Karen Olsson of Texas Observer Wins Two First-Place Prizes.

In its best showing in the contest since rejoining AAN four years ago, the Village Voice walked away with four awards — including three first-place prizes — in the 1999 Editorial Awards competition. In the small-paper division, the Nashville Scene also picked up three first-place prizes and four awards in all.

Meanwhile, several other papers received three awards: Arkansas Times, Folio Weekly, New Times Los Angeles and Washington City Paper.

The winners were announced on Saturday, May 29 in Memphis by Chicago Tribune reporter David Jackson, who emceed the fourth annual AAN editorial awards luncheon.

Karen Olsson of Texas Observer made the most spectacular individual showing, picking up first-place prizes in the hotly-contested Investigative Reporting and News Story categories. Also receiving more than one award in the small-paper division were Leslie Newell Peacock of Arkansas Times, who tied for first in Arts Feature and finished second to Olsson in Investigative Reporting; and Jesse Fox Mayshark of Metro Pulse, who took second in both Column-Political Commentary and Feature Story. This is the second year in a row that Mayshark received multiple awards in the contest.

Other repeat winners from years past include Brendan Bernhard of LA Weekly, who won the big-paper Arts Feature category for the second year in a row; Lee Sandlin, Chicago Reader ; Jack Lessenberry, Metro Times; Abe Opincar, San Diego Reader ; Liz Langley, Orlando Weekly ; Dashka Slater, East Bay Express ; Tricia Booker, Folio Weekly ; Willy Stern, Nashville Scene ; Marc Cooper, New Times Los Angeles ; Anne Schindler, Folio Weekly ; Walter Coker, Folio Weekly ; Katherine Topaz, Willamette Week ; and Darrow Montgomery, Washington City Paper. In addition, Houston Press picked up first-place in the online category for the second year running.

Here is a complete list of the winners:

ARTS CRITICISM

Circulation Above 54,000
First: Robert Lloyd, LA Weekly
Second: Lee Sandlin, Chicago Reader

Circulation Below 54,000
First: Stephanie von Buchau, Pacific Sun
Second: J. Douglas Allen-Taylor, Metro Santa Cruz

ARTS FEATURE

Circulation Above 54,000
First (tie): “Monsieur Naturel: R.Crumb in France” by Brendan Bernhard, LA Weekly
First (tie): “Sordid Relationships” by Melissa Levine, Riverfront Times

Circulation Below 54,000
First (tie): “The World According to Hoyt Axton” by Zach Dundas, Missoula Independent
First (tie): “The Janitor’s Legacy” by Leslie Newell Peacock, Arkansas Times

COLUMN

Circulation Above 54,000
First: Jack Lessenberry, Metro Times
Second: Abe Opincar, San Diego Reader
Third: Tom Scocca, Baltimore City Paper
Honorable Mention: Colleen Van Tassel, New Haven Advocate

Circulation Below 54,000
First: Dennis Jarrett, Santa Fe Reporter
Second: Liz Langley, Orlando Weekly

COLUMN-POLITICAL COMMENTARY

Circulation Above 54,000
First: Wayne Barrett, Village Voice
Second: George Cothran, SF Weekly

Circulation Below 54,000
First: Phil Ashford, Nashville Scene
Second: Jesse Fox Mayshark, Metro Pulse

EDITORIAL LAYOUT

Circulation Above 54,000
First: Willamette Week
Second: NOW

Circulation Below 54,000
First: Arkansas Times

FEATURE STORY

Circulation Above 54,000
First: “The Freak Who Stopped The Subway” by Susan Goldsmith, New Times Los Angeles
Honorable Mention: “Snatching Sinatra” by Peter Gilstrap, New Times Los Angeles
Honorable Mention: “The Fate of the Books” by Dashka Slater, East Bay Express

Circulation Below 54,000
First: “Class Dismissed” by Eric Bates, Independent Weekly
Second: “A Blackened Rainbow” by Jesse Fox Mayshark, Metro Pulse
Third: “Victim Soul” by Doug Hanchett, Worcester Magazine
Honorable Mention: “Broken Homes” by Tricia Booker, Folio Weekly

FILM CRITICISM

Circulation Above 54,000
First: J. Hoberman, Village Voice

Circulation Below 54,000
No awards given

ILLUSTRATION

Circulation Above 54,000
First: “Private Parts” by David O’Keefe, Village Voice
Second: “Express Books” by Terry Furry, East Bay Express
Third: “Welcome to the Machine” by John Ueland, Philadelphia City Paper

Circulation Below 54,000
First: “1999 Annual Manual” by Tim Shawl, Nashville Scene

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING

Circulation Above 54,000
First: “Toxic Justice” by Christine Biederman, et al., Dallas Observer
Second: “The Money Changers” by Terry Greene Sterling, Phoenix New Times

Circulation Below 54,000
First: “On The Line at IBP” by Karen Olsson, Texas Observer
Second: “The Governor’s Piggy Bank” by Leslie Newell Peacock, Arkansas Times
Third: “Sweet Deals Gone Sour” by Willy Stern, Nashville Scene

MEDIA REPORTING

Circulation Above 54,000
First: “Barnicle’s Game” by Dan Kennedy, Boston Phoenix

Circulation Below 54,000
First: “Stop the Presses!” by Thomas Spencer, Birmingham Weekly

MUSIC CRITICISM

Circulation Above 54,000
First: Garry Giddins, Village Voice
Second: Neil Drumming, Washington City Paper
Third: Jon Dolan, City Pages

Circulation Below 54,000
First: Bill Friskics-Warren, Nashville Scene

NEWS STORY

Circulation Above 54,000
First: “Two Dead in Ohio” by Paula Park, Washington City Paper
Honorable Mention: “Wired” by Marc Cooper, New Times Los Angeles
Honorable Mention: “Dream Team” by Robert Andrew Powell, Miami New Times

Circulation Below 54,000
First: “Titanism Comes to Texas” by Karen Olsson, Texas Observer
Second: “Troubled Water” by Anne Schindler, Folio Weekly
Third: “Tortured Chambers” by Robert M. Rees, Honolulu Weekly
Honorable Mention: “The Shapiro Murder File” by Bob Fitrakis, Columbus Alive

ONLINE

First: Houston Press
http://www.houston-press.com/extra/urbanadventures

Second: Isthmus
http://www.thedailypage.com/features/docfeed/

Third: San Francisco Bay Guardian
http://www.sfbg.com/gulfwar/

Honorable Mention: Orlando Weekly
http://www.orlandoweekly.com/music/

PHOTO JOURNALISM

Circulation Above 54,000
First: “Dyku Drama” by Darrow Montgomery, Washington City Paper
Second: “Odd Man Out” by Nathan Mandell, Chicago Reader
Third: “On the Edge” by Mark Ostow, Boston Phoenix
Honorable Mention: “Gerry Meandering” by Andrew Lichtenstein, Village Voice

Circulation Below 54,000
First: “Miracle Factory” by Michael Amsler, Sonoma County Independent
Second: “Catch of the Day” by Walter Coker, Folio Weekly
Third: “Invitation to a Cross Burning” by Kathleen Cole, Flagpole
Honorable Mention: “Eye of the Beholder” by Jon Hughes, Cincinnati CityBeat