The Association of Alternative Newsmedia is pleased to announce the winners of the 2019 AAN Awards. The winners below were chosen as the most outstanding from a field of over 600 entries submitted by 55 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.
The winners were announced during a reception on July 13 at the AAN Convention in Boulder. First place winners received a commemorative plaque, sponsored by Popmount. 2nd and 3rd place winners may receive a certificate by request. Contact molly@aan.org.
Congratulations to all award winners!
Arts Criticism (Jim Ridley Award)
Winner received $500, funded by the Nashville Scene in honor of Jim Ridley.
1st PLACE: INDY Week: Arts Criticism (I, II, III) by Brian Howe
2nd PLACE: Willamette Week: “Baring It” and Other Stories (I, II, III) by Shannon Gormley
3rd PLACE: The Memphis Flyer: Book Reviews (I, II, III) by Jesse Davis
HONORABLE MENTION: Washington City Paper: Arts Criticism (I, II, III) by Kriston Capps
Best Nonprofit Collaboration (The BINJ Award)
Winner received $500, funded by the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism
1st PLACE: INDY Week, with The Appeal: The Cheat Sheet Taught N.C. Prosecutors How to Get Rid of Black Jurors by Jacob Biba
2nd PLACE: Santa Barbara Independent, with KCRW: One Year Later by Tyler Hayden
3rd PLACE: INDY Week, with NC Health News: State Law Orders Insurers to Cover Autism Therapies. Why Are So Many Families Going Without? by Sarah Ovaska-Few
HONORABLE MENTION: Santa Fe Reporter, with New Mexico Fund for Public Interest Journalism: Place Making by New Mexico Fund for Public Interest Journalism
Column
Winner received $250, funded by The Billy Manes Foundation.
1st PLACE: Nashville Scene: Vodka Yonic (I, II, III) by Elizabeth Jones, Laura Hutson, Kat Ridley
2nd PLACE: Pittsburgh City Paper: Peepshow, a sex and social justice column (I, II, III) by Jessie Sage
3rd PLACE: North Coast Journal: Seriously? (I, II, III) by Jennifer Fumiko Cahill
HONORABLE MENTION: Coachella Valley Independent: Know Your Neighbors (I, II, III) by Anita Rufus
Column-Political
Winner received $250, funded by The Billy Manes Foundation.
1st PLACE: Triad City Beat: Columns (I, II, III) by Brian Clarey
2nd PLACE: Dig Boston: Apparent Horizon (I, II, III) by Jason Pramas
3rd PLACE: Triad City Beat: Citizen Green (I, II, III) by Jordan Green
HONORABLE MENTION: Maui Time: Coconut Wireless (I, II, III) by Axel Beers
Feature Story
Winner received $500, funded by Isthmus Founder Vince O’Hern.
1st PLACE: Chicago Reader: Justice Delayed by Maya Dukmasova, Dave Newbart
2nd PLACE: Riverfront Times: The Pool Repairman and the Hollywood Hustler by Robert Langellier
3rd PLACE: Chicago Reader: The trials of Stuart V. Goldberg, Chicago’s flashiest defense attorney by Maya Dukmasova, Kevin Penczak, Jake Malooley
HONORABLE MENTION: INDY Week: Ronnie Long Has Spent Four Decades in Prison for Rape. Did He Really Do It? by Erica Hellerstein
Free Speech & Open Government
One $500 prize will be awarded, funded by Monterey County Weekly founder & CEO Bradley Zeve.
1st PLACE: Monterey County Weekly: Taking on Greenfield City Hall, getting sued for it, and winning (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX) by Mary Duan, Sara Rubin, Kelly Aviles
2nd PLACE: The Memphis Flyer: Behind Closed Doors by Toby Sells
3rd PLACE: Dig Boston: The Massachusetts Public Records Law Fails Three out of Three Times by Maya Shaffer
Investigative Reporting (David Carr Award)
Winner received $500 prize.
1st PLACE: Miami New Times: Marijuana in Miami (I, II, III) by Meg O’Connor
2nd PLACE: Metro Silicon Valley: Sheriff Texting Scandal (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII) by Jennifer Wadsworth
3rd PLACE: Orlando Weekly: Everyone’s a suspect: Amazon Rekognition (I, II, III, IV) by Monivette Cordeiro, Joey Roulette, Colin Wolf
LGBT Coverage
Winner received $500, funded by Boulder Weekly publisher Fran Zankowski.
1st PLACE: Washington City Paper: Asylum Seekers by Andrew Giambrone
2nd PLACE: Tulsa Voice: Every single other: Tulsa’s LGBTQ+ community comes to worship by Fraser Kastner
3rd PLACE: Orlando Weekly: Say Her Name by Monivette Cordeiro, Colin Wolf
HONORABLE MENTION: Salt Lake City Weekly: Pride Issue by Enrique Limón & City Weekly Staff
Salesperson of the Year
This year, an additional competition took place, in which AAN Member papers submitted nominees for Salesperson of the Year, based on a winning pitch deck that demonstrates a focus on meeting client needs, offering creative and integrated solutions. Three finalists were chosen by a judging panel of past AAN Ad Directors. All three finalists receive free registration for the AAN Convention and tiered cash prizes, funded by The Media Audit.
1st PLACE: Pittsburgh City Paper: Kaitlin Oliver
2nd PLACE: The Georgia Strait: Robyn Marsh
3rd PLACE: Pittsburgh City Paper: Blake Alexander Lewis
Arts Feature
1st PLACE: Willamette Week: Roll of a Lifetime by Matthew Singer
2nd PLACE: Good Times Santa Cruz: Santa Cruz Goes Dark by Steve Palopoli
3rd PLACE: Colorado Springs Independent: Beam me up, Grandma by Alissa Smith
HONORABLE MENTION: Cincinnati CityBeat: Magical Realism by Zachary Petit
Beat Reporting
1st PLACE: INDY Week: Incarceration and Criminal Justice Reporting (I, II, III, IV) by Sarah Willets
2nd PLACE: Phoenix New Times: Criminal Justice Coverage (I, II, III, IV, V) by Sean Holstege
3rd PLACE: The Inlander: Sexual Harassment in Higher Ed (I, II, III, IV, V) by Wilson Criscione
HONORABLE MENTION: Seven Days: Education Writing (I, II, III, IV, V) by Molly Walsh
Food Writing
1st PLACE: The Inlander: Don’t Sauté Your Laptop (and Other Home Cooking Tricks) by Daniel Walters
2nd PLACE: Salt Lake City Weekly: Food Reviews (I, II, III) by Alex Springer
3rd PLACE: Monterey County Weekly: Burning Questions (I, II, III) by Dave Faries
HONORABLE MENTION: Seven Days: Food Writing (I, II, III) by Hannah Palmer Eagan
Immigration Coverage
1st PLACE: INDY Week: The Hunted: What’s Life Like for a Young North Carolina Man After Being Deported to El Salvador? by Victoria Bouloubasis
2nd PLACE: INDY Week: Credible Fear: A Triangle Woman Says She Could Be Killed If She’s Deported to Honduras by Erica Hellerstein
3rd PLACE: The Memphis Flyer: There Is No Line: The Troubled State of our Immigrant Community by Maya Smith
HONORABLE MENTION: Westword: Here Today, Here Tomorrow by Chris Walker
Long-Form News Story
1st PLACE: Seven Days: Sheriff, Inc. by Alicia Freese
2nd PLACE: The Inlander: A Long Road to Die by Samantha Wohlfeil
3rd PLACE: Phoenix New Times: Missing Deadly Signs (I, II, III) by Bill Myers
Music Writing
1st PLACE: Boulder Weekly: Music Writing (I, II, III) by Angela K. Evans
2nd PLACE: San Antonio Current: Ada Vox: How a Singing Drag Queen from San Antonio Got America to Listen Up by Chris Conde
3rd PLACE: Charleston City Paper: From hip-hop veterans to freshly tapped talent, meet the women who are changing the local rap game by Kelly Rae Smith and Heath Ellison
HONORABLE MENTION: Cincinnati CityBeat: Revenge of the Synth by Mike Breen
Cover Design
1st PLACE: Orlando Weekly: Covers (I, II, III) by Melissa McHenry, Robert Bartlett, Chris “Tobar” Rodriguez
2nd PLACE: Santa Fe Reporter (I, II, III) by Anson Stevens-Bollen
3rd PLACE: Metro Times: Covers (I, II, III) by Tom Carlson and Erik Millikin
HONORABLE MENTION: Pittsburgh City Paper: Covers (I, II, III) by Lisa Cunningham, Jared Wickerham, Xiola Jensen, Maya Puskaric
Editorial Layout
1st PLACE: Nashville Scene: Summer Guide by Elizabeth Jones
2nd PLACE: Eugene Weekly: I Married A White Supremacist by Tracy Sydor, Trask Bedortha, Todd Cooper
3rd PLACE: Las Vegas Weekly: Life Is Beautiful by Ian Racoma
HONORABLE MENTION: City Newspaper: The Fate of Parcel 5 by Ryan Williamson
Illustration
1st PLACE: Nashville Scene: Bonnaroo Bingo by Holly Carden
2nd PLACE: Riverfront Times: Title Mine by Evan Sult
3rd PLACE: The Inlander: Scholastic Fantastic (I, II, III, IV, V) by Jeff Drew
HONORABLE MENTION: Las Vegas Weekly: Raiders: The New Gruden Era Begins by Ian Racoma
Photography
1st PLACE: Style Weekly: Protest (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X) by Scott Elmquist
2nd PLACE: Cincinnati CityBeat: Photography (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X) by Hailey Bollinger
3rd PLACE: Orlando Weekly: Havana or Bust by Robert Bartlett
HONORABLE MENTION: Washington City Paper: 2018 by Darrow Montgomery
Cartoon
1st PLACE: Seven Days: Cartoons (I, II, III, IV, V) by Tim Newcomb
2nd PLACE: Slowpoke Comics: Cartoons (I, II, III, IV, V) by Jen Sorensen
3rd PLACE: Tom Tomorrow: This Modern World (I, II, III, IV, V) by Tom Tomorrow
HONORABLE MENTION: Charleston City Paper: Editorial Cartoons (I, II, III, IV, V) by Steve Stegelin
Innovation/Format Buster
1st PLACE: Seven Days: Give and Take Series (I, II, III, IV, V) by Paula Routly , Paul Heintz, Matthew Roy , Sasha Goldstein, Andrea Suozzo, Candace Page, Alicia Freese, Mark Davis, Carolyn Fox , Elizabeth Seyler, Diane Sullivan , Taylor Dobbs, Molly Walsh, Katie Jickling
2nd PLACE: Maui Time: Walk Story (I, II) by Axel Beers, Tommy Russo
3rd PLACE: The Inlander: Miller Cane: A serialized novel printed in weekly installments by Samuel Ligon, Jacob Fries
HONORABLE MENTION: Monterey County Weekly: Student Voices (I, II) by Lorenz Cushman, Students at 13 Monterey County high schools , Marielle Argueza, Erik Cushman
Multimedia
1st PLACE: Chicago Reader: The Block Beat (series in collaboration with The TRiiBE) by Tiffany Walden, Morgan Elise Johnson, Philip Montoro
2nd PLACE: Santa Barbara Independent: Lompoc Riverbed Evictees’ Triage Center to Close by Erika Carlos
3rd PLACE: Seven Days: Stuck in Vermont: Photographer Matthew Thorsen Gets the Last Word by Eva Sollberger
HONORABLE MENTION: Eugene Weekly: Lincoln Street Sessions (I, II, III, IV, V) by Trask Bedortha, James Bateman, Todd Cooper, Sarah Decker, Meerah Powell, Hunter McNie
Special Section
1st PLACE: Salt Lake City Weekly: City Weekly’s Beer Issue by Enrique Limón & City Weekly Staff
2nd PLACE: Pittsburgh City Paper: Election Guide by Ryan Deto, Lisa Cunningham, Alex Gordon, Jared Wickerham, Amanda Waltz, Hannah Lynn, Jordan Snowden, Maggie Weaver, Tereneh Idia, Gab Bonesso, Jessie Sage
3rd PLACE: Santa Fe Reporter: Love and Sex by Alex De Vore, Anson Stevens-Bollen, Charlotte Jusinski, Hunter Riley, Anastacio Wrobel, JC Gonzo
HONORABLE MENTION: North Coast Journal: Media Literacy Issue by Staff
Special Publication
1st PLACE: Seven Days: From Burlington With Love: Insider Intel on What’s Good by Carolyn Fox, Dan Bolles, Cathy Resmer, Katy Isaacs, John James, Kirsten Cheney, Todd Scott, Don Eggert, Brooke Bousquet, Diane Sullivan
2nd PLACE: San Antonio Current: San Antonio Flavor – Winter 2018 by Jessica Elizarraras, Greg Jefferson
3rd PLACE: Santa Fe Reporter: Restaurant Guide by SFR Staff and Freelancers
HONORABLE MENTION: Pittsburgh City Paper: City Guide by Lisa Cunningham, Alex Gordon, Ryan Deto, Hannah Lynn, Rob Rossi
