The finalists for the 2016 AAN Awards have been selected. The finalists below were chosen as the most outstanding from a field of 821 entries submitted by 70 alternative publications across the U.S. and Canada.
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. Judging was conducted by the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland.
The winners will be announced during a reception on July 9 at the AAN Convention in Austin, Texas.
Finalists below are listed alphabetically by paper. Categories with four or more finalists indicate either a tie or an honorable mention. Categories with less than three finalists indicate that a 3rd place was not awarded.
CASH PRIZE CATEGORIES
FEATURE STORY circulation under 45,000
Winner will receive $200 funded by Isthmus founder Vince O’Hern.
Arkansas Times: A Killing in Pocahontas by Will Stephenson
Cleveland Scene: The Corvette Thief by Vince Grzegorek
East Bay Express: Racial Profiling Via Nextdoor.com by Sam Levin
Santa Barbara Independent: Sea Lions by Nick Welsh
FEATURE STORY circulation 45,000 & over
Winner will receive $200 funded by Isthmus founder Vince O’Hern.
L.A. Weekly: How a Dogged DEA Agent Unraveled the CIA’s Alleged Role in the Murder of Kiki Camarena by Jason McGahan
Metro Times: Out From Under by Allie Gross
OC Weekly: Accused Murderer Awaits Execution While OC Prosecutors Hide Exculpatory DNA by R. Scott Moxley
Washington City Paper: Club Dread by Will Sommer
FREE SPEECH
Winner will receive $400 funded by Monterey County Weekly founder & CEO Bradley Zeve.
Jackson Free Press: Taking on Secretive PACs in Mississippi (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX; X) by Arielle Dreher and Donna Ladd
Monterey County Weekly: True Confessions: The Case of Father Edward Fitz-Henry by Sara Rubin and Mary Duan
North Coast Journal: Exempt from Disclosure (I; II; III; IV) by Thadeus Greenson
Sacramento News & Review: SN&R vs. Mayor Kevin Johnson (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX; X) by Cosmo Garvin and Nick Miller
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
Winner will receive $400 funded by New Times co-founder Michael Lacey.
Arkansas Times: Rehomed: A State Representative, a Failed Adoption, a Child Exploited (I; II; III) by Benjamin Hardy
Boulder Weekly: Behind the Curtain by Joel Dyer
North Bay Bohemian: Pinot vs. Coho by Will Parrish
Seven Days: Attorney General Bill Sorrell’s Uneven Compliance With Campaign Finance Law (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX; X) by Paul Heintz
LGBT COVERAGE
Winner will receive $400 funded by Colorado Springs Independent former CEO Fran Zankowski.
Arkansas Times: Ruth Coker Burks, the Cemetery Angel by David Koon
Gambit: Same-sex marriage comes to Louisiana (I; II; III; IV; V) by Kevin Allman, Alex Woodward, Jeanie Riess, Robert Morris, and Charles Cody Siler
NUVO: Trans Athlete by Amber Stearns
San Luis Obispo New Times: Hello, my name is by Colin Rigley
RACE REPORTING
Winner will receive $400 funded by Charleston City Paper co-owner and AAN President Blair Barna.
Chicago Reader: The Most Important Issue in the Mayoral Race No One’s Talking About by Steve Bogira and Mick Dumke
Cincinnati CityBeat: That Which Divides Us by Nick Swartsell
Lagniappe: DiverseCity: An Exploration of Race in Mobile and Baldwin Counties (Stories and Maps) by Gabriel Tynes, Dale Liesch, Jason Johnson, Eric Mann, and John Kelsey
Washington City Paper: Where The Sidewalk Ends by Will Sommer
WRITING CATEGORIES
ARTS CRITICISM circulation under 45,000
East Bay Express: What Was Withheld; The Sonic Sweet Spot; and Oceanic Aspirations by Sarah Burke
INDY Week: Rite of Refusal;Identity Crisis; and Blackboard Shatteringby Byron Woods
Memphis Flyer: Fifty Shades of Grey; Is Loving the Wrong Approach?; and I Thought I Might Find You Here by Eileen Townsend
Orlando Weekly: Jess T. Dugan’s Portraits Look Into You; Art in Odd Places; and The “Visual Anthropology” of Bayeté Ross Smith by Richard T. Reep
ARTS CRITICISM circulation 45,000 & over
Chicago Reader: Fifty Shades of Grey; Batkid Begins; and Best of Enemies by J.R. Jones
Creative Loafing Atlanta: It Follows; Southpaw; Females Are Strong as Hell by Curt Holman
L.A. Weekly: Margot Robbie Will Be a Major Star if She Stays Nasty; ‘Get Hard’ Has Too Many Prison Rape Jokes, but Kevin Hart’s Neediness Saves the Movie; The “Man-Child Movie” Trend Must End by Amy Nicholson
Willamette Week: It Used To Be Better by Richard Speer
ARTS FEATURE circulation under 45,000
East Bay Express: Rap’s Poetic License: Revoked by Sam Lefebvre
INDY Week: Code Green by Brian Howe
Memphis Flyer: Best of Enemies by Chris McCoy
ARTS FEATURE circulation 45,000 & over
The Inlander: Monsters & Demons by Mike Bookey
L.A. Weekly: Can Budget-Slasher Jason Blum Prove the Way Hollywood Makes Movies is Horrifyingly Wrong? by Amy Nicholson
L.A. Weekly: Why CDs May Actually Sound Better Than Vinyl by Chris Kornelis
Westword: The Demon Dog in Denver by Alan Prendergast
BEAT REPORTING circulation under 45,000
INDY Week: Criminal Justice Reporting (I; II; III; IV; V) by John H. Tucker
Mountain Xpress: Farming, Sustainability and the Environment in Western NC (I; II; III; IV; V) by Carrie Eidson
Seven Days: Cops and Courts (I; II; III; IV; V) by Mark Davis
BEAT REPORTING circulation 45,000 & over
The Inlander: Education Reporting (I; II; III; IV; V) by Daniel Walters
Phoenix New Times: Marijuana in Arizona (I; II; III; IV; V) by Ray Stern
COLUMN circulation under 45,000
Charleston City Paper: H1gher Learning (I; II; III) by K.J. Kearney
The Pitch: Streetside (I; II; III; IV; V) by David Hudnall
Seven Days: Poli Psy (I; II; III) by Judith Levine
Seven Days: WTF: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (I; II; III) by Ken Picard
COLUMN circulation 45,000 & over
Austin Chronicle: Playback (I; II; III) by Kevin Curtin
Nashville Scene: Vodka Yonic (I; II; III) by Clara Kim, Kim Green, and Abby White
Phoenix New Times: Columns (I; II; III) by Robrt Pela
Willamette Week: Lady Things (I; II; III) by Lizzy Acker
COLUMN (POLITICAL) circulation under 45,000
East Bay Express: Seven Days by Robert Gammon
Gambit: Columns (I; II; III) by Clancy DuBos
LEO Weekly: Editor’s Note (I; II; III) by Aaron Yarmuth
Triad City Beat: Citizen Green (I; II; III) by Jordan Green
COLUMN (POLITICAL) circulation 45,000 & over
Chicago Reader: Columns (I; II; III) by Ben Joravsky
Metro Times: Politics & Prejudice (I; II; III) by Jack Lessenberry
Miami New Times: El Jefe (I; II) by Chuck Strouse
Phoenix New Times: Columns by (I; II; III) by Stephen Lemons
FOOD WRITING circulation under 45,000
Charleston City Paper: Making Cents: A by-the-numbers look at the price of dining in Charleston by Stephanie Burt
East Bay Express: Food Writing by Luke Tsai
Gambit: Food Writing (I; II; III) by Helen Freund
FOOD WRITING circulation 45,000 & over
L.A. Weekly: Food Writing (I; II; III) by Besha Rodell
Phoenix New Times: Wok Away by Lauren Saria
Washington City Paper: ‘Young & Hungry’ Columns (I; II; III) by Jessica Sidman
Willamette Week: Food Writing (I; II; III) by Martin Cizmar
LONG-FORM NEWS STORY circulation under 45,000
Illinois Times: Horrific Healthcare by Bruce Rushton
Memphis Flyer: The Brady Bunch by Toby Sells
The Pitch: How does a mother lose custody of her child to a man the courts know has beaten her? In Eastern Jackson County, it’s not that hard and An eastern Jackson County court found it easy to blame a domestic-violence victim by David Hudnall
LONG-FORM NEWS STORY circulation 45,000 & over
Creative Loafing Atlanta: Unanswered by Max Blau
L.A. Weekly: A Drug Rehab Mogul Built an Empire That’s Now Being Probed by the FBI, DA and State of California by Hillel Aron
Westword: No Admitting by Alan Prendergast
Willamette Week: Rat Tale by Aaron Mesh
MUSIC WRITING circulation under 45,000
Cincinnati CityBeat: We’ll Always Have Short Vine by Brian Baker
INDY Week: Music Writing (I; II; III) by Grayson Haver Currin
San Antonio Current: Music Writing (I; II; III) by Matt Stieb
Santa Fe Reporter: Music Writing (I; II; III) by Alex De Vore
MUSIC WRITING circulation 45,000 & over
The Inlander: Music Writing (I; II; III) by Laura Johnson
L.A. Weekly: Music Writing (I; II; III) by Andy Hermann
Washington City Paper: Music Writing (I; II; III) by Ron Knox
Willamette Week: Music Writing (I; II; III) by Matthew Singer
PUBLIC SERVICE circulation under 45,000
Flagpole Magazine: Racial Discrimination in Downtown Athens, GA (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX; X) by Blake Aued
Illinois Times: Prying Loose Gov. Bruce Rauner’s secrets (I; II; III; IV; V) by Bruce Rushton
Jackson Free Press: The Fight to Change the Mississippi Flag (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX; X) Todd Stauffer, Donna Ladd, Arielle Dreher, Kristin Brenemen, Imani Khayyam, Amber Helsel, Micah Smith, Dustin Cardon, Adria Walker, Maya Miller, Zilpha Young, and Kimberly Griffin
PUBLIC SERVICE circulation 45,000 & over
Metro Silicon Valley: Water District Conflicts of Interest in a Time of Drought (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX) Josh Koehn
Metro Times: Flint Water Coverage (I; II; III; IV; V) by Curt Guyette
OC Weekly: OC Snitch Scandal (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX) by R. Scott Moxley
Willamette Week: Home Sweet Hustle (I; II; III) by Nigel Jaquiss
DESIGN CATEGORIES
COVER DESIGN circulation under 45,000
Boulder Weekly: Covers by Dave Kirby, Susan France, and Mark Goodman
Cincinnati CityBeat: Covers (I; II; III) by Jennifer Hoffman
Eugene Weekly: Covers (I; II; III) by Trask Bedortha, Todd Cooper, Darren Quardt, and Andy Singer
Santa Fe Reporter: Covers (I; II; III) by Anson Stevens-Bollen
COVER DESIGN circulation 45,000 & over
Austin Chronicle: Covers (I; II; III) by Jason Stout
Creative Loafing Atlanta: Covers (I; II; III) by Wes Duvall and Rachel Hortman
Nashville Scene: Covers (I; II; III) by Elizabeth Jones
Pittsburgh City Paper: Covers (I; II; III) by Lisa Cunningham, John Colombo, Sarah Wilson, Renee Rosensteel, Heather Mull, and David Pohl
EDITORIAL LAYOUT circulation under 45,000
San Antonio Current: San Antonio Emojis by Sarah Flood-Baumann
San Antonio Current: Wanted: Shelter by Eli Miller
Santa Barbara Independent: Taco Town by Staff
EDITORIAL LAYOUT circulation 45,000 & over
Isthmus: SummerTimes Music Preview by Tommy Washbush
Las Vegas Weekly: Cool Summer by Corlene Byrd
Nashville Scene: Adventures in Drinking by Elizabeth Jones
Nashville Scene: All You Need is Grub by Elizabeth Jones
ILLUSTRATION circulation under 45,000
Charleston City Paper: Best of Charleston (I; II; III; IV) by Scott Suchy
Cleveland Scene: Terry Francona, In Tito We Trust by Oliver Barrett
Eugene Weekly: Summer Food by Trask Bedortha
Seven Days: Sweet Deal by Jeff Drew
ILLUSTRATION circulation 45,000 & over
Creative Loafing Atlanta: Best of the Blotter by Tray Butler
The Inlander: Crime-Fighter + Criminal by Jeff Drew
Nashville Scene: Best of Nashville by Rachel Briggs
Nashville Scene: Brain’s Song by Daniel Hertzberg
PHOTOGRAPHY circulation under 45,000
East Bay Express: Photos (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX; X) by Bert Johnson
Eugene Weekly: 2015 Music Coverage (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX; X) by Todd Cooper
Style Weekly: Photos (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX; X) by Scott Elmquist
Worcester Mag: Chasing Ebola (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX; X) by Steven King
PHOTOGRAPHY circulation 45,000 & over
Baltimore City Paper: Freddie Gray Protests: The Battle of Sandtown-Winchester by J.M. Giordano
The Inlander: Photos (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII) by Young Kwak
Washington City Paper: Photos (I; II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX; X) by Darrow Montgomery
ONLINE CATEGORIES
ARTS & CULTURE BLOG
Creative Loafing Tampa: Potlikker (I; II; III: IV; V)
Miami New Times: Cultist (I; II; III: IV; V)
Phoenix New Times: Chow Bella (I; II; III: IV; V)
Seven Days: Live Culture (I; II; III: IV; V)
MULTIMEDIA
Miami New Times: Mac’s Club Deuce: An Oral History by Ryan Pfeffer and Laurie Charles
Seven Days: U.S. Winter Swimming Championship by Eva Sollberger
Willamette Week: Burnside Skatepark Turns 25 by Lucas Chemotti
Worcester Mag: Chasing Ebola by Walter Bird Jr, Steven King, Mike Murray, and Joe Santa Maria
STAFF BLOG
Cleveland Scene: Scene and Heard (I; II; III: IV; V)
Creative Loafing Atlanta: Fresh Loaf (I; II; III: IV; V)
Houston Press: News Blog (I; II; III: IV; V)
Miami New Times: Riptide (I; II; III: IV; V)
OUTSIDE-THE-BOX CATEGORIES
CARTOON (listed alphabetically by last name)
Harry Bliss, Seven Days (I; II; III; IV; V)
V.C. Rogers, INDY Week (I; II; III; IV; V)
Jen Sorensen, Jen Sorensen Comics (I; II; III; IV; V)
INNOVATION / FORMAT BUSTER
Creative Loafing Atlanta: Food Issue by Wes Duvall, Rachel Hortman, Stephanie Dazey, Brad Kaplan, and Jennifer Zyman
NUVO: The Militant LGBTQ Agenda! by NUVO Editors
Pittsburgh City Paper: Gender Pronouns: An Introduction by Em DeMarco
Willamette Week: The Goonies Issue by Matthew Korfhage, Andy Kryza, and Matthew Singer
SPECIAL SECTION
Charleston City Paper: DISH: The Gullah Issue by Kinsey Gidick, KJ Kearney, Jeff Allen, Robert Moss, Eric Doksa, David Shields, and Charlotte Jenkins
Chicago Reader: The Food Issue: An Exploration of Midwestern Cuisine by Jake Malooley, Robin Amer, Aimee Levitt, Mike Sula, Gwynedd Stuart, Julia Thiel, and Tanner Howard
L.A. Weekly: People 2015 by Staff
Seven Days: 20/20 Hindsight: A Look Back on Two Decades of Vermont News, Views and Culture by Pamela Polston, Paula Routly, Cathy Resmer, and Don Eggert
