The Association of Alternative Newsmedia is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 AAN Awards. The winners below were chosen as the most outstanding from a field of 526 entries submitted by 55 alternative publications across the U.S. and Canada (and Norway!).
Held every year since 1996, 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 virtual reception on Friday, September 18. First place winners received a commemorative plaque, sponsored by Popmount.
Congratulations to all award winners!
CASH PRIZE CATEGORIES
Arts Criticism (Jim Ridley Award)
Winner received $500, funded by Nashville Scene.
1st PLACE: Nashville Scene: Film Criticism (I, II, III) by D. Patrick Rodgers
2nd PLACE: City Newspaper: Film Criticism (I, II, III) by Adam Lubitow
3rd PLACE: Seven Days: Quick Lit (I, II, III) by Margot Harrison
HONORABLE MENTION: Triad City Beat: “Thanks I hate it: That Frida Kahlo mural” by Sayaka Matsuoka
Column (Billy Manes Award)
Winner received $250, funded by Orlando Weekly.
1st PLACE: Pittsburgh City Paper: “Voices” (I, II, III) by Tereneh Idia
2nd PLACE: Dig Boston: “Dear Reader” (I, II, III) by Chris Faraone
3rd PLACE: Jackson Free Press: “Dossier: Truth to (Media) Power in Mississippi” (I, II, III) by Donna Ladd
HONORABLE MENTION: Pittsburgh City Paper: “Peepshow” (I, II, III) by Jessie Sage
Investigative Reporting (David Carr Award)
Winning team received $500, funded by Omaha Reader.
1st PLACE: Monterey County Weekly: “How Nuestra Familia, a criminal organization, took control of MILPA, a community group in Salinas” (I, II, III, IV) by Monterey County Weekly staff with KSBW and Voices of Monterey Bay, Sara Rubin, Mary Duan
2nd PLACE: Seven Days: “Guarded Secrets” (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX) by Paul Heintz
3rd PLACE: Triad City Beat: “United Youth Care Services and Medicaid fraud” (I, II, III) by Jordan Green
LGBT Coverage
Winner received $500, funded by Boulder Weekly publisher Fran Zankowski.
1st PLACE: Orlando Weekly: “Speed Trap” by Xander Peters
2nd PLACE: Seven Days: “HOWLing at the Moon: A Women’s Collective Grapples With a Gender-Fluid Future” by Chelsea Edgar
3rd PLACE: Dig Boston: “Unbearable Pressure” by Yidan Sun
HONORABLE MENTION: YES! Weekly: “Living with HIV” by Katie Murawski
Nonprofit Collaboration (The BINJ Award)
Winning team received $500, funded by the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism
1st PLACE: Santa Fe Reporter, with New Mexico Fund for Public Interest Journalism: “Roadmap to Resilience” by Julia Goldberg, Olivia Abeyta, Max Looft, Anna Girdner, James Taylor
2nd PLACE: INDY Week, with Duke University’s Ninth Street Journal: “The Death of Bill Bishop” (I, II, III, IV) by Ben Leonard, Erin Williams, Swathi Ramprasad
3rd PLACE: Eugene Weekly, with University of Oregon Catalyst Journalism Project: “An Unsuccessful Solution” (I, II, III) by Taylor Perse , Morgan Theophil, Catalyst Journalism Project , Eugene Weekly
HONORABLE MENTION: Santa Fe Reporter, with New Mexico In Depth: “Case (not) Closed” by Jeff Proctor, Trip Jennings, Julie Ann Grimm
Right-Wing Extremism Coverage
Winner received $500, funded by Anonymous
1st PLACE: Willamette Week: “A Tiny Problem” (I, II, III, IV, V) by Katie Shepherd
2nd PLACE: INDY Week: “Send Her Back. Send Her Back. Send Her Back.” by Leigh Tauss
3rd PLACE: Triad City Beat: “Guns Up, Saftey Off: First responders and public safety personnel joined militia Facebook group” by Jordan Green
HONORABLE MENTION: Jackson Free Press: “God Save the Governor: Phil Bryant, Brexit Soldier” by Ashton Pittman
WRITING CATEGORIES
Arts Feature
1st PLACE: C-Ville Weekly: “Hitting the right note” by Erin O’Hare
2nd PLACE: Washington City Paper: “Life, Camera, Action” by Kayla Randall
3rd PLACE: Orlando Weekly: “Black art’s new dawn: Orlando artists carve out a space for expressions of Blackness” by Renata Sago
HONORABLE MENTION: Salt Lake City Weekly: “The Beyhive State: Inside one Utah author’s bootylicious mashup of Beyoncé and academia” by Enrique Limón
Beat Reporting
1st PLACE: Nashville Scene: Executions (I, II, III, IV) by Steven Hale
2nd PLACE: Washington City Paper: Housing Beat (I, II, III, IV, V) by Morgan Baskin
3rd PLACE: Mountain Xpress: Education Beat (I, II, III, IV, V) by Virginia Daffron
HONORABLE MENTION: Washington City Paper: Criminal Justice Beat (I, II, III, IV, V) by Joshua Kaplan
Political Column
1st PLACE: INDY Week: “Soapboxer” (I, II, III) by Jeffrey Billman
2nd PLACE: Jackson Free Press: “The Political Hell Women Face in Mississippi” (I, II, III) by Donna Ladd
3rd PLACE: The Memphis Flyer: (I, II, III) by Jackson Baker
HONORABLE MENTION: Charleston City Paper: (I, II, III) by Andy Brack
Feature Story
1st PLACE: Chicago Reader: “Pangea has taken thousands to eviction court. The story of an apartment empire” by Maya Dukmasova, Sujay Kumar
2nd PLACE: Little Village: “Michelle Martinko’s murder ‘haunted’ the Cedar Rapids community for 40 years. Now, her suspected killer is set to go on trial” by Jen Moulton, Emma McClatchey
3rd PLACE: Chicago Reader: “Fear and loathing at a South Shore Co-op” by Maya Dukmasova, Sujay Kumar
HONORABLE MENTION: Dig Boston: “The Longest Trip” by Jenny Rollins
Food Writing
1st PLACE: North Coast Journal: (I, II, III) by Jennifer Fumiko Cahill
2nd PLACE: Arkansas Times: (I, II) by Stephanie Smittle
3rd PLACE: Chicago Reader: (I, II, III) by Mike Sula, Kate Schmidt
HONORABLE MENTION: The Pitch: “They serve food at the midtown Home Depot now. You will want to read the menu carefully.” by Liz Cook
Health Care Coverage
1st PLACE: Seven Days: “Hooked” (I, II, III, IV, V) by Kate O’Neill
2nd PLACE: Willamette Week: “Alt-Vaxx” by Rachel Monahan
3rd PLACE: Santa Fe Reporter: “No Place To Rest” by Leah Cantor
Immigration Coverage
1st PLACE: Cincinnati CityBeat: “Without a Country” by Nick Swartsell
2nd PLACE: Boulder Weekly: “Windows, Walls and Invisible Lines: Portraits of Life in Sanctuary” by Joel Dyer
3rd PLACE: Nashville Scene: “Resisting ICE” (I, II) by Steven Hale, Alejandro Ramirez
HONORABLE MENTION: Jackson Free Press: “ICE Raids in Mississippi” (I, II, III, IV, V) by Ashton Pittman Aliyah Veal
Long-Form News Story
1st PLACE: Chicago Reader: “The big house and the picket fence” by Mari Cohen, Sujay Kumar
2nd PLACE: Queen City Nerve: “Then and Now: Segregation Still Pervades in CMS” (I, II, III) by Brenna Swanston
3rd PLACE: Willamette Week: “Both Sides Now” by Nigel Jaquiss
HONORABLE MENTION: San Antonio Current: “Detention Inc.: Trump’s Immigrant Crackdown Means Big Money for Private Prisons” by Sanford Nowlin
Music Writing
1st PLACE: Chicago Reader: (I, II, III) by Leor Galil, Philip Montoro
2nd PLACE: Boulder Weekly: (I, II, III) by Caitlin Rockett
3rd PLACE: Jackson Free Press: (I, II, III) by Aliyah Veal
HONORABLE MENTION: San Antonio Current: (I, II, III) by Chris Conde
DESIGN CATEGORIES
Cover Design
1st PLACE: Santa Fe Reporter: (I, II, III) by Anson Stevens-Bollen
2nd PLACE: Pittsburgh City Paper: (I, II, III) by Abbie Adams, Jared Wickerham
3rd PLACE: INDY Week: (I, II, III) by Annie Maynard
HONORABLE MENTION: Good Times Santa Cruz: (I, II, III) by Tabi Zarrinnaal
Editorial Layout
1st PLACE: Las Vegas Weekly: “Pot Culture: What To Watch, Eat and Listen To While You’re Enjoying 420” by Corlene Byrd
2nd PLACE: Las Vegas Weekly: “Henderson: There’s Something for Everyone in One of the Nation’s Fastest-Growing Cities” by Corlene Byrd
3rd PLACE: INDY Week: “Waiting for Good Dough” by Annie Maynard
HONORABLE MENTION: INDY Week: “Murder in the Bull City” by Annie Maynard
Illustration
1st PLACE: Nashville Scene: “Best of Nashville” (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII) by Lauren Cierzan
2nd PLACE: Las Vegas Weekly: “Pot Culture” by Zach Meyer
3rd PLACE: Charleston City Paper: Illustrations (I, II, III) by Scott Suchy
HONORABLE MENTION: Las Vegas Weekly: “Electric Daisy Carnival Lights Up The Desert” by Sergio Vazquez
Photography
1st PLACE: Style Weekly: “Murder Vigil: In the aftermath of gun violence” (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X) by Scott Elmquist
2nd PLACE: Washington City Paper: “2019” (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X) by Darrow Montgomery
3rd PLACE: Boulder Weekly: “Windows, Walls and Invisible Lines: Portraits of Life in Sanctuary” by Joel Dyer
HONORABLE MENTION: Pittsburgh City Paper: “Pittsburgh in Photos” (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X) by Jared Wickerham
OUTSIDE-THE-BOX CATEGORIES
Cartoon
1st PLACE: Little Village: “Futile Wrath” (I, II, III, IV, V) by Sam Locke Ward, Jordan Sellergren
2nd PLACE: Seven Days: Cartoons (I, II, III, IV, V) by Tim Newcomb
3rd PLACE: Slowpoke Comics: Cartoons (I, II, III, IV, V) by Jen Sorensen
Innovation/Format Buster
1st PLACE: Seven Days: “Worse For Care” (I, II, III, IV, V, VI ,VII, VIII, IX) by Andrea Suozzo, Derek Brouwer , Emily Corwin
2nd PLACE: Austin Chronicle: “Austin Music Yearbook” by Kevin Curtin, Jason Stout
3rd PLACE: Chicago Reader: “Aldermania! The Board Game” (I, II) by Aimee Levitt, Ben Joravsky, Sue Kwong, David Alvarado
HONORABLE MENTION: Willamette Week: “Portland At All Hours” by Nigel Jaquiss, Rachel Monahan, Katie Shepherd, Elise Herron, Laurel Kadas, Justin Katigbak, Henry Cromett, Matthew Singer, Sage Brown, Sophie Peel, Aaron Mesh, Katherine Topaz
Multimedia
1st PLACE: Seven Days: “Stuck in Vermont: Lily Stilwell Competes in Gymkhana Ice Time Trials” by Eva Sollberger, James Buck
2nd PLACE: Little Village: “Studio Visits” (I, II, III, IV, V) by Jason Smith
3rd PLACE: Pittsburgh City Paper: “Venue Guide Walkthroughs” (I, II, III) by Jared Wickerham, Jordan Snowden
HONORABLE MENTION: Chicago Reader: “The Block Beat” (I, II, III, IV) by Philip Montoro, Arthur E. Haynes II, Darius Griffin, Jiayan “Jenny” Shi, Alex Y. Ding, ThoughtPoet , Tiffany Walden, Pat Nabong, Morgan Elise Johnson, The TRiiBE
Special Section
1st PLACE: Chicago Reader: “Best of Chicago 2019” by Jamie Ramsay, Sue Kwong, Lisa Predko, Brian Gladkowski, Karen Hawkins, Sujay Kumar, Leor Galil, Jamie Ludwig, Catey Sullivan, Maya Dukmasova, Kate Schmidt, Mike Sula, Salem Collo-Julin, Kerry Reid, Deanna Isaacs
2nd PLACE: North Coast Journal: “Media Literacy Issue” by North Coast Journal Staff
3rd PLACE: Volume One: “Bike Boom” by Lauren Fisher, Taylor McCumber, Eric Christenson, Andrea Paulseth, Tom Giffey, Mike Paulus, James Johonnott, Rebecca Mennecke
HONORABLE MENTION: Icepeople: “10 Years Of Total Lunacy (Icepeople’s 10th Anniversary Issue)” by Mark Sabbatini
Special Publication
1st PLACE: Seven Days: “What’s Good: The Annual Field Guide to Burlington” by Seven Days Staff
2nd PLACE: Salt Lake City Weekly: “City Guide 2019” by Enrique Limón and City Weekly staff
3rd PLACE: Willamette Week: “Summer Road Trip 2019” by Andi Prewitt, Pete Cottell, Michelle Devona, Shannon Gormley, Elise Herron, Adam Sawyer, Matthew Singer, Cameron Vigliotta, Nicole Vulcan, Kat Topaz, Elise Furlan
HONORABLE MENTION: Boulder Weekly: “Feast” by Matt Cortina
HONORABLE MENTION: Little Village: “Bread & Butter Dining Guide” by Frankie Schneckloth, Jordan Sellergren, Zak Neumann
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