The winners of the 2006 AltWeekly Awards were announced today in Little Rock, Ark., at a luncheon held as part of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies’ Annual Convention.
The event was hosted by Michael Tisserand, former editor of Gambit Weekly, who provided the perfect mix of serious subject matter and light-hearted humor while announcing who would receive trophies in 20 categories and two size divisions.
Tisserand choked up as he thanked the AAN members for contributing to the Gambit Relief fund last year. He also hurled Hubig’s Pies, a New Orleans delicacy, into the audience. A separate story on the luncheon is posted here.
Canadian paper The Coast was this year’s big winner, taking both first and second place in Editorial Layout, as well as first place in the Illustration and Web site categories (small circulation division). The Coast also earned an Honorable Mention for its Special Section entry.
OC Weekly dominated the large-circulation column categories, with Gustavo Arellano’s “Ask a Mexican!” taking first place for Column, and Rebecca Schoenkopf’s “Commie Girl” winning Political Column. The latter was simply described as “funny — very funny” in a judge’s comment read aloud by Tisserand.
In fact, the awards were widely distributed this year. Creative Loafing (Atlanta) was the only newspaper other than OC Weekly and The Coast to win more than one first-place award: It got nods for Bill Addison’s food column and Jim Stawniak’s photography. (Style Weekly took two first-place awards when Ed Harrington’s win in the cartoon category is included.)
There were familiar names among the first-place winners, such as photographer Walter Coker of Folio Weekly, who had won six previous awards, or Willamette Week’s Nigel Jaquiss, who topped the investigative reporting category (large division) for the second year in a row, this time for what the judges labeled “dogged reporting” on the proposed sale of Portland General Electric.
Arkansas Times, the convention’s host paper, topped the Feature Story category (small division) for “Lord God,” Leslie Newell Peacock’s take on the ivory-bill woodpecker, a story that was in in the news last month when its structure was, ahem, borrowed in a New York Times piece.
Krestia DeGeorge of City Newspaper placed first in the smaller circulation section of the Media Reporting/Criticism category, earning him the Connye Miller Award, a cash prize of $300. Matt Spaur endowed the award in the memory of his wife, who was the founding editor of The Local Planet Weekly in Spokane, Wash., and, along with him, its co-publisher. She died in June 2003 of porphyria.
This is the 11th year of the annual awards contest, which recognizes the best work from the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies’ 124 member papers. In addition to receiving a trophy, first-place winners will be collected in a book, Best AltWeekly Writing and Design 2006.
The winners are:
Arts Criticism
Circulation <=50,000
First Place: San Antonio Current, Steven G. Kellman, “Playing with the Passion,” “Attachment Disorder,” “Going Down in History in Flames“
Second Place: Independent Weekly, Byron Woods, “Desires vs. Duties,” “De-Evolution, Albee Style,” “Down, Home“
Third Place: San Antonio Current, Elaine Wolff, “Private Texas,” “Grand Theft History,” “Feeling Negative“
Honorable Mention: Pacific Northwest Inlander, Michael Bowen, “Drastic Romantic,” “Evil’s Puppets,” “Raven’s Son“
Arts Criticism
Circulation >50,000
First Place: Nashville Scene, Jim Ridley, “Blown Opportunity,” “Lost in the Stars,” “Pulling Punch Lines“
Second Place: Fort Worth Weekly, Kristian Lin, “Africa Screams,” “Diary of a Mad White Woman,” “Chow Fun“
Third Place: Washington City Paper, Jeffry Cudlin, “Objects of Scorn,” “Memory Pictures,” “Poise II Men“
Honorable Mention: Boston Phoenix, Jeffrey Gantz, “Gender Benders?,” “Dante, Dude,” “The Many, the One, and the Two“
Arts Feature
Circulation <=50,000
First Place: Gambit Weekly, David Lee Simmons, “Panic Attack“
Second Place: Seven Days, Paula Routly, “Diamonds and Rusty“
Third Place: San Antonio Current, Gillian Fassel, “Lush Be a Lady“
Honorable Mention: Folio Weekly, Owen Holmes, “Lunatic Fringe” (pdf)
Arts Feature
Circulation >50,000
First Place: East Bay Express, David Downs, “Roboscalper“
Second Place (tie): Phoenix New Times, Jimmy Magahern, “Big Cheese“
Second Place (tie) Riverfront Times, Malcolm Gay, “Unfinished Symphony“
Third Place: Seattle Weekly, Roger Downey, “Tough Love for the Arts“
Cartoons
Appearing in three or fewer publications
First Place: Ed Harrington, The HR Department: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 (pdfs)
Second Place: Bruce Eric Kaplan, BEK: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 (pdfs)
Third Place: Dwayne Booth, Image Control by Mr. Fish: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 (pdfs)
Cartoons
Appearing in four or more publications
First Place: E.J. Pettinger, Mild Abandon (pdf)
Second Place: Ruben Bolling, Tom the Dancing Bug
Third Place: Tom Tomorrow, This Modern World: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 (pdfs)
Column
Circulation <=50,000
First Place: Metroland, Miriam Axel-Lute, “Crimes of Passion,” “Many Shades of Bi,” “The Price of Fear“
Second Place: Fairfield County Weekly, Bruce George Wingate, “Foq Burger King,” “Requiem for a Dive Bar,” “_appy Birthda_ T_ Yo_!“
Third Place: Orlando Weekly, Steve Schneider, “Cold Cocked,” “Pray Canst Thou Hear Me Now?,” “More Letters from Harriet Miers“
Honorable Mention (tie): Illinois Times, Dusty Rhodes, “Bad Boys,” “One for the Books,” “The Natural“
Honorable Mention (tie): Independent Weekly, Derek Jennings, “Snow Job,” “Hoes for Healthcare,” “Welcome to the Terrordome“
Column
Circulation >50,000
First Place: OC Weekly, Gustavo Arellano, ¡Ask a Mexican!: (1/6/05), (4/14/05), (10/7/05)
Second Place: Baltimore City Paper, Vincent Williams, Social Studies: “Mike in Five,” “Story Time,” “The N-Word“
Third Place: Philadelphia Weekly, Katie Haegele, The Dubliner: “Are Ye About?,” “Twilight’s Slow Burn,” “Defacing Castles“
Honorable Mention: Westword, Patricia Calhoun, “A Piece of the Action,” “Screwed for Life,” “A Peace of the Action“
Column – Political
Circulation <=50,000
First Place: Seven Days, Judith Levine, Poli Psy: “Uncivil Disobedience,” “Drowned Out,” “Body Politic“
Second Place: Jackson Free Press, Donna Ladd, “Take the Time To Do It Right,” “The Hope Sleeps Tonight,” “We Need a Mayor, Not a Daddy“
Third Place: The Texas Observer, Andrew Wheat, “A Homeowner Nails Bob Perry,” “Muckraker Katrina,” “DeLay’s Beautiful Laundrette“
Column – Political
Circulation >50,000
First Place: OC Weekly, Rebecca Schoenkopf, Commie Girl: “A Mob of One,” “Bring ‘Em On,” “We Must Have Syph“
Second Place: Creative Loafing (Charlotte), Tara Servatius, Citizen Servatius: “Bob’s Boys in Blue,” “Misdemeanor Homicide,” “Dr. Feelbad“
Third Place (tie): The Pitch, C.J. Janovy, “Dr. Phill,” “Blunt Trauma,” “Good Night and Good God“
Third Place (Tie): Pittsburgh City Paper, Chris Potter, “Justice Perverted,” “Attention-Starved,” “Magical Thinking“
Honorable Mention: Oklahoma Gazette, Robin Meyers, “The Irony of a ‘Christian’ Inauguration,” “Which Commandments Should Hang on the Wall?” “Flag Desecration“
Cover Design
Circulation <=50,000
First Place: Style Weekly, Jeffrey Bland, “Original Tales,” “Pomp and Circumstances,” “Sympathy for the Devil“
Second Place: 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“
Third Place: Pasadena Weekly, Agnes Carrera, Michael Germana, and Dan Santat, “Green Machines,” “Confessions of an ex-Commie,” “Flight Paths of Death”
Honorable Mention: Santa Barbara Independent, Matt Ansoorian, Bill Kienzel, Tanner Goldbeck, and Branden Aroyan, “Hydrogen Man,” “Summer Solstice,” “Surf“
Cover Design
Circulation >50,000
First Place: Las Vegas Weekly, Benjamen Purvis, “Crime Scene,” “Dirtiest Story Ever Told,” “Guide to Strip Production Shows“
Second Place: Riverfront Times, Tom Carlson, “Mike Seely’s Guide to the Final Four,” “Behold the Forty,” “Horse & Scissors“
Third Place: SF Weekly, Darrick Rainey, “San Francisco Dog Court,” “My Dinner with White Supremacists,” “Rise of the Podcasting People“
Honorable Mention: Weekly Alibi, Nathan Paolinelli and Jeff Drew, “The Real ID Act,” “The Worry Issue,” “Holiday Film Guide“
Drugs Reporting
Circulation <=50,000
First Place: Fairfield County Weekly, Brita Belli, “Searching for Justice“
Second Place: Pacific Sun, Jill Kramer, “Overprescribed Drugs“
Third Place: Boulder Weekly, Joel Warner, “Chemical Casualties“
Drugs Reporting
Circulation >50,000
First Place: Austin Chronicle, Jordan Smith, “Crackpot Crackdown“
Second Place: Phoenix New Times, Sarah Fenske, Robert Nelson, Jimmy Magahern, Paul Rubin, and Joe Watson, “The Perfect Drug“
Third Place: Westword, Luke Turf, “Lost & Found“
Honorable Mention: City Pages, Beth Hawkins, “Little Court of Horrors“
Editorial Layout
Circulation <=50,000
First Place: The Coast, “No Place to Go” (pdf)
Second Place: The Coast, “Y“
Third Place: Style Weekly, “Right Place, Right Time”: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 (pdfs)
Honorable Mention: Monterey County Weekly, “Inside Eden” (pdf)
Editorial Layout
Circulation >50,000
First Place: Baltimore City Paper, “XXXXXXXL” (pdf)
Second Place: Seattle Weekly, “Rising and Shining”: 1 and 2 (pdfs)
Third Place: Miami New Times, “Cool and Collected“
Honorable Mention (tie): Miami New Times, “Extra Innings“
Honorable Mention (tie): Washington City Paper, “Head, Shoulders, Knees & Woes”: 1, 2, 3 and 4
Feature Story
Circulation <=50,000
First Place: Arkansas Times, Leslie Newell Peacock, “Lord God!“
Second Place: Style Weekly, Brandon Walters, “Hope Floats“
Third Place: Jackson Free Press, Casey Parks, “No Apologies: Inside Mississippi’s Pro-Life Movement“
Feature Story
Circulation >50,000
First Place: Phoenix New Times, Joe Watson, “Baby Man“
Second Place: Washington City Paper, Jason Cherkis, “Death of a Salesman“
Third Place: L.A. Weekly, Judith Lewis, “Green To The Core“
Honorable Mention: East Bay Express, Will Harper, “A Man Named Sue“
Food Writing
Circulation <=50,000
First Place: Pacific Northwest Inlander, Ann M. Colford, “Patience Is Sweet“
Second Place: Mountain Xpress, Mackensy Lunsford, “Five Points Restaurant,” “Shangri La Cafe,” “Twin Cousins Kitchen“
Third Place: North Bay Bohemian, Ella Lawrence, “Bistro Incognito,” “As the Creek Dries,” “Biodynamic Berries“
Honorable Mention: Missoula Independent, Ari LeVaux, “Grubshedding“
Food Writing
Circulation >50,000
First Place: Creative Loafing, Bill Addison, “Creature Feature,” “Globe-trotting to India,” “Dream Team“
Second Place: L.A. Weekly, Jonathan Gold, “The Revolutionary,” “Raw Power,” “Sex and the Steak House“
Third Place: City Pages, Dara Moskowitz, “Sweet, Sweet Liberty,” “Chef Driven,” “Rustica Rising”
Honorable Mention: The Pitch, Charles Ferruzza, “Big Mac Attack,” “Whiz Kid,” “High Steaks“
Format Buster
Circulation <=50,000
First Place: Monterey County Weekly, Jessica Lyons, “It’s Our Water — The Heroic History of Measure W” (pdf)
Second Place: Boise Weekly, Nicholas Collias, Erin Ruiz, and Leila Ramella, “BW’s City Council Starting Line-up (pdf)
Third Place: Orlando Weekly, Staff, “A Modest Proposal” (pdf)
Honorable Mention: C-Ville Weekly, John Borgmeyer, Nell Boeschenstein, Mike Uriss, and Bill LeSueur, “Here It Comes!” (pdf)
Format Buster
Circulation >50,000
First Place: Riverfront Times, Staff, “Unreal Presents Soulard Mardi Gras Bingo” (pdf)
Second Place: Westword, Kenny Be, “Worst Case Scenario” (pdf)
Third Place: SF Weekly, Tommy Craggs, “Remembering Our Camelot” (pdf)
Honorable Mention: NOW Magazine, Enzo DiMatteo, “Fight Organized Crime” (pdf)
Illustration
Circulation <=50,000
First Place: The Coast, Kate O’Connor, “The Holiday Planner“
Second Place: Pasadena Weekly, Glenda Chiu, “Biting Back”
Third Place (tie): Santa Fe Reporter, Chris Buzelli and Angela Moore, “Losing Choice“
Third Place (tie): Seven Days, Jo Scott, “Risky Business“
Illustration
Circulation >50,000
First Place: Philadelphia Weekly, Justin DeGarmo, “Snowman Robot“
Second Place: Nashville Scene, James Yamasaki, “Confessions of a Substitute Teacher“
Third Place: Seattle Weekly, Tra Selhtrow, “Bill Gates“
Honorable Mention: Philadelphia Weekly, Tim Gough, “Christmas Bush“
Investigative Reporting
Circulation <=50,000
First Place: The Texas Observer, Dave Mann, “A Death in McAllen“
Second Place: Jackson Free Press, Donna Ladd, The Road to Meadville series: “I Want Justice Too“; Evolution of a Man“; “A Dream Deferred“; “Just Rewards“
Third Place: Colorado Springs Independent, Cara DeGette, “All Shook Up“
Honorable Mention: Folio Weekly, Susan Clark Armstrong, “Beat By The System“
Investigative Reporting
Circulation >50,000
First Place: 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“
Second Place: 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”
Third Place: San Francisco Bay Guardian, A.C. Thompson, “The Fall Guy”
Honorable Mention: Boston’s Weekly Dig, Paul McMorrow, “Bomb Bait“
Media Reporting/Criticism
Circulation <=50,000
First Place: City Newspaper, Krestia DeGeorge, “Dollars or Sense?,” “What Next?,” “(Tele)vision Quest“
Second Place: Jackson Free Press, Todd Stauffer, “The ‘Perception’ of the Ledger,” “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Sensational Suburban Legends“
Third Place: Independent Weekly, Fiona Morgan, “Paxton May Have Overpaid,” “Rock Talk Is History at WRDU,” “Big Cable“
Honorable Mention: Orlando Weekly, Leigh de Armas, “Feeding Frenzy“
Media Reporting/Criticism
Circulation >50,000
First Place: L.A. Weekly, Nikki Finke, Deadline Hollywood: 1, 2, and 3
Second Place: The Village Voice, Sydney Schanberg, Press Clips: “Not a Pretty Picture“; “Hear Novak Tell All“; “All the Reporter’s Men“
Third Place (tie): New Times Broward-Palm Beach, Bob Norman, “Knight Riddance,” “Westside’s Stories,” “Spreading the Plame“
Third Place (tie): Riverfront Times, Chad Garrison and Malcolm Gay, “Pulitzer’s Pain,” “Pulitzer’s Gain“
Honorable Mention: Pittsburgh City Paper, Chris Potter, “We’ve Got Issues“
Music Criticism
Circulation <=50,000
First Place: Santa Fe Reporter, Jonanna Widner, J Spot: “Circus World“; “Prior Restraint“; “Bad Reputation Indeed”
Second Place: Metroland, John Brodeur, “Spring Forward,” “Worth The Wait,” “All The Right Moves“
Third Place: LEO Weekly, Stephen George, “Boys, Express Yourselves“
Honorable Mention: City Newspaper, Frank De Blase, “It’s Saturday Night,” “Best of the Wurst,” “Classical for a Dummy“
Music Criticism
Circulation >50,000
First Place: Washington City Paper, Sarah Godfrey, “Keeping Up with the Joneses,” “Incorrect Change,” “Principle Playa” (pdf)
Second Place: Creative Loafing (Charlotte), Kandia Crazy Horse, “The New Mythology,” “The Real Y’Alternative” (pdf), “No Sympathy for the Devils” (pdf)
Third Place: East Bay Express, Rob Harvilla, Down in Front: “The Titmaster Tommy Lee“; “Race Against Rockism“; “Powerpop for Now People“
Honorable Mention: The Memphis Flyer, Chris Herrington, “Out of the Woods,” “Country Sucks?,” “Informed Regret“
News Story – Long Form
Circulation <=50,000
First Place: Portland Phoenix, Lance Tapley, “Torture in Maine’s Prison“
Second Place: Gambit Weekly, Katy Reckdahl, “St. Joseph’s Night Gone Blue“
Third Place: Independent Weekly, Sue Sturgis, “Guards Sound Alarm Over Security at Nuclear Plant“
Honorable Mention: The Texas Observer, Dave Mann, “Getting Plucked“
News Story – Long Form
Circulation >50,000
First Place: New Times Broward-Palm Beach, Wyatt Olson, “Attack of the Killer Weed“
Second Place: NUVO, Laura McPhee, “For Sale“
Third Place: Phoenix New Times, Robert Nelson, “Cross to Bare“
Honorable Mention: Fort Worth Weekly, Pablo Lastra, “Hijacking at the Hospital“
News Story – Short Form
Circulation <=50,000
First Place: Jackson Free Press, Adam Lynch, “Evacuees Face Confusion,” “Bellsouth Looting Competitors?,” “Booting Deliquents“
Second Place: Metroland, Rick Marshall, “Size Matters,” “Hold the Spice,” “Finished in an Unfinished Sort of Way“
Third Place: Charleston City Paper, Bill Davis, “Off Da Hook,” “Free At Last?,” “Football, Pizza and FEMA”
Honorable Mention: Monday Magazine, Andrew MacLeod, “The Terrorist Brand,” “Better Off on Their Own,” “Off the Caseload“
News Story – Short Form
Circulation >50,000
First Place: Westword, Alan Prendergast, “If the Shoe Fits,” “Welcome to America,” “Duke of Oil“
Second Place: Riverfront Times, Kristen Hinman, “The Case of the Stained Glass Bandit,” “Current Event,” “Irons in the Fire“
Third Place: Boston’s Weekly Dig, Paul McMorrow, “The Mitt Romney Assisted Suicide Initiative,” “Landsmark Revisited,” “Brian Lees“
Honorable Mention: Philadelphia Weekly, Kia Gregory, “Targeting the Market,” “A Snitch in Time,” “Moving Target“
Photography
Circulation <=50,000
First Place: Folio Weekly, Walter Coker, “Under the Bridge”: 1 and 2 (pdfs)
Second Place: Charleston City Paper, Nancy Santos, “A-Z Charleston Artists – A Photo Essay”
Third Place: Ventura County Reporter, Jeff Clark, “My Cuba“
Honorable Mention: Illinois Times, Michael Brown, “At the Crossroads”: 1, 2, and 3
Photography
Circulation >50,000
First Place: Creative Loafing, Jim Stawniak, “Losing Hanna, Part 2“
Second Place: Philadelphia Weekly, Jeff Fusco, “We Have Been Blessed”: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11
Third Place: Cincinnati Citybeat, Cameron Knight, “A Gentle Faith”: 1 and 2 (pdfs)
Honorable Mention: Seattle Weekly, Bootsy Holler, “Naked Ambition”: 1, 2 and 3 (pdfs)
Special Section
Circulation <=50,000
First Place: Charleston City Paper, “DISH”
Second Place: Seven Days, “7 Nights: Regional Guide to Vermont Dining and Nightlife”
Third Place: Boise Weekly, “Best of Boise 2005”
Honorable Mention: The Coast, “Back to School Supplement”
Special Section
Circulation >50,000
First Place: Philadelphia City Paper, “CP Choice”
Second Place: L.A. Weekly, “Best of L.A.”
Third Place: City Pages, “Minnesota’s Greatest Hits”
Honorable Mention: Oklahoma Gazette, “State of the Children”
Web Site
Circulation <=50,000
First Place: The Coast, thecoast.ca
Second Place: Seven Days, sevendaysvt.com
Third Place: Tucson Weekly, tucsonweekly.com
Honorable Mention: Jackson Free Press, jacksonfreepress.com
Web Site
Circulation >50,000
First Place: Seattle Weekly, seattleweekly.com
Second Place: The Village Voice, villagevoice.com
Third Place: Baltimore City Paper, citypaper.com
Honorable Mention: Metro Times, metrotimes.com
