmonica: A message in a melody comes to Tanana

Gary Black


Business Reporting

1st place: Bozeman Daily Chronicle

‘Trust fund not included’: As downtown Bozeman builds up, new housing likely to be a stretch for typical wage earners

Eric Dietrich

2nd place: The Daily Astorian

Cowen Dairy: A family affair

Edward Stratton

3rd place: Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Foreign Aid: Yellowstone a magnet for fast-growing ranks of Chinese tourists

Gail Schontzler


Column

1st place: Medford Mail Tribune

Predator to prey/Swing of things/The Club

Mark Freeman

2nd place: The Daily  Astorian

In One Ear

Elleda Wilson

3rd place: Kitsap Sun

Commentary on salmon restoration and culvert removal

Ed Palm


Comprehensive Coverage

1st place: Tri-City Herald

Pasco police shooting

Tyler Richardson, Franco Ordonez, Geoff Folsom, Kristin Kraemer

2nd place: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Fairbanks Four exoneration coverage

Sam Friedman, Matt Buxton, Casey Grove

3rd place: Skagit Valley Herald

Mental health: A system in crisis

Daniel  DeMay , Kera Wanielista, Evan Marczynski


Crime and Justice Reporting

1st place: Post Register

‘It didn’t have to end in tragedy’: In the days leading up to the shooting of Philip Clay, bounty hunters reportedly employed aggressive and illegal tactics

Aubrey Wieber, Bryan Clark

2nd place: Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Drinking problem: One-third of felony DUI arrests donÍt lead to convictions

Whitney Bermes

3rd place: KTUU.com

A slow death in solitary confinement

Paula Dobbyn


Editorial & Commentary

1st place: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner editorials

Tom Hewitt

2nd place: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

News-Miner editorials

Rod Boyce

3rd place: The Daily Astorian

Daily Astorian editorials

Steve Forrester


Environment, Nature & Science Reporting

1st place: Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Secured blessings

Nick Ehli

2nd place: Kitsap Sun

Call of the Wildfire

Tristan Baurick

3rd place:

Post Register

INL powers Pluto mission: Local researchers watch as New Horizons flies by dwarf planet

Luke Ramseth


General News Reporting

1st place: Kitsap Sun

No arrest, charges for sheriff’s sergeant found drunk in his car

Andrew Binion

2nd place: The Daily News

Miracle survival tales from the Kalama flood

Andre Stepankowsky

3rd place: Kitsap Sun

Call of the wildfire

Tristan Baurick


Government and Politics Reporting

1st place: Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Incompatible uses: Why the neighborhood next to an old landfill may cost Bozeman millions of dollars

Eric Dietrich

2nd place: Kitsap Sun

Laying claim to Navy Yard City

Josh Farley

3rd place: The Daily News

Public left out of process for choosing legislators

Tom Paulu

Print Headlines

1st place: The Olympian

Did I just see/It’s all relative/Wham, bam, thank you

The Olympian Staff

2nd place: Kitsap Sun

Herron Miller print headlines

Herron Miller

3rd place: No winner


Health Reporting

1st place: Tri-City Herald

Irradiated: A legacy of pain, suffering

Annette Cary

2nd place: Tri-City Herald

Irradiated: Opening doors to compensation

Annette Cary

3rd place: No winner


Investigative Reporting

1st place: KTUU.com

Alaska North Slope misuse of public money, mayoral recall

Austin Baird, Kyle Hopkins, Paula Dobbyn, Garrett Turner

2nd place: Mail Tribune

At What Cost? Sheriff Falls pulls plug on video security system

Nicholas Morgan

3rd place: Skagit Valley Herald

Skagit 911: Understaffed, overworked and no financial help in sight

Brandon Stone


Lifestyles Reporting

1st place: Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Yellowstone at 36 degree below zero

Ben Pierce

2nd place: The Daily News

Undefeated in the ring, Longview 11-year-old’s passion packs a punch

Sarah Grothjan

3rd place: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Mushing a flickering flame in Interior Alaska villages

Casey Grove


Long General Feature Story

1st place: The Olympian

Behind the Cloister: The Monks of Saint Martin’s

Lisa Pemberton

2nd place: Tri-City Herald

Brush with death leads to lifelong bond

Richardson Tyler

3rd place: No winner

 

Short General Feature Story

1st place: Missoulian

Getting the story is the hard part

Robert Chaney

2nd place: No winner

3rd place: No winner

Personalities Reporting

1st place: Kitsap Sun

Cherry Boy

Andrew Binion

2nd place: Bozeman Daily Chronicle

A bard and a warrior

Eric Dietrich

3rd place: Tri-City Herald

Two-time cancer warrior

Kristina Lord


Social Issues Reporting

1st place: Kitsap Sun

Battling Bullies

Christina Henry

2nd place: Missoulian Newspaper

Peaks and People

Robert Chaney

3rd place: Post Register

Change: Idaho Falls transgender woman recalls experience transitioning while working as a Sheriff’s Office deputy

Kirsten Johnson


Sports Feature Story

1st place: Missoulian

Love Yourself

AJ Mazzolini

2nd place: Mail Tribune

Unbreakable

Dan Jones

3rd place: The Olympian

A young 12th man cheers for T-Birds amid chemo care

Lauren Smith


Sports Profile Story

1st place: Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Gallatin Gateway kayaker finding niche in long-distance races

Michael Appelgate

2nd place: Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Giving his all: MSU’s Brumwell making an impact in final season

Parker Gabriel

3rd place: No winner


Sports Reporting

1st place: Bozeman Daily Chronicle

MSU ousts Ash as head football coach

Jon Maletz

2nd place: Tri-City Herald

Oh buoy! Oberto pulls it out

Jeff Morrow

3rd place: Skagit Valley Herald

La Conner fielding helmets that track severe impacts

Vince Richardson

 

Spot News Reporting

1st place: Kitsap Sun

Gas blast at Bremerton motel

Meegan M. Reid, Rachel Anne Seymour, Josh Farley , Larry Steagall

2nd place: The Daily News

Floods wreak havoc throughout the region

The Daily News Staff

3rd place: KTUU.com

Sunken racers say they were going 93 mph when they hit open water

Kyle Hopkins

 

LARGE DAILY PRINT AND ONLINE

Arts & Entertainment

1st place: Yakima Herald-Republic

A man on a musical mission

Pat Muir

2nd place: Yakima Herald-Republic

New life for local musicians

Pat Muir

3rd place: Statesman Journal

How Salem music teacher Gary Frame has changed lives

Tom Mayhall Rastrelli

 


Business Reporting

1st place: Idaho Statesman

Inside Our Hospitals

Audrey Dutton

2nd place: Statesman Journal

The best kept banking secret in the marijuana industry

Gordon Friedman

3rd place: Yakima Herald-Republic

Beyond wine

Mai Hoang


Column

1st place: Statesman Journal

Columns by Zach Urness

Zach Urness

2nd place: No winner

3rd place: No winner


Comprehensive Coverage

1st place: Idaho Statesman

Inside Our Hospitals

Audrey Dutton

2nd place: Yakima Herald-Republic

City Council Election Advances

Mike Faulk

3rd place: No winner


Crime and Justice Reporting

1st place: Yakima Herald-Republic

Numbers not evening out

Phil Ferolito

2nd place: Statesman Journal

Keizer men sentenced for mother’s murder

Kaellen Hessel

3rd place: Yakima Herald-Republic

Righting the wrongs of past

Kate Prengaman


Environment, Nature & Science Reporting

1st place: Statesman Journal

Culture of Waste

Tracy Loew

2nd place: Yakima Herald-Republic

An ethical dilemma: killing one species to save another

Scott Sandsberry

3rd place: No winner


Food & Drink

1st place: Statesman Journal

A lifetime of memories treasured in recipes

Victor Panichkul

2nd place: Yakima Herald-Republic

Smoke is on fire

Jane Gargas

3rd place: Idaho Statesman

Clearwater Canyon Cellars wines have an extra dose of ‘heart’ in each bottle

Eric Degerman


General News Reporting

1st place: Yakima Herald-Republic

A tragedy that lives on

Ross Courtney

2nd place: Yakima Herald-Republic

Yakima School District/Lessons learned

Rafael Guerrero

3rd place: Yakima Herald-Republic

Dream Big

Leah Ward


Government and Politics Reporting

1st place: Yakima Herald-Republic

How many meals are too many for city officials?

Mike Faulk

2nd place: Yakima Herald-Republic

Shelters in the storm: Helping the homeless

Mai Hoang

3rd place: Yakima Herald-Republic

Activists say east Yakima parks shortchanged

Mike Faulk


Health Reporting

1st place: Seattlepi.com

Why dozens of ‘vent kids’ stuck in Washington hospitals can’t go home

Levi Pulkkinen

2nd place: Statesman Journal

A life well ended

Saerom Yoo, Danielle Peterson

3rd place: Yakima Herald-Republic

MS at a young age in a small town: Multiple avenues of care

Molly Rosbach


Lifestyles Reporting

1st place: Statesman Journal

Journey toward wilderness on Sutton Mountain

Zach Urness

2nd place: Yakima Herald-Republic

Embracing the tiny-house life

Kaitlyn Bernauer

3rd place: Yakima Herald-Republic

Young sprouts into mighty gardeners grow

Jane Gargas

 

Short General Feature Story

1st place: Yakima Herald-Republic

Taking trips into history

Jane Gargas

2nd place: Statesman Journal

Salem climber saved from North Sister in daring rescue

Zach Urness

3rd place: Statesman Journal

Eat a pie in four minutes? Challenge accepted

Kaellen Hessel


Page Design

1st place: Yakima Herald-Republic

35 Years ago: The Eruption of Mount St. Helens + dropbox links

Bill  Epperheimer

2nd place: No winner

3rd place: No winner


Personalities Reporting

1st place: Yakima Herald-Republic

Portrait Master (Yakima’s Ken Whitmire)

Jane Gargas

2nd place: Yakima Herald-Republic

The gold standard: Don Hutchinson’s 60-plus years in the jewelry business

Tammy Ayer

3rd place: Yakima Herald-Republic

Changes of heart: Dr. Bush Preacher

Molly Rosbach


Social Issues Reporting

1st place: Statesman Journal

Salem ordinances conflict with homeless living

Kaellen Hessel

2nd place: Yakima Herald-Republic

Growing up different in Yakima: ‘If you were gay, you left’

Pat Muir

3rd place: Yakima Herald-Republic

The shelter problem

Phil Ferolito

 

VERY LARGE DAILY PRINT AND ONLINE

General Excellence

1st place: The Oregonian

2nd place: The Daily Herald

3rd place: The Columbian

 

Arts & Entertainment

1st place: The Oregonian/OregonLive

Helen Menken’s Portland gift: The pioneering, tragic life of Humphrey Bogart’s first wife

Doug Perry

2nd place: The Oregonian/OregonLive

Don Carpenter, Portland’s great forgotten writer, is found again

Jeff Baker

3rd place: The Seattle Times

With millennial philanthropy money flowing, arts groups miss out

Tricia Romano


Business Reporting

1st place: KGW.com and USAToday.com

$500K for a Green Card: Foreign investors help Portland boom

Sara Roth

2nd place: The Oregonian/OregonLive

Making it work: Raising a family on $11.50 an hour

Molly Young, Andrew Theen

3rd place: The Oregonian/OregonLive

Hard work, long hours not enough as retirement nears for Portland burger stand owner

George Rede


Column

1st place: The Columbian

Press Talk: June 27; Nov. 21; Feb. 21

Lou Brancaccio

2nd place: The Oregonian/OregonLive

Columns by Steve Duin

Steve Duin

3rd place: The Seattle Times

Columns by Blanca Torres

Blanca Torres


Comprehensive Coverage

1st place: The Oregonian/OregonLive

Our Homeless Crisis

Anna Griffin

2nd place: The Oregonian/OregonLive

On the marijuana beat

Noelle Crombie

3rd place: The Seattle Times

Seattle Times coverage of a historic fire season

Evan Bush, Jim Brunner, Lynda Mapes, Seattle Times Staff  


Crime and Justice Reporting

1st place: The Bulletin

Jail

Claire Withycombe

2nd place: The Oregonian/OregonLive

Oregon man commits no crime, but held in jail for 900 days

Emily Smith

3rd place: The Daily Herald

What Jail Can’t Cure: a) Failing Keaton Farris b) Police Can’t Sweep Streets c) Road to Redemption

Diana Hefley


Editorial & Commentary

1st place: The Oregonian/OregonLive

Editorials by Helen Jung

Helen Jung

2nd place: The Oregonian/OregonLive

Editorials by Erik Lukens

Erik Lukens

3rd place: The Columbian

Put state tax idea to rest; High cost of inaction; Give medical pot law time

Craig Brown


Environment, Nature & Science Reporting

1st place: The Oregonian/OregonLive

Unsettling dust: Hundreds of Portland homes demolished with asbestos inside

Fedor Zarkhin

2nd place: The Spokesman-Review

A New Treaty

Becky  Kramer

3rd place: The Spokesman-Review

Math fans fully encircled by pi’s wonders today

Nicholas Deshais


Food & Drink

1st place: The Seattle Times

The boutique booze boom in Washington

Tan Vinh

2nd place: The News Tribune

Pierce County’s Best Burgers

Sue Kidd

3rd place: The Daily Herald

Nana’s secret soda a hit with pot enthusiasts

Andrea Brown


General News Reporting

1st place: The Oregonian/OregonLive

For better or worse

Maxine Bernstein

2nd place: The Register-Guard

Selling the UO

Diane  Dietz

3rd place: KGW.com

8 things that killed the new I-5 bridge

Sara Roth


Government and Politics Reporting

1st place: The Oregonian/OregonLive

Solar scandal

Jeff Manning, Ted Sickinger

2nd place: The Seattle Times

Following the money: Ethics concerns muddy stateÍs clean-energy grant program

Jim Brunner

3rd place: The Register-Guard

Clean fuels

Saul  Hubbard


Print Headlines

1st place: The Columbian

A winning score makes a “silent” sing – Express delivery: Dash didn’t dawdle – War was more than guns, gore for a Reedie on a foreign shore

Susan Abe

2nd place: The Columbian

Dozer Day: Great excavations/Children get preview of annual turn in the driver’s seat, and they dig it – Legislature calls it a day (+175)/Longest single-year session on record finally … – Family coding project finds its star in Ringo/Robot drums up…

Carl Dubois

3rd place: The Oregonian/OregonLive

Headlines by Pete Lesage

Pete Lesage


Health Reporting

1st place: The Oregonian/OregonLive

A Game of Chicken

Lynne Terry

2nd place: The Spokesman-Review

Rural Aging series

Erica Curless, Tyler Tjomsland

3rd place: The Register-Guard

Healthy profits

Sherri Buri McDonald


Investigative Reporting

1st place: The Bulletin

Tribes

Beau Eastes

2nd place: The Oregonian/OregonLive

A Game of Chicken

Lynne Terry

3rd place: The Daily Herald

Choppers out of range

Scott North, Chuck Taylor


Lifestyles Reporting

1st place: The Daily Herald

Mr. T’s Attire

Andrea Brown

2nd place: The News Tribune

Port Gamble history comes alive (literally)

Rosemary Ponnekanti

3rd place: The Spokesman-Review

Tour Deshais

Nicholas Deshais


Long General Feature Story

1st place: The Oregonian

Team of Dreams

Casey Parks

2nd place: The Seattle Times (Pacific NW Magazine)

Pot of gold: The new legal marijuana business has created once-in-a-lifetime opportunities

Evan Bush

3rd place: The Spokesman-Review

Dispatches from Dachau

Jim Camden

 

Short General Feature Story

1st place: The Spokesman-Review

Solemn Tribute

Pia Hallenberg

2nd place: The Oregonian/OregonLive

Trying to make a Hood River girl’s last birthday party special

Tom Hallman Jr.

3rd place: The Register-Guard

Doobie bother

Mark Baker


Page Design

1st place: The News Tribune

Links Northwest style golf/the charm and challenges of Chambers Bay/A fan’s guide to the course

Jessica Randklev

2nd place: The Seattle Times

CEO salaries soar

Rick Lund, David Miller, Gabriel Campanario

3rd place: The Columbian

June 12; Oct. 23; Nov. 2

Jennifer Krieger


Personalities Reporting

1st place: The Seattle Times

Swinomish leader Brian Cladoosby fights for salmon and sovereignty

Brian Cantwell

2nd place: Alaska Dispatch News

East High student dances past her differences

Marc Lester

3rd place: No winner


Social Issues Reporting

1st place: The Columbian

The hidden homeless / Nature of temporary shelter compounding crisis faced by local families looking for secure housing situations

Patty Hastings

2nd place: The News Tribune

Finding peace

Adam Ashton

3rd place: The Oregonian

Transgender Oregon student wages lonely battle to use boys’ locker room

Casey Parks


Sports Feature Story

1st place: The Oregonian/OregonLive

Canzano: Tour of Caleb Porter Museum reveals man on mission

John Canzano

2nd place: The Bulletin

Connecting the threads of football history

Grant Lucas

3rd place: The Oregonian/OregonLive

After his mother’s death

Tyson Alger


Sports Profile Story

1st place: The Register-Guard

Without Limits

Diane Dietz

2nd place: The Oregonian/OregonLive

Rebuilding Pharaoh Brown: Once facing amputation and a career cut short, Oregon’s tight end is now ahead of schedule

Andrew Greif

3rd place: The Daily Herald

Playing to a smaller audience

Rich Myhre


Sports Reporting

1st place: The Seattle Times

Investigating Seahawks top draft pick’s domestic violence history

Lewis Kamb, Geoff Baker

2nd place: The Seattle Times

Judge: Assault with broomstick part of hazing culture at Juanita High;  7 Juanita football players told police of hazing, attacks

Geoff Baker

3rd place: The Oregonian/OregonLive

Mark Shoff: The rise and fall of Lake Oswego’s boys basketball coach

Joe Freeman

 

Spot News Reporting

1st place: The Oregonian/OregonLive

The resignation of Gov. John Kitzhaber

The Oregonian Staff

2nd place: The Seattle Times

Duck rider heard ‘Oh, no’ before crash that killed four

Seattle Times Staff

3rd place: The Daily Herald

Pulling together for a land in flames

Dan Catchpole, Ian Terry

 

MAGAZINE

General Excellence

1st place: Seattle Met

2nd place: Seattle Magazine

3rd place: 425 Business magazine


Arts & Entertainment

1st place: Seattle Met

Tear Through the World in Wild Disguise

David Laskin

2nd place: Pacific Northwest Magazine

Seattle band Posse finds success on its own terms

Tricia Romano

3rd place: Seattle Business Magazine

Pay For Play

Gianni Truzzi


Business Reporting

1st place: Seattle Met

Dick Cantwell’s Beer Is Immortal

Allecia Vermillion

2nd place: Portland Monthly

Chicken v. Egg: The Truth About Sustainable Chicken is That It Doesn’t Really Exist

Hannah Wallace

3rd place: 425 Business magazine

Tech’s Lack of Diversity Isn’t Just a Pipeline Problem

Jake Bullinger


Cover Design

1st place: Seattle Business Magazine

The Creatives

Matt Cole, Leslie Helm, John Levesque, John Vicory

2nd place: Horizon Edition Magazine

Peak Thrills

Nancy O’Connell

3rd place: Equal Voice Magazine

Magazine Covers (Summer and Winter 2015)

Equal Voice News Staff


Editorial & Commentary

1st place: Seattle Met

He, She, They; Generation Connect; 50 Years, 50 Fears

Kathryn Robinson

2nd place: Seattle Magazine

“Gray Matters”

Knute Berger

3rd place: No winner


Environment, Nature & Science Reporting

1st place: Alaska Airlines Magazine

Preserving Paradise

Eric Lucas

2nd place: Mountain Outlaw magazine

The Coming Infernos

Todd  Wilkinson, Joseph T. O’Connor, Kelsey Dzintars

3rd place: YES! Magazine

Unsurrendered: One Tribe Stands Up to Three Oil Pipelines

YES! Magazine Staff


Food & Drink

1st place: Seattle Met

The Brief, Extraordinary Life of Cody Spafford

Allecia Vermillion

2nd place: Portland Monthly

From Russia, With Love

Karen Brooks

3rd place: Alaska Airlines Magazine

Island Brews

Eric Lucas


General News Reporting

1st place: Seattle Met

17 Shots in Pasco

Brooke Jarvis

2nd place: Seattle Business Magazine

“This Hacker Wears A White Hat”

Drew Atkins

3rd place: Seattle Magazine

Cage Fight

Celina Kareiva


Government and Politics Reporting

1st place: YES! Magazine

Can Cities End the School to Prison Pipeline? Relentless Organizers are Tallying Wins

Marcus Harrison Green

2nd place: Super Lawyers Magazine

Navigating China

Nina Huang, Erik Lundegaard

3rd place: Bozzi Media

Cell Phone Tower Battle

Paul Haeder


Print Headlines

1st place: Seattle Magazine

Headlines: “Mural Majority”; “River Phoenix”; “Grapes of Math”

Brangien Davis, Rachel Hart, Lisa Wogan, Jennifer McCullum

2nd place: Seattle Business Magazine

“Tunnel Vision”; “Pot Stickers”; “Breaking the Code”

John Levesque

3rd place: Alaska Airlines Magazine

Altitude Adjustments, River Dance, Walk this Way

Alaska Airlines Magazine Staff


Health Reporting

1st place: Bend Bulletin

Changing minds: Down syndrome, Alzheimer’s connections could mean new breakthroughs

Markian Hawryluk

2nd place: No winner

3rd place: No winner


Magazine Departments

1st place: Seattle Met

Mudroom

Matthew Halverson, Sara D’Eugenio

2nd place: 425 Business magazine

Disrupt

Marjorie Clark

3rd place: Scotsman Guide Media

Spotlight

Rob Crow, Bill Conroy, Rania Efthemes


Lifestyles Reporting

1st place: South Sound magazine

Giant Octopus Revealed

Lauren Foster

2nd place: Seattle Met

Mountain Adventures

Allison Williams

3rd place: Seattle Magazine

Hit the Town

Patrick Knowles, Sheila Cain, Rachel Hart


Personal Service Reporting

1st place: Seattle Met

I’m New Here: A User’s Guide to the Emerald City

Seattle Met Staff

2nd place: Alaska Airlines Magazine

Exercise Your Options

Ellee Thalheimer

3rd place: Seattle Magazine

A Drink-Free January: Does it Really do a Body Good?

Lauren Mang


Personalities Reporting

1st place: Seattle Met

The Brief, Extraordinary Life of Cody Spafford

Allecia Vermillion

2nd place: Portland Monthly

Ursula K. Le Guin Is Breathing Fire to Save American Literature

Taylor Clark

3rd place: Alaska Airlines Magazine

Giving Spirit

Kristianne Huntsberger


Social Issues Reporting

1st place: YES! Magazine

“Unsurrendered: One Tribe Stands Up to Three Oil Pipelines”

YES! Magazine Staff

2nd place: 425 Business magazine

Inside Gaming’s Addictive World

Jake Bullinger

3rd place: Seattle Met

Tony Wheat Has Been Sorry for so Long

James Ross Gardner


Sports Reporting

1st place: Cascade Golfer magazine

Bobby’s Opus

Brian Beaky

2nd place: Cascade Golfer magazine

Big Momma’s House

Craig Smith

3rd place: Alaska Airlines Magazine

Altitude Adjustment

Nicholas O’Connell


Travel Reporting

1st place: Seattle Magazine

“Make Camp in the Northwest”

Charlotte Austin, Jenny Cunningham, Kristen Russell, Roddy Scheer

2nd place: Seattle Met

The Columbia River

Allison Williams

3rd place: Seattle Met

Thicker Than Water

Matthew Halverson

NON-DAILY 

General Excellence

1st place: Portland Business Journal

2nd place: Real Change

3rd place: Cannon Beach Gazette


Arts and Lifestyles

1st place: Eugene Weekly

Teeth & Bones

Alex V. Cipolle

2nd place: Seattle Weekly

How Odesza Became the Biggest Seattle Band You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

Kelton Sears

3rd place: No winner


Business Reporting

1st place: InvestigateWest

How Cash Sent the Portland Home Market Spinning

Lee van der Voo, James Gordon

2nd place: Willamette Week

You Call This A Farm?

Nigel Jaquiss

3rd place: InvestigateWest

Profiting from Thrift

Francesca Lyman


Column

1st place: InvestigateWest

Redacted: The State of Transparency in Oregon

Lee van der Voo

2nd place: Street Roots

Israel Bayer

Israel  Bayer

3rd place: Real Change

Adventures in Irony

Wes Browning


Crime and Justice Reporting

1st place: Portland Business Journal

Shell Games

Matthew Kish

2nd place: Street Roots

The kids from the hall

Emily Green

3rd place:

Willamette Week

Rat Tale

Aaron Mesh


Critique and Review

1st place: Seattle Weekly

Ernest Loves Agnes Brings Simple but Superlative Italian Food to Capitol Hill

Nicole Sprinkle

2nd place: No winner

3rd place:  No winner


Editorial & Commentary

1st place: Puget Sound Business Journal

Immigrants; Bezos bungles; Maritime

Rob Smith

2nd place: Kirkland Reporter

Editorials

Matt Phelps

3rd place: No winner


Environment, Nature & Science Reporting

1st place: South Whidbey Record

Three-part series: A Paddle Around Whidbey

Sue Ellen White

2nd place: Street Roots

Logging or Restoration?

Emily Green

3rd place: The Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle

Bearytale unfolds at Esther Briques

Roger Harnack, Brock Hires


General News Reporting

1st place: Portland Tribune

Why we know so little about abortion in Oregon

Shasta Kearns Moore

2nd place: Real Change

More people come to light in the dark

Aaron Burkhalter

3rd place: Puget Sound Business Journal

The Year That Went to Pot

Sarah Aitchison


Government and Politics Reporting

1st place: Seattle Weekly

Anatomy of a NIMBY

Casey Jaywork

2nd place: Willamette Week

Man Vs. Machine

Beth Slovic

3rd place: Real Change

Swept away

Aaron Burkhalter


Print Headlines

1st place: Portland Business Journal

Portland Business Journal – Brandon Sawyer

Brandon Sawyer

2nd place: Puget Sound Business Journal

Brewed awakening; Shanghai on the Sound; She thinks outside the box score

Rob Smith

3rd place: Northwest Asian Weekly

Editorial Headlines

Peggy Chapman


Health Reporting

1st place: Seattle Weekly

In Georgetown, the Housing Is Affordable and the Air Unbreathable  

Sara Bernard

2nd place: Eugene Weekly

The Art of Recovery

Rick Levin

3rd place: Portland Tribune

While toys come rolling in, families struggle with basic needs

Shasta Kearns Moore


Investigative Reporting

1st place: InvestigateWest

Profiting from Thrift

Francesca Lyman

2nd place: Portland Business Journal

Shell Game

Matthew Kish

3rd place: Willamette Week

Home Sweet Hustle

Nigel Jaquiss


Page Design

1st place: Puget Sound Business Journal

Bertha; IPO Drought; StarTech

Ryan Lambert

2nd place: The Times, serving Tigard, Tualatin and Sherwood

24-Jun-15

Kate Schell

3rd place: Willamette Week

Feed The Beast

Julie Showers, Dominic De Venuta


Personalities Reporting

1st place: Willamette Week

The Newest Portlanders

Leah Sottile

2nd place: Willamette Week

Bad Boy

Beth Slovic

3rd place: Puget Sound Business Journal

Brad Tilden

Steve Wilhelm


Social Issues Reporting

1st place: Real Change

Nowhere to go

Rianna Hidalgo

2nd place: Puget Sound Business Journal

Dreams Delayed; Talent in Exile

Emily Parkhurst

3rd place: Real Change

A woman’s right. Period

Rianna Hidalgo


Sports Reporting

1st place: Portland Tribune

Raising Kaman: Blazers’ backup big man sounds off

Kerry Eggers

2nd place: Clackamas Review

A truly amazing season

John Denny

3rd place: No winner


Spot News Reporting

1st place: Willamette Week

Climate, Changed

Nigel Jaquiss

2nd place: Portland Business Journal

Port of No Return

Erik Siemers

3rd place: Puget Sound Business Journal

Amazon

Marc Stiles

RADIO
Feature News Reporting

1st place: Jefferson Public Radio

To Shoot Or Not To To Shoot

Liam Moriarty

2nd place: OPB

Crater Lake’s Crayfish Invasion

Jes Burns, David Steves

3rd place: KPLU Public Radio

Snowdrift, The Lost Cat That Didn’t Want To Be Found

Jennifer Wing


General News Reporting

1st place: Northwest News Network

Mentally Ill Inmates Languish In Jail, Awaiting Trial

Austin Jenkins

2nd place: KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio

911 Wants to Know if You’re a Veteran

Patricia Murphy

3rd place: KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio

Using White Privilege To Fight Racism: A Young Activist’s Dream

Paul Kiefer, Lila Kitaeff, Carol Smith


Investigative Reporting

1st place: OPB

Oregon Workers Alerted Safety Officials To Problems Before Mill Roof Collapse

Amanda Peacher, Eve Epstein

2nd place: KIRO Radio

A little used police training video could help save pets’ lives

Sara Lerner

3rd place: Northwest News Network

Locked Up For Skipping School

Austin Jenkins


News Series

1st place: OPB

Wildlife Detectives

OPB and EarthFix Staff

2nd place: KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio

Seattle’s Homeless: No End in Sight

John Ryan, Jeannie Yandel

3rd place: Jefferson Public Radio

The Wildfire Conundrum

Liam Moriarty


Special Report

1st place: KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio

Why This Teen Stopped Hiding Her Dad’s Abuse

Noel Gasca, Lila  Kitaeff, Jenny Asarnow

2nd place: KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio

Why Is There So Much Prostitution On Aurora Avenue In Seattle?

Posey Gruener

3rd place: Northwest News Network

Daughters of Hanford

Anna King


Sports Reporting

1st place: KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio

The Surprising Place Where Some Seahawks Fans Gather

Joshua McNichols

2nd place: KPLU Public Radio

Why Does For-Profit Hockey In Washington Not Have To Pay Players Minimum Wage?

Ashley Gross

3rd place: Alaska Public Radio Network

Out With The Old, In With The New: Up-And-Comers Outpace Longtime Career Mushers

Emily Schwing


Spot News Reporting

1st place: Northwest News Network

Washington Wildfires

Anna King

2nd place: KPLU Public Radio

Seattle ‘Kayaktivists’ Building Ranks For Direct Action Against Shell’s Arctic Drilling Fleet

Bellamy Pailthorp

3rd place:

KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio

International District Mourns Shooting Victim Donald Chin

Liz Jones

TELEVISION

 
Feature News Reporting

1st place: OPB

Hole in the Lake

Vince Patton, Michael Bendixen

2nd place: KRTV

Face the State: National Police Week

Shannon Newth

3rd place: KNDU-TV

Seahawks Dream Come True For Autistic Walla Walla Drummer

Don Granese


General News Reporting

1st place: OPB

Feds kill thousands of cormorants to save salmon

Cassandra Profita, Nick Fisher, Michael Bendixen, Todd Sonflieth

2nd place: KNDU-TV

I-TEAM: New Details In Previous Pasco Officer Shooting Case

Don Granese

3rd place: KTUU

Bean’s Cafe Memorial

Caslon Hatch, Kuba Wuls


Live Breaking News Coverage

1st place: KIMA News, CBS Yakima

Suspect survives confrontation with SWAT team

Crystal Bui

2nd place: KEPR-TV

Roosevelt fire has residents on edge

Kathleen Jacob

3rd place: KIMA-TV

Four in custody after Yakima standoff; main suspect’s bail set at $2M

Bridget Chapman


Special Report/Documentary

1st place: OPB

Unprepared

Ed Jahn, Bruce Barrow, Todd Sonflieth, Steve Amen

2nd place: EarthFix / KCTS

Wildlife Detectives: The Hunt for Northwest Poachers

Cassandra Profita, Jes Burns, Ken  Christensen, Courtney Flatt

3rd place: Oregon Public Broadcasting

Murder on the Southern Pacific

Kami Horton, Lisa Kallem


Sports Reporting

1st place: KTUU

2015 Iron Dog

Beth O’Donnell, Kuba Wuls

2nd place: KREM-TV

Hotel Swimmer

Brett Allbery, Jane McCarthy

3rd place: KEPR-TV

Graff Strong, Getting Stronger

Vince Sapienza


Video Photography

1st place: KTUU-TV

Kuba Wuls Show Reel

Kuba Wuls

2nd place: EarthFix / KCTS

Could A Mushroom Save The Honeybee?

Ken Christensen

3rd place: KBTC-TV

Saving the Salmon

Tom Layson, Russ Ricketts

VISUALS

Best Photo Portfolio

1st place: The Daily Astorian

Joshua Bessex Portfolio

Joshua Bessex

2nd place: The Daily Herald and SeattlePI.com

2015 Portfolio

Genna Martin

3rd place: Kitsap Sun

Photo portfolio, Meegan M. Reid

Meegan M. Reid


Arts & Entertainment

1st place: The Seattle Times

Dancing On The Wall

Alan Berner

2nd place: Northwest Asian Weekly

Celebrating Holi

Jerald Peter

3rd place: Beaverton Valley Times

Whitford’s Haunted House has the thrills and chills

Jaime Valdez


Daily Life

1st place: Kitsap Sun

Bubbleman

Larry Steagall

2nd place: Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Rain and flowers

Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez

3rd place: The Bulletin

Rodeo

Ryan Brennecke


Feature Photography

1st place: Real Change

Gone but not forgotten

Alex Garland

2nd place: Equal Voice News

Joy at Seattle Bingo Game

Equal Voice News Staff

3rd place: Willamette Week

Photographer: Ryan LaBriere

Ryan LaBriere

General News Reporting

1st place: Tri-City Herald

A mother’s grief

Andrew Jansen

2nd place: The Issaquah Press

Grandson killed in crosswalk

Greg Farrar

3rd place: The Columbian

Battle Ground tornado

Amanda Cowan


Government and Politics Reporting

1st place: BadCounty.com

Local News Stories Not Reported in Other Media

Dale Matthews

2nd place: The Seattle Globalist

Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders walked away from the microphone as activists Mara Jacqueline Willaford and Marissa Johnson disrupted a rally in Seattle.

Alex Garland

3rd place: No winner


Graphics & Illustrations

1st place: The Seattle Times

SketcherCast: An illustrated report from the U.S. Open by The TimesÍ Seattle Sketcher, Gabriel Campanario

Gabriel Campanario

2nd place: The Seattle Times

Ravensdale: Tragedy strikes a mining town

Audrey Carlsen, Gabriel Campanario

3rd place: Real Change

Real Change Graphics and Illustrations

Jon Williams


Lifestyles Reporting

1st place: Beaverton Valley Times

Roger Tilbury’s widow says namesake park is ‘perfect’

Jonathan House

2nd place: Seattle Magazine

“Gray Area”

Ryan McVay, Jennifer McCullum, Sarah Butler, Stephanie Mennella

3rd place: No winner


Online Feature Video (non-TV)

1st place: The Columbian

A Strong Man – Akhil’s journey with ALS

Ariane Kunze

2nd place: The Seattle Times

The Family Brand

Erika Schultz, Lauren Frohne

3rd place: EarthFix

How black market poachers exploit the world’s biggest burrowing clam

Katie Campbell, MacGregor Campbell


Online News Video (non-TV)

1st place: EastIdahoNews.com

Sgt. Marge is in Charge

Nate Eaton

2nd place: YES! Magazine

Why Student Debtors Can’t File for Bankruptcy- Or Can They?

YES! Magazine Staff

3rd place: EastIdahoNews.com

Kayden’s Courage

Nate Eaton


Photo Essay

1st place: The Daily Herald

Washington Wildfires

Genna Martin

2nd place: Horizon Edition Magazine

Showcase 2015

Nancy O’Connell

3rd place: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

2015 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race

Erin Corneliussen


Pictorial Photography

1st place: Horizon Edition Magazine

Reno Tahoe Getaway

Ron Niebrugge

2nd place:  The Seattle Times

Snoqualmie Sun

Lindsey Wasson

3rd place: Yakima Herald-Republic

Hop expansion

Mason Trinca


Portrait Photography

1st place: Animal News Northwest

You Are My Home: Katie and Molly

Karen Ducey

2nd place: 425 magazine

Penny LeGate

Rachel Coward

3rd place: Statesman Journal

A life well ended

Danielle Peterson


Social Issues (single)

1st place: Animal News Northwest

Down on Luck

Karen Ducey

2nd place: Equal Voice News

Jimmy Mills and Granddaughter in Arizona

Equal Voice News Staff

3rd place: The Seattle Times

Unsettled  

Erika Schultz


Social Issues (story)

1st place: The Seattle Times

Unsettled

Erika Schultz

2nd place: Seattle Met

17 Shots in Pasco

Mike Kane

3rd place: Equal Voice News

Grandfamilies in Arizona

Equal Voice News Staff


Sports Action

1st place: The Seattle Times

Eye contact

Lindsey Wasson

2nd place: Daily Record

Rodeo Launch

Brian  Myrick

3rd place: Statesman Journal

Gunslinger

Danielle Peterson


Sports Feature

1st place: The Bulletin

State Champ

Joe Kline

2nd place: Yakima Herald-Republic

Prosser Gamer

Mason Trinca

3rd place: The Columbian

Timbers Celebrate Championship

Amanda Cowan


Spot News Reporting

1st place: Northwest News Network

Amid Fires, Downed Fences Make Good Neighbors

Ian Bates, Anna King

2nd place: capitolhillseattle.com

Seattle May Day 2015 turns into a riot on Capitol Hill

Alex Garland

3rd place: No winner

 

*In the spirit of competition and excellence, the SPJ NW Excellence in Journalism contest has a policy to disqualify categories that don’t receive at least three entries. The following categories were disqualified this year. All entrants have been refunded. If you have any questions, please contact spjnwcontest@gmail.com.

Small Daily Print and Online: Online Headlines, Print Headline, Sports Profile Story, Page Design

Medium Daily Print and Online: Critique & Review, Food & Drink, Online Headlines, Page Design

Large Daily Print and Online: General Excellence, Critique & Review, Editorial & Commentary, Online Headline, Print Headlines, Investigative Reporting, Long General Feature Story, Sports Feature Story, Sports Profile Story, Sports Reporting, Spot News Reporting

Very Large Daily Print and Online: Critique & Review, Online Headlines

Magazine: Online Headlines

Non-Daily: Online Headlines

TV: Investigative Reporting

Visuals: Editorial Cartoons, Environment, Nature & Science Reporting, Food & Drink

 

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