2013 S.C. Press Association News Contest Winners

Journalist Year Award of the

DAILY DIVISION DOUG PARDUE THE POST AND COURIER

Doug Pardue is a projects reporter for The Post and Courier. Before joining the Charleston paper, he was news projects editor for USA Today. His work as a reporter has received three National Headliner Awards, a Robert F. Kennedy Citation, a first place SPJ award for non-deadline reporting, a Gerald Loeb Citation, two Taylor/Tomlin Awards for Investigative Journalism in South Carolina. He was part of a Roanoke Times (Va.) team that was a 1990 Pulitzer Prize finalist for coverage of the year-long Pittston Coal strike. Pardue also has served as a projects and investigations editor at The Tampa (Fla.) Tribune and The State. He is married with three daughters and eight grandchildren. Judges’ comments: Doug Pardue’s dedication in researching and writing Forgotten South Carolina is deserving of the Press Association’s top honor for a daily journalist. Forgotten South Carolina was an excellent effort. His reporting shined light on the dark realities that keep more than one million South Carolinians in third world conditions. His in-depth coverage was well done with lots of good interviews to connect the dots and reveal what’s going on, why and who’s responsible. Pardue tackled the Palmetto State’s complex issues of disparities in health care and economic opportunity. He also offered possible solutions, and state leaders have pledged change.

WEEKLY DIVISION

PAUL BOWERS

CHARLESTON CITY PAPER

Paul Bowers is a staff writer at the Charleston City Paper, a deacon at Two Rivers Presbyterian Church, and an amateur composer of songs for banjo and guitar. He started writing for The Post and Courier’s now-defunct teenage section in the eighth grade. At the University of South Carolina, he wore a dozen different hats at the student newspaper, freelanced for the Free Times, and landed a brief but rewarding summer internship in West Africa with columnist Nicholas Kristof. He graduated from USC in 2011 and moved to North Charleston with his wife and two cats. As a member of a tight-knit newspaper staff, he covers beats including city council, State House politics, the local heavy metal scene, education, protest movements, religion, and the Spoleto arts festival. He also writes the police blotter every week. His work has appeared in The Huffington Post, The New York Times, Undefined, Verbatim Poetry, and Patrol Judges’ Comments: Bowers excels in covering a wide range of timely, important topics. His Zais story was of major importance to readers statewide. His breaking story on buskers in downtown Charleston was well-written and led to change. He also was the first to report Gov. Nikki Haley was in an unreported car crash in North Carolina. Bowers’ nuanced reporting blend with great investigative work. His coverage shapes outcome. 2013 was a good year for Bowers, whose reporting impacted the Lowcountry for the better.

Reid Montgomery

FOI AWARD

DAILY DIVISION FIRST PLACE

The Post and Courier did a good job of shining light into the actions of governmental and elected officials through their everyday reporting. The newspaper used the FOIA routinely and effectively and let readers know what their public officials were doing. They backed up news stories with well-written editorials – and legal action as necessary. The paper’s FOI efforts in 2013 led to changes in the law and increased awareness of the importance of fighting to bolster and protect public access. This entry stands out in part because of the breadth of their FOI efforts.

SECOND PLACE

The staff of the Index-Journal is very committed to the FOIA. Staffers used the law to disclose routine and essential actions of government and to disclose abuse. Meritorious effort! Great job on coverage of county indirect expenses. Entry also showed variety of stories on other topics.

WEEKLY DIVISION FIRST PLACE

Camden did the right thing for readers in 2013. The staff ’s detailed, dogged reporting shed light on local government activities. It can be tough for a small newspaper to do this kind of watchdog work, but the staff ’s commitment to FOI should not go unnoticed. They fought open government issues large and small with a combination of news reporting and columns/editorials that explained the paper’s actions and their importance to the public.

18,000-45,000 & Over 45,000 Combined

Jay Bender Award for Assertive Journalism

DAILY DIVISION - FIRST PLACE ANDREW KNAPP, THE POST AND COURIER

Andrew Knapp is a crime reporter at The Post and Courier. He previously spent four years at Florida Today reporting crime but mostly designing pages. Before that, he interned at Newsday and the Pew Research Center. He earned two journalism degrees, a bachelor’s at the University of Maine in his home state and a master’s at American University in Washington, D.C. He is married and has one daughter.

Judges’ Comments: Knapp really went after answers from powerful local institutions and public officials. Sexual assault coverage was standout in this entry. After confronting College of Charleston officials who refused to respond to his questions, he filed several FOI requests to get to the bottom of the matter. His dogged reporting led to statewide change in how sex crimes are investigated on college campuses. Knapp holds public officials accountable and presses for answers in spite of difficulties and opposition. Reporting showed the aggressiveness this award seeks to reward.

Photojournalist

DAILY DIVISION

GRACE BEAHM, THE POST AND COURIER

Grace Beahm is a native of Maryland and graduate of Ohio University’s photojournalism program. She worked for a group of community newspapers in the Washington, D.C., area before joining the staff of The Post and Courier in 2001. Grace’s photo skills were critical to putting a human face on the Forgotten South Carolina project, including the cover image of the series that examined disparities in the state. Her eye for creative design and lighting makes her studio and photo illustration work stand out.

Judges’ Comments: The images show us your community. Great overview of what happened in 2013. Good visual variety. Shows a lot of aspects of the community.

WEEKLY DIVISION - FIRST PLACE COREY HUTCHINS, FREE TIMES

Corey Hutchins is a staff writer for the Charleston City Paper. He has twice been named SCPA’s Weekly Journalist of the Year. He most recently worked as a staff writer for the Free Times in Columbia. He is currently working on the United States Project for Columbia Journalism Review, and his work has appeared on the cover of The Nation and in Slate, The Texas Observer and The Progressive magazine, among others.

Judges’ Comments: Hutchins’ persistence and strong reporting efforts make him deserving of this award. He didn’t give up when all other reporters did – pursing the story for 18 months. He used the FOIA to do what journalists should always be doing: holding their public leaders accountable for what they say and do, and pointing out when politicians are being untruthful, and how. Hutchins’ reporting was remarkable.

SECOND PLACE: Fort Mill Times, Michael Harrison and Jenny Overman

Judges’ Comments: Harrison and Overman did a good job of keeping the public in the know in the face of adversity. Your curiosity and commitment to open government is commendable. Good follow-up. Good journalism. And it all started because you saw cars in a parking lot and did what a good reporter does...check it out.

of the Year Award

WEEKLY DIVISION TANYA ACKERMAN, COASTAL OBSERVER

Tanya Ackerman joined the Coastal Observer in 2006 as its staff photographer. She studied photography at Kent State University and previously worked for The Greenville News. In addition to numerous awards, she was named the SCPA Photojournalist of the Year for weekly papers in 2011.

Judges’ Comments: Good visual variety. Strong technical skills. Portfolio shows diverse subject matter and good moments. All images are relevant to the community.

OPEN division

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Doug Pardue, “Forgotten South Carolina”

Judges’ Comments: Forgotten South Carolina would have been a forgotten story without Doug Pardue and The Post and Courier – a vital tale hiding in plain sight.

SECOND PLACE: The State, Sammy Fretwell, “Environmental lawbreakers”

THIRD PLACE - TIE: Index-Journal, Frank Bumb, “Saluda mayoral mileage reimbursements”

THIRD PLACE - TIE: Index-Journal, Scott J. Bryan and Chris Trainor, “GCSO expenditures”

SERIES OF SPORTS ARTICLES

FIRST PLACE: Fort Mill Times, Mac Banks, “Charlotte Knights Baseball”

Judges’ Comments: I’m sure subscribers ate it up. I did, and I’d never heard of Fort Mill. Clear writing, good headlines and photos. A lovely way to celebrate a closing chapter from many perspectives, including local government and business angles.

SECOND PLACE: The State, John Devlin, “Dozen Dynasties”

THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Gene Sapakoff, “Blacks in baseball”

ONLINE COLUMN WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Gene Sapakoff, “Spirit of Boston Marathon and Patriot’s Day endures”

Judges’ Comments: A personal account that has real heart.

SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, Eric Boynton, “Judge reverses SCHSL’s idiocy”

THIRD PLACE: Herald-Journal, Eric Boynton, “Former Gamecock Culliver displays his homophobia for the whole world”

CARTOON

FIRST PLACE: The Greenville News, Roger Harvell, “The Black Friday retail clerk; Grinch and spending; Missing POTUS”

Judges’ Comments: Outstanding blend of idea and visual execution. Clear and elegant rendering style.

SECOND PLACE: Index-Journal, Mike Beckom, “Pop Tart gun; We go dance now; Bully”

THIRD PLACE: Herald-Journal, Robert Ariail, “S.C. Department of Revenue hacking; Red line; Obamacare Nullification bill”

MIXED MEDIA ILLUSTRATION

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Luke Reasoner, “Will it line up?”

Judges’ Comments: Excellent illustration that fits perfectly with article.

SECOND PLACE: The State, Meredith Sheffer, “Hook, Line and Bubba”

THIRD PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Kristin Coker, “Game...Cocks”

ILLUSTRATION

FIRST PLACE: Free Times, Jason Crosby, “Our Dumb State, Vol. 9”

Judges’ Comments: A cartoon is the perfect way to unify the wild antics of South Carolina. Jason’s colorful and dynamic illustration is eye-catching and hilarious.

SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, Gary Kyle, “Falling Sleepy?”

THIRD PLACE: Charleston City Paper, Scott Fuchy, “Doomesday kit”

INFORMATIONAL GRAPHICS

PORTFOLIO

FIRST PLACE: The State, Meredith Sheffer, “Opposing QBs”

Judges’ Comments: Clear, engaging designs. Information is presented in interesting ways and does not take away from stories.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Chad Dunbar, “Pig Fans”

THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Gill Guerry, “Bridge Run”

SINGLE ONLINE PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: Independent Mail, Ken Ruinard, “Retired hot-air balloon”

Judges’ Comments: Strong sense of graphics and scale makes this a colorful winner.

SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, Tom Priddy, “Riverdogs catcher dives for a pop-up”

THIRD PLACE: Independent Mail, Ken Ruinard, “Newlyweds ride the Seattle Wheel”

INNOVATIVE CONCEPT

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Staff, “eBooks” Judges’ Comments: An innovative approach to presenting long, in-depth stories of important issues. Readers get “chapters” in the paper and may purchase the longer eBooks via Amazon.

SECOND PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Staff, “Not just a newspaper anymore”

THIRD PLACE: The Island Packet, Mike McCombs, “Preseason football special section”

AFFILIATED OR NICHE WEBSITE

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Staff, CharlestonScene.com

Judges’ Comments: Great content that is easy to navigate and interesting. Strong graphics.

SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, Sports Staff, preps.goupstate.com

THIRD PLACE: The State, Dwayne Mclemore, Rick Millians, Josh Kendall, David Cloninger, Neil White and Tracy Glantz, gogamecocks.com

SPORTS SPECIALTY PUBLICATION

OR SPORTS MAGAZINE

FIRST PLACE: The State, Staff, “Go Gamecocks - Fall” Judges’ Comments: A great look and lots of content. This was the best of three entries from The State that were clearly a cut above the rest of the entries.

SECOND PLACE: The State, Staff, “Go GamecocksSpring”

THIRD PLACE: The State, Staff, “Marcus Lattimore - Summer”

ONLINE NEWS PROJECT

FIRST PLACE: The Greenville News, William Fox, Lyn Riddle, Mykal McEldowney and Melissa Hall, greenvilleonline.com/homeless Judges’ Comments: Great, powerful storytelling paired with engaging design make this the clear winner. The video, audio and photos are well integrated into the site. Good use of offsite links with the “Ways to Help.” Easy to navigate with anchor arrows by section and the parts clearly labeled in the top menu. Impressive social sharing figures. The mobile responsive design is a nice added feature!

SECOND PLACE - TIE: The Post and Courier, Tony Bartelme, http://www.postandcourier.com/salary

SECOND PLACE - TIE: The Post and Courier, Gill Guerry, “Charleston Area Homicides”

THIRD PLACE: Index-Journal, Matt Walsh and Chris Trainor, ijfeatures.com

HONORABLE MENTION: The State, Darren Price and Dwayne McLemore, “Clowney Interactive”

JUDSON CHAPMAN

AWARD FOR

PUBLIC SERVICE

FIRST PLACE: DOUG PARDUE

The Post and Courier

“Forgotten South Carolina” The writer could have gone AT this topic, instead he SURROUNDED it. He tells the reader to look at it from this perspective – education, and from here – health and from here – economic opportunity. This was an impressive approach.

SECOND PLACE: Free Times, Porter Barron Jr., “In harm’s way”

THIRD PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Dionne Gleaton, “Etched in time”

ALL DAILY division

EDITORIAL/COLUMN IN SUPPORT OF FOIA

FIRST PLACE: Herald-Journal, Michael Smith, “Open up, county council”

Judges’ Comments: A forceful, concise argument which produced the desired result of making proposed ordinances available to the public.

SECOND PLACE: Index-Journal, Scott J. Bryan, “School board sings a disturbing tune”

THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Charles Rowe, “No school secrets allowed”

FEATURE SPECIALTY PUBLICATION OR MAGAZINE

FIRST PLACE: Aiken Standard, Staff, “Aiken’s Triple Crown 2013”

Judges’ Comments: WOW! I am a huge fan – and I’m not talking horse-racing! This special section provides EVERY angle of the event that someone would “need to know before you go!” The design is crisp, clean and “common sense,” and bonus – it’s printed on better-quality newsprint. I love all the goand-do boxes, fact boxes and photos. Oh, and the photos! They add so much – especially to the fashion, spreads and memories packages. This piece sets the standard to which all special sections should aspire!

SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, Staff, “Spartanburg Magazine - Close to Home”

THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Staff, “My Charleston”

NEWS SPECIAL EDITION OR SECTION

FIRST PLACE: The Herald, Staff, “Class” Judges’ Comments: I loved everything about this tab. It is full of lots of good information, but I especially liked the “Advice from recent graduates” and the “Students pick their favorite teachers” stories.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Staff, “Forgotten South Carolina”

THIRD PLACE: The Island Packet, Staff, “New Year, New Leader”

SPORTS SPECIAL EDITION OR SECTION

FIRST PLACE: The Island Packet, Staff, “RBC Heritage” Judges’ Comments: The section was filled with details, from parking to hashtags and compelling photos, storytelling, history and more. It was compelling to read and to glance through as a reference source. Special mention to Stephen Fastenau for his thorough coverage.

SECOND PLACE: The State, Staff, “C.A. Johnson, ‘Football is Life’”

THIRD PLACE: The State, Staff, “Masters Preview”

REVIEW PORTFOLIO

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Adam Parker, “Wash; Verdi requiem in the arena; All that is” Judges’ Comments: Adam Parker understands his subject matter, from books to opera, and writes with confidence. He lets the reader know if the book is worth reading or the opera worth the price of admission.

SECOND PLACE: The State, Otis R. Taylor Jr., “Like visiting an old friend; Kenny’s Columbia comeback; Hip-hop”

THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Bo Petersen, “Theroux’s Last Train; Wolfe lampoons Miami; ‘Storm’ a vortex of good storytelling”

GOVERNMENT REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: The State, Jamie Self Judges’ Comments: Exhaustive coverage in each story: well-researched, well-reported and wellsourced. Quite simply, excellent coverage.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, David Slade

THIRD PLACE: The Greenville News, Tim Smith

HEALTH REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Lauren Sausser Judges’ Comments: Excellent pieces carry a mix of interesting topics. Depth and breadth are both here. Excellent, interesting work.

SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, Dustin Wyatt

THIRD PLACE: The Greenville News, Liv Osby

EDUCATION REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: Index-Journal, Michelle Laxer Judges’ Comments: Solid, in-depth reporting on education. Michelle digs deep into numbers to tell her stories. Excellent writing on a diverse amount of topics in education.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Diette Courrégé Casey

THIRD PLACE: The Sun News, Vicki Grooms

FAITH REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: Herald-Journal, Dustin Wyatt Judges’ Comments: Excellent ledes... draws the reader in!

SECOND PLACE: Independent Mail, Mike Ellis

THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Jennifer Berry Hawes

SPORTS BEAT REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Ryan Wood Judges’ Comments: You introduce your readers to athletes as humans who have overcome violent upbringings and health issues. It’s refreshing , and sadly, rare.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Aaron Brenner

THIRD PLACE: The State, Josh Kendall

FEATURE HEADLINE WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Wendy Jeffcoat Crider, “Gobble Tov!; A garden of deLight; Perked up” Judges’ Comments: Thanksgiving meets Hanukkah - Oy vey!

SECOND PLACE: Independent Mail, Kylie Yerka, “A gorges place; Golden opportunities; Grave moments”

THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Beth Harrison, “Leave it to beavers to stir up trouble; Winner emerges after a long spell; Love is the cure”

SPORTS HEADLINE WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Island Packet, Mike Bragg, “Orange you shocked?; Whistle while you work?; Good hair day” Judges’ Comments: Very solid entry. Headlines reach beyond cleverness for a higher level of engagement.

SECOND PLACE: Aiken Standard, Noah Feit, “Trey bien; By a toe; Wimble-done”

THIRD PLACE: Index-Journal, Scott Chancey, “King for a day; Dog-gone it; Golden Graeme”

PHOTO PAGE DESIGN

FIRST PLACE: The State, Jeff Price, “Aussie-some” Judges’ Comments: Dramatic photo, dramatic display. This winner allows the photo to dictate the design and not the design dictating the photo.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Chad Dunbar, “Finding a way”

THIRD PLACE: The Sun News, Amanda Criswell, “Year’s best photos”

ENTERTAINMENT SECTION

FIRST PLACE: Independent Mail, Staff, “Upstate BE” Judges’ Comments: Interesting content. Clean design.

SECOND PLACE: The Sun News, Staff, “Kicks!”

THIRD PLACE: The Greenville News, Melissa Blanton, “eGreenville”

LIFESTYLE/FEATURE SPECIAL

SECTION OR EDITION

FIRST PLACE: The State, Staff, “My Vista @ 25” Judges’ Comments: A creative, energetic way to examine, critique and celebrate the city’s “riverfront playground” on its anniversary. Well conceived and executed.

SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, Staff, “Marching Madness”

THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Staff, “Spoleto, May 23”

E.A. RAMSAUR AWARD FOR

EDITORIAL WRITING

FIRST PLACE: Herald-Journal, Michael Smith, “Change the culture; Rights and responsibilities; Open up, county council”

Judges’ Comments: Consistently persuasive. Strong editorials address important local and state issues. Excellent job in a competitive category.

SECOND PLACE: The Island Packet, Janet Smith, “Many factors to blame for ethics reform failure; S.C. must get to bottom of TB fiasco; Public deserves to know real story on principals”

THIRD PLACE: The Herald, James Werrell, “Ban texting while driving; Prison HIV policy change; Get more from Romarco”

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Wade Spees, “Teen Angst”

Judges’ Comments: Nice job of portraying isolation. Great use of white space.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Grace Beahm, “The Gatsby Look”

THIRD PLACE: The Beaufort Gazette, Sarah Welliver, “Hurdle Jumping”

INTEGRATION OF PRINT AND WEB COVERAGE

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Staff, “Forgotten South Carolina”

Judges’ Comments: Strong print package paired with interesting multimedia elements make this the clear winner. This entry is a perfect example of how print and digital components can work together to tell the full story. Well-edited photo galleries, video and Web stories are engaging. The interactive map organized a large amount of data into a user-friendly, easy to read charts. Important project that serves readers well! Great job!

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Staff, “Blast Wave”

THIRD PLACE: The State, Staff, “African American History Calendar”

HONORABLE MENTION: The Times and Democrat, Staff, “Week of Champions”

ALL WEEKLY division

EDITORIAL/COLUMN IN SUPPORT OF FOIA

FIRST PLACE: The Independent Voice of Blythewood and Fairfield County, James Denton, “The price of secrecy”

Judges’ Comments: Strong arguments against secrecy and good writing. Makes citizenry understand the problems of the media being overcharged for public documents.

SECOND PLACE: The News & Reporter, Travis Jenkins, “Stop (violating FOI Law)”

THIRD PLACE: Union County News, Graham Williams, “Trustees actions set bad example”

HONORABLE MENTION: Greenville Journal, Susan Clary Simmons, “Call out the hypocrites”

FEATURE SPECIALTY PUBLICATION OR MAGAZINE

FIRST PLACE: Myrtle Beach Herald, Staff, “Myrtle Beach: A Retrospective”

Judges’ Comments: From the historic content, to residents’ anecdotes, even the advertising pieces that contained aspects of nostalgia. This is a treasure trove of memories for the residents of Myrtle Beach. Outstanding work.

SECOND PLACE: Greenville Journal, Staff, “Town: The essence of giving”

THIRD PLACE: The Press & Standard, Staff, “Lowcountry Rocks 2013”

NEWS SPECIAL EDITION OR SECTION

FIRST PLACE: The Clinton Chronicle, Staff, “Horizons 2013”

Judges’ Comments: Very clean, nice looking piece throughout. I really like the bold headlines on the front of each section and the names as inside headlines. Simple but clean concept. Overall, very nice piece.

SECOND PLACE: The Lancaster News, Staff, “Discover Lancaster County”

THIRD PLACE: Greenville Journal, Staff, “Upstate Business Journal”

SPORTS SPECIAL EDITION OR SECTION

FIRST PLACE: Union County News, Staff, “UCHS Football: A Work of Art”

Judges’ Comments: This section features an unusual cover that is both clever and compelling. Brian Whitmore’s feature stories on UCHS stars are sharp and tight. The photos are crisp. Best story of the bunch was Whitmore’s story on the Whitmire Wolverines led by a kid named Whitmire, which, sadly, has lost 34 games in a row. While Whitmore mentioned their hard luck, he did not hammer them, and put a positive spin on the preview piece. A special nugget for the reader was the bold faced ad on page 5: “Quiet: Please silence cell phones while enjoying the (photo) gallery.”

SECOND PLACE: The Independent Voice of Blythewood and Fairfield County, Staff, “Fall Sports Preview 2013”

THIRD PLACE: The News & Reporter, Staff, “Chester County Football 2013 - The Greatest Season”

REVIEW PORTFOLIO

FIRST PLACE: Free Times, August Krickel, “Ain’t misbehavin’; Tarzan; Ragtime” Judges’ Comments: The writer has a great ability to draw in the reader from the beginning and keep it interesting throughout. Nice job.

SECOND PLACE: The Greer Citizen, William Buchheit, “10 books that taught me the most; 12 Years a Slave; Weiland concert”

THIRD PLACE: The News-Era, Joseph Garris Jr., “Prisoners; Gravity; Olympus”

GOVERNMENT REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: Myrtle Beach Herald, Charles D. Perry Judges’ Comments: This paper is clearly atop the ramparts of watchdog journalism.

SECOND PLACE: Free Times, Eva Moore

THIRD PLACE: Free Times, Corey Hutchins

HEALTH REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: Lake Wylie Pilot, John Marks Judges’ Comments: Nice mix of both human interest stories and governmental stories. The health related topics are very diverse as well. Good ledes to even the drier topics. Nice job!

SECOND PLACE: Daniel Island News, Jennifer Johnston

THIRD PLACE: The News & Reporter, Nancy Parsons

EDUCATION REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: The Lancaster News, Reece Murphy Judges’ Comments: Exceptionally well written pieces showcasing a strong ability to tackle hard news stories. Murphy’s skills at the softer side of reporting also shines in the “Take Wing” piece. Kudos on a job well done!

SECOND PLACE: The Lancaster News, Christopher Sardelli

THIRD PLACE: Union County News, Graham Williams

FAITH REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: Myrtle Beach Herald, Tina Graham Anderson

Judges’ Comments:Tina Graham Anderson’s stories get to the heart of faith reporting. Rather than focusing on a particular religion, she tells stories about how and why religion/faith impacts people’s lives. Those stories reach the reader, as much as they touch the reporter and her sources/subjects.

SECOND PLACE: The Lancaster News, Gregory A. Summers

THIRD PLACE: Union County News, Anna Brown

SPORTS BEAT REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: The Gazette, Rob Gantt Judges’ Comments: A compelling collection of stories. Strong writing throughout. Story on Gators’ assistant coach particularly engaging.

SECOND PLACE: Free Times, Charlie Bennett

THIRD PLACE: The News & Reporter, Travis Jenkins

FEATURE HEADLINE WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Moultrie News, Sully Witte, “Condensation consternation; Two hot dogs, hold the flies; Beerfest crafts day of fun”

Judges’ Comments: All three top placers had excellent play on words in their headlines, but I absolutely loved “Condensation consternation.” It sealed the deal for me.

SECOND PLACE: The Island News, Pamela Brownstein, “Lighthouse pizza; Fat patties; Moondoggies”

THIRD PLACE: Greenville Journal, Jerry Salley, “Fear and clothing in the Upstate; Spirits of the dark corner; The beagle has landed”

SPORTS HEADLINE WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Berkeley Independent, Frank Johnson, “Young and the hitless; Hurta so good; BHS gets funk-y” Judges’ Comments: It’s a fine line with sports headlines between being too plain and too cutesy. Frank Johnson balances that line with wit and cleverness. Johnson takes sports participants and works them into the headline with a nifty twist of pop culture.

SECOND PLACE: Laurens County Advertiser, Nick Herman, “PC women say hello to bye; Gold rush; D.Q. unleashes rushing blizzard”

THIRD PLACE: Myrtle Beach Herald, Charles D. Perry, “A leg of her own; Roller derby teen; Waterfowl whisperer”

PHOTO PAGE DESIGN

FIRST PLACE: The Fort Jackson Leader, Wallace McBride, “Action @ Jackson” Judges’ Comments: High potential to come across as cheesy, but this was elegant enough to make it work. Nice riff on the 1960s.

SECOND PLACE: Carolina Forest Chronicle, Michael Smith, “Halloween Costume Extravaganza”

THIRD PLACE: The Lancaster News, Laura Caskey, “The bands come marching in”

HARRIS AWARD FOR EDITORIAL WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The News & Reporter, Travis Jenkins, “Drug testing; Free information; Recreation” Judges’ Comments: Strong, well-written, convincing editorials. Nice job. Good organization.

SECOND PLACE: Greenville Journal, Susan Clary Simmons, “Simpsonville balancing act; Making room for food trucks; Creating chaos”

THIRD PLACE: Fort Mill Times, Michael Harrison, “Giving food to homeless is not enough; Change spelling of new school; Encourage local participation in local government”

PUBLIC SERVICE

FIRST PLACE: The Gaffney Ledger, Cody Sossamon and Scott Powell, “KNOW(2)”

Judges’ Comments: A large amount of work went into this project – and it certainly shows. This isn’t just meetings or events, but it’s a leadership role in the public service to your community. Well done!

SECOND PLACE: Daniel Island News, Elizabeth Bush, “Annexation”

THIRD PLACE: Free Times, Eva Moore, “No direction home”

SPORTS ENTERPRISE REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: Free Times, Patrick Wall, “Taken out of the ball game” Judges’ Comments: Solid, engaging writing. Impressive research. Nicely organized.

SECOND PLACE: Daniel Island News, Elizabeth Bush, “DI runners recount ‘surreal’ Boston Marathon experience”

THIRD PLACE: Fort Mill Times, Mac Banks, “WWE’s Kluttz plotted fast track to the top”

BUSINESS REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: Myrtle Beach Herald, Charles D. Perry

Judges’ Comments: Perry covered a wide variety of subjects from human interest (“Mr. Clarence”) to questionable marketing practices (“A case for Canada”). Strong ledes and nice transition keeps reader engaged.

SECOND PLACE: Daniel Island News, Jennifer Johnston

THIRD PLACE: Greenville Journal, Jennifer Oladipo

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

FIRST PLACE: Charleston City Paper, Scott Suchy, “Squirrel Mugshot”

Judges’ Comments: Technical execution is very nice here. Very creative. Most of us feel this way... that all squirrels should be arrested. Especially like that the ID is the date and year.

SECOND PLACE: Charleston City Paper, Scott Suchy, “Album Cover”

THIRD PLACE: Carolina Forest Chronicle, Michael Smith, “Area road projects puzzle”

WEBSITE

FIRST PLACE: Carolina Forest Chronicle, Michael Smith, Heather Gale, Charles D. Perry and Annette Norris, myhorrynews.com

Judges’ Comments: Great site in a very competitive category... Site is truly a daily news operation with realtime coverage of breaking news and sports. Easy to navigate. Impressive components include the interactive calendar, photo galleries and video, and social media integration. In addition to the desktop site, the mobile site is easy to read. Nice print replica through e-editions. I’m stealing the “Click to Submit News” for my site... great idea!

SECOND PLACE: The Moultrie News, Sully Witte, Vickey Boyd and David Whitley, moultrienews.com

THIRD PLACE: Fort Mill Times, Michael Harrison, fortmilltimes.com

HONORABLE MENTION: Charleston City Paper, Sam Spence, Stephanie Barna and Chris Haire, charlestoncitypaper.com

USE OF TWITTER

FIRST PLACE: Free Times, Eva Moore, @YesEvaMoore

Judges’ Comments: Clear winner in this contest. From issues facing residents, like homelessness and guns in bars, to more quirky topics like knorks, baseball and foodie news, Eva covers it all in real time. She has a knack for interacting with followers and delivering news through Twitter. Her personality shines on this platform.

SECOND PLACE: The Moultrie News, Sully Witte, @MoultrieNews

THIRD PLACE: The Weekly Observer, Christopher McKagen, @WeeklyObserver

FACEBOOK PAGE

FIRST PLACE: Carolina Forest Chronicle, Michael Smith, Heather Gale and Charles D. Perry Judges’ Comments: Clear winner in an extremely competitive category! From breaking news to weather and feature profiles – this is a great community page. Staff does a good job of 24-7 realtime coverage, including spot news events and meetings. Great photos and reader promotions!

SECOND PLACE - TIE: Fort Mill Times, Michael Harrison and Jenny Overman

SECOND PLACE - TIE: The Press & Standard, Brantley Strickland, Drew Tripp and Ashley Rohde

THIRD PLACE: The People-Sentinel, Susan Delk, Jonathan Vickery and David Purtell

HONORABLE MENTION: The Moultrie News, Sully Witte, Vickey Boyd and David Whitley

LIFESTYLE/FEATURE SPECIAL

EDITION OR SECTION

FIRST PLACE: The Press & Standard, Staff, “Collette Magazine, Winter 2012”

Judges’ Comments: Excellent magazine with good local content. Bold photos, dynamic typography.

SECOND PLACE: The Press & Standard, Staff, “Collette Magazine, Summer 2013”

THIRD PLACE: The Moultrie News, Staff, “Renew Redo Reuse”

NEWS HEADLINE WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Berkeley Independent, Frank Johnson, “Hair ye, hair ye; Court hangs up on call; Now what?”

Judges’ Comments: Witty and creative, but still completely in step with the stories

SECOND PLACE: The Gazette, Frank Johnson, “Council given pink flip; No ifs, ands or butts; Travesty”

THIRD PLACE: The Moultrie News, Sully Witte, “Fishing for an answer; Flood of regulations; Residents gassed up over proposed store”

PICTORIAL

FIRST PLACE: Coastal Observer, Tanya Ackerman, “Georgetown fire” Judges’ Comments: The sense of light, shape and timing – all in a news photograph – make this a very strong image.

SECOND PLACE: The Hartsville Messenger, Bob Sloan, “The Year of the Snake”

THIRD PLACE: Greenville Journal, Greg Beckner, “A thunderstorm lights up the night sky”

ALL WEEKLY & DAILY UNDER 18,000 divisions combined

PHOTO GALLERY

FIRST PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Larry Hardy, “S.C. high school rodeo” Judges’ Comments: Strong images and great variety of shots.

SECOND PLACE: Free Times, Sean Rayford, “USMC Ultimate Challenge Mud Run”

THIRD PLACE: Index-Journal, Matt Walsh, “Cam III” HONORABLE MENTION : Index-Journal, Matt Walsh, “2013 football preview”

SPORTS VIDEO

FIRST PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Emery Glover, “Bulldog bites at media day” Judges’ Comments: Entertaining and comical look at the local players.

SECOND PLACE: Index-Journal, Matt Walsh, “The pursuit of heat”

THIRD PLACE: Morning News, Christopher McKagen, “Hartsville vs. Darlington”

GENERAL NEWS/FEATURE VIDEO

FIRST PLACE: Index-Journal, Matt Walsh, “Bag piper: Eric Gardner” Judges’ Comments: Wonderful shots and audio, especially beginning of video. Great feature of an interesting kid.

SECOND PLACE: The Beaufort Gazette, Jeff Kidd, “Fripp turtle watch: Relocating nest 33”

THIRD PLACE: The Weekly Observer, Christopher McKagen, “Before prom, Johnsonville High warns of driving drunk”

UNDER 18,000 daily division

SPOTS NEWS REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Dale Linder-Altman, Richard Walker, Gene Zaleski and Lee Hendren, “1 guilty; 2 indicted” Judges’ Comments: The Times and Democrat covered a huge story from all angles. The stories are complete and authoritative. Great job!

SECOND PLACE: The Item, Bristow Marchant, “Manhunt in cornfield”

THIRD PLACE: The Item, Rob Cottingham, “Pastor charged with sex crimes”

ENTERPRISE REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: The Beaufort Gazette, Tom Barton, “Dream to reality” Judges’ Comments: Incredible lede! This writer makes you imagine what he is trying to convey beautifully. Beautiful work!

SECOND PLACE: Index-Journal, Matt Bruce, “Night warriors”

THIRD PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Dionne Gleaton, “Etched in time”

BUSINESS REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Gene Zaleski Judges’ Comments: Excellent enterprise work combined with boots-on-the-ground reporting. Details and info collected from farmers show reporter’s ability to gain trust and access – not always easy on the ag beat.

SECOND PLACE: The Item, Jade Anderson

THIRD PLACE: The Beaufort Gazette, Casey Conley

LIFESTYLE FEATURE WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Richard Walker, “Ghostly Encounters” Judges’ Comments: Walker tells local ghost stories with enough creepiness to get a skeptic re-thinking his position – and looking over his shoulder.

SECOND PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Dionne Gleaton, “Going home”

THIRD PLACE: The Journal, Seneca, Monica Kreber, “It’s brother taking care of brother”

NEWS FEATURE WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Richard Walker, “Snow of ‘73” Judges’ Comments: Well-researched and reported piece on a significant event with lasting interest. Good balance of details with color and anecdotes.

SECOND PLACE: Aiken Standard, Teddy Kulmala, “A day in the life of a coroner”

THIRD PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Dale Linder-Altman, “Sharing King’s dream”

PROFILE FEATURE WRITING OR STORY

FIRST PLACE: The Beaufort Gazette, Erin Moody, “On a mission” Judges’ Comments: The story of these nuns is gripping. Their sacrifice is telling of their service to children and the poor. Good profile on people who make a difference.

SECOND PLACE: Index-Journal, Michelle Laxer, “Providing a spark”

THIRD PLACE: Index-Journal, Matt Bruce, “Purple hearts”

COLUMN WRITING

FIRST PLACE AND BEST OF THE BEST: Index-Journal, Scott J. Bryan, “A tragic end in Saluda; Never again I hope; Corruption corner” Judges’ Comments: “And nothing my keyboard produces will soothe the pain...” Extraordinary writing.

SECOND PLACE: Index-Journal, Chris Trainor, “What might have been”

THIRD PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Carol Barker, “Persona non grata”

HUMOR COLUMN WRITING

FIRST PLACE: Index-Journal, Chris Trainor, “Snoring, a $4 million fan and a baby gorilla; Break out the hoochie coochie pants; Yes, I said dining room hutch” Judges’ Comments: Life is funny – so is Chris!

SECOND PLACE: The Item, Graham Osteen, “The hills are alive with the sound of my voice; ‘Ill fated’ seems to describe many cruises; ‘Big Rich Atlanta’ not the next ‘Downton Abbey’”

THIRD PLACE: Index-Journal, Richard Whiting, “Pens, pencils, panties: A tax-free extravaganza; Where in the world is Sen. Ford?; Let’s rename June while we’re at it”

SERIES OF ARTICLES

FIRST PLACE: Index-Journal, Staff, “Sunshine Week project” Judges’ Comments: Excellent series – exactly the type of oversight we must provide for our readers and democracy!

SECOND PLACE: The Journal, Seneca, Norman Cannada, “The deal with drugs”

THIRD PLACE: Index-Journal, Matt Bruce, “Meth”

REPORTING-IN-DEPTH

FIRST PLACE: Index-Journal, Michelle Laxer and Scott J. Bryan, “TB outbreak” Judges’ Comments: The reporters tenaciously followed this story from start to finish. It was a huge story that affected many people.

SECOND PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Dale LinderAltman, “S.C. State University: six months of crisis”

THIRD PLACE: The Beaufort Gazette, Erin Moody, “Jellyfish company”

BEAT REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: The Beaufort Gazette, Laura Oberle Judges’ Comments: Great lede! Loved how the reporter made this so personal. Great articles. Very complete. Excellent job!

SECOND PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Dale Linder-Altman

THIRD PLACE: Aiken Standard, Teddy Kulmala

SPOT SPORTS STORY

FIRST PLACE: The Beaufort Gazette, Mike McCombs, “Former Beaufort coach dies” Judges’ Comments: McCombs leads a news obit with a terrific moment in time from the subject’s life. The reader is there in an instant.

SECOND PLACE: The Item, Dennis Brunson, “Coates, Foxes rout SHS girls”

THIRD PLACE: The Item, Dennis Brunson, “Barons pressure-tested”

SPORTS FEATURE STORY

FIRST PLACE: Index-Journal, Andrew Macke, “Stronger” Judges’ Comments: Great story! I couldn’t stop reading. Well done!

SECOND PLACE: The Beaufort Gazette, Stephen Fastenau, “Guidance from home kept Taylor focused on path”

THIRD PLACE: The Item, Justin Driggers, “‘Rediscovered’ history”

SPORTS COLUMN WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Item, Dennis Brunson, “Lewis owes families something; It’s Brent who’s owed an apology; Legion must tighten up ship” Judges’ Comments: The story was very inspiring. Shows the writer is not afraid to talk about faith. Very well-written.

SECOND PLACE: Index-Journal, Scott Chancey, “Erskine lacrosse presses on; Rules should be rules; Horne’s selflessness defines his legacy”

THIRD PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Thomas Grant Jr., “HALL-WORTHY; What course will S.C. State football take?; Manziel had his day and his way with SCSU”

PAGE ONE DESIGN PORTFOLIO

FIRST PLACE: Index-Journal, Scott J. Bryan Judges’ Comments: Scott has made page one vibrant and engaging. The elements draw the reader into the stories. The illustrations enhance the stories. It is clean and easy to read.

SECOND PLACE: Index-Journal, Nathan Christophel

THIRD PLACE: The Journal, Seneca, Zack Mauldin

SINGLE PAGE ONE DESIGN

FIRST PLACE AND BEST OF THE BEST: Index-Journal, Nathan Christophel Judges’ Comments: Graphically appealing. Nathan has used excellent elements and strong photos to capture the reader’s eye. The use of black with reverse type is powerful. Excellent work!

SECOND PLACE: Index-Journal, Nathan Christophel

THIRD PLACE: Index-Journal, Robert Simmonds

INSIDE PAGE DESIGN

FIRST PLACE: Index-Journal, Nathan Christophel Judges’ Comments: A faith, commitment and confidence in using photographs as central pieces in this design set this entry apart. There is hierarchy, balance and an engaging design.

SECOND PLACE: The Item, Melanie Smith

THIRD PLACE: The Item, Jessica Stephens

FEATURE PAGE DESIGN PORTFOLIO

FIRST PLACE: Index-Journal, Nathan Christophel Judges’ Comments: Excellent use of white space. There are no cheesy or hokey design elements –just good clean designs. Relatively simple designs – without drop shadows or unique, wacky fonts – should be commended for their visual clarity, clear hierarchies, confidence and coherence.

SECOND PLACE: The Beaufort Gazette, Bailey Atkinson

THIRD PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Wendy Jeffcoat Crider

SINGLE FEATURE PAGE DESIGN

FIRST PLACE: The Beaufort Gazette, Bailey Atkinson Judges’ Comments: Outstanding design! A real attention getter!

SECOND PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Kristin Coker

THIRD PLACE: Aiken Standard, Shana Donahue

SPORTS PAGE

DESIGN PORTFOLIO

FIRST PLACE: The Beaufort Gazette, Mike McCombs Judges’ Comments: Nice, clean design. Good use of large images. Looks like the desired effect was achieved.

SECOND PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Jennifer Spears

THIRD PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Devin Long

SINGLE SPORTS PAGE DESIGN

FIRST PLACE: Index-Journal, Robert Simmonds Judges’ Comments: Awesome presentation and electrifying graphics. Crisp photo with lots of elements shows the designer takes pride in his work and skills.

SECOND PLACE: Index-Journal, Robert Simmonds

THIRD PLACE: Index-Journal, Nathan Christophel

SPOT NEWS PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: Index-Journal, Matt Walsh, “Callison Drive fire” Judges’ Comments: Strong sense of mood. Nice use of light draws readers in. Composition shows sense of scale.

SECOND PLACE: Index-Journal, Matt Walsh, “Houser Shoes crash”

THIRD PLACE: The Item, Braden Bunch, “Blaze at Public Storage”

GENERAL NEWS PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: Index-Journal, Matt Walsh, “371st CBRN Company’s homecoming”

Judges’ Comments: Framing focuses reader’s eye. Special moment caught. Girl’s dress makes her stand out.

SECOND PLACE: The Journal, Jessica Nelms, “First day of school”

THIRD PLACE: Index-Journal, Matt Walsh, “Bravo Company 198th Expeditionary Signal Battalion deployment”

FEATURE PHOTO

FIRST PLACE AND BEST OF THE BEST: Index-Journal, Matt Walsh, “Memorial Day flags”

Judges’ Comments: Low angle shot combines with fluttering flags to make this the winning entry. Backward glance is a nice touch.

SECOND PLACE: The Beaufort Gazette, Delayna Earley, “Waterslide”

THIRD PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Christopher Huff, “Grand American Hunt and Show”

SPORTS ACTION PHOTO

PLACE: Morning News, Gavin Jackson, “Darlington Marathon”

Judges’ Comments: Nice use of graphics with leading lines. Beautiful use of light.

SECOND PLACE: Index-Journal, Matt Walsh, “Lander student grabs bull by the horns”

THIRD PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Larry Hardy, “Middle school bull rider”

SPORTS FEATURE PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: Index-Journal, Matt Walsh, “Pizza and a trophy”

Judges’ Comments: Quintessential... This is nicely seen. Photographer is looking away from where the action and reaction is for different view.

SECOND PLACE: Index-Journal, Matt Walsh, “Savannah Lakes Village Classic”

THIRD PLACE: Index-Journal, Matt Walsh, “John “Slew Foot” Miller”

PERSONALITY PHOTOGRAPH OR PORTRAIT

FIRST PLACE: Index-Journal, Matt Walsh, “The Circuit Breakers”

Judges’ Comments: The sense of attitude and seriousness is stunning for this LEGO team.

SECOND PLACE: Index-Journal, Matt Walsh, “Mr. Sleaze”

THIRD PLACE: Index-Journal, Matt Walsh, “Lifegaurd Maggie Ricketson”

HONORABLE MENTION: Index-Journal, Matt Walsh, “Grayson Glanton”

PICTORIAL

FIRST PLACE: Index-Journal, Matt Walsh, “Balloon release”

Judges’ Comments: The light makes red balloons pop over silhouettes of kids. Photo has high impact.

SECOND PLACE: Index-Journal, Matt Walsh, “Cricket skips across the shoals”

THIRD PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Minnie Miller, “Carolina anole”

HUMOROUS PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: Index-Journal, Matt Walsh, “Parsons takes a bite out of his cousin’s turkey leg” Judges’ Comments: Humorous interaction as boy eats his cousin’s turkey leg. Little girl’s expression and body language make this a winner... You sense she was told to share.

SECOND PLACE: Aiken Standard, Maayan Schechter, “Coyote’s yawn excites children”

THIRD PLACE: Index-Journal, Matt Walsh, “Box Car Race”

WEBSITE

FIRST PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Emery Glover and Staff, TheTandD.com Judges’ Comments: Comprehensive site with impressive features. Easy to navigate with quick clicks and drop-down menus that pop up when you mouse over them. I like that each breaks down sections by topic and latest news. Good use of multimedia (photos and video). Nice mobile redirect.

SECOND PLACE: The Beaufort Gazette, Kelly Davis, Rachel Damgen and Johnny Woodard, beaufortgazette.com

THIRD PLACE: Index-Journal, James Neff, indexjournal.com

SPOT NEWS VIDEO

FIRST PLACE: The Beaufort Gazette, Sarah Welliver, “Pilot whale”

Judges’ Comments: Nice videography using various angles and scenes to capture action. Interview tells story.

SECOND PLACE: The Beaufort Gazette, Delayna Earley, “The curve”

THIRD PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Larry Hardy, “S.C. State University protest”

UNDER 18,000

& 18,000-45,000

daily divisions combined

NEWS HEADLINE WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Island Packet, Sandra Ross, “Trick or squeak; Sunny and chili; Happy to see red” Judges’ Comments: Great job! Thought obviously went into these headlines. They made me want to read the stories!

SECOND PLACE: The Island Packet, Steven Austin, “Paws and effect; Brew Ha Ha; Creature comforts”

THIRD PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Carol Barker, “Sew must go on; A frog’s field of dreams; A woof over their heads”

SHORT STORY

FIRST PLACE: The Island Packet, Rebecca Lurye, “The end of a decorating tradition?”

Judges’ Comments: Rebecca took something that could look very pedestrian and then took us into Sherry’s world. A very touching account in just a few well-chosen words – great descriptions.

SECOND PLACE: Morning News, John D. Russell, “Man of the land”

THIRD PLACE: The Herald, Andrew Dys, “9-yearold bellringer”

PUBLIC SERVICE

FIRST PLACE: The Island Packet, Sarah Bowman, “TDAP booster requirement”

Judges’ Comments: This is an excellent example of what public service is all about. Ms. Bowman sets out in her work for The Island Packet to inform the community about the importance of a required vaccination and within six weeks achieves her goal – more than 1,500 received the vaccination. Great job!

SECOND PLACE: The Sun News, Issac Bailey, “More than a game”

THIRD PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Dale Linder-Altman, “New day at S.C. State”

SPORTS ENTERPRISE REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: Index-Journal, Jordan Anders, “Breaking In”

Judges’ Comments: Told a good story about someone following their passion and struggling to make it. The writing was knowledgeable, but didn’t overwhelm the reader with race jargon.

SECOND PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Thomas Grant Jr., “On the road for riches”

THIRD PLACE: The Sun News, Alan Blondin, “Sage Valley: A life of building”

PHOTO SERIES OR PHOTO STORY

FIRST PLACE: Index-Journal, Matt Walsh, “Mr. Sleaze” Judges’ Comments: Intimate look into his personality. Photojournalist got wonderful access and built relationships. Variety of really interesting compositions and multiple situations.

SECOND PLACE: The Sun News, Janet Blackmon Morgan, “Tobacco”

THIRD PLACE: The Sun News, Janet Blackmon Morgan, “Front Street Fire”

FACEBOOK PAGE

FIRST PLACE: Morning News, Kim Ginfrida, Justin Johnson and Matt Robertson

Judges’ Comments: Great variety of posts – from weather, sports and news stories to interesting photo galleries. Love the “Top 10 Stories of the Day” feature that drives traffic to your website. You clearly are not faceless in your community... your posts not only show you posting from community events and games, but readers are commenting, sharing photos and engaging with you and other residents of your community on your page. Keep up the great work!

SECOND PLACE: The Herald, Staff

THIRD PLACE: Index-Journal, James Neff

18,000-45,000

daily division

SPOT NEWS REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: The Herald, Jonathan McFadden and Anna Douglas, “Charges dropped in CVS robbery”

Judges’ Comments: Upon hearing that a man falsely accused of robbery was about to be released, reporters went to the jail where they waited with his family and friends, thus giving readers a story that went far beyond how police were misled.

SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, Jenny Arnold, “Fire destroys 40 classic cars”

THIRD PLACE: The Sun News, Amanda Kelley, “Dozens of Carolina Forest homes burn”

ENTERPRISE REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: The Sun News, Maya T. Prabhu, “Emails indicate setup” Judges’ Comments: A great “gotcha” story. Effective use of the public records law reveals a couple of rats.

SECOND PLACE: The Sun News, David Wren, “Fateful choices, crushed lives”

THIRD PLACE: The Herald, Anna Douglas, “City skipped bids on projects”

BUSINESS REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: The Sun News, Steve Jones Judges’ Comments: Serves the community by digging up details of a prospective new business. Collection shows a range of storytelling from consumer news to economic development trends.

SECOND PLACE: The Herald, Don Worthington

THIRD PLACE: The Island Packet, Dan Burley

LIFESTYLE FEATURE WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Sun News, Steve Palisin, “Baby carriers aid injured warriors” Judges’ Comments: There were many excellent entries but this one stood out for the strong human interest topic, a subject most people can relate to, and an issue both timely and heartwarming. The writer covered several sources and provided useful contact info for readers.

SECOND PLACE: Independent Mail, Nikie Mayo, “A mile in her shoes”

THIRD PLACE: The Sun News, Claire Byun, “Relaxyou’re in Pawleys Island”

NEWS FEATURE WRITING

FIRST PLACE AND BEST OF THE BEST:

The Herald, Andrew Dys, “A Mother’s Day to remember”

Judges’ Comments: Excellent story very nicely told. Hard to think of a better Mother’s Day feature!

SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, Lee Healy, “She’s still dancing”

THIRD PLACE: The Herald, Anna Douglas, “Having a place to call home”

PROFILE FEATURE WRITING OR STORY

FIRST PLACE: The Herald, Andrew Dys, “I’m not done getting better”

Judges’ Comments: A story that grabs you and keeps your attention not just because of the subject’s riveting tale, but also because of sharp, agile writing. Great detail and emotion, and an inspiring will to survive.

SECOND PLACE: Independent Mail, Charmaine Smith-Miles, “Molly had personality”

THIRD PLACE: Herald-Journal, Jenny Arnold, “A final farewell”

COLUMN WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Sun News, Issac Bailey, “We haven’t earned the right to mourn; A hero more important than MLK; Must I arm my black son?”

Judges’ Comments: Issac does well in bringing an issue home to his own experiences. Strong rhythms and words to your columns.

SECOND PLACE: Morning News, John Sweeney, “Against gay marriage?; Women are people; To stomp on the flag or Constitution?”

THIRD PLACE: Herald-Journal, Season Stepp, “Fruit + cream = yum; Oatmeal; Fresh Ice Cream”

SERIES OF ARTICLES

FIRST PLACE: Herald-Journal, Jenny Arnold, Drew Brooks, Kim Kimzey, Lee Healy, Lynne Shackleford, Trevor Anderson, Felicia Kitzmiller and Dustin Wyatt, “Cold Cases”

Judges’ Comments: An impressive body of work, emotional and haunting. The victims’ families’ pain is made real and raw through the exceptional writing. An amazing public service for your community.

SECOND PLACE: The Sun News, Issac Bailey, “Illiteracy (More than a game)”

THIRD PLACE: Morning News, Ellen Meder, “Religion in schools”

REPORTING-IN-DEPTH

FIRST PLACE: The Sun News, David Wren, “This has ruined my life”

Judges’ Comments: Deeply reported, wonderfully structured, moving story of how an unscrupulous con man devastated unwary S.C. seniors.

SECOND PLACE: The Island Packet, Gina Smith, “Five reasons Sanford won Tuesday”

THIRD PLACE: The Herald, Jonathan McFadden, “DSS criminal check incomplete”

BEAT REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: Herald-Journal, Dan Armonaitis, “Entertainment”

Judges’ Comments: An obviously firm grip on his subject along with a tone perfect for A&E. Dan lets his subjects tell the story and wraps them in his expertise.

SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, Jenny Arnold, “Law enforcement”

THIRD PLACE: The Herald, Jonathan McFadden, “Public safety”

SPOT SPORTS STORY

FIRST PLACE: The Herald, Bret McCormick and Anna Douglas, “Winthrop’s Kelsey calls on nation’s leaders” Judges’ Comments: The staff did a nice job of reacting quickly to a national story with a strong local tie and making it their story.

SECOND PLACE: The Herald, Barry Byers, “Lion Kings”

THIRD PLACE: Herald-Journal, Todd Shanesy, “Bulldogs knock off Cavaliers”

SPORTS FEATURE STORY

FIRST PLACE: The Sun News, Ryan Young, “Mitchell pursuing dream” Judges’ Comments: Very well-written story on a young man who overcame adversity to play college football.

SECOND PLACE: The Sun News, Alan Blondin, “A year makes a difference”

THIRD PLACE: Herald-Journal, Robert W. Dalton, “Gridiron athletes unite, give game ball to cancer patient”

HONORABLE MENTION: Herald-Journal, Tom Priddy, “Search unveils grandfather’s professional baseball career”

SPORTS COLUMN WRITING

FIRST PLACE: Morning News, Sam Bundy, “Oozing inspiration; Razick a go-getter... once he gets going; Look, Roger! I’m writing about your Buckeyes” Judges’ Comments: Crisp, sharp writing coupled with great details and lively quotes. “Look Roger,” especially, shows a deft hand with something we’ve all experienced in the newsroom.

SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, Todd Shanesy

THIRD PLACE: Morning News, Mark Haselden

PAGE ONE DESIGN PORTFOLIO

FIRST PLACE: The Island Packet, Sandra Ross Judges’ Comments: Good use of art. White space makes it easy to read and follow.

SECOND PLACE: The Sun News, Caroline Evans

THIRD PLACE: Herald-Journal, Dan Sullivan

SINGLE PAGE ONE DESIGN

FIRST PLACE: The Sun News, Caroline Evans Judges’ Comments: Visually compelling, solidly edited page that communicates timeliness and humor.

SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, Todd Money

THIRD PLACE: Herald-Journal, Todd Money

SINGLE FEATURE PAGE DESIGN

FIRST PLACE: Herald-Journal, Todd Money Judges’ Comments: Great use of typography and color, and the photos were good. Edged out the #2 choice because of the inclusion of people in the photo.

SECOND PLACE: The Sun News, Caroline Evans

THIRD PLACE: The Island Packet, Alena Schwarz

THIRD PLACE SPORTS ACTION PHOTO, DAILY UNDER 18,000: Larry Hardy, The Times and Democrat

SPOT NEWS PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: Morning News, Gavin Jackson, “Leigh Hawkins weeps for her four grandchildren”

Judges’ Comments: We can really feel her grief. The emotions come through in this photo. Shows cause and effect.

SECOND PLACE: The Sun News, Charles Slate, “Don Long Fire Fatality”

THIRD PLACE: Independent Mail, Sefton Ipock, “Highway Patrolman walks through the scene of a fatal wreck”

GENERAL NEWS PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: The Sun News, Janet Blackmon Morgan, “Gagnon listens to prosecutor argue to keep him locked up”

Judges’ Comments: Strong image of an important story. Framing adds depth and interest.

SECOND PLACE: Independent Mail, Nathan Gray, “Azalea Apartments fire”

THIRD PLACE: Herald-Journal, Tim Kimzey, “Bikers Against Hunger”

FEATURE PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: Independent Mail, Sefton Ipock, “Hammocks”

Judges’ Comments: Very, very well controlled. Shows nice moment and good interaction.

SECOND PLACE: Independent Mail, Nathan Gray, “Stained Glass”

THIRD PLACE: Independent Mail, Sefton Ipock, “Rain on Benson Street”

SPORTS ACTION PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: Independent Mail, Ken Ruinard, “Clemson’s Thomas Brittle makes a diving catch” Judges’ Comments: Wonderful sense of timing. Great moment caught. Good technical quality.

SECOND PLACE: The Sun News, Janet Blackmon Morgan, “Georgetown Bridge2Bridge Half Marathon”

THIRD PLACE: Herald-Journal, John Byrum, “Martin stretches backwards with the ball”

SPORTS FEATURE PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: The Sun News, Janet Blackmon Morgan, “Drew Robinson sits alone in the dugout” Judges’ Comments: Great shot. Good job staying with the moment after the game. You can feel the desolation and loss.

SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, Tom Priddy, “Manual scoreboard”

THIRD PLACE: Herald-Journal, Alex C. Hicks Jr., “Bluffton’s Austin Farmer”

HONORABLE MENTION: Independent Mail, Nathan Gray, “Outfield stands”

PERSONALITY PHOTOGRAPH

OR PORTRAIT

FIRST PLACE: The Sun News, Janet Blackmon Morgan, “Robert Hill” Judges’ Comments: Wonderful sense of proportion. Nice framing. Foreground elements add depth.

SECOND PLACE: Independent Mail, Sefton Ipock, “Ashley Kiley”

THIRD PLACE: Independent Mail, Ken Ruinard, “James Leoffler”

PICTORIAL

FIRST PLACE: Independent Mail, Nathan Gray, “A Work of Art Glass Studio”

Judges’ Comments: Strong graphic impact. Well seen. An interesting view from what could be an uninteresting assignment.

SECOND PLACE: Independent Mail, Sefton Ipock, “Fishermen”

THIRD PLACE: Independent Mail, Ken Ruinard, “Raindrops on a truck window”

HUMOROUS PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: The Sun News, Charles Slate, “Meth Lab Training”

Judges’ Comments: Nice framing. Nice moment.

SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, John Byrum, “Plastic bag rain coat”

THIRD PLACE: Independent Mail, Ken Ruinard, “Warren L. Kimble does his version of a push up”

WEBSITE

FIRST PLACE - TIE: The Herald, Staff, heraldonline.com

FIRST PLACE - TIE: The Sun News, Todd Garvin, myrtlebeachonline.com

FIRST PLACE - TIE: The Island Packet, Kelly Davis, Rachel Damgen and Johnny Woodard, islandpacket.com

Judges’ Comments: These three papers exemplify Web-first, real-time coverage with Web exclusive content on their desktop and mobile sites. Each site is easy to navigate and all have clean, graphically appealing homepages. Strong emphasis on interactive elements, including photo galleries, videos and databases. Nice use of social media, e-editions, email newsletters, texting, push notices and more. Great job!

SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, Staff, goupstate.com

USE OF TWITTER

FIRST PLACE: The Island Packet, Newsroom Staffers

Judges’ Comments: Great effort by Island Packet staffers. Nice variety of posts, with timely, interesting information. Nice use of tweeting to drive readers to newspaper’s website. Wish there was a little more engagement with followers (tweeps RTing and responding to posts), but that’s not something you can control. Good job!

SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, Jose Franco, @FrancoJose

THIRD PLACE: The Herald, Jonathan McFadden, @JmcfaddenHerald

PHOTO GALLERY

FIRST PLACE: Independent Mail, Nathan Gray, “Palmetto Mud Run”

Judges’ Comments: This entry showed great eye for detail, strong competition. Photos covered all aspects of race. Lots of great images made this a winner in a very competitive category. Photographer went beyond cliché shots.

SECOND PLACE: The Sun News, Janet Blackmon Morgan, “Front Street is coming back”

THIRD PLACE: The Herald, Jeff Sochko, “Lewisville wins Class A basketball title”

SPORTS VIDEO

FIRST PLACE: The Herald, Adam O’Daniel, “Northwestern stomps York, remains undefeated”

Judges’ Comments: Good variety of shots tells story of game. Good action. Strong writing and voiceover. Good interviews at end.

SECOND PLACE: Independent Mail, Ken Ruinard, “The moonlighter shines again”

THIRD PLACE: The Island Packet, Delayna Earley, “One-legged lacrosse player”

FIRST PLACE SPORTS ACTION PHOTO, WEEKLY OVER 6,000: Susanne Kappler, The Fort Jackson Leader

GENERAL NEWS/FEATURE VIDEO

FIRST PLACE: The Island Packet, Sarah Welliver, “Dawn of Freedom - Mitchelville”

Judges’ Comments: Excellent video about a littleknown piece of history. Interviews, photos and live footage were used seamlessly. Great work!

SECOND PLACE: Independent Mail, Ken Ruinard, “An unnormal life”

THIRD PLACE: Morning News, Gavin Jackson, “The return of the tobacco auction”

18,000-45,000 & Over

daily divisions combined

HUMOR COLUMN WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Herald, James Werrell, “Differences in the raising of two princelings; Miss S.C. should have ignored hacks; Be careful what you choose for dessert”

Judges’ Comments: I was looking for a LOL moment and found more than one in Werrell’s clever, wellcadenced writing. Buy the man some Oreos.

SECOND PLACE: The Island Packet, Liz Farrell, “It’s hard work to ward off yellowing; Me me me me me. What?; Simple mind for simpler time”

THIRD PLACE: The Island Packet, David Lauderdale, “Black-eyed peas predicament; Blushing about the birds and the trees; Boomers go bust on single life”

INSIDE PAGE DESIGN

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Chad Dunbar Judges’ Comments: Tough, tough category but Chad’s page was full of good information presented in an attractive style.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Chad Dunbar

THIRD PLACE: The State, Meredith Sheffer

FEATURE PAGE DESIGN PORTFOLIO

FIRST PLACE: The State, Susan Ardis Judges’ Comments: Big, bold art with multiple entry points make this entry the clear winner. The bold graphics grab the eye, and the multiplescale headlines pull the reader in for informative, fun reading. These three fronts represent what a great feature page should be: must reads!

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Chris Tabakian

SPORTS PAGE DESIGN PORTFOLIO

FIRST PLACE: The State, Meredith Sheffer Judges’ Comments: Ms. Sheffer’s entries showcase her skill at integrating eye-catching design elements and editorial, resulting in a finished product that is visually appealing and unique. The entry “Hook, line and Bubba” in particular is a great example of Sheffer using creative visual elements that immediately draw the reader’s attention. Great job!

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Luke Reasoner

THIRD PLACE: The Island Packet, Mike Bragg

Over 45,000 daily division

NEWS HEADLINE WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Beth Harrison, “They’re carving up the pig; Sandwich names put grill owner in pickle; R U asking 4 a ticket?”

Judges’ Comments: Beth’s headlines grabbed me, informed me, amused me and made me want to read the stories. Shows nice moment and good interaction. Gives the paper a smart, engaging voice.

SECOND PLACE: The State, Bobby Bryant, “They look good, they feel good, they stop bullets; Residents to ice rink: Stay frosty; Rain’s reign down the drain”

THIRD PLACE: The State, Robert J. Venturella, “Geese gone in a flash; Bears gone wild; Larry had a little lamb”

SPOT NEWS REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: The State, Andrew Shain and Adam Beam, “2 Greenville families die in Alaska plane crash”

Judges’ Comments: The difficulty of covering a story like this adds to the outstanding reporting done here. Thorough reporting and good quotes from numerous sources. The lede grabs you and gives a sense of the family vacation turned tragedy.

SECOND PLACE: The Greenville News, Lyn Riddle, “No longer forgotten”

THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Andrew Knapp, “Veronica coming back to South Carolina”

HONORABLE MENTION: The Greenville News, Ron Barnett and Julie Howle, “Mom charged in slayings”

SINGLE SPORTS PAGE DESIGN

FIRST PLACE: The State, Meredith Sheffer Judges’ Comments: Dynamic, balanced, wellconstructed page that effectively communicates its purpose.

SECOND PLACE: The State, Meredith Sheffer

THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Luke Reasoner

SPOT NEWS VIDEO

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Chris Hanclosky, “WWII bomber flies into Charleston”

Judges’ Comments: Strong images matched with multiple interviews. Variety of views of historic plane – too bad you didn’t get to fly it.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Chris Hanclosky, “Morning blaze rips through historic Georgetown”

THIRD PLACE: Independent Mail, Ken Ruinard, “Men rescue 3-year-old boy at fire”

ENTERPRISE REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Andrew Knapp, “Campus sex assault”

Judges’ Comments: Simply stated, Knapp reported the hell out of a shocking incident that the college fought to keep under wraps. He provided the reader with local, state and national context for sex crimes on campuses. He investigated and reported on the level of training that College of Charleston police received and compared it to training received by other campus police agencies and local law enforcement. He informed the reader about Freedom of Information requests sought by the paper and the reasons given for their denial. Knapp and the paper didn’t get all the facts they wanted, but this dogged pursuit produced enough information to make this a compelling story with the potential to change the law and bring justice to victims.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Natalie Caula Hauff, “Breaking the ring”

THIRD PLACE: The Greenville News, Tim Smith, “Poor roads cost millions”

FIRST PLACE

FEATURE PHOTO, 2-3 TIMES WEEKLY:

Aaron Morrison, The Lancaster News

BUSINESS REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Warren Wise Judges’ Comments: Solid body of work. Good explanations.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Tyrone Richardson

THIRD PLACE: The Greenville News, Rudolph Bell

LIFESTYLE FEATURE WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Greenville News, Lillia CallumPenso, “Lasting impact”

Judges’ Comments: Effectively uses a timely entertainment story – the movie “42” – to explore an important area of history and the lasting impact of Jackie Robinson.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Jennifer Berry Hawes, “Finding the words”

THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, David Quick, “No guys allowed!”

NEWS FEATURE WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Glenn Smith, “A story of murder and justice”

Judges’ Comments: This is a thorough, crisply written account of a horrific crime and its legal aftermath. The fact Smith traveled to an exotic locale with foreign customs and both navigated and described what he found so well is a testament to his superior skills as a journalist. Bravo.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Andrew Knapp, “Who will raise Veronica?”

THIRD PLACE: The State, Noelle Phillips, “From tragedy to forgiveness”

PROFILE FEATURE WRITING OR STORY

FIRST PLACE: The State, Dawn Hinshaw, “Richland lawmaker not afraid to stir the pot”

Judges’ Comments: Dawn Hinshaw utilizes revealing quotes and intriguing details to paint a portrait of a courageous, talented and strongwilled legislator who rightly places the needs of the people above the wants of her political party.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Jennifer Berry Hawes, “Genius with big plans”

THIRD PLACE: The Greenville News, Lillia CallumPenso, “Remember you met me”

SHORT STORY

FIRST PLACE: The State, Dawn Hinshaw, “A cool rite of spring”

Judges’ Comments: The writing was so visual that this story could almost have gone into the paper without a photo. I was able to picture people sitting on the lawn and dancers lined along the street, feel the coolness in the air and sense the anticipation of the audience. Bellinis in the sunroom? Fresh gardens and little girls in princess dresses? The writer captured what must have been an absolutely lovely neighborhood event in a way that made it seem as important and colorful as anything presented on the world’s most impressive stage. More than that, the writer made me want to seek out the very imaginative and generous Mr. Temple Ligon should I ever find myself in Columbia. Nice work.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Tommy Braswell, “Milestone within reach”

THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Bo Petersen, “Life or death at gas pump”

COLUMN WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The State, Warren Bolton, “Black men endure a lifetime of suspicion; Protests mean nothing if we don’t save our boys; City officials should avoid crime scenes”

Judges’ Comments: Outstanding example of engaging and informing the reader. Also great work in connecting a national story to local importance and providing a historical perspective for another local issue.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Frank Wooten, “Apology insincerity: Who’s sorry now?; Hard case: You be the Veronica judge; The pain of parting with ‘The Pig’”

THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Brian Hicks, “Taxpayers, here’s deal for you!; Chris Collins needs new title: former school board member; Life in bike lane too often creeps onto sidewalk”

SERIES OF ARTICLES

FIRST PLACE AND BEST OF THE BEST: The Post and Courier, Jennifer Berry Hawes, “Lost among us: The mental health crisis”

Judges’ Comments: Very tough to call. All three finishers are excellent for different reasons. This one edges out with its very personal glimpse of a significant problem, in particular offering the voices of the mentally ill and their families, along with lots of well-presented information about the problem, its history and possible solutions.

SECOND PLACE: The State, Sammy Fretwell, Jamie Self, Adam Beam, Amanda Coyne, Jeff Wilkinson and the many editors and designers involved, “State House for sale”

THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Tony Bartelme, “Second chance - The Mark Sanford story”

REPORTING-IN-DEPTH

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Staff, “Adoption of ‘Baby Veronica’” Judges’ Comments: A richly balanced body of reporting on a complex personal struggle for parental rights. Baby Veronica’s case is made clear by the thorough reporting and thoughtful writing of the staff

SECOND PLACE: The State, Andrew Shain, “S.C. hacked”

THIRD PLACE: The Greenville News, Tim Smith, “Hacking investigation”

BEAT REPORTING

FIRST PLACE AND BEST OF THE BEST: The Post and Courier, Andrew Knapp, “Crime and courts” Judges’ Comments: In each of Knapp’s three articles he goes to the “who,” the face or faces of the story, to take the reader closer to the issue. He informed the reader with great detail and emotion.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Natalie Caula Hauff, “Criminal justice”

THIRD PLACE: The Greenville News, Nathaniel Cary, “Environment”

PUBLIC SERVICE

FIRST PLACE: The State, Staff, “Ethics” Judges’ Comments: The winner in one of the most competitive categories I’ve ever judged. The State did exhaustive research and took on powerful people to shine the light on a way of political life in S.C. that does a disservice to the public.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Doug Pardue and Staff, “Forgotten South Carolina”

THIRD PLACE: The Greenville News, Lyn Riddle, Mykal McEldowney and Staff, “Homeless in Greenville”

SPOT SPORTS STORY

FIRST PLACE AND BEST OF THE BEST: The Post and Courier, Darryl Slater, “Dramatic bowl victory one for Gamecocks’ history books” Judges’ Comments: Slater turned a game story into a saga, with the action explained and illustrated not only by post-game quotes but also by pre-game reporting and insightful analysis.

SECOND PLACE: The State, Josh Kendall, “USC: Clowney in the clear”

THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Ryan Wood, “Gamecocks upended by Tennessee”

SPORTS ENTERPRISE REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: The State, Ron Morris, “Football is life”

Judges’ Comments: Extraordinary effort to document this team’s season. Writing excellent – puts you in the locker room. Photos made the package.

SECOND PLACE: The State, Bob Gillespie, “Legendary”

THIRD PLACE: The State, Pat Obley, “Marching for Jackie”

SPORTS FEATURE STORY

FIRST PLACE: The Greenville News, Scott Keepfer, “The unlikeliest warrior”

Judges’ Comments: Strong writing captures scenes of the ring. Good reporting and a great story.

SECOND PLACE: The State, Josh Kendall, “From Garnet to Camo?”

THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Darryl Slater, “Steve Spurrier: Beyond the Visor”

SPORTS COLUMN WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The State, Ron Morris, “Keeping good company; College needs pitch counts; Mad, mad world of college hoops”

Judges’ Comments: This group of columns is welldiversified, and includes the right mix of straight fact and informed opinion. Also a good variety of topics within the same sphere of NCAA sports.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Gene Sapakoff, “Penn State reports lap The Citadel; We owe our kids a better ReVille report; It’s time to name street after Serena”

THIRD PLACE: The Greenville News, Scott Keepfer, “Fourth-and-16 etched in Clemson fans’ memories; Mama knows best; I’m going to miss Tuesdays with Tahj”

PAGE ONE DESIGN PORTFOLIO

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Maureen Hartshorn

Judges’ Comments: I’d buy the paper. I’d read the stories. Great design!

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Brandon Lockett

THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Chad Dunbar

SINGLE PAGE ONE DESIGN

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Maureen Hartshorn

Judges’ Comments: Effective use of color, cutouts and type. The centerpiece is well-organized, grabs the reader’s attention and is informative. The skyboxes are neatly constructed and to the point. You can tell this designer has a good eye for balancing white space, strong grasp of typography and pays attention to detail.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Maureen Hartshorn

THIRD PLACE: The State, Kelly Cobb

SINGLE FEATURE PAGE DESIGN

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Brandon Lockett Judges’ Comments: Lockett created an interesting, provocative and appropriately elegant design for Oedipus.

SECOND PLACE: The State, Susan Ardis

THIRD PLACE: The State, Susan Ardis

SPOT NEWS PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Grace Beahm, “Mourning for Derryl Drayton” Judges’ Comments: Shot captures strong, emotional moment. Clean composition.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Wade Spees, “Ankle-plus deep water inside the Market”

THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Wade Spees, “Chivalry appears to be alive and well (Market flooding)”

GENERAL NEWS PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Wade Spees, “Economic Distress” Judges’ Comments: Really works well to tell the story of economic loss – the abandoned lot combined with the sale of personal items makes this the winner.

SECOND PLACE: The State, Kim Kim Foster-Tobin, “Benjamin party”

THIRD PLACE: The Greenville News, Mykal McEldowney, “Greenville Special Olympics”

FEATURE PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: The Greenville News, Heidi Heilbrunn, “Graduation” Judges’ Comments: Nice interaction. A different look at something everyone has shot a thousand times.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Wade Spees, “Riverfront Park swing”

THIRD PLACE: The State, Gerry Melendez, “Impressionism”

SPORTS ACTION PHOTO

FIRST PLACE AND BEST OF THE BEST: The State, Gerry Melendez, “Ellington loses his belt” Judges’ Comments: Nicely framed. Great expression. The little details make this photo work.

SECOND PLACE: The State, Tim Dominick, “Scott celebrates his Masters win”

THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Paul Zoeller, “Martin fights off Odom”

SPORTS FEATURE PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: The State, Gerry Melendez, “Lancaster Speedway”

Judges’ Comments: Wonderful juxtaposition of the excitement of racing and the boredom of not being a fan. Great eye.

SECOND PLACE: The Greenville News, Mykal McEldowney, “Gamecocks make their way onto the field”

THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Paul Zoeller, “Jaskwich and Osbourne react after losing”

PERSONALITY PHOTOGRAPH OR PORTRAIT

FIRST PLACE: The State, Gerry Melendez, “Nick Anderson”

Judges’ Comments: Strong framing and great light focus attention on the subject.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Grace Beahm, “Sister Tzinieris”

THIRD PLACE: The Greenville News, Mykal McEldowney, “Angela VanDorn”

PHOTO SERIES OR PHOTO STORY

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Staff, “Forgotten South Carolina”

Judges’ Comments: Strong variety of photos gives readers a great sense of a lot of different places and changes in South Carolina.

SECOND PLACE: The Greenville News, Mykal McEldowney, “Greenville Tent City”

THIRD PLACE: The State, C. Aluka Berry, “Recovery Works”

PICTORIAL

FIRST PLACE: The State, Gerry Melendez, “Cayce Rail Yard puddles”

Judges’ Comments: Nice sense of pattern. Nice contrast in colors.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Wade Spees, “Snowy egrets at Magnolia Cemetery”

THIRD PLACE: The State, Gerry Melendez, “Sunset at Lancaster Speedway”

HUMOROUS PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: The State, Gerry Melendez, “Frank Sinatra shakes off ”

Judges’ Comments: Dog’s face is funny. Good timing. Face makes the shot.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Leroy Burnell, “Sanford debates Pelosi poster”

THIRD PLACE: The Greenville News, Ken Osburn, “Drink of water”

WEBSITE

FIRST PLACE AND BEST OF THE BEST: The Post and Courier, Staff, postandcourier.com

Judges’ Comments: Impressive site with multiple digital platforms (e-edition, mobile, tablet, desktop). Interesting strategy of posting content during peak engagement times. Favorite features include interactive graphics, weekly live chats, blogs and special sections. Stunning newspaper and user-submitted photo galleries. Great use of video, segmented by topic. I especially enjoyed the food, police footage and My Charleston Today sections. Site is searchable and easy to navigate, but the index page of all content is a nice add-on. Good integration of social media.

SECOND PLACE: The State, Gary Ward, Rachael Lowe, Anne-Kathryn Flanagan, Dwayne Mclemore and Chris Winston, thestate.com

THIRD PLACE: The Greenville News, William Fox, David Hennigan and Melissa Hall, greenvilleonline.com

USE OF TWITTER

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Andy Paras, @AndyParas

Judges’ Comments: Paras is the go-to guy for timely, relevant #CHSNews. He engages with readers 24-7 in a friendly, knowledgeable way. Paras informs followers on news, sports and entertainment and drives readers to his paper’s print and digital products. He especially excels at interacting with his followers and bringing the utility of newspapers to readers through his realtime #chstrfc and #chswx tweets and retweets. He also gives followers an inside look into the newspaper business – from debating copyright issues to showcasing his paper’s delivery in icy weather. Especially loved the coverage on #WarOnTouror. Keep up the great work!

SECOND PLACE: The State, Dwayne Mclemore, Chris Winston, Anne-Kathryn Flanagan, Rachael Lowe, Galen Kashtock, Gary Ward and David Cloninger, @TheState

THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Staff, @postandcourier

FACEBOOK PAGE

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Staff

Judges’ Comments: Good variety of posts, many that push breaking news and link to newspaper’s website. Tons of reader interaction through comments and likes. Love “Good Morning, Lowcountry” and other user-submitted photos. Page is a hub for the community.

SECOND PLACE: The State, Chris Winston, AnneKathryn Flanagan, Dwayne Mclemore, Galen Kashtock, Rachael Lowe and Gary Ward

THIRD PLACE: The Greenville News, Melissa Hall

PHOTO GALLERY

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Paul Zoeller, “Recognition Day” Judges’ Comments: Variety of photos covered event extremely well. A number of eye-stopping photos. Good composition.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Paul Zoeller, “Rugged maniac”

THIRD PLACE: The Greenville News, Heidi Heilbrunn, “Vigil for boys killed in house fire”

SPORTS VIDEO

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Warren Peper and Chris Hanclosky, “Field tightens for women’s amateur”

Judges’ Comments: Great coverage of local sporting events.

SECOND PLACE: The Greenville News, Mykal McEldowney, “Deaf J.L. Mann football player beating odds”

THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Chris Hanclosky, “A-Rod rehabs with RiverDogs”

GENERAL NEWS/FEATURE VIDEO

FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Staff, “Forgotten South Carolina”

Judges’ Comments: Very engaging and informative. Excellent use of editing, voiceover, photos and archive footage.

SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Chris Hanclosky, “Awendaw Green sets the stage for music lovers”

THIRD PLACE: The State, Gerry Melendez, “Honor flight”

UNDER

6,000

weekly division

SPOT NEWS REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: The Independent Voice of Blythewood and Fairfield County, James Denton, “Gunmen raid business”

Judges’ Comments: Great details. Talking with one of the victims gave the story great elements. Well-written.

SECOND PLACE: The Berkeley Independent, Dan Brown, “A very sad day”

THIRD PLACE: Lexington County Chronicle & The Dispatch News, Terry Ward, “Flood disaster averted in West Columbia”

ENTERPRISE REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: Coastal Observer, Jason Lesley, “Bus line, lifeline”

Judges’ Comments: Good story idea – like the narrative structure of the main story. Reporter has keen eye for details and puts that to good use to create the scene. Overall, provides a tale told with subtlety that was enjoyable and informative.

SECOND PLACE: The Weekly Observer, Christopher McKagen, “Death of tasered Kingstreet man”

THIRD PLACE: The Star, Phyllis Britt, “City presents major riverfront project”

LIFESTYLE FEATURE WRITING

FIRST PLACE: Coastal Observer, Charles Swenson, “Search for grave leads to a family he never knew” Judges’ Comments: Excellent story of Bill Shehan and well-written. The lede drew me in long enough to enjoy the article. Great job!

SECOND PLACE: News and Press, Samantha Lyles, “Rediscovering the Mill Hill Cemetery”

THIRD PLACE: The Independent Voice of Blythewood and Fairfield County, Ashley Ghere and Grace Tarrant, “Special dog could change the life of Winnsboro boy battling rare disease”

NEWS FEATURE WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Clinton Chronicle, Vic MacDonald, “EA remembered: Once in a lifetime friend”

Judges’ Comments: A painful subject handled with sensitivity. Very moving.

SECOND PLACE: Jasper County Sun, Anthony Garzilli, “Veterans enjoy ‘heaven on earth’ at Lt. Dan Week”

THIRD PLACE: Enquirer-Herald, Jennifer Becknell, “90 years of peaches”

PROFILE FEATURE WRITING OR STORY

FIRST PLACE: Enquirer-Herald, Jennifer Becknell, “Clover WWII vet remembers historic landings, loss”

Judges’ Comments: A haunting story that I found deeply moving. Well done.

SECOND PLACE: Coastal Observer, Charles Swenson, “The voice”

THIRD PLACE: News and Press, Jana E. Pye, “Strangers to brothers”

SHORT STORY

FIRST PLACE: Coastal Observer, Charles Swenson, “No fish needed as angler goes for world record”

Judges’ Comments: This short story was covered in an original and effective way. Some may have just focused on the record, but his inspiration was the real story. And the headline was catchy too. It would be interesting to follow up on if Sasser’s record is certified by Guinness.

SECOND PLACE: The People-Sentinel, David Purtell, “100 year old celebrated”

THIRD PLACE: The Berkeley Independent, Dan Brown, “A special day at BHS”

COLUMN WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Manning Times, Melissa McCoy, “Raising strong women to succeed; Criticism on the cereal aisle; Fire and gasoline” Judges’ Comments: “Raising strong women” was my favorite column among all the submissions. Your other two columns followed similar themes as a mom. I think a lot of people can relate to your sentiments. I’m surprised you’re an office manager and not managing editor. You’re a natural columnist.

SECOND PLACE: Union County News, Graham Williams, “A mother’s hands; School districts spinning the news; School shootings raise questions: No easy answers”

THIRD PLACE: The Clinton Chronicle, Larry Franklin, “The sun will come out tomorrow; Not much respect shown; Not in favor of a list nobody proposed”

HUMOR COLUMN WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Berkeley Independent, Dan Brown, “Woe is a tall man; A man of the cloth; The night after Christmas” Judges’ Comments: Dan’s humor came across beautifully in these columns. He stood out above the rest of the field.

SECOND PLACE: Union County News, Graham Williams, “There’s a mouse in my house; Mama’s singing tires; It’s not the years, it’s the mileage”

THIRD PLACE: News-Chronicle, Elaine EllisonRider, “Class from beyond... in Ohio; Contagion is not a movie to watch with flu going around across the nation; Monitoring our phone calls”

SERIES OF ARTICLES

FIRST PLACE: The Hampton County Guardian, Sean Gruber, “Hampton County’s dark legends” Judges’ Comments: Unique series idea. Well thought out and engaging. Each story could stand on its own, but together they make an outstanding package.

SECOND PLACE: Coastal Observer, Charles Swenson, “The class of 2027”

THIRD PLACE: News and Press, Samantha Lyles, “A look back”

REPORTING-IN-DEPTH

FIRST PLACE: Lexington County Chronicle & The Dispatch News, Mark Bellune and Terry Ward, “Town of Gaston corruption” Judges’ Comments: The coverage of corruption was thorough and well-written

SECOND PLACE: The Weekly Observer, Christopher McKagen, “Williamsburg county government”

THIRD PLACE: The Independent Voice of Blythewood and Fairfield County, James Denton, “County porn emails”

BEAT REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: Coastal Observer, Jason Lesley, “Party Down South”

Judges’ Comments: Strong writing. Good ledes. Writer did a great job of covering an unfolding controversy all the way to its conclusion.

SECOND PLACE: Coastal Observer, Charles Swenson, “Nonprofits”

THIRD PLACE: News-Chronicle, Elaine EllisonRider, “Police/Crime”

SPOT SPORTS STORY

FIRST PLACE: Coastal Observer, Roger Greene, “The real gold”

Judges’ Comments: Greene’s story of the XC runner who stopped to help a competitor stood out in a very competitive field. Strong lede, nice narrative and positive conclusion.

SECOND PLACE: News-Chronicle, Debbie Rogers, “Bear nation honors Geer-Gantt”

THIRD PLACE: The Berkeley Independent, Dan Brown, “The heroes of cross”

SPORTS FEATURE STORY

FIRST PLACE: The Berkeley Independent, Dan Brown, “Thanks, moms!”

Judges’ Comments: Quite a few great entries in this category, but what stood out about Brown’s story is that it was different. It’s not about a standout player, but a group of those as important as the players. Well-written and fun to read.

SECOND PLACE: Jasper County Sun, Anthony Garzilli, “Layman pitching in a USCB”

THIRD PLACE: The Independent Voice of Blythewood and Fairfield County, James Denton, “Grinding out Single-A”

SPORTS COLUMN WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Berkeley Independent, Dan Brown, “Antonio Simmons; A Rock Star; Omar’s ring” Judges’ Comments: Very heartfelt, compassionate writing made Dan the obvious winner. Mixed emotion – the death of a young coach – with local flavor – a football player getting a Super Bowl ring!

SECOND PLACE: Union County News, Brian Whitmore, “Questions swirl; Road trip; Way to go” THIRD PLACE: Marion Star & Mullins Enterprise, Naeem McFadden, “Beyond wins and losses; Basketball heaven; Anxiously awaits football season”

PAGE ONE DESIGN PORTFOLIO

FIRST PLACE: Coastal Observer, Charles Swenson Judges’ Comments: The creativity of the layout is appealing for the reader and draws me in. Good utilization of white space and nice variance of headlines on feature stories.

SECOND PLACE: Lexington County Chronicle & The Dispatch News, Mark Bellune

THIRD PLACE: The Manning Times, Ted E. Spencer

SINGLE PAGE ONE DESIGN

FIRST PLACE: The Manning Times, Ted E. Spencer Judges’ Comments: At first I wasn’t sure, but the text is laid out in a way that furthers the overall subject.

SECOND PLACE: News and Press, Duane Childers

THIRD PLACE: News and Press, Duane Childers

SPORTS PAGE DESIGN PORTFOLIO

FIRST PLACE: The Manning Times, Ted E. Spencer Judges’ Comments: Really clean layout and a page that’s easy to navigate. Lots of news packed on to the page without making it overly gray and boring.

SECOND PLACE: The Berkeley Independent, Frank Johnson

THIRD PLACE: Lexington County Chronicle & The Dispatch News, Travis Boland

SPOT NEWS PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: The Journal, Williamston, David Rogers, “Pelzer EMS aids accident victims” Judges’ Comments: Dramatic lighting captures the mood. Good job of following action away form scene. Photo told the story, not just the moment.

SECOND PLACE: The Star, Mike Adams, “Apartment fire”

THIRD PLACE: Coastal Observer, Tanya Ackerman, “Front Street fire”

GENERAL NEWS PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: Coastal Observer, Tanya Ackerman, “Joshua Pyatt’s family and friends” Judges’ Comments: Photographer captures a very emotional moment. Photo connects with audience and portrays strong family connection.

SECOND PLACE: Coastal Observer, Tanya Ackerman, “High voter turnout”

THIRD PLACE: Coastal Observer, Tanya Ackerman, “Newtown vigil”

FEATURE PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: Coastal Observer, Tanya Ackerman, “Bubbles”

Judges’ Comments: Photographer was right in the thick of the action and put the reader there also. Photo captures joy of childhood. Great exposure to capture light and bubbles.

SECOND PLACE: The Star, Mike Adams, “Father Daughter Dance”

THIRD PLACE: The Star, Mike Adams, “Summerfield Splash Park”

SPORTS ACTION PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: News-Chronicle, Debbie Rogers, “Relay race”

Judges’ Comments: Photographer captured the chaos of a relay through great timing. Expressions are key to strength of photo.

SECOND PLACE: News-Chronicle, Debbie Rogers, “Drew Greer tries to reach home”

THIRD PLACE: The Journal, Williamston, Michael Lollis, “Stops run”

HONORABLE MENTION : Union County News, Pete Cochran, “Noah Voiselle makes the catch”

SPORTS FEATURE PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: News-Chronicle, Richard Kelly, “Dixie softball players try to hold back tears” Judges’ Comments: Photographer captured strong emotion with tight shot showing both girls and the second place trophy.

SECOND PLACE: Coastal Observer, Tanya Ackerman, “Waccamaw wins First Tee Champions Challenge”

THIRD PLACE: Union County News, Pete Cochran, “Austin Duckett gets a hit”

PERSONALITY PHOTOGRAPH OR PORTRAIT

FIRST PLACE: Coastal Observer, Tanya Ackerman, “Grandma Talks Tech”

Judges’ Comments: Nice use of technology. Nice play on story idea. Clean graphic.

SECOND PLACE: Coastal Observer, Tanya Ackerman, “Claude Lott”

THIRD PLACE: News-Chronicle, Richard Kelly, “Like milk?”

HUMOROUS PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: Coastal Observer, Tanya Ackerman, “Thanksgiving feast”

Judges’ Comments: Photographer captured nice slice of life. We all feel like we’ve been there.

SECOND PLACE: The Hartsville Messenger, Bob Sloan, “A real mudder”

THIRD PLACE: The People-Sentinel, Jonathan Vickery, “Grandma really did get run over by a reindeer!”

UNDER 6,000 & OVER 6,000 weekly divisions combined

INSIDE PAGE DESIGN

FIRST PLACE: Carolina Forest Chronicle, Michael Smith

Judges’ Comments: Everything about this is done well. The columns play well together. Very efficient use of spacing and art work well with the text. The use of graphs to convey information is effective and aesthetically appealing. The photo is great.

SECOND PLACE: Coastal Observer, Charles Swenson

THIRD PLACE: The Greer Citizen, Amanda Irwin

FEATURE PAGE DESIGN PORTFOLIO

FIRST PLACE: Myrtle Beach Herald, Chris Mowder Judges’ Comments: Wow. From the organization of the page to the clever use of color to tie the whole page together, its just really well done. A busy page isn’t overwhelming and still maintains a flow.

SECOND PLACE: Carolina Forest Chronicle, Michael Smith

THIRD PLACE: The Fort Jackson Leader, Wallace McBride

SINGLE FEATURE PAGE DESIGN

FIRST PLACE: Carolina Forest Chronicle, Michael Smith

Judges’ Comments: Great layout. Well done.

SECOND PLACE: The Moultrie News, Kathy Simes

THIRD PLACE: News and Press, Lisa Chalian-Rock

SINGLE SPORTS PAGE DESIGN

FIRST PLACE: Carolina Forest Chronicle, Michael Smith

Judges’ Comments: The full-page photo and headline grab attention and the “accomplishments” section is a nice feature as well.

SECOND PLACE: Lexington County Chronicle & The Dispatch News, Travis Boland

THIRD PLACE: The Greer Citizen, Julie Holcombe

PHOTO SERIES OR PHOTO STORY

FIRST PLACE: Coastal Observer, Tanya Ackerman, “Front Street fire”

Judges’ Comments: Continuing coverage offered great visual variety from initial fire coverage through aftermath. Captured emotional reaction.

SECOND PLACE: Coastal Observer, Tanya Ackerman, “Lily Johnson”

THIRD PLACE: Carolina Forest Chronicle, Michael Smith, “Dirty Myrtle Mud Run”

FIRST PLACE PHOTO SERIES, DAILY UNDER 18,000 & 18,000-45,000 COMBINED: Matt Walsh, Index-Journal

OVER 6,000 weekly division

SPOT NEWS REPORTING

FIRST PLACE AND BEST OF THE BEST: Carolina Forest Chronicle, Michael Smith, Heather Gale and Ettie Newlands, “Inferno in The Forest” Judges’ Comments: Absolutely amazing coverage of this massive fire. Reporting not only extensive, but beautifully written and clearly showing you’ve got great sources and used them well, even in a high-paced, disaster event. Photos, graphics - spot on. Clear winner.

SECOND PLACE: The Horry Independent, Robert Anderson, “Conwayite with big heart loses life in Monday morning blaze”

THIRD PLACE: Greenville Journal, Cindy Landrum, “There are no words, no answers”

LIFESTYLE FEATURE WRITING

FIRST PLACE: Charleston City Paper, Stratton Lawrence, “Healthy Homework” Judges’ Comments: I love this concept and enjoyed reading about how the program all came together and what it entails. I wish all schools had something like this. It was a thorough and educational article.

SECOND PLACE: Greenville Journal, Leigh Savage, “Biking for everyone”

THIRD PLACE: The Link, Kevin Smith, “The story behind the Santa house”

NEWS FEATURE WRITING

FIRST PLACE: Charleston City Paper, Paul Bowers, “The eroding edge of America” Judges’ Comments: Excellent writing, interesting subject, well-sourced and thorough. The writer really shows us this place in time and the issues dividing the population of Folly Beach.

SECOND PLACE: Free Times, Eva Moore, “The Benjamin Doctrine”

THIRD PLACE: Charleston City Paper, Elizabeth Pandolfi, “Whose pie is it anyway?”

HONORABLE MENTION: Myrtle Beach Herald, Charles D. Perry, “Yours. Mine. His.”

PROFILE FEATURE WRITING OR STORY

FIRST PLACE: Myrtle Beach Herald, Charles D. Perry, “Ode to an organist” Judges’ Comments: In this charming portrait, Perry invites the reader into his subject’s world with easy phrases and soft colorful images. He provides context for the reader in the form of testimonials from folks who know her best. I especially liked the ending, a nugget he saved as a reward for those who stuck with him until the end. Well done.

SECOND PLACE: Myrtle Beach Herald, Tom O’Dare, “A country to die for”

THIRD PLACE: The Moultrie News, Sully Witte, “Refusing to Fail”

HONORABLE MENTION: Myrtle Beach Herald, Charles D. Perry, “Mr. Clarence’s Magic”

SHORT STORY

FIRST PLACE: Greenville Journal, April A. Morris, “Cafe blends bring warm cuppa to Lexus dealership” Judges’ Comments: A newsworthy subject made even more interesting and readable by concise, dynamic writing.

SECOND PLACE: Myrtle Beach Herald, Tom O’Dare, “Searching for Speedie”

THIRD PLACE: The Gazette, Frank Johnson, “A sacred day”

COLUMN WRITING

FIRST PLACE: Free Times, Kevin Fisher, “Amateur Hour; Mayor Benjamin; No guts no glory”

Judges’ Comments: Funny, bold, smart — a true standout among the entries for this category.

SECOND PLACE: The Greer Citizen, William Buchheit, “Dirge; Belcher’s substance abuse; Gender crisis”

THIRD PLACE: The Greer Citizen, Krista Gibson, “What they will remember; The birdbath; Happily ever now”

HUMOR COLUMN WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Gazette, Dan Brown, “Clowns; An old friend returns; Bless your heart”

Judges’ Comments: A gifted writer whose skills and ability to take on a variety of topics made his columns stand out. I’d look forward to every issue. A bright spot in a tiresome sea of cute kid stories.

SECOND PLACE: Myrtle Beach Herald, Betty Moses, “Que sera sera; It’s all about hair; Get thee behind me, kindle”

THIRD PLACE: The Greer Citizen, Amanda Irwin, “Curiously Amanda”

SERIES OF ARTICLES

FIRST PLACE: Fort Mill Times, Jenny Overman, “Homeless”

Judges’ Comments: What an outstanding series! Overman not only interviewed many reluctant subjects, but her articles prompted the community to do something about its homeless population.

SECOND PLACE: The Greer Citizen, William Buchheit, “Prescription drug abuse”

THIRD PLACE: Fort Mill Times, Stephanie Marks Martell, “Breast Cancer Awareness Month”

REPORTING-IN-DEPTH

FIRST PLACE - TIE: Charleston City Paper, Stratton Lawrence, “Shifting sands”

FIRST PLACE - TIE: Carolina Forest Chronicle, Michael Smith, Ettie Newlands and Heather Gale, “Wildfire response”

Judges’ Comments: I swore I wouldn’t do a tie, but it would be unfair to select one of these over the other. One offers in-depth reporting on a fire that greatly affected the community; the other offers indepth reporting of a state Supreme Court case. Both demonstrate such excellence and importance that I can’t choose one over the other.

SECOND PLACE: Myrtle Beach Herald, Tom O’Dare, “Budget debate hurting seniors”

THIRD PLACE: Myrtle Beach Herald, Tom O’Dare and Charles Perry, “Records: Glass recycler cited for dozens of environmental, safety violations”

BEAT REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: Carolina Gateway, Reece Murphy, “Indian Land coverage” Judges’ Comments: Solid and detailed writing about a community and its people – Murphy’s writing makes the residents and their issues come alive. Loved the postal delivery challenges piece.

SECOND PLACE: Free Times, Eva Moore, “City police”

THIRD PLACE: The Link, Leighton Bell, “Cops”

SPOT SPORTS STORY

FIRST PLACE: The Horry Independent, Robert Anderson, “Showdown at Waccamaw”

Judges’ Comments: This story really dipped along and held my interest. The author has a clear command of his topic and is an excellent writer. This stood out even against some unusual topics.

SECOND PLACE: Myrtle Beach Herald, Charles D. Perry, “The half that got away”

THIRD PLACE: Carolina Forest Chronicle, Michael Smith, “Bluffton stuns Carolina Forest”

SPORTS FEATURE STORY

FIRST PLACE: Myrtle Beach Herald, Charles D. Perry, “For the love of a fan” Judges’ Comments: A touching story that captures the essence of a die-hard sports fan who placed his love of the game above all else. Wellwritten with a nice mix of voices.

SECOND PLACE: Fort Mill Times, Stephanie Marks Martell, “Falcons’ ‘Batman’ is team’s All-star”

THIRD PLACE: The Horry Independent, Kathy Ropp, “He’s not slowing down”

PAGE ONE DESIGN PORTFOLIO

FIRST PLACE: Carolina Forest Chronicle, Michael Smith

Judges’ Comments: Consistently combined photo illustrations or news images with creative display type to promote special packages and breaking news. The play of typography, images and overall page hierarchy produced pages that were artful as well as informative.

SECOND PLACE: Greenville Journal, Kristy Adair

THIRD PLACE: Myrtle Beach Herald, Betty Moses

SINGLE PAGE ONE DESIGN

FIRST PLACE: Greenville Journal, Kristy Adair, Judges’ Comments: Very eye-catching! It really jumped out from the others. Simple, but stands out. Great colors. Good job!

SECOND PLACE: The Fort Jackson Leader, Wallace McBride

THIRD PLACE: Carolina Forest Chronicle, Michael Smith

HONORABLE MENTION: Greenville Journal, Kristy Adair

SPORTS PAGE DESIGN PORTFOLIO

FIRST PLACE: Carolina Forest Chronicle, Michael Smith

Judges’ Comments: Very eye-catching and plenty of variety between three entries. I like that there isn’t just one template for all issues. Looks very nice.

SECOND PLACE: The Gazette, Rob Gantt

THIRD PLACE: The Greer Citizen, Julie Holcombe

GENERAL NEWS PHOTO

FIRST PLACE AND BEST OF THE BEST: The Island News, Eric Smith, “Memorial Day at Beaufort National Cemetery”

Judges’ Comments: Nice quiet moment captured. Great human interest.

SECOND PLACE: The Island News, Bob Sofaly, “Veterans Day parade”

THIRD PLACE: Carolina Forest Chronicle, Michael Smith, “Remembrance ceremony for Anthony Liddell”

FEATURE PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: Greenville Journal, Greg Beckner, “Construction worker welds”

Judges’ Comments: Photographer had great eye for diagonal lines. Nice slice of life captured.

SECOND PLACE: Carolina Forest Chronicle, Michael Smith, “Fidelis Foundation prayer”

THIRD PLACE: Greenville Journal, Greg Beckner, “Perry Earle”

SPORTS ACTION PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: The Fort Jackson Leader, Susanne Kappler, “Mekyler Myers”

Judges’ Comments: Interesting composition shot tight. Great emotion. Shows the tension of sport.

SECOND PLACE: Myrtle Beach Herald, Felipe Rancier, “Pole vaulting”

THIRD PLACE: The Link, Susan Griggs, “Melanie Davis”

SPORTS FEATURE PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: The Island News, Eric Smith, “Wardle Family YMCA triathalon”

Judges’ Comments: Striking picture. Works so well in black and white. Evocative. Contemplative.

SECOND PLACE: The Greer Citizen, William Buchheit, “Lady Eagles lose state title game”

THIRD PLACE: The Greer Citizen, Mandy Ferguson, “Lady Eagles celebrate”

Order duplicate awards Order duplicate awards and plaque bases and bases

OVER 6,000 & 2-3 TIMES WEEKLY divisions combined

ENTERPRISE REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: Free Times, Corey Hutchins, “Nuclear Island”

Judges’ Comments: This is journalism at its finest. An engaging, important, well-researched piece. This report has something for everyone – from regular folks concerned about their pocketbooks to environmentalists to developers. Wonderful.

SECOND PLACE: The Lancaster News, Reece Murphy, “Zais’ proposal worries educators”

THIRD PLACE: The Lancaster News, Reece Murphy, “Misplaced history”

SPORTS COLUMN WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Horry Independent, Robert Anderson, “Lady Tigers forced to make tough decision; Moving from football to stardom; Rivalry remains heated”

Judges’ Comments: I enjoyed all three of Anderson’s columns because they were wellwritten, featured a topic (not just rehashed a game) and it was clear his opinion — the point of a column. Great job!

SECOND PLACE: The Lancaster News, Robert Howey, “Paul McGriff a fixture with local sports; Warriors will have their day; Daddy came to my rescue that memorable day”

THIRD PLACE: Laurens County Advertiser, Nick Herman, “The foundation is set. Now comes the house; State better to leave SCHSL be; A timely reminder”

SPOT NEWS PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: The Lancaster News, Reece Murphy, “Franandel Dr. fire”

Judges’ Comments: Strong sense of framing. Moment with firefighters turning back separates this photo out from the others.

SECOND PLACE: The Lancaster News, Jessica Britton, “Wrong-way driver wreck”

THIRD PLACE: The Lancaster News, Jessica Britton, “Honeybee removal”

PERSONALITY PHOTOGRAPH OR PORTRAIT

FIRST PLACE: Tribune-Times, Mykal McEldowney, “Mary Breihan”

Judges’ Comments: Photo captures mood of scene. Addition of negative space at top adds to her sense of loss.

SECOND PLACE: The Lancaster News, Reece Murphy, “Minnie Mae Wilson”

THIRD PLACE: Tribune-Times, Mykal McEldowney, “J.A. Carter”

HUMOROUS PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: Greenville Journal, Greg Beckner, “Petunia gets a bath”

Judges’ Comments: A wet cat... what’s not funny! Photo has purr-fect timing!

SECOND PLACE: The Island News, Bob Sofaly, “Pelican Plunge”

THIRD PLACE: The News & Reporter, Bill Marion, “Boy thinks getting a temporary tat will hurt”

2-3 TIMES

weekly division

SPOT NEWS REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: The Lancaster News, Christopher Sardelli, “Burglary in progress thwarted” Judges’ Comments: Solid reporting with lots of detail. Well sourced and clean. Captivating news copy.

SECOND PLACE: The Hartsville Messenger, Bob Sloan, “Hulsey found guilty”

THIRD PLACE: The Lancaster News, Gregory A. Summers, “Robbers hold up Antioch Grocery”

LIFESTYLE FEATURE WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Gaffney Ledger, Joe L. Hughes II, “Local man lending his talents to documentary about unique and endangered horse breed”

Judges’ Comments: Fascinating subject, served well by straightforward and informative writing.

SECOND PLACE: The Lancaster News, Laura Caskey, “The history of Valentine’s Day”

THIRD PLACE: The Gaffney Ledger, Joe L. Hughes II, “Keeping up with the Joneses”

NEWS FEATURE WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Summerville Journal Scene, A.M. Sheehan, “Corey Gardens issues escalate” Judges’ Comments: An outstanding, well-written piece about a community in crisis. A very compelling read and the strongest piece in a very strong field of articles.

SECOND PLACE: The Newberry Observer, Elyssa Parnell, “Anderson’s Shoes leaves a lasting legacy”

THIRD PLACE: The Summerville Journal Scene, Leslie Cantu, “There’s a woman on council again”

HONORABLE MENTION: The Gaffney Ledger, Joe L. Hughes II, “3 stories of courage”

PROFILE FEATURE WRITING

OR STORY

FIRST PLACE: The Summerville Journal Scene, A.M. Sheehan, “The man with the brightly colored cast” Judges’ Comments: The spirit of a good feature is to understand what makes the story subject tick. This piece does that incredibly well. The story is heartbreaking, the subject is honest... and it’s all told with a sense of compassion.

SECOND PLACE: The News & Reporter, Nancy Parsons, “Trey Holmes hopes for father’s smile at graduation”

THIRD PLACE: The Lancaster News, Michele Roberts, “I want to tell everyone to never, ever give up”

SHORT STORY

FIRST PLACE: The Summerville Journal Scene, Leslie Cantu, “I vant to vote you into office” Judges’ Comments: Cantu’s election coverage made me laugh out loud. She took an otherwise mundane subject matter and filled it with humor – a product of unusual voting circumstances.

SECOND PLACE: The News & Reporter, Travis Jenkins, “‘Small’ Business”

THIRD PLACE: The News & Reporter, Denyse Clark, “CHS Rock communicates on Twitter, really!”

FIRST PLACE PORTRAIT, WEEKLY UNDER 6,000: Tanya Ackerman, Coastal Observer

(RIGHT) FIRST PLACE SPOT

NEWS PHOTO, DAILY 18,000

- 45,000: Gavin Jackson, Morning News

(BOTTOM) FIRST PLACE

SPORTS FEATURE PHOTO, DAILY OVER 45,000: Gerry Melendez, The State

COLUMN WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Hartsville Messenger, Bob Sloan, “Love really is in the house; Remembering ‘dab’ preacher; No ordinary letter of recommendation”

Judges’ Comments: Bob’s columns stood out in the crowd as well-crafted, thoughtful and impactful. The reader is pulled in with universal subject matter and skillful use of the language; especially easy to read as the words and phrasing are well-planned.

SECOND PLACE: The Gaffney Ledger, Cody Sossamon, “Not such beautiful day; The city’s seal of approval; But that’s not Gaffney”

THIRD PLACE: Chronicle-Independent, Tenell Felder, “Merida doesn’t need a makeover; Faith a times tragedy; Another view of Plan B” HONORABLE MENTION: Chronicle-Independent, Martin L. Cahn, “Gang shooting was shock to system; The civil right of marriage equality; An hour in the classroom”

HUMOR COLUMN WRITING

FIRST PLACE: The Press & Standard, Drew Tripp, “A night of Reese’s, heroism and ‘possum wrangling’; Seeing Walterboro differently by running; TV Free: A 20-something’s tale of cable celibacy”

Judges’ Comments: By far the funniest and most clever entry. These columns are terrific and you should have a permanent spot on the editorial page. Most important, Drew: you deserve cable! Premium channels even!

SECOND PLACE: The Gaffney Ledger, Cody Sossamon, “I can see fire at night; Ruined a good garden hose; Click, click, click”

THIRD PLACE: The Press & Standard, Brantley Strickland, “Losses to dentist, deputy and minister acceptable; Soaring and weaving high above sunny Florida; Finally caving in the great flip flop debate”

SERIES OF ARTICLES

FIRST PLACE: The Hartsville Messenger, Bob Sloan, “Forging a path”

Judges’ Comments: Fascinating. The only series in the group I couldn’t put down until I finished it. In-depth coverage, detailed and very interesting.

SECOND PLACE: The Lancaster News, Christopher Sardelli, Reece Murphy, Laura Caskey and Jesef Williams, “Graduates who Inspire - 2013”

THIRD PLACE: The Summerville Journal Scene, A.M. Sheehan, “Two days with EMS”

REPORTING-IN-DEPTH

FIRST PLACE: The Lancaster News, Christopher Sardelli, “Developing an Agribusiness program” Judges’ Comments: This entry, while not a really flashy topic, was a great example of in-depth reporting. Careful, detailed and well-written coverage made this author an expert on the proposed agribusiness ... and when officials unexpectedly pulled the plug, he was ready for the big story. Way to go!

SECOND PLACE: The Summerville Journal Scene, Leslie Cantu, “Courthouse needs new office”

THIRD PLACE: Chronicle-Independent, Martin L. Cahn, “Who owns Kershaw Health?”

BEAT REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: The News & Reporter, Nancy Parsons, “Great Falls” Judges’ Comments: Ms. Parsons’ willingness to dive into local issues and her dogged pursuit of a public records request, despite getting the official sources run-around, made her the clear winner in this contest.

SECOND PLACE: The Lancaster News, Christopher Sardelli, “Cops and Courts”

THIRD PLACE: The Gaffney Ledger, Tim Gulla, “Courts”

SPOT SPORTS STORY

FIRST PLACE: The Press & Standard, Drew Tripp, “Hawk dynasty” Judges’ Comments: Excellent example of taking a game story to a whole other level. Wonderful lead makes me want to read more. Very well done. All of the entries submitted by author were enjoyable to read.

SECOND PLACE: The News & Reporter, Travis Jenkins, “The 900 club”

THIRD PLACE: The Press & Standard, Drew Tripp, “From a Cougar to a Charger”

SPORTS FEATURE STORY

FIRST PLACE: The Cherokee Chronicle, Jon Martin, “Split personality”

Judges’ Comments: Excellent job with the lede, which set the tone for the rest of a solidlycompiled story. Great job with key details, pulling in statistics and most importantly utilizing quotes from the subject of the story. Loved the way the story was put together.

SECOND PLACE: The News & Reporter, Travis Jenkins, “The greatest game I ever saw... Bobby Wylie”

THIRD PLACE: The Press & Standard, Brantley Strickland, “Called to coach”

PAGE ONE DESIGN PORTFOLIO

FIRST PLACE: The Lancaster News, Gregory Summers

Judges’ Comments: Clear, dominant image placement with captivating headlines. Designs are clean, consistent and reader friendly. If Summers hasn’t been designing for long, he sure would have me fooled!

SECOND PLACE: The Summerville Journal Scene, Judy Watts

THIRD PLACE: The Gaffney Ledger, Klonie Jordan

SINGLE PAGE ONE DESIGN

FIRST PLACE: The Lancaster News, Gregory A. Summers

Judges’ Comments: Exceptional typography, great photos and use of color. You’ve created a well-rounded, dynamic page out of an annual event that could have looked stale.

SECOND PLACE: The Lancaster News, Laura Caskey

THIRD PLACE: The Press & Standard, Brantley Strickland

INSIDE PAGE DESIGN

FIRST PLACE: The Lancaster News, Gregory Summers

Judges’ Comments: The page flows nicely. I like the cutout photo and the light pull quote under it. Looks good without being overbearing. Headline stands out nicely as well.

SECOND PLACE: The Lancaster News, Jesef Williams

THIRD PLACE: The Gaffney Ledger, Laura Parker

FEATURE PAGE DESIGN PORTFOLIO

FIRST PLACE: The Lancaster News, Laura Caskey Judges’ Comments: The red makes you really look closely at each photo. Very attractive and eye-catching. Nicely done!

SECOND PLACE: The Lancaster News, Athena Redmond

THIRD PLACE: The Gaffney Ledger, Joe L. Hughes II

SINGLE FEATURE PAGE DESIGN

FIRST PLACE: The Lancaster News, Laura Caskey Judges’ Comments: The perfect storm of talent. Designers don’t always have the tools to create spectacular pages, but when they do, they are rarely this well-executed. Congratulations on the best page these judges have seen in this contest thus far!

SECOND PLACE: The Lancaster News, Laura Caskey

THIRD PLACE: The Gaffney Ledger, Laura Parker

SPORTS PAGE DESIGN

PORTFOLIO

FIRST PLACE: The Summerville Journal Scene, Rob Gantt

Judges’ Comments: You know which photos to highlight even when they’re not for the top story. Typography brings the page together.

SECOND PLACE: The Gaffney Ledger, Joe L. Hughes II

THIRD PLACE: The News & Reporter, Phyllis W. Lucas

SINGLE SPORTS PAGE DESIGN

FIRST PLACE: The Cherokee Chronicle, Jon Martin Judges’ Comments: Great use of photos/graphic and headline. Not only stands out but looks clean and eye-catching. Nice job.

SECOND PLACE: The Press & Standard, Drew Tripp

THIRD PLACE: The Cherokee Chronicle, Jon Martin

GENERAL NEWS PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: The Press & Standard, Lori Beard, “Strickland revels in victory”

Judges’ Comments: Photo captures a nice moment. Shot tight.

SECOND PLACE: The News & Reporter, Travis Jenkins, “Chester County Vietnam War Memorial salute”

THIRD PLACE: Chronicle-Independent, Miciah Bennett, “Camden High School student tests what it’s like to drive intoxicated”

FEATURE PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: The Lancaster News, Aaron Morrison, “Ash Wednesday” Judges’ Comments: Tight shot of an intimate moment. Clean composition.

SECOND PLACE: The News & Reporter, Travis Jenkins, “Old Zion AME Zion Church magnifying glass”

THIRD PLACE: The Lancaster News, Jessica Britton, “Skate Park”

SPORTS ACTION PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: The Summerville Journal Scene, Roger Lee, “Little League Action” Judges’ Comments: Decisive moment. Nice secondary layer of info.

SECOND PLACE: The Summerville Journal Scene, Roger Lee, “Patriot wrestler”

THIRD PLACE: The News & Reporter, Travis Jenkins, “Pole Vault”

FIRST PLACE AND BEST OF THE BEST NEWS PHOTO: Eric Smith, The Island News

SPORTS FEATURE PHOTO

FIRST PLACE: The News & Reporter, Bill Marion, “Mitchell’s postgame speech” Judges’ Comments: Nice framing and low angle help give this shot impact. Detail in faces add interest.

SECOND PLACE: The Summerville Journal Scene, Roger Lee, “Brothers”

THIRD PLACE: The Lancaster News, Aaron Morrison, “Soccer team captain collapses to the ground”

PHOTO SERIES OR PHOTO STORY

FIRST PLACE: The News & Reporter, Nancy Parsons, “Rodeo” Judges’ Comments: Series shows great visual variety. Coverage also included strong sideline shots.

SECOND PLACE: The News & Reporter, Bill Marion, “HILLarity festival”

THIRD PLACE: The Lancaster News, Aaron Morrison, “Morris murder case”

ASSOCIATE & INDIVIDUAL division

NEWSPAPER PUBLICATION

FIRST PLACE: Charleston Regional Business Journal Judges’ Comments: Consistently good, compelling writing throughout. Relevant, original photography.

SECOND PLACE: The Catholic Miscellany

THIRD PLACE: The Connector, SCDOT

MAGAZINE OR SPECIAL PUBLICATION

FIRST PLACE: Lake Wylie Today, “Fall 2013” Judges’ Comments: Beautiful art, paired with clean design and well-written content make this the clear winner in a highly competitive contest. Ads are attractive and integrated well throughout publication. Makes me want to visit Lake Wylie!

SECOND PLACE: SCBIZ, “Fall 2013”

THIRD PLACE: GSA Business, “GSA Business Market Facts 2013”

NEWS REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: S.C. Policy Council - The Nerve, Rick Brundrett, “S.C. politicians don’t reveal who pays them”

Judges’ Comments: Nice job of mining and putting into context a variety of data. Good use of multiple sources, including quotes from those who probably would rather have avoided the story.

SECOND PLACE: Charleston Regional Business Journal, Liz Segrist, “Paying the price”

THIRD PLACE: Charleston Regional Business Journal, Matt Tomsic, “Higher-ed funding cut in half since ‘09”

FEATURE WRITING

FIRST PLACE: Ron Aiken, “The best story never told - How Columbia became the hottest hightech city in the South”

Judges’ Comments: Ron Aiken’s interesting topic is well-written with good quotes, numerous examples and excellent documentation.

SECOND PLACE: Charleston Regional Business Journal, Liz Segrist, “Buzz kill”

THIRD PLACE: The Catholic Miscellany, Amy Wise Taylor and Christina Lee Knauss, “Kids say the darndest things: Papal edition”

FIRST PLACE PHOTO, ASSOCIATE/INDIVIDUAL: Liz Segrist, Charleston Regional Business Journal

SPORTS REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: Ron Aiken, “Shaw switch sparks USC” Judges’ Comments: Good use of quotes and historical perspective. Good reporting!

SECOND PLACE: Murrells Inlet Messenger, Tim Callahan, “Father-daughter team to run in the Myrtle Beach Marathon”

THIRD PLACE: The Catholic Miscellany, Amy Wise Taylor, “John Hawkins throws cancer out”

EDITORIAL/OP-ED COLUMN

FIRST PLACE: Columbia Regional Business Report, James T. Hammond, “State House dithers while S.C. roads crumble”

Judges’ Comments: Strong arguments with facts and perspective. Good writing. Clear call to action.

SECOND PLACE: S.C. United Methodist Advocate, Jessica Connor, “Moving forward together”

THIRD PLACE: Columbia Regional Business Report, Bill Settlemyer, “Unlike us, ‘those people’ don’t need health insurance”

BUSINESS REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: GSA Business, Bill Poovey, “Is Duke’s rate hike justified?”

Judges’ Comments: Comprehensive treatment of issue with widespread implications.

SECOND PLACE: Ron Aiken, “Five Points: A victim of its own success?”

THIRD PLACE: SCBIZ, Chuck Crumbo, “Snarled Funding”

FAITH REPORTING

FIRST PLACE: S.C. United Methodist Advocate, Jessica Connor, “Dunean becomes first ‘reconciling’ UMC in S.C.”

Judges’ Comments: Great writing coupled with good reporting. This took some courage to report and writer didn’t shy away.

SECOND PLACE: S.C. United Methodist Advocate, Jessica Connor, “Modern-day circuit riders”

THIRD PLACE: Murrells Inlet Messenger, Tim Callahan, “Martha’s House: miracles do happen”

PHOTOGRAPH

FIRST PLACE: Charleston Regional Business Journal, Liz Segrist, “Angel Oak” Judges’ Comments: Photo captures majesty of huge oak. Subtle lighting and people add interest and perspective.

SECOND PLACE: S.C. United Methodist Advocate, Matt Brodie, “Hand in hand”

THIRD PLACE: SCBIZ, Leslie Burden, “Snarled traffic on I-26”

HONORABLE MENTION: S.C. United Methodist Advocate, Matt Brodie, “Revolution rocks”

GRAPHIC DESIGN

FIRST PLACE: GSA Business, Mallory Baxter and Jean Piot, “Following the money in Greenville” Judges’ Comments: Good blend of type, graphics and photos to tell the story in an easy-to-follow format. Subtle use of colors.

SECOND PLACE: The Catholic Miscellany, Caroline Nelson, “Class of 2013”

THIRD PLACE: The Catholic Miscellany, Caroline Nelson, “Annual financial report”

EVENT MARKETING

FIRST PLACE: Charleston Regional Business Journal, Jane Mattingly, “Influential Women in Business” Judges’ Comments: Classy, eye-catching campaign. Designer chose trendy colors, paired with classic fonts for a professional, but still fun look, without being over the top. The concept was well thought out and executed. Enjoyed reading about the winners and finalists. Would have liked to see the digital components of this campaign and more photos from the event, which looked like a grand affair!

PUBLIC RELATIONS PROGRAM

FIRST PLACE: S.C. Farm Bureau, Bill Johns, “Member Recruitment Campaign”

Judges’ Comments: Great effort to raise awareness for your organization and its benefits. Nice creative with a focused, concise message. What makes this a clear winner is that you utilized your current, engaged members to recruit new members in a word of mouth campaign. The mini-brochure is small enough to fit in a farmer’s pocket and give to a friend. The contest promotion was smart, and it looks from your results, effective. Loved the call to action – “Do your part for the future.” Would have liked to see some online/social collateral, but perhaps that’s not where the farmers spend their time.

SECOND PLACE: S.C. Farm Bureau, Bill Johns, “Member Benefits Campaign”

WEBSITE

FIRST PLACE: Municipal Association of South Carolina, masc.sc

Judges’ Comments: Clean design paired with organized information make this site the clear winner. Site is accessible, searchable and easy to navigate. The online directory is loaded with a wealth of information. Tagged resources, job listings and calendar are top notch. Like integration of related links and contact info throughout site. Nice social integration. Would be beneficial to develop a mobile site.

E-NEWSLETTER

FIRST PLACE: Charleston Regional Business Journal, “Daily Journal”

Judges’ Comments: Nice e-blast to deliver relevant, timely daily business headlines and news briefs. Impressive open and click through rates. Like that it can be viewed on a mobile device. Nice integration with social sites and RSS. Prominent display of subscribe/forward functions makes it easy for reader to find. Ads are a little cluttered.

Michael S. Smith, Author McLeod Fraser and Cone LLC Parade USC School of Journalism

PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE SWEEPSTAKES AWARD

DAILY: WEEKLY:

Daily Over 45,000 – The Post and Courier

Daily 18,000-45,000 – The Sun News

Daily Under 18,000 – Index-Journal

2-3 Times – The Lancaster News

Over 6,000 – Carolina Forest Chronicle

Under 6,000 – Coastal Observer

GENERAL EXCELLENCE

DAILY OVER 45,000

FIRST - The Post and Courier Judges’ comments: The overall depth of reporting and quality of writing is just superb. Its package on the two Souths stand out, but section to section, it is very deep and thoughtfully put together.

2-3 TIMES WEEKLY

FIRST - The Lancaster News Judges’ comments: Great eye-catching layouts draws in readers immediately. Great use of color. Good mix of coverage with strong writing. A clear winner!

SECOND - The Summerville Journal Scene

THIRD - The Hartsville Messenger

DAILY 18,000-45,000

FIRST - Independent Mail Judges’ comments: Design, typography, photos and well-written headlines make this Berliner-style newspaper immediately appealing. Content is comprehensive.

SECOND - The Sun News

THIRD - The Island Packet

WEEKLY OVER 6,000

FIRST - Myrtle Beach Herald Judges’ comments: Good mix of hard news and compelling features. Strong writing throughout newspaper.

SECOND - Free Times

THIRD - Carolina Forest Chronicle

DAILY UNDER 18,000

FIRST - Aiken Standard Judges’ comments: Incredible amount of local and wire content. Excellent focus on playing up local news. Smart graphic work and strong package presentations. No weak element to the paper, front to back.

SECOND - Index-Journal

THIRD - The Beaufort Gazette

WEEKLY UNDER 6,000

FIRST - Lake City News & Post Judges’ comments: The design and layout of this paper stood out from the competition. The content/ coverage and overall quality of writing/editing was also among the best in this category.

SECOND - The Star, North Augusta

THIRD - Coastal Observer