First Place: Riverfront Times, Down on the Farm, The Gay Divorcees, and 2010: The Year in Movies by Tom Carlson

Second Place: SF Weekly, Terminal People, Head Case, and Worlds Apart by Andrew Nilsen and Brian Stauffer

Third Place: City Pages (Twin Cities), Thinkers, Commix Issue, and Winter Guide by Nick Vlcek and Mike Kooiman

Honorable Mention: Dallas Observer, Fatal Flaw, Forked Up, and Return To Sender by Alex Flores

COVER DESIGN circulation under 50,000

First Place: Seven Days, The Animal Issue, The Money Issue, and New Years’ Cootie Catcher by Diane Sullivan, Celia Hazard, Matthew Thorsen and Jeff Drew

Second Place: The Portland Mercury, Kitchen Kama Sutra, Betty White + John Ritter + Flaming Chainsaw, and In Defense of Sanity and Fear by Justin “Scrappers” Morrison

Third Place: Boston’s Weekly Dig, Palin, Yummy Bears, and Initiation Rites by Tak Toyoshima and Scott Murry

Honorable Mention: San Antonio Current, Operation: CPS, The Music Issue, and 2010 Sucked by Chuck Kerr

EDITORIAL LAYOUT circulation 50,000 and over

First Place: NOW Magazine, BBQ Special by Troy Beyer

Second Place: Las Vegas Weekly, 2010 Vegas’ Best by Ryan Olbrysh

Third Place: Phoenix New Times, Picking Up Steam Punk by Peter Storch

Honorable Mention: Boston Phoenix, Real Gifts for Real People by Kristen Goodfriend

EDITORIAL LAYOUT circulation under 50,000

First Place: Arkansas Times, Big Ideas by Kai Caddy

Second Place: Style Weekly, Power List by Jeff Bland

Third Place: Nashville Scene, We Are Nashvill(ians) by Elizabeth Jones

Honorable Mention: Gambit, Veganize Me by Lindsay Weiss

ILLUSTRATION circulation 50,000 and over

First Place: SF Weekly, Wounded Pride by Scott Bakal

Second Place: Houston Press, Turkeys of the Year by Jesse Lenz

Third Place: SF Weekly:, Best of San Francisco Cover 1, Cover 2, and Cover 3 by Chris Koehler, Reuben Rude and Brian Barneclo

Honorable Mention: Las Vegas Weekly, Escape the Fate by Chris Morris

ILLUSTRATION circulation under 50,000

First Place: Tucson Weekly, The 9 Types of Arizona Politicians by Lloyd Dangle and Jim Nintzel

Second Place: Independent Weekly (NC), Dad Rock by Nathan Golub

Third Place: Pacific Northwest Inlander, Five Lessons from Local Schools Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5 by Jeff Drew

Honorable Mention: VUE Weekly, Sam Beckett by Pete Nguyen

PHOTOGRAPHY circulation 50,000 and over

First Place: Las Vegas Weekly, Photography by Leila Navidi

Second Place: Riverfront Times, Dr. Peanut by Jennifer Silverberg

Third Place: Baltimore City Paper, Photography by Ryan “Rarah” Stevenson

Honorable Mention: Creative Loafing (Atlanta), Photography by Joeff Davis

PHOTOGRAPHY circulation under 50,000

First Place: Nashville Scene, Photography by Eric England

Second Place: New Times San Luis Obispo, Photography by Steve E. Miller

Third Place: Pacific Northwest Inlander, Photography by Young Kwak

Honorable Mention: Fast Forward Weekly, Photography by Ryan Creary

First Place: Creative Loafing (Atlanta), I Miss My Weird, F*%ked Up Theater, Cult Following, and Beast of Burden by Curt Holman

Second Place: OC Weekly, Family Not-So-Friendly, Man Loves Goat, and Teen Cheerleader Orgy Porn by Joel Beers

Third Place: Austin Chronicle, The Human Centipede, Winter’s Bone, and Skyline by Marjorie Baumgarten

ARTS CRITICISM circulation under 50,000

First Place: Fort Worth Weekly, Wall Street, Greenberg, and Why Are You Shooting at Me? by Kristian Lin

Second Place: Tucson Weekly, The Whole Picture, Tile Roofs and Borrowed Styles, and Deposited by Angels by Margaret Regan

Third Place: Independent Weekly (NC), Chinese Artists and Three Gorges Dam, Vorticism at the Nasher, Portraiture at the Ackland by Chris Vitiello

ARTS FEATURE circulation 50,000 and over

First Place: Philadelphia City Paper, The Island by Holly Otterbein

Second Place: The Village Voice, Revenge of the Losers by Camille Dodero

Third Place: Miami New Times, Marked for Death by Gus Garcia-Roberts

Honorable Mention: Willamette Week, I Think I Was There by Casey Jarman

ARTS FEATURE circulation under 50,000

First Place: Independent Weekly (NC), Little Brother Breaks Up by Grayson Currin

Second Place: Fort Worth Weekly, Ticked-Off Trannies With Knives by Jimmy Fowler

Third Place:San Diego CityBeat, For the Record by Kinsee Morlan

Honorable Mention: Seven Days, The Breakout by Dan Bolles

COLUMN circulation 50,000 and over

First Place: Baltimore City Paper, Mr. Wrong: Make Money. Gamble Better., Booooooooooooooooooooooo, and Fall Preview Review by Joe MacLeod

Second Place: The Village Voice, Kicked in the Groin at Every Glittery Turn, Where’s My Book, and Year in Review by Michael Musto

Third Place: L.A. Weekly, Candyland: The Man Who Wants Another ‘Life’, Maggots and Aliens and Clowns, Oh My, and Giddyup by Gendy Alimurung

COLUMN circulation under 50,000

First Place: LEO Weekly, Bar Belle: Drinks with Tyler Allen, Bar Belle Turns in Perfect Attendance, and Bourbon Soup for the Soul by Sara Havens

Second Place: Metro Pulse, Midpoint: Rest in Peace, J.D. Salinger, A Luddite Listens, and The Art of Waiting by Stephanie Piper

Third Place: Weekly Alibi, Miss Diagnosis: Seduction of a Nurse, Robbins Burns Rubbers, and Life and Death on the Night Shift by Whitny Doyle

Honorable Mention: Jackson Free Press, Ain’t That Something, For the Kids, All God’s Children by Donna Ladd

COLUMN (POLITICAL) circulation 50,000 and over

First Place: Miami New Times Terrorist with Friends, School of Hard Knocks, and Forgotten War Hero, Part 1 by Chuck Strouse

Second Place: Dallas Observer, Hammer Time, Mr. Unknown, and Low Riders by Jim Schutze

Third Place: Metro Times, Sexy Detroit Men, Why to be Paranoid, and Bing’s Open-Secret Plan by Larry Gabriel

Honorable Mention: Chicago Reader, Me and My Mayor, The Head Cheerleaders, and Go On, Smash It by Ben Joravsky

COLUMN (POLITICAL) circulation under 50,000

First Place: The Pitch, Transparently Awful, Missed Goals, and No-Shows by David Martin

Second Place: Nashville Scene, Center of Controversy, Southern Inhospitality, and Electoral 911 by Jeff Woods

Third Place: Creative Loafing (Charlotte), At the Crossroads, Fully Human, and ‘We Can Make Him Disappear‘ by John Grooms

Honorable Mention: Cincinnati CityBeat, Porkopolis (PDF Files: May 19, Aug. 11 and Dec. 1) by Kevin Osborne

FEATURE STORY circulation 50,000 and over

First Place: Miami New Times, Blow Hard by Gus Garcia-Roberts

Second Place: The Village Voice, Bad Lieutenant by Steven Thrasher

Third Place: Houston Press, Asylum Denied by Chris Vogel and Patrick Michels

Honorable Mention: Las Vegas Weekly, Citizen of Nowhere by April Corbin

Honorable Mention: Sacramento News & Review, Default! by Rachel Leibrock

FEATURE STORY circulation under 50,000

First Place: Nashville Scene, The High Cost of Hope by Brantley Hargrove

Second Place: Jackson Free Press, Rush to Judgement: Trying Kids As Adults by Valerie Wells and Donna Ladd

Third Place: The Texas Observer, Children of the Exodus by Melissa del Bosque

Honorable Mention: Missoula Independent, A Call For Help by Alex Sakariassen

Honorable Mention: Monterey County Weekly, Fable Enabled by Kera Abraham

FOOD WRITING circulation 50,000 and over

First Place: Philadelphia City Paper, Minette Men, Here Come The Rooster, and Waiting For Good Dough by Drew Lazor

Second Place: L.A. Weekly, Stomp: The Restaurant, 99 Things to Eat Before You Die, and Beware the Dangerous Cemita by Jonathan Gold

Third Place (tie): Dallas Observer, Artless, Work Release, and Forked Up by Hanna Raskin

Third Place (tie): The Village Voice, An Open Letter to Josh Ozersky, May We Interest You in Some Egg Fetus?, and Siam I Am by Robert Sietsema

FOOD WRITING circulation under 50,000

First Place: Seven Days, Three-Bird Night, Fresh Fare, and Raising the Steaks by Alice Levitt

Second Place: North Bay Bohemian, Coldest Beer in Town, Black Diamonds, and Building a Better Berry by Alastair Bland

Third Place: Weekly Alibi, Le Fooding, An Offal Story, and Chewing the Fat by Ari LeVaux

Honorable Mention: Columbia Free Times, All’s Fair in Food & War and Holiday Surprise by Tug Baker

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING circulation 50,000 and over

First Place: The Village Voice, The NYPD Tapes Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5 by Graham Rayman

Second Place: Long Island Press, Toxic Time Bomb: Nassau County Sewage Plants Investigative Series Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 by Christopher Twarowski and Joel Cairo

Third Place: Miami New Times, Disorderly Conduct by Tim Elfrink

Honorable Mention: Boston Phoenix, Troubled Over Bridgewater Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 by Chris Faraone

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING circulation under 50,000

First Place: Nashville Scene, Dr. Asa Andrew’s Medicine Show Part 1 and Part 2 by Brantley Hargrove

Second Place: The Texas Observer, Agency of Destruction by Forrest Wilder

Third Place: Fort Worth Weekly, Arlington Heights High School Investigation Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 by Betty Brink

Honorable Mention: New Times San Luis Obispo, Where Are They? by Robert McDonald

MEDIA REPORTING / CRITICISM circulation 50,000 and over

First Place: Long Island Press, Destroying Newsday by Christopher Twarowski and Michael Patrick Nelson

Second Place: Las Vegas CityLife, A Tale of Two Newsrooms by Amy Kingsley

Third Place: Creative Loafing (Atlanta), Adios, AJC by Scott Henry

Honorable Mention: Chicago Reader, Opinionating Is Cheap, When Hyperlocal Journalism Does Its Job, and The Martyr and the Stool Pigeon by Michael Miner

MEDIA REPORTING / CRITICISM circulation under 50,000

First Place: Fort Worth Weekly, Aggie Secrets by Jeff Prince

Second Place: San Antonio Current, Remains of the Daily by Enrique Lopetegui

Third Place: Charleston City Paper, The Case Against Nikki Haley by Chris Haire

Honorable Mention: Illinois Times, Watchdogs Flee Springfield by Rachel Wells

MUSIC REPORTING / CRITICISM circulation 50,000 and over

First Place: The Memphis Flyer, Refuge in the Blues, Many Voices, Many Rooms, and Life and Death by Chris Herrington

Second Place: OC Weekly, Don’t Start A Riot by Nick Schou

Third Place: Metro Times, Promises Fulfilled, Ballad of Mr. X, and Riff-A-Rama by Bill Holdship

Honorable Mention: Willamette Week, The Odd Couple, Sexy Back, and Agalloch by Michael Mannheimer

MUSIC REPORTING / CRITICISM circulation under 50,000

First Place: East Bay Express, Insane Clown Posse Drops the Hatchet, Ferocious Tornado Rider, and Thomas Pridgen’s Rock-Soul Revival by Rachel Swan

Second Place: Seven Days, Lady Lioness, Durians, and the le duo by Dan Bolles

Third Place: Nashville Scene, Everything but the Burden by Steve Haruch

Honorable Mention: Orlando Weekly, Rhythm Nation 2814, The Sore Thumb, and Frame of Mind by Jason Ferguson

NEWS STORY (LONG FORM) circulation 50,000 and over

First Place: Westword, You’re in Bad Hands by Alan Prendergast

Second Place: Westword, Martial Law by Joel Warner

Third Place: Houston Press Victims’ Wrongs by Chris Vogel

Honorable Mention: Riverfront Times Dog Beat Dog by Keegan Hamilton

NEWS STORY (LONG FORM) circulation under 50,000

First Place: The Texas Observer, A Bloody Injustice by Dave Mann

Second Place: Fort Worth Weekly, Private Prisons, Public Pain by Peter Gorman

Third Place: Independent Weekly (NC), The Ultimate Betrayal by Lara Torgesen

Honorable Mention: San Diego CityBeat, The Unintended Consequences by Kelly Davis

NEWS STORY (SHORT FORM) circulation 50,000 and over

First Place: Miami New Times, The Last Temptation, George Rekers is a Homosexual, and Things Rekers Said… by Penn Bullock and Brandon Thorp

Second Place: City Pages (Twin Cities), Bed Hopping, Monster at the Tea Party, and Cop Killer by Jessica Lussenhop

Third Place: OC Weekly, Will This Pot Case Get Weeded Out?, Crash First…, and Murder? Are You Crazy? by Nick Schou

Honorable Mention: Philadelphia Weekly, Under Press-ure, Electile Dysfunction, and Not a Pretty Picture by Aaron Kase

NEWS STORY (SHORT FORM) circulation under 50,000

First Place: Monterey County Weekly, Grease Clogs Green Transit, Racism, In Deed, and Scenic Spraying by Kera Abraham

Second Place: San Diego CityBeat, Lab Rats, The Snitch is Back, and Zapf Dingbats by Dave Maass

Third Place: Pacific Northwest Inlander, Between Rocky and a Hard Place, Lost at Sea, and Budding Tax Bracket by Nicholas Deshais

Honorable Mention: Lagniappe, Nipples Catch ABC’s Eye (pdf link), Katrina Cut Project Needs Revision, and Sand Search Progresses by Peter Teske

PUBLIC SERVICE circulation 50,000 and over

First Place: L.A. Weekly, City of Airheads by Patrick Range McDonald

Second Place: Houston Press, Prison Pays by Craig Malisow

Third Place: New Times Broward-Palm Beach, Crash Course by Lisa Rab

Honorable Mention: Phoenix New Times, Amongst Us Series: Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s Reign of Terror, Badlands, Get Out!, Seized, Grinding Justice, Russell Pearce, and Cloaked Brutality by Staff Writers and Editors

PUBLIC SERVICE circulation under 50,000

First Place: The Texas Observer, DNA Tests Undermine Evidence in Texas Execution by Dave Mann

Second Place: Pacific Northwest Inlander, Injustice Project Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, and Video by Jacob Fries, Nicholas Deshais, Kevin Taylor, Leah Sottile, and Young Kwak

Third Place: Colorado Springs Independent, Community Centers by J. Adrian Stanley

Honorable Mention: Jackson Free Press, Domestic Violence Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, and Part 10 by Ronni Mott, Lacey McLaughlin, Donna Ladd, Kamikaze, Casey Purvis, and Sophie McNeil

SPECIAL TOPIC: DRUGS REPORTING circulation 50,000 and over

First Place: Baltimore City Paper, Cleaning Up Series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Follow-Up by Edward Ericson Jr.

Second Place: L.A. Weekly, The Killer of His Daughter’s Mother by Christine Pelisek

Third Place: The Village Voice, Widespread Panic Over the Nitrous Mafia by John Tucker

Honorable Mention: Seattle Weekly, Toke Stoking by Nina Shapiro

SPECIAL TOPIC: DRUGS REPORTING circulation under 50,000

First Place: The Pitch, Buzz Factory by Peter Rugg

Second Place: North Coast Journal, General Lee by Hank Sims

Third Place: The Texas Observer, Gone Rogue by Michael May

Honorable Mention: Pasadena Weekly, Blunting Inequity by Jake Armstrong

First Place: The Village Voice, Runnin’ Scared — Posts by Foster Kamer, Tony Ortega, and Jen Doll

Second Place: SF Weekly, The Snitch — Posts by Lauren Smiley, Joe Eskenazi, and Peter Jamison

Third Place: Phoenix New Times, Chow Bella — Posts by Erica O’Neil, Wynter Holden, and Jonathan McNamara

Honorable Mention: Arkansas Times, Teaching Hate: Clint McCance by Max Brantley and David Koon

Honorable Mention: Nashville Scene, Pith in the Wind — Posts by Liz Garrigan, Betsy Phillips, and Jeff Woods

BLOG (INDIVIDUAL) All Publications

First Place: Creative Loafing (Tampa), Life As We Blow It by Scott Harrell (Posts on Jan. 27, Feb. 15, and Jun. 21)

Second Place: Phoenix New Times, Feathered Bastard by Stephen Lemons (Posts on July 29, Sep. 22, and Nov. 29)

Third Place: New Times Broward-Palm Beach, The Daily Pulp by Bob Norman (Posts on Mar. 3, Sep. 15, and Sep. 26)

Honorable Mention: Washington City Paper, Housing Complex by Lydia DePillis (Posts on July 16, Aug. 18, and Aug. 31)

CARTOON All Publications

First Place: Search and Destroy – Cartoon Blog from Afghanistan by Ted Rall

Second Place: Failure by Karl Stevens (Boston Phoenix)

Third Place: Worst Case Scenario by Kenny Be (Westword)

Honorable Mention: Loon Star State by Ben Sargent (The Texas Observer)

INNOVATION / FORMAT BUSTER circulation 50,000 and over

First Place: Washington City Paper, D.C. Elections 2010 by Alan Suderman, Dave McKenna, Lydia DePillis, Mike Madden, Jason Cherkis, Jonetta Rose Barras, Will Mitchell and Brooke Hatfield

Second Place: Metro Times, To Bobb or Not to Bobb by Sandra Svoboda

Third Place: Creative Loafing (Atlanta), The Dunwoody Journal-Constitution by Creative Loafing Staff

Honorable Mention: Riverfront Times, Literary St. Louis by Aimee Levitt

INNOVATION / FORMAT BUSTER circulation under 50,000

First Place: Santa Fe Reporter, Anatomy of a Downfall by Alexa Schirtzinger and Larry Kohr

Second Place: Style Weekly, Rock ‘N’ Roll Hotel (PDF) and Part 2 (PDF) by Staff

Third Place: Tucson Weekly, Beyond the Border (PDF) by Students of the University of Arizona School of Journalism

Honorable Mention: Seven Days, The Twitter Cover by Don Eggert, Cathy Resmer and Eva Sollberger

MULTIMEDIA All Publications

First Place: City Pages (Twin Cities), Hip Hop High: Article, Slideshow, and Video by Emily Kaiser and Nick Vlcek

Second Place: Boston Phoenix, 50 Bands, 50 States by Boston Phoenix Staff

Third Place: Santa Fe Reporter, Election 2010 by Alexa Schirtzinger and Julia Goldberg

Honorable Mention: Seven Days, Stuck in Vermont: East Charlotte Tractor Parade by Eva Sollberger

MUSIC BLOG All Publications

First Place: The Village Voice, Sound of the City by Rob Harvilla and Zach Baron (Posts on Mar. 11, Jun. 15, and Aug. 25)

Second Place: North Bay Bohemian, City Sound Inertia by Gabe Meline (Posts on Jul. 23 and Jul. 29)

Third Place: New Times Broward-Palm Beach, County Grind by Reed Fischer (Posts on Sep. 30, Oct. 21, and Nov. 10)

Honorable Mention: Dallas Observer, DC9 at Night by Pete Freedman, Cory Graves, and Nick Rallo

SPECIAL SECTION circulation 50,000 and over

First Place: Creative Loafing (Atlanta), Music Issue by Rodney Carmichael and Staff

Second Place: L.A. Weekly, People 2010 by Staff

Third Place: Riverfront Times, Best of St. Louis by Staff

Honorable Mention: Boston Phoenix, Boston Survival Guide by Staff and Contributors

SPECIAL SECTION circulation under 50,000

First Place: Independent Weekly (NC), Hopscotch Guide by Staff

Second Place: C-VILLE Weekly, Food and Drink Annual by Coogan Brennan, Chiara Canzi, Andrew Cedermark, Brendan Fitzgerald, Cathy Harding, Caite White and Bill LeSueur

Third Place: Maui Time Weekly, Best Of Maui 2010 in 3D by Chris Skiles and Brad Parker