Held every year since 1996, the AAN Awards recognize the best in alternative journalism and graphic design 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 the 2021 Annual Convention in Boston at a ceremony held Friday, July 23. First place winners received a commemorative plaque, sponsored by Popmount.
Congratulations to all award winners!
CASH PRIZE CATEGORIES
Arts Criticism (Jim Ridley Award)
Winner received $500 prize, funded by Nashville Scene.
1st PLACE: Washington City Paper: Visual Art Criticism (I, II, III) by Emma Sarappo
2nd PLACE: Orlando Weekly:”Translucent: Kieran Castaño’s paintings aren’t just beautiful – they’re necessary” by Leah Sandler
3rd PLACE: San Antonio Current: Arts Criticism (I, II, III) by Kelly Merka Nelson
HONORABLE MENTION: Lagniappe: “Artifice” (I, II, III) by Kevin Lee
Column (Billy Manes Award)
Winner received $250 prize, funded by Orlando Weekly.
1st PLACE: Nashville Scene: “Vodka Yonic” (I, II, III) by Fiske Nyirongo, Destiny O. Birdsong, Pooja Shah
2nd PLACE: Eugene Weekly: “Black Girl From Eugene” (I, II, III) by Ayisha Elliott
3rd PLACE: Pittsburgh City Paper: “Views” (I, II, III) by Tereneh Idia
HONORABLE MENTION: The Memphis Flyer: Columns (I, II, III) by Bruce VanWyngarden
Investigative Reporting (David Carr Award)
Winner received $500 cash prize, funded by AAN.
1st PLACE: Lagniappe: “A look inside Alacourt” (I, II, III, IV) by Gabriel Tynes
2nd PLACE: Dig Boston: “Pandemic Payday” (I, II, III) by Dan Atkinson
3rd PLACE: Washington City Paper: “Waste Mismanagement” by Cuneyt Dil
HONORABLE MENTION: Colorado Springs Independent: “Busted: CSPD and other officers disciplined for moonlighting for Teller County sheriff’s private investigations company” by Pam Zubeck
LGBT Coverage
Winner received $500 prize, funded by Boulder Weekly publisher Fran Zankowski.
1st PLACE: Chicago Reader: “The Pride Issue” by Chicago Reader Staff
2nd PLACE: Chicago Reader: “We’re not asking for any more than what we are already deserved” by Adam M. Rhodes, Karen Hawkins
3rd PLACE: The Inlander: “Piecing It Together: A family searches for answers after a gay teen in a small town is beaten and buried in a shallow grave” by Wilson Criscione
HONORABLE MENTION: Pittsburgh Current: “Gender-Affirming Parenting Is Allowing Kids To Explore Their Own Identities” by Brittany Hailer
Nonprofit Collaboration (The BINJ Award)
Winner received $500 cash prize, funded by the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism
1st PLACE: Arkansas Times:”Arkansas poultry workers amid the coronavirus: ‘We’re not essential, we’re expendable’” by Alice Driver, with Arkansas Nonprofit News Network
2nd PLACE: Willamette Week: “Jammed” by Latisha Jensen, with Report For America
3rd PLACE: Pittsburgh City Paper: “A changing story by police on a rural Pa. shooting helped fuel white vigilantes and misinformation” by Ryan Deto, Joseph Darius Jaafari, with Spotlight PA
HONORABLE MENTION: Arkansas Times: “Arkansas educators hit hard by COVID-19, new figures show” by Benjamin Hardy, with Arkansas Nonprofit News Network
Right-Wing Extremism Coverage
Winner received $500 cash prize, funded by Anonymous.
1st PLACE: The Inlander: “Triggered: How America’s social unrest and weakened institutions have incited vigilantes” by Daniel Walters
2nd PLACE: Monterey County Weekly: “Hate in Monterey County – and efforts underway to stop it” (I, II, III, IV, V) by Monterey County Weekly staff
3rd PLACE: Triad City Beat: “The lost boys of Ukraine: How the war abroad beckoned American white supremacists” by Jordan Green
HONORABLE MENTION: Pittsburgh City Paper: “Pittsburgh’s Colcom Foundation linked to White Nationalism” (I, II) by Ryan Deto
WRITING CATEGORIES
Arts Feature
1st PLACE: Las Vegas Weekly: “Intimacy & Innovation” by Brock Radke
2nd PLACE: Washington City Paper: “The Day the Music Died: Local and Regional Performers Reflect on Life Without Live Music in the Wake of Coronavirus” by Kristina Gaddy
3rd PLACE: Seven Days: “In the Shadows: The Legend of Author and Folklorist Joe Citro” by Dan Bolles
HONORABLE MENTION: Willamette Week: “Starving Artists” by Shannon Gormley
Beat Reporting
1st PLACE: Metro Silicon Valley: SJPD Brutality During Summer Protests (I, II, III, IV, V) by Grace Hase, Jennifer Wadsworth
2nd PLACE: Seven Days: Beat Reporting (I, II, III, IV, V) by Derek Brouwer
3rd PLACE: Pittsburgh Current: Education Reporting (I, II, III, IV, IV) by Mary Niederberger
HONORABLE MENTION: Boulder Weekly: “Unhoused” (I, II, III, IV, V) by Emma Athena
Feature Story
1st PLACE: Nashville Scene: “Safety, Compensation and Accountability at Nashville Construction Sites” by Alejandro Ramirez
2nd PLACE: Chicago Reader: “From soldier to worker” by Maya Dukmasova, Sujay Kumar
3rd PLACE: The Pitch: “The fight for racial equality has boosted Black-owned businesses, but it won’t fix their issues forever” by Hanna Ellington
HONORABLE MENTION: Leo Weekly: “A Three-Part Series On The Protests In Louisville” (I, II, III) by Cary Stemle
Food Writing
1st PLACE: The Pitch: “Food writing: From normal to COVID” (I, II, III) by Liz Cook
2nd PLACE: Chicago Reader: “Chicago’s Restaurant Scene & Pandemic Pivots” (I, II, III) by Mike Sula, Karen Hawkins
3rd PLACE: North Coast Journal: Food Writing (I, II, III) by Jennifer Fumiko Cahill
HONORABLE MENTION: Lagniappe: “Beer & Loathing” (I, II, III) by Alyson Sheppard
Health Care Reporting
1st PLACE: Seven Days: “It’s in the Building: How COVID-19 Overwhelmed a Burlington Nursing Home” by Derek Brouwer, Colin Flanders
2nd PLACE: The Inlander: “Offering free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds, crisis pregnancy centers try to ‘slow down’ thoughts of abortion in an ultimate quest to stop it” by Samantha Wohlfeil
3rd PLACE: Monterey County Weekly: “The only way Monterey County reopens during the pandemic is if all voices are at the table to find solutions” (I, II, III) by Pam Marino
HONORABLE MENTION: Dig Boston: “Boston’s Murky World of Open-Source COVID-19 Vaccine Research” by Tadhg Larabee
Immigration Coverage
1st PLACE: Little Village: “The ‘long and terrifying’ journey of two friends fleeing Modi’s India for Iowa City” by Ikram Basra
2nd PLACE: Dig Boston: “Coronavirus Leaves International Students Uncertain About Future” by Grace Symes
3rd PLACE: INDY Week: “Because of What I Did As a Three-Year-Old, I Have No Access to the American Dream” by Jeremy Carballo Pineda
HONORABLE MENTION: INDY Week: “As Election Day Looms, José Chicas Feels Like He’s in Limbo” by Sara Pequeño
Long-Form News Story
1st PLACE: Cleveland Scene: “Caught Between Here and There: Octavius Williams Was Convicted of Attempted Murder in 2011. Now, He’s Free, But Far From Finished With His Case” by Eric Sandy
2nd PLACE: Eugene Weekly: “Begin Modeling” by Donald Morrison
3rd PLACE: Washington City Paper: “How the D.C. Police Department, DOJ, and D.C. Attorney General’s Office Shield Cops’ Bad Acts” by Mitch Ryals
HONORABLE MENTION: The Inlander: “Doomed: How a fire destroyed the town of Malden in a matter of hours” by Wilson Criscione
Music Writing
1st PLACE: Nashville Scene: Music Writing (I, II, III) by Andrea Williams
2nd PLACE: Boulder Weekly: Music Writing (I, II, III) by Angela K. Evans
3rd PLACE: Austin Chronicle: Music Writing (I, II, III) by Kevin Curtin
HONORABLE MENTION: INDY Week: Music Writing (I, II, III) by Sarah Edwards
Political Column
1st PLACE: Chicago Reader: Political Commentary (I, II, III) by Ben Joravsky
2nd PLACE: San Antonio Current: Current Events (I, II, III) by Sanford Nowlin
3rd PLACE: Jackson Free Press: “Mississippi Governor Plays Covid, Race Politics” (I, II, III) by Donna Ladd
HONORABLE MENTION: Austin Chronicle: “Austin At Large” (I, II, III) by Mike Clark-Madison
DESIGN CATEGORIES
Cover Design
1st PLACE: North Coast Journal: Covers by Jonathan Webster, Soni Lopez-Chavez
2nd PLACE: San Antonio Current: Covers by Samantha Serna, Tom Carlson, Melissa McHenry
3rd PLACE: Detroit Metro Times: Covers by Evan Sult
HONORABLE MENTION: Riverfront Times: Covers by Evan Sult
Editorial Layout
1st PLACE: Las Vegas Weekly: “Caucus 2020” by Corlene Byrd
2nd PLACE: Las Vegas Weekly: “Staying Busy and Mentally Healthy” by Corlene Byrd
3rd PLACE: Washington City Paper: “Behind the Movement” by Maddie Goldstein, Darrow Montgomery, Ella Feldman
HONORABLE MENTION: The Inlander: “Progress Edition” by Derek Harrison
Illustration
1st PLACE: Nashville Scene: “The Boner Awards” by Holly Carden
2nd PLACE: Metro Times: “Summer Guide” (I, II) by Noah MacMillan
3rd PLACE: Inlander: “Is Privacy Dead” (I, II) by Jeff Drew
HONORABLE MENTION: Seven Days: New Year Cover by Jeff Drew
Photography
1st PLACE: Washington City Paper: “2020” (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X) by Darrow Montgomery
2nd PLACE: Pittsburgh City Paper: “Pittsburgh in Protest” (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X) by Jared Wickerham
3rd PLACE: Willamette Week: “Portland Streets” by Alex Wittwer
HONORABLE MENTION: Riverfront Times: “The Lede” (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X) by Theo Welling
OUTSIDE-THE-BOX CATEGORIES
Cartoon
1st PLACE: Dig Boston: Lunchtime Comix/The New Normal (I, II, III) by Cagen Luse
2nd PLACE: Seven Days: Cartoons (I, II, III, IV, V) by Tim Newcomb
3rd PLACE: Little Village: “Futile Wrath” (I, II, III) by Sam Locke Ward
HONORABLE MENTION: Charleston City Paper: Cartoons (I, II, III, IV, V) by Steve Stegelin, Robert Ariail
Innovation/Format Buster
1st PLACE: Washington City Paper: “2020 Vision” by Josh Kramer
2nd PLACE: Washington City Paper: “The Nature of D.C.” by Julia Terbrock, Kayla Randall, Maddie Goldstein, Ronan Lynam, Carlos Carmonamedina, Tenbeete Solomon
3rd PLACE: Seven Days: “Green Mountain Quaranzine: Seven Days’ First (and We Hope Last) Pandemic Literary Journal” by Dan Bolles, Contributors
Multimedia
1st PLACE: Volume One: “Outbroken: A pandemic’s impact on Wisconsin farms & food” by Joel Pearish, Don Ross, Nick Meyer, Eric Christenson, Rebecca Mennecke, Andrea Paulseth, Tom Giffey, Taylor McCumber, Alex Barber, Kyle Lehman, Anthony Casonova
2nd PLACE: Little Village: “Iowa City teen Kasey Dawson overcame homelessness and loss to graduate high school. A year later, she’s still fighting for a place to call her own”(I, II) by Emma McClatchey, Jason Smith
3rd PLACE: Queen City Nerve: Black Lives Matter Coverage (I, II, III, IV) by Justin LaFrancois, Ryan Pitkin, Grant Baldwin, Joshua Galloway, Yolián Ortiz
Special Publication
1st PLACE: Pittsburgh Current: “Historical Context: Violence Occurring Against Black Pittsburghers Today Has Been Happening For More Than A Century-And-A-Half ” by Jody DiPerna, Elaine Frantz, Charlie Deitch, Jake Mysliwczyk, Deesha Philyaw, Caitlyn Hunter, Larissa Mallon
2nd PLACE: INDY Week: “Everything You Wanted to Know About Coronavirus But You Were Too Afraid to Ask” by INDY Week Staff
3rd PLACE: Seven Days: “August Kids VT” by Kids VT Staff
HONORABLE MENTION: Yes! Weekly: “Triad Coloring Book” by Alex Farmer
Special Section
1st PLACE: Chronogram: “The Future is Now” by Brian Mahoney
2nd PLACE: Mountain Xpress: “2020 Voter Guide” by Jeff Fobes, Scott Southwick, Virginia Daffron, Molly Horak, Daniel Walton, David Furr, Tiffany Wagner, Sara Brecht, Cindy Kunst, Able Allen, Laura Hackett
3rd PLACE: Seven Days: “Staytripper July 2020” by Seven Days Staff
HONORABLE MENTION: Little Village: “Reader-Submitted Photo Issue” by Jordan Sellergren
