Emerging from a record-setting field of 1554 entries, the finalists in this year’s AltWeekly Awards contest include a feature on home-schooling, a dining guide and an editorial layout based on a toilet in a field. Of the 99 AAN member papers that entered the contest, 66 are being honored in at least one category. L.A. Weekly and Jackson Free Press won the most awards, with six each. (L.A. Weekly’s finalists include two cartoons that were submitted by the paper.) Closely following L.A. Weekly in the large-circulation category are Philadelphia Weekly, Riverfront Times and Seattle Weekly, with five finalists each, and Phoenix New Times, Washington City Paper and Westword, with four. And right behind Jackson Free Press among the smaller papers are Seven Days and The Coast, with five finalists each, and Independent Weekly and Style Weekly, with four. Gambit Weekly, the New Orleans paper that was forced to shut down for two months following Hurricane Katrina and only recently moved back into its Mid-City office, still managed to pick up two awards despite their travails. Judges in three different categories commented that the quality of the entries in the small-circulation division exceeded their expectations. “We presumed that the larger circ. papers had larger budgets, but if so, it wasn’t playing out on the pages,” said the judges in the Editorial Layout category. A few individuals were recognized more than once: Chris Potter of Pittsburgh City Paper, Donna Ladd of Jackson Free Press, and Paul McMorrow of Boston’s Weekly Dig were each named a finalist in two different categories. And AAN members will notice other familiar names, such as last year’s Pulitzer winner, Nigel Jaquiss of Willamette Week, in the Investigative Reporting category, or photographer Walter Coker of Folio Weekly, the winner of six previous AltWeekly Awards. This is the 11th year of the annual awards contest, which recognizes the best work from the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies’ 124 member papers. The order of finish will be announced at an awards luncheon on Friday, June 16, at the AAN annual convention in Little Rock, which will be emceed by Michael Tisserand, former editor of Gambit Weekly. Finalists are listed in alphabetical order by newspaper. Links to the winning articles will be added as they become available.
Arts Criticism
Circulation >50,000
- Boston Phoenix, Jeffrey Gantz, “Gender Benders?,” “Dante, Dude,” “The Many, the One, and the Two“
- Fort Worth Weekly, Kristian Lin, “Africa Screams,” “Diary of a Mad White Woman,” “Chow Fun“
- Nashville Scene, Jim Ridley, “Blown Opportunity,” “Lost in the Stars,” “Pulling Punch Lines“
- Washington City Paper, Jeffry Cudlin, “Objects of Scorn,” “Memory Pictures,” “Poise II Men“
Circulation <=50,000
- Independent Weekly, Byron Woods, “Desires vs. Duties,” “De-Evolution, Albee Style,” “Down, Home“
- Pacific Northwest Inlander, Michael Bowen, “Drastic Romantic,” “Evil’s Puppets,” “Raven’s Son“
- San Antonio Current, Elaine Wolff, “Private Texas,” “Grand Theft History,” “Feeling Negative“
- San Antonio Current, Steven G. Kellman, “Playing with the Passion,” “Attachment Disorder,” “Going Down in History in Flames“
Circulation >50,000
- East Bay Express, David Downs, “Roboscalper“
- Phoenix New Times, Jimmy Magahern, “Big Cheese“
- Riverfront Times, Malcolm Gay, “Unfinished Symphony“
- Seattle Weekly, Roger Downey, “Tough Love for the Arts“
Circulation <=50,000
- Folio Weekly, Owen Holmes, “Lunatic Fringe”
- Gambit Weekly, David Lee Simmons, “Panic Attack“
- San Antonio Current, Gillian Fassel, “Lush Be a Lady“
- Seven Days, Paula Routly, “Diamonds and Rusty“
Appearing in four or more publications
- E.J. Pettinger, Mild Abandon (pdf)
- Tom Tomorrow, This Modern World: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 (pdfs)
- Ruben Bolling, Tom the Dancing Bug
Appearing in three or fewer publications
- Bruce Eric Kaplan, BEK: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 (pdfs)
- Ed Harrington, The HR Department: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 (pdfs)
- Dwayne Booth, Image Control by Mr. Fish: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 (pdfs)
Circulation >50,000
- Baltimore City Paper, Vincent Williams, Social Studies: “Mike in Five,” “Story Time,” “The N-Word“
- OC Weekly, Gustavo Arellano, ¡Ask a Mexican!: (1/6/05), (4/14/05), (10/7/05)
- Philadelphia Weekly, Katie Haegele, The Dubliner: “Are Ye About?,” “Twilight’s Slow Burn,” “Defacing Castles“
- Westword, Patricia Calhoun, “A Piece of the Action,” “Screwed for Life,” “A Peace of the Action“
Circulation <=50,000
- Fairfield County Weekly, Bruce George Wingate, “Foq Burger King,” “Requiem for a Dive Bar,” “_appy Birthda_ T_ Yo_!“
- Illinois Times, Dusty Rhodes, “Bad Boys,” “One for the Books,” “The Natural“
- Independent Weekly, Derek Jennings, “Snow Job,” “Hoes for Healthcare,” “Welcome to the Terrordome“
- Metroland, Miriam Axel-Lute, “Crimes of Passion,” “Many Shades of Bi,” “The Price of Fear“
- Orlando Weekly, Steve Schneider, “Cold Cocked,” “Pray Canst Thou Hear Me Now?,” “More Letters from Harriet Miers“
Circulation >50,000
- Creative Loafing (Charlotte), Tara Servatius, Citizen Servatius: “Bob’s Boys in Blue,” “Misdemeanor Homicide,” “Dr. Feelbad“
- OC Weekly, Rebecca Schoenkopf, Commie Girl: “A Mob of One,” “Bring ‘Em On,” “We Must Have Syph“
- Oklahoma Gazette, Robin Meyers, “The Irony of a ‘Christian’ Inauguration,” “Which Commandments Should Hang on the Wall?” “Flag Desecration“
- The Pitch, C.J. Janovy, “Dr. Phill,” “Blunt Trauma,” “Good Night and Good God“
- Pittsburgh City Paper, Chris Potter, “Justice Perverted,” “Attention-Starved,” “Magical Thinking“
Circulation <=50,000
- Jackson Free Press, Donna Ladd, “Take the Time To Do It Right,” “The Hope Sleeps Tonight,” “We Need a Mayor, Not a Daddy“
- Portland Phoenix, Al Diamon, Politics and Other Mistakes: “I’m Afraid of Me,” “Unskinny Bop,” “Tonight, the Bottle Let Me Down“
- Seven Days, Judith Levine, Poli Psy: “Uncivil Disobedience,” “Drowned Out,” “Body Politic“
- The Texas Observer, Andrew Wheat, “A Homeowner Nails Bob Perry,” “Muckraker Katrina,” “DeLay’s Beautiful Laundrette“
Circulation >50,000
- Las Vegas Weekly, Benjamen Purvis, “Crime Scene,” “Dirtiest Story Ever Told,” “Guide to Strip Production Shows“
- Riverfront Times, Tom Carlson, “Mike Seely’s Guide to the Final Four,” “Behold the Forty,” “Horse & Scissors“
- SF Weekly, Darrick Rainey, “San Francisco Dog Court,” “My Dinner with White Supremacists,” “Rise of the Podcasting People“
- Weekly Alibi, Nathan Paolinelli and Jeff Drew, “The Real ID Act,” “The Worry Issue,” “Holiday Film Guide”
Circulation <=50,000
- Pasadena Weekly, Agnes Carrera, Michael Germana, and Dan Santat, “Green Machines,” “Confessions of an ex-Commie,” “Flight Paths of Death”
- Reno News & Review, David Jayne, David Robert, and Sandra Hoover, “Confessions of an eBay Opium Addict,” “Women Against the System,” “War of the Energy Worlds“
- Santa Barbara Independent, Matt Ansoorian, Bill Kienzel, Tanner Goldbeck, and Branden Aroyan, “Hydrogen Man,” “Summer Solstice,” “Surf“
- Style Weekly, Jeffrey Bland, “Original Tales,” “Pomp and Circumstances,” “Sympathy for the Devil“
Circulation >50,000
- Austin Chronicle, Jordan Smith, “Crackpot Crackdown“
- City Pages, Beth Hawkins, “Little Court of Horrors“
- Phoenix New Times, Sarah Fenske, Robert Nelson, Jimmy Magahern, Paul Rubin, and Joe Watson, “The Perfect Drug“
- Westword, Luke Turf, “Lost & Found“
Circulation <=50,000
- Boulder Weekly, Joel Warner, “Chemical Casualties“
- Fairfield County Weekly, Brita Belli, “Searching for Justice“
- Pacific Sun, Jill Kramer, “Overprescribed Drugs“
Circulation >50,000
- Baltimore City Paper, “XXXXXXXL” (pdf)
- Miami New Times, “Extra Innings“
- Miami New Times, “Cool and Collected“
- Seattle Weekly, “Rising and Shining”: 1 and 2 (pdfs)
- Washington City Paper, “Head, Shoulders, Knees & Woes”: 1, 2, 3 and 4
Circulation <=50,000
- The Coast, “No Place to Go” (pdf)
- The Coast, “Y“
- Monterey County Weekly, “Inside Eden” (pdf)
- Style Weekly, “Right Place, Right Time”: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 (pdfs)
Circulation >50,000
- East Bay Express, Will Harper, “A Man Named Sue“
- L.A. Weekly, Judith Lewis, “Green To The Core“
- Phoenix New Times, Joe Watson, “Baby Man“
- Washington City Paper, Jason Cherkis, “Death of a Salesman“
Circulation <=50,000
- Arkansas Times, Leslie Newell Peacock, “Lord God!“
- Jackson Free Press, Casey Parks, “No Apologies: Inside Mississippi’s Pro-Life Movement“
- Style Weekly, Brandon Walters, “Hope Floats“
Circulation >50,000
- City Pages, Dara Moskowitz, “Sweet, Sweet Liberty,” “Chef Driven,” “Rustica Rising”
- Creative Loafing, Bill Addison, “Creature Feature,” “Globe-trotting to India,” “Dream Team“
- L.A. Weekly, Jonathan Gold, “The Revolutionary,” “Raw Power,” “Sex and the Steak House“
- The Pitch, Charles Ferruzza, “Big Mac Attack,” “Whiz Kid,” “High Steaks“
Circulation <=50,000
- Missoula Independent, Ari LeVaux, “Grubshedding“
- Mountain Xpress, Mackensy Lunsford, “Five Points Restaurant,” “Shangri La Cafe,” “Twin Cousins Kitchen“
- North Bay Bohemian, Ella Lawrence, “Bistro Incognito,” “As the Creek Dries,” “Biodynamic Berries“
- Pacific Northwest Inlander, Ann M. Colford, “Patience Is Sweet“
Circulation >50,000
- NOW Magazine, Enzo DiMatteo, “Fight Organized Crime” (pdf)
- Riverfront Times, Staff, “Unreal Presents Soulard Mardi Gras Bingo” (pdf)
- SF Weekly, Tommy Craggs, “Remembering Our Camelot” (pdf)
- Westword, Kenny Be, “Worst Case Scenario” (pdf)
Circulation <=50,000
- Boise Weekly, Nicholas Collias, Erin Ruiz, and Leila Ramella, “BW’s City Council Starting Line-up (pdf)
- C-Ville Weekly, John Borgmeyer, Nell Boeschenstein, Mike Uriss, and Bill LeSueur, “Here It Comes!” (pdf)
- Monterey County Weekly, Jessica Lyons, “It’s Our Water — The Heroic History of Measure W” (pdf)
- Orlando Weekly, Staff, “A Modest Proposal” (pdf)
Circulation >50,000
- Nashville Scene, James Yamasaki, “Confessions of a Substitute Teacher“
- Philadelphia Weekly, Tim Gough, “Christmas Bush“
- Philadelphia Weekly, Justin DeGarmo, “Snowman Robot“
- Seattle Weekly, Tra Selhtrow, “Bill Gates“
Circulation <=50,000
- The Coast, Kate O’Connor, “The Holiday Planner“
- Santa Fe Reporter, Chris Buzelli and Angela Moore, “Losing Choice“
- Seven Days, Jo Scott, “Risky Business“
- Pasadena Weekly, Glenda Chiu, “Biting Back”
Circulation >50,000
- Boston Phoenix, David S. Bernstein, Worst Homicide Squad series: “Did he murder his mother?“; “Where’s the evidence?“; “The Worst Homicide Squad in the Country“; “Unfinished Business“; “No End in Sight”
- Boston’s Weekly Dig, Paul McMorrow, “Bomb Bait“
- San Francisco Bay Guardian, A.C. Thompson, “The Fall Guy”
- Willamette Week, Nigel Jaquiss, PGE Series: “The PGE Papers“; “Generating Spin“; “The Electric Marionettes“; “PGE’s Windfall“; “Enron’s Tax,” “The New Deal,” “Pants on Fire,” “PGE’s Taxing Story“
Circulation <=50,000
- Colorado Springs Independent, Cara DeGette, “All Shook Up“
- Folio Weekly, Susan Clark Armstrong, “Beat By The System“
- Jackson Free Press, Donna Ladd, The Road to Meadville series: “I Want Justice Too“; Evolution of a Man“; “A Dream Deferred“; “Just Rewards“
- The Texas Observer, Dave Mann, “A Death in McAllen“
Circulation >50,000
- L.A. Weekly, Nikki Finke, Deadline Hollywood: 1, 2, and 3
- New Times Broward-Palm Beach, Bob Norman, “Knight Riddance,” “Westside’s Stories,” “Spreading the Plame“
- Pittsburgh City Paper, Chris Potter, “We’ve Got Issues“
- Riverfront Times, Chad Garrison and Malcolm Gay, “Pulitzer’s Pain,” “Pulitzer’s Gain“
- The Village Voice, Sydney Schanberg, Press Clips: “Not a Pretty Picture“; “Hear Novak Tell All“; “All the Reporter’s Men“
Circulation <=50,000
- Independent Weekly, Fiona Morgan, “Paxton May Have Overpaid,” “Rock Talk Is History at WRDU,” “Big Cable“
- Jackson Free Press, Todd Stauffer, “The ‘Perception’ of the Ledger,” “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Sensational Suburban Legends“
- Orlando Weekly, Leigh de Armas, “Feeding Frenzy“
- City Newspaper, Krestia DeGeorge, “Dollars or Sense?,” “What Next?,” “(Tele)vision Quest“
Circulation >50,000
- Creative Loafing (Charlotte), Kandia Crazy Horse, “The New Mythology,” “The Real Y’Alternative” (pdf), “No Sympathy for the Devils” (pdf)
- East Bay Express, Rob Harvilla, Down in Front: “The Titmaster Tommy Lee“; “Race Against Rockism“; “Powerpop for Now People“
- The Memphis Flyer, Chris Herrington, “Out of the Woods,” “Country Sucks?,” “Informed Regret“
- Washington City Paper, Sarah Godfrey, “Keeping Up with the Joneses,” “Incorrect Change,” “Principle Playa”
Circulation <=50,000
- LEO Weekly, Stephen George, “Boys, Express Yourselves“
- Metroland, John Brodeur, “Spring Forward,” “Worth The Wait,” “All The Right Moves“
- City Newspaper, Frank De Blase, “It’s Saturday Night,” “Best of the Wurst,” “Classical for a Dummy“
- Santa Fe Reporter, Jonanna Widner, J Spot: “Circus World“; “Prior Restraint“; “Bad Reputation Indeed”
Circulation >50,000
- Fort Worth Weekly, Pablo Lastra, “Hijacking at the Hospital“
- New Times Broward-Palm Beach, Wyatt Olson, “Attack of the Killer Weed“
- NUVO, Laura McPhee, “For Sale“
- Phoenix New Times, Robert Nelson, “Cross to Bare“
Circulation <=50,000
- Gambit Weekly, Katy Reckdahl, “St. Joseph’s Night Gone Blue“
- Independent Weekly, Sue Sturgis, “Guards Sound Alarm Over Security at Nuclear Plant“
- Portland Phoenix, Lance Tapley, “Torture in Maine’s Prison“
- The Texas Observer, Dave Mann, “Getting Plucked“
Circulation >50,000
- Boston’s Weekly Dig, Paul McMorrow, “The Mitt Romney Assisted Suicide Initiative,” “Landsmark Revisited,” “Brian Lees“
- Philadelphia Weekly, Kia Gregory, “Targeting the Market,” “A Snitch in Time,” “Moving Target“
- Riverfront Times, Kristen Hinman, “The Case of the Stained Glass Bandit,” “Current Event,” “Irons in the Fire“
- Westword, Alan Prendergast, “If the Shoe Fits,” “Welcome to America,” “Duke of Oil“
Circulation <=50,000
- Charleston City Paper, Bill Davis, “Off Da Hook,” “Free At Last?,” “Football, Pizza and FEMA”
- Jackson Free Press, Adam Lynch, “Evacuees Face Confusion,” “Bellsouth Looting Competitors?,” “Booting Deliquents“
- Metroland, Rick Marshall, “Size Matters,” “Hold the Spice,” “Finished in an Unfinished Sort of Way“
- Monday Magazine, Andrew MacLeod, “The Terrorist Brand,” “Better Off on Their Own,” “Off the Caseload“
Circulation >50,000
- Cincinnati Citybeat, Cameron Knight, “A Gentle Faith”: 1 and 2 (pdfs)
- Creative Loafing, Jim Stawniak, “Losing Hanna, Part 2”
- Philadelphia Weekly, Jeff Fusco, “We Have Been Blessed”: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11
- Seattle Weekly, Bootsy Holler, “Naked Ambition”: 1, 2 and 3 (pdfs)
Circulation <=50,000
- Charleston City Paper, Nancy Santos, “A-Z Charleston Artists – A Photo Essay”
- Folio Weekly, Walter Coker, “Under the Bridge”: 1 and 2 (pdfs)
- Illinois Times, Michael Brown, “At the Crossroads”: 1, 2, and 3
- Ventura County Reporter, Jeff Clark, “My Cuba“
Circulation >50,000
- City Pages, “Minnesota’s Greatest Hits”
- L.A. Weekly, “Best of L.A.”
- Philadelphia City Paper, “CP Choice”
- Oklahoma Gazette, “State of the Children”
Circulation <=50,000
- Boise Weekly, “Best of Boise 2005”
- Charleston City Paper, “DISH”
- The Coast, “Back to School Supplement”
- Seven Days, “7 Nights: Regional Guide to Vermont Dining and Nightlife”
Circulation >50,000
- Baltimore City Paper, citypaper.com
- Metro Times, metrotimes.com
- Seattle Weekly, seattleweekly.com
- The Village Voice, villagevoice.com
Circulation <=50,000
- Jackson Free Press, jacksonfreepress.com
- Tucson Weekly, tucsonweekly.com
- The Coast, thecoast.ca
- Seven Days, sevendaysvt.com
