The Association of Alternative Newsmedia is pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 AAN Awards. The winners below were chosen as the most outstanding from a field of nearly 700 entries submitted by 55 alternative publications across the U.S. and Canada.
The AAN Awards recognize the best in alternative journalism and are a unique chance for alt-weeklies to compete directly against the work of their peers in cities across the continent.
The winners were announced during a reception on July 28 at the AAN Convention in San Diego. First place winners received a commemorative plaque, sponsored by Popmount. 2nd and 3rd place winners may receive a certificate by request. Contact molly@aan.org.
Congratulations to all award winners!
CASH PRIZE CATEGORIES
ARTS CRITICISM circulation under 40,000
Winner received $150 funded by Nashville Scene in honor of Jim Ridley.
1st PLACE: INDY Week: Arts Criticism (I; II; III) by Brian Howe
2nd PLACE: Orlando Weekly: (I; II; III) by Jessica Bryce Young, Richard Reep
3rd PLACE: Charleston City Paper: Spoleto Festival Reviews (I; II; III) by Mary Scott Hardaway
HONORABLE MENTION: INDY Week: Arts Criticism: (I; II; III) by Byron Woods
ARTS CRITICISM circulation 40,000 & over
Winner received $150 funded by Nashville Scene in honor of Jim Ridley.
1st PLACE: Willamette Week: (I; II; III) by Shannon Gormley
2nd PLACE: The Memphis Flyer: Movie Reviews (I; II; III; IV; V) by Chris McCoy
3rd PLACE: L.A. Weekly: Film Critic (I; II; III; IV; V) by April Wolfe
HONORABLE MENTION: Houston Press: Stage Reviews (I; II; III) by D.L. Groover
FEATURE STORY circulation under 40,000
Winner received $250 funded by Isthmus founder Vince O’Hern.
1st PLACE: Fort Worth Weekly: All the Pretty People by Kathy Cruz
2nd PLACE: Tulsa Voice: Thick black smoke by Mason Whitehorn Powell
3rd PLACE: Folio Weekly: Let the Ceremonies Begin by Daniel Brown
HONORABLE MENTION: The Inlander: Life After Freeman by Mitch Ryals
FEATURE STORY circulation 40,000 & over
Winner received $250 funded by Isthmus founder Vince O’Hern.
1st PLACE: Houston Press: Corrupt Businessmen Looted Venezuela, and Now Many Live Quietly in Houston and Miami by Zach Despart
2nd PLACE: Phoenix New Times: The New Indian Massacre by Antonia Farzan
3rd PLACE: Houston Press: The Mercury 13 Women Were Ready for Space, But NASA Never Gave Them a Chance by Dianna Way
HONORABLE MENTION: Orlando Weekly: Billy Manes’ closest friends and colleagues bid farewell to an incomparable man by Jessica Bryce Young, Tony Mauss, Erin Sullivan, Jeffrey C. Billman, Dave Plotkin, Stephanie Porta, Brendan O’Connor, Jason Ferguson
FREE SPEECH
Winner received $500 funded by Monterey County Weekly founder & CEO Bradley Zeve.
1st PLACE: Metro Silicon Valley: Milpitas City Manager Misuse of Taxpayer Funds (I; II; III; IV; V) by Jennifer Wadsworth
2nd PLACE: Miami New Times: Miami Dade’s Drones Stopped from Spying on the Public (I; II; III) by Jerry Iannelli
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
Winner received $500 funded by Boulder Weekly editor Joel Dyer.
1st PLACE: Chicago Reader in partnership with the Investigative Fund: The infamous practice of contract selling is back in Chicago (I; II) by Rebecca Burns, Robin Amer, Sarah Blustain
2nd PLACE: Willamette Week: For More Than 30 Years, Kim Bradley Hid From Her Husband by Nigel Jaquiss
3rd PLACE: Santa Fe Reporter: Nuclear Neighborhood by Aaron Cantú
HONORABLE MENTION: Houston Press: At Alliantgroup, Sexting, Racist Emails and Harassment Were S.O.P., Ex-Employees Charge by Craig Malisow
LGBT COVERAGE
Winner received $500 funded by Boulder Weekly publisher Fran Zankowski.
1st PLACE: Orlando Weekly: By night, Orlando’s drag queens entertain the masses. By day, they lead the fight for LGBTQ rights by Monivette Cordeiro
2nd PLACE: Creative Loafing Charlotte: Time Out Youth’s Sanctuary for LGBTQ Kids Moves to Facility More Than Twice its Current Size by Ryan Pitkin
3rd PLACE: Houston Press: Debra Schmidt is the Hockey Playing Pirate Assistant Chief of HCSO by Meagan Flynn
HONORABLE MENTION: Phoenix New Times: I Didn’t Know There Was Help by Amy Silverman
WRITING CATEGORIES
ARTS FEATURE circulation under 40,000
1st PLACE: Creative Loafing Charlotte: 5 Artists Who Will Not be Ignored by Kia Moore
2nd PLACE: Boulder Weekly: Roots and Shoots by Caitlin Rockett
3rd PLACE: City Newspaper: The creative dissent of Stephanie Mercedes by Rebecca Rafferty
HONORABLE MENTION: Good Times Santa Cruz: Luck of the Draw by Georgia Johnson
ARTS FEATURE circulation 40,000 & over
1st PLACE: L.A. Weekly: Rape Choreography Makes Films Safer, But Still Takes a Toll on Cast and Crew (I; II) by April Wolfe
2nd PLACE: Willamette Week: The Dream of Portland Is Alive in Japan by Matthew Korfhage
3rd PLACE: The Inlander: Arachni- Dermic Arts by Chey Scott
HONORABLE MENTION: L.A. Weekly: Who Was Anton LaVey? An L.A. Exhibit Sheds Light on Satanism’s Black Pope (I; II) by Gwynedd Stuart
BEAT REPORTING circulation under 40,000
1st PLACE: Lagniappe: Deputy purchased controlled substances, not arrested (I; II; III; IV; V) by Jason Johnson
2nd PLACE: Seven Days: ‘Til Death Do Us Part: Maidstone’s Grisly Murder-Suicide Was Domestic Violence; Questions Arise About Heroic Response to DCF Worker Shooting; Thin Ice Breaks, and a Game Warden Launches a Dangerous Rescue; Death by Drugs: Opiates Claimed a Record Number (I; II; III; IV; V) by Mark Davis
3rd PLACE: Coachella Valley Independent: End-of-Life-Reporting (I; II; III) by Kevin Fitzgerald
HONORABLE MENTION: Creative Loafing Charlotte: Crime Reporting (I; II; III; IV; V) by Ryan Pitkin
BEAT REPORTING circulation 40,000 & over
1st PLACE: The Inlander: Criminal Justice Coverage (I; II; III; IV; V) by Mitch Ryals
2nd PLACE: Santa Barbara Independent: Mental Health (I; II; III; IV) by Nick Welsh
3rd PLACE: The Memphis Flyer: Art of the Deal: What Happened at MCA? by Chris Davis
HONORABLE MENTION: Washington City Paper: Housing Complex (I; II; III; IV; V) by Andrew Giambrone
BLOG
1st PLACE: Austin Chronicle: Chronolog: Music (I; II; III; IV; V) by Kevin Curtin
2nd PLACE: Houston Press: Houston News (I; II; III; IV; V) by Meagan Flynn, Dianna Wray, Margaret Downing
3rd PLACE: Nashville Scene: Nashville Cream (I; II: III; IV; V) by D. Patrick Rodgers, Megan Seling, Stephen Trageser
HONORABLE MENTION: Pittsburgh City Paper: BlogH (I; II; III; IV; V) by Rebecca Addison, Ryan Deto, City Paper Staff
COLUMN circulation under 40,000
1st PLACE: Fort Worth Weekly: (I; II; III) by Anthony Mariani
2nd PLACE: Nashville Scene: Vodka Yonic (I; II; III) by Megan Seling, Elizabeth Jones, Nancy Floyd
3rd PLACE: Creative Loafing Charlotte: Editors Note (I; II; III) by Mark Kemp
HONORABLE MENTION: North Coast Journal: Seriously? (I; II) by Jennifer Fumiko Cahill
COLUMN circulation 40,000 & over
1st PLACE: The Memphis Flyer: Waiting for the Test to Come; From the Editor (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX; X) by Bruce VanWyngarden
2nd PLACE: Westword: Calhoun (I; II; III) by Patricia Calhoun
3rd PLACE: Pittsburgh City Paper: Pittsburgh Left (I; II; III) by Charlie Deitch
HONORABLE MENTION: Phoenix New Times: (I; II; III) by Stuart Warner
COLUMN (POLITICAL) circulation under 40,000
1st PLACE: Jackson Free Press: Playing Politics with Race, Civil Rights (I; II; III) by Donna Ladd
2nd PLACE: Triad City Beat: Citizen Green: cops, needles, Charlottesville (I; II; III) by Jordan Green
3rd PLACE: Folio Weekly: Fightin’ Words (I; II; III; IV; V) by A.G. Gancarski
COLUMN (POLITICAL) circulation 40,000 & over
1st PLACE: Dig Boston: Apparent Horizon (I; II; III) by Jason Pramas
2nd PLACE: Santa Barbara Independent: Reporter’s Notebook: Trump’s Inauguration (I; II; III) by Kelsey Brugger
3rd PLACE: Gambit: Politics (I; II; III) by Clancy DuBos
FOOD WRITING circulation under 40,000
1st PLACE: Fort Worth Weekly: (I; II; III) by Chow, Baby, Eric Griffey
2nd PLACE: North Coast Journal: (I; II; III) by Jennifer Fumiko Cahill
3rd PLACE: Lagniappe: If grits ain’t groceries… by Andy MacDonald
HONORABLE MENTION: The Pitch: KC Restaurants (I; II; III) by Liz Cook
FOOD WRITING circulation 40,000 & over
1st PLACE: Las Vegas Weekly: Soul Food in Vegas by Brock Radke
2nd PLACE: Dig Boston: Drunk Brunch Love; A Reckoning for Restaurants in Boston and Everywhere; Ice Cold Democracy (I; II; III) by Haley Hamilton
3rd PLACE: The Inlander: (I; II; III) by Chey Scott
HONORABLE MENTION: Washington City Paper: (I; II; III) by Laura Hayes
IMMIGRATION COVERAGE circulation under 40,000
1st PLACE: INDY Week: Immigration Issue (I; II; III) by Victoria Bouloubasis, Erica Hellerstein, Sarah Willets
2nd PLACE: San Antonio Current: Don’t Mess With Dreamers: Young San Antonians Prepare for a Life Without DACA by Lyanne Guarecuco
3rd PLACE: Nashville Scene: Refugees Are People by Jennifer Justus
HONORABLE MENTION: Wisconsin Gazette: The Rising: Activists flex muscles (I; II; III) by Lisa Neff
IMMIGRATION COVERAGE circulation 40,000 & over
1st PLACE: Phoenix New Times: Sara’s Demons Crossed the Border With Her by Valeria Fernandez
2nd PLACE: Willamette Week: Where Is Daddy? by Rachel Monahan
3rd PLACE: L.A. Weekly: In Tijuana, the Recently Deported Are Trapped in Purgatory by Jason McGahan
HONORABLE MENTION: Miami New Times: From Cuban Immigrant to Wannabe Jihadi by Jessica Lipscomb
LONG-FORM NEWS STORY circulation under 40,000
1st PLACE: Fort Worth Weekly: Keep Holding On by Teri Webster
2nd PLACE: C-Ville Weekly: Life & death by Samantha Baars
3rd PLACE: Triad City Beat: First do no harm by Jonathan Michels
HONORABLE MENTION: Monterey County Weekly: Monterey County’s cold cases haunt families, communities and investigators by Pam Marino
LONG-FORM NEWS STORY circulation 40,000 & over
1st PLACE: Westword: Homeless Millionaire by Alan Pendergast
2nd PLACE: The Inlander: The Dead Don’t Lie (I; II) by Samantha Wohlfeil, Mitch Ryals
3rd PLACE: The Inlander: The Big Business of Virtual Education by Wilson Criscione
HONORABLE MENTION: Miami New Times: A Mysterious Murder and Floating Bales of Drugs in the Florida Keys by Tim Elfrink
MUSIC WRITING circulation under 40,000
1st PLACE: Boulder Weekly: (I; II; III) by Caitlin Rockett
2nd PLACE: Creative Loafing Charlotte: (I; II; III) by Mark Kemp
3rd PLACE: Boulder Weekly: (I; II; III) by Angela K. Evans
HONORABLE MENTION: Santa Fe Reporter: An Oral History of Storming the Beaches with Logos in Hand by Alex De Vore
MUSIC WRITING circulation 40,000 & over
1st PLACE: L.A. Weekly: Brain Surgery Stole Tokimonsta’s Ability to Make Music. Here’s How She Got It Back (I; II) by Rebecca Haithcoat
2nd PLACE: Willamette Week: Thor Lindsay R.I.P.; Iggy Pop’s Body; Solange in Concert (I; II; III) by Matthew Singer
3rd PLACE: Las Vegas Weekly: Accidental Pop Star Shamir comes around again — This time on his own terms by Geoff Carter
HONORABLE MENTION: The Inlander: (I; II; III) by Dan Nailen
DESIGN CATEGORIES
COVER DESIGN circulation under 40,000
1st PLACE: New Times San Luis Obispo: (I; II; III) by Alex Zuniga, Jayson Mellom
2nd PLACE: Santa Fe Reporter: (I; II; III) by Anson Stevens-Bollen
3rd PLACE: Lagniappe: The Cost of Clean Water (I; II; III) by Laura Rasmussen
HONORABLE MENTION: Good Times Santa Cruz: Doublespeak to Me; Swan Song; Fully Lit (I; II; III) by Tabi Zarrinnaal
COVER DESIGN circulation 40,000 & over
1st PLACE: Las Vegas Weekly: (I; II; III) by Elizabeth Brown, Corlene Byrd, Ian Racoma, Las Vegas Weekly Design Staff
2nd PLACE: Austin Chronicle: (I; II; III) by Jason Stout, Devaki Knowles, Mike Reddy
3rd PLACE: Willamette Week: (I; II; III) by Vicente Marti, Rachel Brown Smith, Vanessa Rivera
HONORABLE MENTION: Chicago Reader: (I; II; III) by David Sampson, Paul John Higgins, Finer Signs, Sue Kwong, Danielle Scruggs, Andrew Nawrocki, Vince Cerasani
EDITORIAL LAYOUT circulation under 40,000
1st PLACE: Colorado Spring Independent: Holiday in Dystopia by Dustin Glatz
2nd PLACE: Seven Days: On the March by Diane Sullivan, Matthew Thorsen and James Buck
3rd PLACE: Eugene Weekly: Tracking the Backlog and Searching for Justice (I; II; III; IV) by Todd Cooper
HONORABLE MENTION: Tulsa Voice: Tulsa Tough by Georgia Brooks , Morgan Welch, Madeline Crawford
EDITORIAL LAYOUT circulation 40,000 & over
1st PLACE: Las Vegas Weekly: The Pillars of Taco Vegas by Corlene Byrd
2nd PLACE: Chicago Reader: The foodways of Chicago’s new immigrants by Vince Cerasani, Jake Malooley
3rd PLACE: Las Vegas Weekly: Electric Impact by Corlene Byrd
HONORABLE MENTION: Santa Barbara Independent: The Forever Season by Caitlin Fitch
ILLUSTRATION circulation under 40,000
1st PLACE: Nashville Scene: Bingo Cards (I; II) by Lauren Cierzan
2nd PLACE: Santa Fe Reporter: Predator Politics by Anson Stevens-Bollen
3rd PLACE: C-Ville Weekly: From the ground up by Barry Bruner
HONORABLE MENTION: Seven Days: State of Need by Diane Sullivan, Rob Donnelly
ILLUSTRATION circulation 40,000 & over
1st PLACE: Dig Boston: Smokers; Drinkers (I; II) by Kuresse Bolds
2nd PLACE: Phoenix New Times: The CBD Oil Boom by Chris Whetzel, Zac McDonald
3rd PLACE: Las Vegas Weekly: Modern Love by Ian Racoma
HONORABLE MENTION: The Inlander: Scholastic Fantastic (I; II; III; IV; V) by Jeff Drew
PHOTOGRAPHY circulation under 40,000
1st PLACE: Style Weekly: The Resistance (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VII; IX; X) by Scott Elmquist
2nd PLACE: INDY Week: Hogwashed, part 1 by Alex Boerner
3rd PLACE: Seven Days: (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX; X) by Matthew Thorsen
HONORABLE MENTION: C-Ville Weekly: Summer of white nationalist rallies (I; II; III; IV; V; VI) by Eze Amos
PHOTOGRAPHY circulation 40,000 & over
1st PLACE: Willamette Week: (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX; X) by Daniel Stindt
2nd PLACE: The Inlander: (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX; X) by Young Kwak
3rd PLACE: Isthmus: Ford Tough by Nick Berard, Carolyn Fath
HONORABLE MENTION: Washington City Paper: 2017: A Year in Photos by Darrow Montgomery
OUTSIDE-THE- BOX
CARTOON
1st PLACE: INDY Week: Peripheral Vision (I; II; III; IV; V) by V.C. Rogers
2nd PLACE: Style Weekly: The HR Department (I; II; III; IV; V) by Ed Harrington
3rd PLACE: New Times San Luis Obispo: (I; II; III; IV; V) by Russell Hodin
HONORABLE MENTION: Slowpoke Comics: (I; II; III: IV; V) by Jen Sorensen
HOUSE AD CAMPAIGN
1st PLACE: Seven Days: Cannabeat (I; II; III; IV; V) by Don Eggert, Corey Grenier, Andrea Suozzo
INNOVATION / FORMAT BUSTER
1st PLACE: Orlando Weekly: Florida Film Fest/420 Issue by Chaya Av, Chris Tobar Rodriguez, Jessica Bryce Young
2nd PLACE: Pittsburgh City Paper & Cleveland Scene: The Rivalry Issue: Pittsburgh Vs. Cleveland (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII) by Pittsburgh City Paper & Cleveland Scene Staff
3rd PLACE: INDY Week: How to Win Friends and Gerrymander People; The Anatomy of Failure; Raleigh’s New Logo (I; II; III) by Jeffrey Billman, Shan Stumpf
HONORABLE MENTION: C-Ville Weekly: Stand with Charlottesville by Lisa Provence, Samantha Baars, Erin O’Hare, Jessica Luck, Susan Sorensen, Jackson Landers, Eze Amos, Natalie Krovetz, Bill LeSueur
MULTIMEDIA
1st PLACE: L.A. Weekly: Short Form Documentary Profiles (I; II; III; IV; V) by Drew Tewksbury, Peter Holderness, Sean Deckert, Hso Hkam, Mara Shalhoup, Gloria Moran
2nd PLACE: Creative Loafing Charlotte: Muslim in Charlotte (I; II; III; IV; V) by Lara Americo
3rd PLACE: Seven Days: Seriously: Let’s Talk About Sexism, Baby by Bryan Parmelee
HONORABLE MENTION: Seven Days: The 500th Stuck in Vermont by Eva Sollberger
SPECIAL SECTION
1st PLACE: Willamette Week: Going Costal (I; II) by Martin Cizmar, Alyssa Walker, Sophia June, Matthew Korfhage, Walker Macmurdo, Aaron Mesh, Andi Pruitt, Matthew Singer
2nd PLACE: Santa Fe Reporter: Santa Fe Annual Manual by Staff
3rd PLACE: L.A. Weekly: People Issue 2017 by Staff
HONORABLE MENTION: Santa Barbara Independent: Keep Santa Barbara Great Again by Tyler Hayden
