2019 Winners

Contest results were announced July 20, 2019, in Fort Lauderdale. Send all corrections and requests for copies ASAP to Tim Dodson, tim@timdodson.com

SPECIAL CATEGORIES

James Batten Award for Public Service

• 1st Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel – Staff, Parkland
• Finalist: Miami Herald – Kyra Gurney, Nicholas Nehamas, Jay Weaver & Jim Wyss, Dirty Gold, Clean Cash
• Finalist: Tampa Bay Times – Mark Puente & Zachary T. Sampson, CareerSource Pinellas and CareerSource Tampa Bay scandals

Gene Miller Award for Investigative Reporting

• 1st Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel – Staff, Parkland
• Finalist: Tampa Bay Times – Kathleen McGrory & Neil Bedi, Heartbroken
• Finalist: Miami Herald – Julie K. Brown, Body of work by Julie K. Brown (featuring Perversion of Justice)

Diversity Award

• 1st Place: WTSP-TV (CBS) – Emerald S. Morrow, Emerald Morrow diversity reporting
• Finalist: Tallahassee Democrat – Nada Hassanein, Nada Hassanein Collection
• Finalist: WINK News – John-Carlos Estrada, John-Carlos Estrada, Voice for the voiceless

First Amendment Foundation Freedom of Information Award

• 1st Place: Sun Sentinel – Staff, Parkland, Freedom of Information
• Finalist: Palm Beach Post – Wayne Washington, Lulu Ramadan, Mike Stucka and Mahima Singh, Locked out
• Finalist: WUFT News – Staff, Cost of Sunshine

Journalist of the Year

• 1st Place: Tampa Bay Times – Kathleen McGrory, Journalist of the Year: Kathleen McGrory
• Finalist: Miami Herald – Julie K. Brown, Body of work by Julie K. Brown (featuring Perversion of Justice)
• Finalist: South Florida Sun Sentinel – Scott Travis, Scott Travis collection

Anchor of the Year

• 1st Place: WLRN News – Luis Hernandez, Luis Hernandez at WLRN
• Finalist: Bay News 9 – Veronica Cintron, Veronica Cintron Composite 

Photojournalist of the Year

• 1st Place: Spectrum Bay News 9 – Timothy F. Kania, Timothy F. Kania Collection
• Finalist: South Florida Sun Sentinel – Mike Stocker, Mike Stocker Collection
• Finalist: Telemundo 51 – Oseami Palazuelos, Hurrican Michael – Panama City

 Excellence in Disaster Reporting

• 1st Place: Tampa Bay Times – Zachary T. Sampson & Douglas R. Clifford, Hurricane Michael Collection
• Finalist: WLRN News – Staff, WLRN Covers the Parkland Shooting
• Finalist: Tallahassee Democrat – Staff, Hurricane Michael: Arc of Ruin

Outstanding New Journalist

• 1st Place: Tampa Bay Times – Jack Evans, Jack Evans Collection
• Finalist: The Palm Beach Post – Olivia Hitchcock, Olivia Hitchcock

Editor of the Year

• 1st Place: Tampa Bay Times – Adam Playford, Adam Playford editor submission
• Finalist: WLRN News – Teresa Frontado, Teresa Frontado, WLRN Digital Director
• Finalist: Orlando Business Journal – Cindy Barth, Orlando Business Journal Editor Cindy Barth

NEWSPAPERS

Breaking News Reporting

• 1st Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel – Staff, Parkland
• 2nd Place: Miami Herald – Miami Herald staff, The Fall of the Florida International University Bridge
• 3rd Place: Orlando Sentinel – Krista Torralva, Gal Tziperman Lotan, Kate Santich & Jennifer A. Marcial Ocasio, Noor Salman trial verdict

Non-Deadline News Reporting (Large Papers)

• 1st Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel – Staff, Parkland
• 2nd Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel – Staff, Parkland: Community impact
• 3rd Place: Tampa Bay Times – Sue Carlton, John Martin & James Borchuck, Lost: Who were the homeless who died on the streets, and how did they fall so far?

Non-Deadline News Reporting (Small Papers)

• 1st Place: Daytona Beach News-Journal – Suzanne Hirt, Trail of Death
• 2nd Place: Miami New Times – Jessica Lipscomb, Florida’s Post-Parkland “Red Flag” Law Has Taken Guns From Dozens of Dangerous People
• 3rd Place: South Florida Gay News – Jason Parsley, Damon Scott & Michael d’Oliveira, Sex Predator at Pride Center

Feature Reporting (Large)

• 1st Place: Orlando Sentinel – Kevin Spear, Orlando Sentinel presses: News titans scrapped by digital disruption
• 2nd Place: The Miami Herald – Linda Robertson, Grave Robbers Steal Bones from Miami’s Historic Cemeteries
• 3rd Place: Tampa Bay Times – Claire McNeill, Remember the student who was shot at FSU?

Feature Reporting (Small)

• 1st Place: Florida Weekly – Roger Williams & Evan Williams, The Gun
• 2nd Place: Sarasota Herald-Tribune – Billy Cox, Warriros Rise Up
• 3rd Place: Daytona Beach News-Journal – Dinah Voyles Pulver, Summer of Fire

Series

• 1st Place: The Palm Beach Post – John Pacenti, Holly Baltz, Mike Stucka & Melanie Mena, Pay to Prescribe: The Fentanyl Scandal
• 2nd Place: Tampa Bay Times – Lane DeGregory, Lincoln’s Shot
• 3rd Place: Tampa Bay Times – Leonora LaPeter Anton, Blood and Truth

Commentary & Criticism – General

• 1st Place: Tallahassee Democrat – Jennifer Portman, A Collection of Columns
• 2nd Place: Miami Herald – Markos Kounalakis, Foreign Affairs Columns
• 3rd Place: The Palm Beach Post – Frank Cerabino, Frank Cerabino

Commentary & Criticism – Arts

• 1st Place: Miami New Times – Ciara LaVelle, Ciara LaVelle
• 2nd Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel – Michael Mayo, Michael Mayo collection: On Dining
• 3rd Place: Sarasota Herald-Tribune – Jay Handelman, Jay Handelman

Profile Reporting

• 1st Place: Miami Herald – Chabeli Herrera, Surviving Parkland
• 2nd Place: The Miami Herald – Linda Robertson, Linda Robertson Collection: Profiles
• 3rd Place: The Palm Beach Post – Liz Balmaseda, Liz Balmaseda Profiles

State & Local Election Reporting

• 1st Place: The Palm Beach Post – Staff, Locked out and miscounted
• 2nd Place: The Palm Beach Post – Christine Stapleton, Localizing Trump
• 3rd Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel – Scott Travis, Broward School Board Election

Presidential Election Reporting

• 1st Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel – Skyler Swisher, Aric Chokey, Stephen Hobbs & Anthony Man, Midterm elections

Data Reporting

• 1st Place: The Palm Beach Post – Pat Beall, How Florida Ignited the Heroin Epidemic
• 2nd Place: Tampa Bay Times and WTSP-TV – Christopher O’Donnell, Eli Murray, Connie Humburg & Noah Pransky, Zombie Campaigns
• 3rd Place: The Palm Beach Post – Wayne Washington, Lulu Ramadan, Mike Stucka & Mahima Singh, Locked Out

Editorial Writing

• 1st Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel – Rosemary O’Hara and Martin Dyckman, After the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
• 2nd Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Miami Herald & WLRN – Staff, The Invading Sea: Can South Florida be saved?
• 3rd Place: Miami Herald – Staff, Perversion of Justice editorials

Editorial Cartoon

• 1st Place: Baker County Press, Folio Weekly & The Havana Herald – Ed Hall, A Portfolio of Cartoons

Headline Writing

• 1st Place: The Villages Daily Sun – Adam Rogers, Adam Rogers’ Headline Collection

Beat Reporting – Arts

• 1st Place: Tampa Bay Times – Andrew Meacham, Andrew Meacham Collection
• 2nd Place: Various – Nicole Martinez, Nicole Martinez Collection
• 3rd Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel – Phillip Valys, Phillip Valys Arts Reporting

Beat Reporting – Business

• 1st Place: Orlando Sentinel – Chabeli Herrera, Chabeli Herrera space reporting
• 2nd Place: The Daytona Beach News-Journal – Clayton Park, Clayton Park Collection
• 3rd Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel – Ron Hurtibise, South Florida scams

Beat Reporting – Community

• 1st Place: The Daytona Beach News-Journal – Eileen Zaffiro-Kean, Eileen Zaffiro-Kean Collection
• 2nd Place: The Miami Herald – Linda Robertson, Miami Stories
• 3rd Place: The Villages Daily Sun – Frank Ross, Frank Ross’ Community Beat Collection

Beat Reporting – Consumer Issues

• 1st Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel – Megan O’Matz, FPL was warned people would die at a sweltering nursing home. But the utility had other priorities.
• 2nd Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel – Doreen Christensen, Doreen Christensen portfolio

Beat Reporting – Crime & Courts

• 1st Place: The Palm Beach Post – Daphne Duret, Courts with Daphne Duret
• 2nd Place: The Florida Times-Union – Eileen Kelley, Criminal Justice
• 3rd Place: The Florida Times-Union – Ben Conarck, Florida Prisons

Beat Reporting – Education

• 1st Place: Tampa Bay Times – Claire McNeill, Overlooked and isolated
• 2nd Place: The Palm Beach Post – Andrew Marra, Schools beat: Andrew Marra
• 3rd Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel – Scott Travis, Broward Schools/Stoneman Douglas

Beat Reporting – Environment, Health & Science

• 1st Place: Miami Herald – Kyra Gurney, Nicholas Nehamas, Jay Weaver & Jim Wyss, Dirty Gold, Clean Cash
• 2nd Place: Orlando Sentinel – Kevin Spear, Kevin Spear Collection
• 3rd Place: Miami Herald – Alex Harris, Local climate change adaptation

Beat Reporting – Food & Travel

• 1st Place: Orlando Sentinel – Patrick Connolly, Central Florida Explorer
• 2nd Place: The Palm Beach Post – Liz Balmaseda, Liz Balmaseda – Chef Profiles
• 3rd Place: Florida Weekly – Evan Williams, Work of Evan Williams

Beat Reporting – Government & Politics

• 1st Place: The Florida Times-Union – Chris Hong & Nate Monroe, Government Accountability
• 2nd Place: Daytona Beach News-Journal – Dustin Wyatt, Dustin Wyatt Collection
• 3rd Place: Sarasota Herald-Tribune – Zac Anderson, Zac Anderson

Beat Reporting – Hardship Issues

• 1st Place: Orlando Sentinel – Bianca Padró Ocasio, Puerto Rican diaspora in Central Florida
• 2nd Place: Daily Business Review – Zach Schlein, Stories on Stonybrook
• 3rd Place: The Villages Daily Sun – Patricia Steele, Patricia Steele’s Hardship Beat Collection

Beat Reporting – Minority Issues

• 1st Place: Miami Herald – Jacqueline Charles, Haiti’s hardships
• 2nd Place: Miami Herald – Nora Gamez Torres, Change in power in Cuba
• 3rd Place: Orlando Sentinel – Bianca Padró Ocasio, Puerto Rican diaspora in Central Florida

Beat Reporting – Faith & Values

• No Winners

Beat Reporting – Sports

• 1st Place: The Palm Beach Post – Hal Habib, Hal Habib – Sports
• 2nd Place: The Florida Times-Union – Phillip Heilman, Jacksonville Jaguars Coverage
• 3rd Place: Associated Press – Tim Reynolds, Tim Reynolds Collection

Special Publication or Section

• 1st Place: South Florida Business Journal – Staff, Marine Industry section
• 2nd Place: Tallahassee Democrat – Staff, Arc of Ruin
• 3rd Place: The Daytona Beach News-Journal – Staff, Zero to 60

PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN

Breaking News Photography

• 1st Place: The Palm Beach Post – Allen Eyestone, Allen Eyestone – Friday Night Terror
• 2nd Place: Miami Herald – CM Guerrero, Parkland Shooting 2
• 3rd Place: Tallahassee Democrat – Tori Schneider, Hot Yoga Shooting

Feature Photography

• 1st Place: Tallahassee Democrat – Alicia Devine, Trouble Lasts
• 2nd Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel – Joe Cavaretta, Florida school shooting remembered during Publix A1A Marathon
• 3rd Place: The Villages Daily Sun – Cindy Skop, Special Olympics

Drone Photography

• 1st Place: Spectrum News 13 – Anthony Rojek, Hurricane Michael from the air
• 2nd Place: The Villages Daily Sun – Max Gersh, Loblolly golf course
• 3rd Place: Miami Herald – Pedro Portal, Toxic Algae

Photography Story

• 1st Place: The Daytona Beach News-Journal – Lola Gomez, Trail of Death
• 2nd Place: The Palm Beach Post – Allen Eyestone, Allen Eyestone – Friday Night Terror
• 3rd Place: Miami Herald – Carl Juste, Caretakers

Art/Photo Illustration

• 1st Place: The Villages Daily Sun – Colin Smith, Colin Smith’s Art/Photo Illustration Collection
• 2nd Place: Tallahassee Democrat – Alicia Devine & Brian Miller, Athletes in Motion
• 3rd Place: Fort Lauderdale Magazine – Jonathan Perkinson, Fort Lauderdale Magazine photo illustrations

Infographic

• 1st Place: Orlando Business Journal – Victoria Prichard, Orlando Infographics

Front Page Design (Large Papers)

• 1st Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel – Lillian Mayor & David Schutz, Parkland shooting coverage

Front Page Design (Small Papers)

• 1st Place: The Villages Daily Sun – Adam Rogers & Colin Smith, Adam Rogers and Colin Smith’s Front Page Design Collection
• 2nd Place: The Villages Daily Sun – Adam Rogers, Adam Rogers’ Front Page Design Collection
• 3rd Place: The Villages Daily Sun – Adam Rogers, Adam Rogers’ Front Page Design Collection

MAGAZINES

Public Service Reporting

• 1st Place: Fort Lauderdale Magazine – Jess Swanson, In Hot Water
• 2nd Place: Sarasota Magazine – Cooper Levey-Baker, Breaking Away
• 3rd Place: Sarasota Magazine – Tom Bayles, The Dredge Report

Investigative Reporting

• 1st Place: Fort Lauderdale Magazine – Jess Swanson, Wasted Broward
• 2nd Place: Jupiter Magazine – Kristen Desmond LeFevre, The Big Squeeze
• 3rd Place: Outside Magazine – Eric Barton, Why Carbon Fiber Bikes Are Failing

Feature Story

• 1st Place: Sarasota Magazine – David Hackett, Balancing Act
• 2nd Place: Winter Park Magazine – Randy Noles, “Cross at the Creek”
• 3rd Place: Florida Trend – Jason Garcia, International Smackdown

Profile Story

• 1st Place: Flamingo Magazine – Rob Rushin, Bringing Back the Funk with P-Funk Legend George Clinton
• 2nd Place: Sarasota Magazine – Tony D’Souza & Pam Daniel, Don’t Tread on Me
• 3rd Place: Super Lawyers Magazine – Carlos Harrison & Beth Taylor, Harvey Riedel’s Move

Commentary & Criticism

• 1st Place: Florida Trend – Mark Howard, Editor’s Page
• 2nd Place: Fort Lauderdale Magazine – Erik Petersen, Erik Petersen editor’s letters
• 3rd Place: Teen Vogue – Emily Bloch, Emily Bloch Collection

Food & Travel Writing

• 1st Place: A Beautiful Perspective – Jen Karetnick, Jen Karetnick Collection
• 2nd Place: INDULGE magazine – Evan Benn, Cozy Copenhagen
• 3rd Place: Fort Lauderdale Magazine – Dori Zinn, Erik Petersen & Terry Ward, Fort Lauderdale Magazine food and travel stories

Trade or Special Interest Publication

• 1st Place: Winter Park Magazine – Randy Noles, ArtsLife
• 2nd Place: City & Shore Magazine, the Sun Sentinel – Mark Gauert & Anderson Greene, City & Shore PRIME, July and November 2018 issues
• 3rd Place: The Triton – Staff, The Triton March 2018 and August 2018

Cover Design

• 1st Place: Edible South Florida – Brian Reedy, Serge Toussaint & Sara Averbook Kaplan, Magazine covers, 2018
• 2nd Place: INDULGE magazine – Nick Garcia & Evan Benn, Indulge cover series
• 3rd Place: Fort Lauderdale Magazine – Jonathan Perkinson, Fort Lauderdale Magazine covers

Inside Design

• 1st Place: Distraction Magazine – Michael Haring, Joey Haas & Michael Haring, Hooked on Seafood; Art of Fashiom; Motion Pictures, Social Change
• 2nd Place: Palm Beach Illustrated – Olga Gustine & Ashley Meyer, Design collection: features
• 3rd Place: Fort Lauderdale Magazine – Jonathan Perkinson, Fort Lauderdale Magazine inside design

Best Single Issue

• 1st Place: Fort Lauderdale Magazine – Erik Petersen & Jonathan Perkinson, August Issue
• 2nd Place: Fort Lauderdale Magazine – Erik Petersen & Jonathan Perkinson, July Issue
• 3rd Place: Flamingo Magazine – Staff, Flamingo Magazine Fall 2018 Arts & Culture Issue

TELEVISION

Best Newscast

• 1st Place: WPEC CBS12 – Staff, Parkland Strong
• 2nd Place: WMBB-TV – Amy Hoyt & Jerry Brown, News 13 at 10:00

Investigative Reporting – Single Report

• 1st Place: WFTS – Adam Walser, Matt McGlashen & Erin Smith, Tampa Father Dies After Ambulance Breaks Down
• 2nd Place: WPTV – Sam Smink, Kaan Pala & Niels Heimeriks, Fighting For Fire Rescue Resources
• 3rd Place: 10News – WTSP – Jennifer Titus, Paul Thorson & Heather Bailey, Silent Killer

Investigative Reporting – Series

• 1st Place: WFTS-TV/ABC Action News – Matt McGlashen, Jackie Callaway & Erin Smith, Up In Flames
• 2nd Place: WFTS – Tampa – Katie LaGrone & Matthew Apthorp, Florida Teachers: Failing and Frustrated
• 3rd Place: WFTS – Adam Walser, Matt McGlashen, &Erin Smith, Deadly Delay… Tampa’s Broken Ambulance System

Spot News Reporting

• 1st Place: WPEC CBS12 – Staff, Shooting at Parkland
• 2nd Place: WMBB-TV – Staff, Active Shooter
• 3rd Place: WINK News – John-Carlos Estrada, Grandmother manhunt: the search for Lois Riess

Breaking News

• 1st Place: WMBB-TV – Staff, Hurricane Michael
• 2nd Place: WINK News – John-Carlos Estrada, Britni McDonald, Melinda Lee & Zach Hammer, Fort Myers police officer shot
• 3rd Place: WPEC CBS12 – Staff, Shooting at Parkland

General Assignment Report

• 1st Place: WPBF – Terri Parker & Randy Bray, After Hurricane Michael – a City’s Devastation and Hope
• 2nd Place: WPEC CBS12 – Kara Duffy, Student March on Washington
• 3rd Place: WPEC CBS12 – Maxine Bentzel & Steve Schelb, Parkland Student Journalists

Special Reporting

• 1st Place: WTSP-TV (CBS) – Emerald Morrow, Gene Yagle, Marcus Grayson & Jim Glynn, The Changing Face of Tampa
• 2nd Place: WPEC CBS12 – Yaremi Farinas, Chris Hinson & Maria Tomasch, Impact Puerto Rico
• 3rd Place: Spectrum Bay News 9 – Veronica Cintron & Bobby Collins, Amputee Veteran Surgery Series

 Political Reporting

• 1st Place: WFTV – Samantha Manning & Jonathan Galed, Palm Beach County Ballot Recount

Light Feature Reporting

• 1st Place: Spectrum Bay News 9 – Olivia Stacey & Randy Levine, What does it take to become a Harlem Globetrotter?
• 2nd Place: Spectrum Bay News 9 – Lauren Verno, Timothy F. Kania & Tony Rojek, Take Me To Mexico Beach
• 3rd Place: Spectrum Bay News 9 – Laurie Davison & Timothy F. Kania, Cowbros

Serious Feature Reporting

• 1st Place: WPEC CBS12 – Niala Charles, Wally Lurz & Maria Tomasch, Labor Liability
• 2nd Place: Spectrum Bay News 9 – Veronica Cintron & Anthony Rojek, Life After Maria: Puerto Rico 1 Year Later
• 3rd Place: WTSP – Garin Flowers, Technology from a Florida company could help prevent police ambushes

Sports Reporting

• 1st Place: Spectrum Bay News 9 – Chris Torello & Randy Levine, The Defiant Runner
• 2nd Place: Spectrum Bay News 9 – Olvia Stacey & Kevin Pinto-Rivera, Bucs’ Ryan Jensen credits sleep apnea diagnosis with saving his NFL career
• 3rd Place: Spectrum Bay News 9 – Kevin Pinto-Rivera & Katherine Smith, Playing for a Friend

Weather Reporting

• 1st Place: WKMG-TV – Erik Sandoval, Erik Sandoval Hurricane Coverage
• 2nd Place: Spectrum Bay News 9 – Jeff Joiner & Holly Gregory, 2018 Clearwater Beach Sandstorm
• 3rd Place: Spectrum Bay News 9 – Jeff Joiner & Holly Gregory, Hurricane Michael Aftermath

Best Non-Newscast Program

• 1st Place: WMBB-TV – Staff, Hurricane Michael Public Service
• 2nd Place: Spectrum Bay News 9 – Mike Hardin, Victoria Rajkumar & Veronica Cintron, Opioid Crisis Town Hall
• 3rd Place: Spectrum Bay News 9 – Mike Hardin, Victoria Rajkumar, Veronica Cintron & Ybeth Bruzual, Hurricane Irma: One Year Later

RADIO

Best Newscast

• 1st Place: WLRN News – News Staff, WLRN Covers The Marjory Stoneman Douglas School Shooting
• 2nd Place: WUFT-FM – Raymon Troncoso & Henry Coburn, Best Newscast, 2018
• 3rd Place: WJCT – Michelle Corum & Brendan Rivers, Morning News: 12-11-18

General Coverage

• 1st Place: WUFT-FM – Staff, Hurricane Michael
• 2nd Place: WLRN News – Staff, WLRN: The Marjory Stoneman Douglas Shooting
• 3rd Place: WUFT-FM – Staff, Gilchrist County Deputies Killed

Investigative Reporting

• 1st Place: WUSF Public Media – Cathy Carter, Stephanie Colombini & Roberto Roldan, Growing Unaffordable: America’s Housing Crunch In Hillsborough County
• 2nd Place: WLRN News – Jessica Bakeman, When A Hurricane Closes Schools, No Work Means No Pay For Thousands Of Hourly Workers
• 3rd Place: WJCT – Lindsey Kilbride, Continuing Coverage of Transgender Shootings In Jacksonville

Government & Politics Reporting

• 1st Place: WUSF Public Media – Steve Newborn & Roberto Roldan, Political Coverage Collection
• 2nd Place: WUFT-FM – Amy Nelson, Traffic Stop Policies
• 3rd Place: WUFT-FM – Maria Roberts, Ballot Signatures

Feature Reporting

• 1st Place: WLRN News – Alexander Gonzalez, This Is Epic: Florida High School Creates A Musical About Publix Founder George Jenkins
• 2nd Place: WLRN News – Tim Padgett, Caribbean Christmas Classic: Black Cake A Piquant Feature Of South Florida Holidays
• 3rd Place: WUSF Public Media – Stephanie Colombini, The Glass Coast: Tampa Bay Region Seen As Hub For Glass Art

Public Affairs

• 1st Place: WMFE & Florida Center for Investigative Reporting – Amy Green, With Governor and Legislators in Denial, This Tiny Florida Town Tries to Adapt to Climate Change
• 2nd Place: WJCT and WLRN – Melissa Ross, Tom Hudson, Florida Roundup: Florida Faces Hotter Days, Stronger Hurricanes And Storm Surges
• 3rd Place: WLRN News – Luis Hernandez, Chris Remington & Alejandra Martinez, Meet Three Residents Helping Rebuild The Florida Keys One Year After Hurricane Irma

DIGITAL

Blog

• 1st Place: The Marjorie – Hannah Brown, Becca Burton & Anna Hamilton, Our Best Stories of 2018
• 2nd Place: TCPalm – Will Greenlee, Off the Beat
• 3rd Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel – Doreen Christensen, Doreen Christensen: Shop-o-matic 

News Web Site

• 1st Place: Tampa Bay Times – Staff, Tampa Bay Times Website Redesign
• 2nd Place: Boca magazine – Christiana Lilly, John Thomason & Marie Speed, Boca magazine online
• 3rd Place: PolitiFact – Staff, PolitiFact Florida (site)

Online Breaking News

• 1st Place: WLRN News – Staff, WLRN: The Marjory Stoneman Douglas Shooting
• 2nd Place: CBS 12 – Frank Maradiaga and Ben Elliott, I-95 Suspect was involved in two additional shootings
• 3rd Place: Noticias Ya Orlando – WVEN Univision Orlando – Rafael Henriquez, Chaid Neme, Marielkis Salazar & Ricardo Peñaherrera, Tiroteo en Jacksonville

 Multimedia Feature

• 1st Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel – Mike Stocker, Doreen Christensen & Yiran Zhu, Voices of Change
• 2nd Place: UF College of Journalism and Communications – Sara Girard, Rachel Mann & Aaron Zeiler, You Are Now Live
• 3rd Place: Univision News Digital – Almudena Toral, Andrea Patiño Contreras, Mauricio Rodríguez & Selymar Colón, America First: the legacy of an immigration raid

Package

• 1st Place: Univision News Digital – Andrea Patiño Contreras & Lorena Arroyo, The Great Guatemalan Migration Industry
• 2nd Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel – Susan Stocker & Yiran Zhu, Parkland: A Permanent Remembrance
• 3rd Place: Univision News Digital – Ana María Rodríguez & Eulimar Núñez, When Abortion is a Lifeline

Infographics & Data Visualization

• 1st Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel – Staff, Unprepared and Overwhelmed
• 2nd Place: The Palm Beach Post – Mahima Singh, Mahima Singh
• 3rd Place: Tampa Bay Times – Eli Murray, Eli Zhang & Corey G. Johnson, Did Hillsborough check your school for lead? Search our database

Online Video – Up to 3 Minutes

• 1st Place: The Palm Beach Post – Thomas Cordy, Thomas Cordy – Season to Share
• 2nd Place: Tallahassee Democrat – Joe Rondone, In Hurricane Michael’s Path
• 3rd Place: South Florida Sun Sentinel – EmmaKate Austin, Stoneman Douglas student David Hogg gives his account from inside the school as the shooting took place

Online Video – 3 Minutes or Longer

• 1st Place: Univision News Digital – Almudena Toral, Andrea Patiño Contreras, Mauricio Rodríguez & Selymar Colón, America First: The Legacy of an Immigration Raid
• 2nd Place: Tampa Bay Times – John Pendygraft, Lara Cerri, Lane DeGregory & Chris Urso, Lincoln’s Shot.
• 3rd Place: Univision News Digital – Almudena Toral, Lorena Arroyo & Cindy Karp, The legacy of the ‘zero tolerance’ policy: traumatized children with no access to treatment

Podcast

• 1st Place: WLRN News – Staff, Vote Already!
• 2nd Place: Tampa Bay Times – Lane DeGregory, Maria Carrillo & Danese Kenon, WriteLane
• 3rd Place: Tampa Bay Times – Leonora LaPeter Anton, Cherie Diez, James Borchuck & Maria Carrillo, Blood and Truth

Blog Writing

• 1st Place: SunSentinel.com – Michael Mayo, The Eat Beat Blog by Michael Mayo
• 2nd Place: Boca magazine – Christiana Lilly, Christiana Lilly’s entries

Social Media Package

• 1st Place: The Palm Beach Post – Staff, Palm Beach Post Multiplatform Storytelling
• 2nd Place: WLRN News – Staff, King Tide Gives South Florida A Taste Of Life Underwater

SPANISH LANGUAGE

Mejor trabajo de investigación en televisión/radio

• 1st Place: Univision 23 – Erika Carrillo, Maria Alesia Sosa & Armando Pico, Florida: Paraíso de Belleza y Muerte

Mejor trabajo de investigación en prensa escrita/digital

• 1st Place: El Nuevo Herald – Sonia Osorio & Catalina Ruiz Parra, Emigrar a la muerte: Venezolanas asesinadas en Latinoamérica
• 2nd Place: Univision Noticias – Erika Carrillo, Maria Alesia Sosa & Armando Pico, Florida: Paraíso de Belleza y Muerte
• 3rd Place: El Sentinel – Jennifer Marcial Ocasio, Bianca Padró Ocasio & Carlos Vázquez Otero, Serie de historias: Boricuas toman las calles de Florida para carreras clandestinas

Mejor reportaje especial (features) en televisión/radio/podcast

• 1st Place: Univision Noticias Digital – Almudena Toral, El legado de tolerancia cero: niños traumatizados y sin tratamiento
• 2nd Place: Univision Noticias Digital – Andrea Patiño Contreras, America First: El legado de una redada
• 3rd Place: Noticias Telemundo 49 – Alexis Boentes Arias & Milton Lugo, Nacer entre rejas

Mejor reportaje especial en prensa escrita/medio digital

• 1st Place: Univision Noticias – Lorena Arroyo, Almudena Toral & Cindy Karp, Pesadillas y amnesia selectiva: el trauma de los niños separados en la frontera no acaba con la reunificación
• 2nd Place: El Nuevo Herald – Maria Fernanda Becerra, La crisis en Nicaragua trasciende fronteras. Así viven los refugiados en Costa Rica
• 3rd Place: Elevar Magazine – John Sotomayor, En Su Esquina

Mejor cobertura de noticias de última hora en televisión/radio/digital

• 1st Place: Univision Noticas Digital – Esther Poveda, Cobertura inmigración equipo Univision Noticias Digital
• 2nd Place: NoticiasYa Orlando – Rafael Henriquez & Chaid Neme, Atentado a Maduro
• 3rd Place: Univision Noticias – Maria Alesia Sosa & Luis Velarde, El terrible momento en el que los padres del colegio de Parkland supieron que sus hijos estaban entre los muertos

Periodista del año en televisión/radio

• 1st Place: Radio Caracol Miami – Soledad Cedro, Soledad Cedro 

Periodista del año en prensa escrita/digital

• 1st Place: El Nuevo Herald – Daniel Shoer Roth, Daniel Shoer Roth
• 2nd Place: CENTRO Tampa – Myriam Silva-Warren, El documentalista del holocausto venezolano/ Abogando por la residencia permanente/ Con alma de campeón/Dos años después, tras las huellas de un sobreviviente de Pulse
• 3rd Place: Elevate Magazine – John Sotomayor, Joe DeLeon, Conan Segrest & Alex Sotomayor, Elevar Magazine

Mejor infografía y/o visualización de dato del año

• No Winners

Mejor cobertura de desastres naturales en televisión/radio

• 1st Place: Noticiero Telemundo 49 – Alexis Boentes Arias & Christian Martínez, Huracan Michael en la Florida: los rostros de la tragedia / Serie
• 2nd Place: Univision Tampa – Filippo Ferretti, El Silencio Reina en Mexico Beach
• 3rd Place: Univision Noticias Digital – Esther Poveda, Marta Planells & Maria Alesia Sosa, Cobertura Hurricane Michael Univision Noticias Digital 

Mejor cobertura de desastres naturales en prensa escrita/digital

• 1st Place: Noticias WUFT – Staff, Después de Maria

Mejor trabajo estudiantil (todo tipo de medios)

• 1st Place: Florida International University – Maria Fernanda Becerra, Nicaragua: Un conflicto que trasciende fronteras
• 2nd Place: South Florida News Service – Carolina Morales, Pequeña Haití: amenazada por la gentrificación climática
• 3rd Place: Florida International University – Laura Isabel Perez, Laura Isabel Perez

STUDENTS

College Journalist of the Year

• 1st Place: UNF Spinnaker Media – Hannah Lee, Hannah Lee Collection

Best Student Publication

• 1st Place: Journey Magazine – Staff, Journey Magazine
• 2nd Place: Distraction Magazine – Staff, Distraction Winter 2018
• 3rd Place: FAU University Press – Staff, Special spring football issue, Special investigation into FAU’s teaching evaluations issue, Special election issue

Best Website

• 1st Place: Distraction Magazine – Staff, Distraction Online
• 2nd Place: South Florida News Service – Staff, online
• 3rd Place: The Beacon Today – Tracy Peyton, Taylor Fry & Ashley Allen, Best College News Website, The Beacon Today

Best News Story

• 1st Place: South Florida News Service – Jesse Scheckner, Maria Gil & Gabriel Poblete, FIU bridge near MMC campus collapses, killing and injuring several
• 2nd Place: The Beacon Today – Maddie Coggins, Dangerous ocean toxin leaves government officials scrambling for answers
• 3rd Place: UNF Spinnaker Media – Hannah Lee, Biology Professor Under Investigation

Best News Photo

• 1st Place: WLRN News – Leslie Ovalle, West Boca High School Students Walk Out Of School To Protest Gun Violence
• 2nd Place: The Southern – Reems Landreth, Local residents, students mourn Pittsburg synagogue victims
• 3rd Place: WUFT News – Kaitlin Hall, Decision Day 1

Best Feature Story

• 1st Place: WUFT News – Kaitlin Hall, Concern Feeds Her Passion
• 2nd Place: Flagler College Gargoyle – Jared Olson, The Displaced Campesinos of Nicolas Ruiz
• 3rd Place: FAU University Press – Joe Pye, Is this FAU’s worst professor?

Best Profile

• 1st Place: WUFT News – Gabriella Paul, Lawrence Fowler: A Retired Vet Turned Coaster Connoisseur
• 2nd Place: Voice of the Wildcats at Bethune-Cookman University – Karen Romero Diaz, Alvin Harper
• 3rd Place: FIU Student Media PantherNOW – Tamica Jean-Charles, A passion in motion: meet FIU’s sk8er boi

Best Review

• 1st Place: The Reporter – Sam Hadelman, Treading Water: A Review of Swimming by Mac Miller
• 2nd Place: UNF Spinnaker Media – Andy Moser, ‘Fifty Shades Freed’: More pain than pleasure
• 3rd Place: The Current – Caitlin Mongon, ‘Birds of Passage’: A visual drug

Best Sports Story

• 1st Place: FAU University Press – Wajih AlBaroudi, FAU’s all-time leading tackler is as devoted to his Muslim faith as he is to the game
• 2nd Place: UNF Spinnaker Media – Steven Thompson, UNF alumna spotlight: Tesh Hanson
• 3rd Place: Lynn iPulse – Nikki Colonna, The Odom Family: Making Own Path To Success 

Best Sports Photo

• 1st Place: FAU University Press – Alexander Rodriguez, FAU Football vs. Old Dominion

Best Opinion Column

• 1st Place: FAU University Press – Kerri Covington, Opinion: Business Services doesn’t care about sick students
• 2nd Place: Right on Campus Inc. – Ross Mellman, Dear Fellow Jews: stop giving up your right to defend yourselves
• 3rd Place: Florida A&M University – Jakeira Gilbert, “Do you recognize my black America?” for Tallahassee Democrat

Best Page Design

• 1st Place: FAU University Press – Ivan Benavides, Is this FAU’s worst professor? – A special investigation into FAU’s SPOTS – the teaching evaluations students take at the end of the semester
• 2nd Place: Journey Magazine – Malkia Peterson & Destiny Crawford, Journey Magazine
• 3rd Place: Distraction Magazine – Olivia Stauber, Nip ‘N Tuck Winter 2018 Cover

Best Video

• 1st Place: WUFT News – Mackenzie Behm, Florida Voices | Brad Kendell, Sailing Forward
• 2nd Place: WUFT News – Brianna Barone, Peak Florida
• 3rd Place: WUFT News – Mackenzie Behm & Emily Netburn, Florida Voices | Carlton “Blixx” Barber, The Tiny Terror

Best Multimedia Feature

• 1st Place: WUFT.org – Staff, Peak Florida series
• 2nd Place: WUFT News – Staff, Locked Out
• 3rd Place: WUFT News – Staff, Vote 2018

Best Coverage of LGBT Issues

• No Winners 

Best Coverage of Race and Minorities

• 1st Place: Distraction Magazine – Elisa Baena, Elisa Baena, Jillian Paraiso, Haiti: Their American Struggle; Santería: Little Havana, Big Charm; Motion Pictures, Social Change
• 2nd Place: WUFT News – Staff, Silenced
• 3rd Place: FAU University Press – Cameren Boatner, DACA recipients at FAU wait in limbo as March 5 deadline looms

Best Disaster Reporting

• 1st Place: WUFT News – Staff, Life After Maria
• 2nd Place: South Florida News Service – Jesse Scheckner, Maria Gil & Gabriel Poblete, FIU bridge near MMC campus collapses, killing and injuring several