Out of 1,108 entries submitted to the AltWeekly Awards, the finalists below represent some of the finest work to appear in alternative publications across the U.S. and Canada in 2011.
AAN received entries from 90 of its member publications. Those entries were reviewed, picked apart, and ranked by a heroic gang of 87 judges from academia, national magazines, daily newspapers, and across the internet. We’ll be releasing a full list of judges in the coming days.
The finalists are listed in alphabetical order by publication within each category.
The winners will be announced on Friday, June 8, during an afternoon reception at the AAN Convention in Detroit.
ARTS CRITICISM circulation 50,000 and over
Chicago Reader: That 70s Movie; Daydream Believers; and Baseball’s Bargain Basement by J.R. Jones
Phoenix New Times: Weird-Looking Churches; Leave It to the Kids; and Refugee Community Training Garden by Robrt L. Pela
Washington City Paper: No Russian Accent–but Plenty of Ennui; The Arena Rocker Who Fiddled; and Torture for Dummies by Chris Klimek
ARTS CRITICISM circulation under 50,000
Independent Weekly (NC): To the end of the world; Somewhere strips the glamour; and A West African colonial nightmare by Nathan Gelgud
The Pitch: Young Adult; Melancholia; and Moneyball by Scott Wilson
Style Weekly: Unparalleled Parking; Pleasure Garden; and Arrested Development by Edwin Slipek, Jr.
ARTS FEATURE circulation 50,000 and over
Creative Loafing Atlanta: Life in the Belle Jar by Wyatt Williams
Philadelphia Weekly: Made to Change by Tara Murtha
SF Weekly: The Art of the Steal by Joe Eskenazi
ARTS FEATURE circulation under 50,000
Cleveland Scene: Dark Days for the Black Arts by Anastasia Pantsios
Nashville Scene: The House that Jack Built by Adam Gold
Weekly Alibi: Raising Hell in the Land of Enchantment by Sam Adams
COLUMN circulation 50,000 and over
Metro Times: Undercover Brothers; Mulenga’s Tinfoil Hat; and Crisis on the Corner by Larry Gabriel
Pittsburgh City Paper: Bittersweet Lesson; Bank Statements; and False Choice by Chris Potter
The Village Voice: Why I Hate Being Gay! 62 Reasons!; Help! Blandness Has Taken Over Our Culture!; and Fame Is Better Than Drugs And I Want To Mainline That Shitby Michael Musto
COLUMN circulation under 50,000
Maui Time: Kula Kid: Give A Buck; Love Is In The Fair; and Green Dumb by Anu Yagi
San Antonio Current: Lone Star Green: Endangered Species Act; ‘Clean’ Coal; and Texas Cooks by Greg Harman
San Luis Obispo New Times: Wild Christmas; Kids These Days; and Mood Music by Nick Powell
COLUMN (POLITICAL) circulation 50,000 and over
Long Island Press: $4 Per Gallon: Beating The Oil Drum (PDF); The Dow Of Poo (PDF); and A Slippery Slope To Fascism (PDF) by Jed Morey
Metro Times: Dems: Gutless Cowards; Granholm’s World; and Aiming at John Conyers by Jack Lessenberry
Phoenix New Times: Recalling Russell Pearce;His Own Worst Enemy; and Kissing His Political Career Goodbye by Stephen Lemons
COLUMN (POLITICAL) circulation under 50,000
East Bay Express: Cops Charging Overtime to Clubs; Marcie Hodge Loses, Again; and The Absent Police Chief by Robert Gammon
Jackson Free Press: Hazardous Civility; Immigrants vs. Profit; and And the Good News Is… by Tom Head
Monterey County Weekly: Reefer Madness; Shared Sins; and Shut ‘Em Down by Mary Duan
Tucson Weekly: Tax the Rich; Greed; and Occupy and Economics by Renee Downing
FEATURE STORY circulation 50,000 and over
Chicago Reader: The Price of Intolerance Part 1 and Part 2 by Steve Bogira
Seattle Weekly: Lawrence Williams: No Romeo by Caleb Hannan
The Village Voice: Guys Who Like Fat Chicks by Camille Dodero
FEATURE STORY circulation under 50,000
Missoula Independent: The Reckoning by Jamie Rogers
San Diego CityBeat: Injustice Served by David Rolland
Santa Fe Reporter: Undercover by Sharyn Jackson
FOOD WRITING circulation 50,000 and over
Chicago Reader: Next Restaurant; The 23 Enigma; and No Jacket Required by Mike Sula
L.A. Weekly: Red Medicine; Noodle Boy; and Cochon 555’s Traveling Pork and Wine Bacchanalia by Jonathan Gold
SF Weekly: Shark’s Fin–Understanding the Political Soup; Tacko: The Nantucket Gringo Take on the Taco; and Leatherneck Steakhouse by Jonathan Kauffman
FOOD WRITING circulation under 50,000
Independent Weekly (NC): The man who designed the Oreo cookie and A brief history of pimento cheese by Emily Wallace
Mountain Xpress: Mud Fish and Menudo; The Sorcerer’s Apprentice; and Everything’s Better with Butter by Mackensy Lunsford
Seven Days: Suddenly Sushi; The Spirits That Move Them; and Resurrecting Hops by Corin Hirsch
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING circulation 50,000 and over
Chicago Reader: The Grass Gap; What is Pot Prosecution Good For?; The $78 Million Bag; and The Politics of Pot by Ben Joravsky and Mick Dumke
Miami New Times: McKay Scholarship Fraud: Scholarship Program Sparks a Cottage Industry of Fraud and Chaos; The Fraud Hall of Shame; Coach Bernard Wright’s Talent Trap; Notorious Miami Football Recruiter Has New Diploma Mill; Diploma Mill Gets More Taxpayer Dollars; Head of Fraud-Plagued Scholarship Program Talks; and Expose Prompts Reform; by Gus Garcia-Roberts
Washington City Paper: Reports on D.C. Child-Welfare System: Outsourcing Troubled Kids (with supporting documents); The One City Official Who Understood; Is CFSA Fudging Stats (Part 1) and (Part 2)?; D.C. Youth Has Arm Broken by Staff at Treatment Facility; Child Welfare Director Responds; Is D.C. Neglecting Neglect?; and Cover Story Subject Arrested by Jason Cherkis
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING circulation under 50,000
Cleveland Scene: What the Boy Saw by Kyle Swenson
North Coast Journal: Vulnerable: Part 1 and Part 2 by Carrie Peyton Dahlberg
Texas Observer: Lifestyles of the Corrupt and Elected by Dave Mann and Abby Rapoport
MEDIA REPORTING / CRITICISM circulation 50,000 and over
City Pages (Twin Cities): WCCO Duck Dog Story; WCCO Airs Video of Woman’s Suicide; and New York Times Quotes Anonymous City Pages Blog Commenter by Kevin Hoffman
Dallas Observer: Dallas Morning News Tippy-Toes Away; How Not to Humiliate Yourself as a Journalist; and Picking Apart The Dallas Morning News’ Smug Sense by Jim Schutze
Miami New Times: Jaime Bayly is Dying by Michael E. Miller
MEDIA REPORTING/CRITICISM circulation under 50,000
Fort Worth Weekly: The Incredible Shrinking Star-Telegram by Jeff Prince
Nashville Scene: Guided by Voices and Super Size News by Matt Pulle
Seven Days: Boxed In: Can Vermont Public Television Survive? by Megan James and Margot Harrison
MUSIC REPORTING/CRITICISM circulation 50,000 and over
L.A. Weekly: Falling James’ Gig of the Week: Buffalo Springfield at the Wiltern; The Go-Go’s and Girl in a Coma; and Morrissey & Kristeen Young by James Moreland
Metro Times: Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman; Anna Waronker; and Reviews for the Easily Distracted by Brian Smith
Phoenix New Times: Premier Queensryche Tribute Band Lived the Dream; Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, and The Walkmen; and Is Aaron Lewis the World’s Most Obnoxious Country-Western Wanna-Be? by Jason Woodbury
MUSIC REPORTING / CRITICISM circulation under 50,000
Independent Weekly (NC): The Trend of Reissues; Why Indie Rock Continues to Ignore the Drive-By Truckers; and The Triangle’s Top 10 albums of 2011 by Grayson Currin
North Bay Bohemian: Morning Glory; gOoD-bAiT; and Lapse of Reason by Gabe Meline
Pacific Northwest Inlander: Dream Catcher; Becoming Metallica; and K. Clifton by Leah Sottile
NEWS STORY (LONG FORM) circulation 50,000 and over
Dallas Observer: Rick Perry’s Manufactured Miracle by Jim Schutze
L.A. Weekly: Wheelchair Hell in Men’s Central Jail andMen’s County Jail Visitor Viciously Beaten by Chris Vogel
New Times Broward-Palm Beach: Pressing Charges Against a TSA Officer Over a $450 Penby Stefan Kamph
Riverfront Times: Why Isn’t Reggie Allen Behind Bars? by Nicholas Phillips
NEWS STORY (LONG FORM) circulation under 50,000
Cleveland Scene: Call it Even by Vince Grzegorek
Fort Worth Weekly: The Power of Alienation by Jeff Prince
Missoula Independent: Orient Express by Matthew Frank
Texas Observer: Intent to Harm by Saul Elbein
NEWS STORY (SHORT FORM) circulation 50,000 and over
Miami New Times: Santeria Stalker; Guns Online: No Permit Needed; The Fight to Bury Venezuelan President CAP in Miami by Tim Elfrink
Philadelphia City Paper: Ackerman’s Message Machine; Avoiding the Subject; and Big East by Daniel Denvir
The Village Voice: Life Under Occupation; Occupational Hazards; and To the Barricades, Variously by Rosie Gray
NEWS STORY (SHORT FORM) circulation under 50,000
Colorado Springs Independent: Benefit of the Doubt; Shaking the Foundation at AFA; and Wedding Bell Blues by Pam Zubeck
East Bay Express: The Blair Park Project; Solar is Still Humming; and How Organic is Organic? by Nate Seltenrich
San Diego CityBeat: Poor Returns; Greenhouse Effect; and Tribe Attempts to Evict Private Military Contractor by Dave Maass
PUBLIC SERVICE circulation 50,000 and over
City Pages (Twin Cities): RNC Piggy Bank by Andy Mannix and Mike Mullen
Metro Times: Ambassador Bridge Series: Taking a Toll; When Matty Wins, We All Lose; Lowering the Boom; Gateway: The Big Picture;A Statesman Emerges; Fenced Out; Delray Foray; Lies Before Your Eyes; Found in Contempt, Matty Strikes Back; and A Bogus Argument (Video) by Curt Guyette, Jack Lessenberry, and Jacob Hurwitz-Goodman
Philadelphia Weekly: The Rape Issue by Philadelphia Weekly Staff
PUBLIC SERVICE circulation under 50,000
Jackson Free Press: Mississippi Defeats Personhood: Ready, Boots? Start Marching!; Danger Looming Large; Preparing for Battle; It’s About Women’s Rights; Where is the Line?; Personhood Supporters Shocked; A Pandora’s Box; Grassroots Mamas Tell All; Inside Yes on 26; and What the Mamas Taught Us by Valerie Wells, Elizabeth Waibel, Lacey McLaughlin, Donna Ladd, Lori Garrott, Shannon Barbour, Stacey Spiehler, and Funmi Franklin
San Luis Obispo New Times: The Homeless Project by Ashley Schwellenbach, Colin Rigley, Nick Powell, Matt Fountain, Anna Weltner, Maeva Considine, Ryan Miller, Steve E. Miller, and Robert McDonald
Santa Fe Reporter: Santa Fe Public Schools: A Teachable Moment; Left Behind; Add It Up; Bully Pulpit; Numbers Game; Specialized Ed; Zero Sum; Public Schools by the Numbers; School Board Violated Rights; and Baby on Board by Wren Abbott and Alexa Schirtzinger
SPECIAL TOPIC: ECONOMIC INEQUALITY circulation 50,000 and over
Baltimore City Paper: Hardly Working by Edward Ericson Jr.
Metro Times: Ain’t Too Proud to Beg by “Detroitblogger” John Carlisle
Philadelphia Weekly: Separation Anxiety by Daniel Denvir
SPECIAL TOPIC: ECONOMIC INEQUALITY circulation under 50,000
LEO Weekly: Hitting a Wall; Rise and Fall; and Hype or Hope? by Anne Marshall
Orlando Weekly: Bare Minimum by Jeff Gore
Pacific Northwest Inlander: Future Unknown (PDF) by Daniel Walters
INDIVIDUAL BLOG All Publications
Boston Phoenix: Talking Politics: Horseshit in the Legislature; Romney’s No-Lose Life; Linehan Whitening His District; Romney’s Ad; and Casinos, Trans, and Whatnot by David S. Bernstein
San Antonio Current: The Wicked Stage: Rock of Ages; NYC Theater Weekend; and Osage County in Austin by Thomas E. Jenkins
Washington City Paper: Housing Complex: More Disneyfication Coming to Chinatown; Vince Gray Enthusiastically Endorses Trade Center He Heard About Last Night; Two More Walmarts in D.C.; Supermarkets Getting Really Sweet Deals; and Walmart’s Alternative Reality by Lydia DePillis
MULTIMEDIA All Publications
Houston Press: Gulf Coast Sushi: The Fish That Got Away; The Art of Ike Jime; and The Roughest Catch Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 by Katharine Shilcutt
Long Island Press: Tunnelvision: Inside The East Side Access Project by Spencer Rumsey, Rashed Mian, and Jon Sasala
NOW Magazine: Best of Toronto by Adam Foorde and Joshua Errett
MUSIC BLOG All Publications
City Pages (Twin Cities): Gimme Noise: Why We Didn’t Sign Foo Fighters Photo Waiver; fDeluxe’s St. Paul Peterson Talks About the Minneapolis Sound; 10 Superfan Factoids About Dave Grohl; ‘Rock for the Rules’ Compilation; and Minnesota Twins Phase Out Local Music Programming by Andrea Swensson
North Bay Bohemian: City Sound Inertia: Who the Hell Made Rebecca Black’s ‘Friday’ Video? and 101.7 The Fox is Off the Air – What Happened? by Gabe Meline
SF Weekly: All Shook Down: The Early Days of Metallica and the Bay Area Thrash Metal Scene; Metallica 30th Anniversary Party Continues; Five Resident DJs on Their Favorite New Tracks; 10 Most Opulent Parts of ‘Watch the Throne’ Show; and Second-by-Second Breakdown of the Worst Christmas Music Video Ever Made by SF Weekly Staff
STAFF BLOG All Publications
Nashville Scene: Pith in the Wind: Legislators Claim ‘Super Citizen’ Status; Night Court Magistrate Throws the Book at Troopers Over Occupy Nashville Arrests; Scene Reporter Captures Own Arrest on Video; State Concedes Defeat For Now in Occupy Nashville Battle; and Document Dump Shows Christian Right Scripted Anti-Gay Law by Staff
Phoenix New Times: Chow Bella: Tucson’s Cafe 54 Serves the Mentally Ill;Horchata Bread Pudding; Kim Porter’s Ham Taco Christmas; Five Tips for Making the Perfect Eggnog; and Where’s the Last Great Restaurant You Dined? by Staff
Portland Mercury: Blogtown: “Occupy! Multiply!”; WTF Happened Last Night?; Mercury Reporter Shoved Down by Cop; Police Break Out Pepper Spray; and Dance Party Occupies Bank of America Doorway by Sarah Mirk, Denis C. Theriault, Matt Bors, Georgia Perry, and Wm. Steven Humphrey
DESIGN CATEGORIES
COVER DESIGN circulation 50,000 and over
Baltimore City Paper: Drawing a Line; Fiction & Poetry Contest Winners; and People Who Died by Joe MacLeod
Las Vegas Weekly: The Facebook Cover; Missing: Ikea; and Driven to Cheat by Ryan Olbrysh
SF Weekly: My Funny, Chewy Valentine; Your Rags to Their Riches; and Live & Let Kill by Andrew Nilsen
The Village Voice: 10 Worst Tenants; The Comics Issue; and The Suckadelic Era by John Dixon
COVER DESIGN circulation under 50,000
Maui Time: Taste of Maui; The 2011 Fashion Issue; and The Bar Guide by Justin “Scrappers” Morrison, Chris Skiles, and Sean Michael Hower
Portland Mercury: Japanese Tsunami; Miyamoto’s Diner; and The Tattoo by Justin “Scrappers” Morrison, Suji Allen, Bijijoo, and Liz Devine
San Antonio Current: Cinefestival; Fall Survival Guide; and 25th Birthday Cake by Chuck Kerr
Texas Observer: The Greatest Show in Texas; Rick Perry’s Army of God; Are the Pigs All Right? by Mario Zucca, EmDash, and Matt Wright-Steel
EDITORIAL LAYOUT circulation 50,000 and over
L.A. Weekly: There Goes the Neighborhood (PDF) by Darrick Rainey
SF Weekly: Enter: A Superhero (PDF) by Andrew Nilsen
SF Weekly: Free Based (PDF) by Andrew Nilsen
EDITORIAL LAYOUT circulation under 50,000
Boston’s Weekly Dig: Barcade Games (PDF) by Scott Murry
Independent Weekly (NC): A Monster of a Cookie (PDF) by J.P. Trostle and Jeremy M. Lange
Nashville Scene: Welcome to Soundland (PDF) by Elizabeth Jones
ILLUSTRATION circulation 50,000 and over
Boston Phoenix: Night of the Living Newt by Steve Weigl
Phoenix New Times: Hindsight by Kyle T. Webster
SF Weekly: Explosive Issue by Edel Rodriguez
SF Weekly: Live and Let Kill by Dale Stephanos
The Village Voice: The Comics Issue by Ward Sutton
ILLUSTRATION circulation under 50,000
Boise Weekly: Who Are They Now? by Adam Rosenlund
Independent Weekly (NC): Enemy Exposed by Nathan Golub
San Luis Obispo New Times: 55 Fiction by Neal Breton
Seven Days: The Real Estate Issue by Jeff Drew
PHOTOGRAPHY circulation 50,000 and over
Boston Phoenix: Best. Summer. Ever. by Mike Pecci
Creative Loafing (Atlanta): Photography by Joeff Davis, Dustin Chambers, James Camp, and Evey Wilson
Dallas Observer: Taco Suave by Danny Fulgencio
PHOTOGRAPHY circulation under 50,000
Monday Magazine: Photography by Grant McKenzie, Nicky Nadeau, K.J. Dakin, Travis Bower, Derek Ford, Danielle Pope, and Shelley Lipke
Seven Days: Photography by Matthew Thorsen and Jeb Wallace-Brodeur
Style Weekly: Jail Yoga by Scott Elmquist
OUTSIDE-THE-BOX
CARTOON All Publications
Failure by Karl Stevens (Boston Phoenix)
Slowpoke by Jen Sorensen
The HR Department by Ed Harrington (Style Weekly)
INNOVATION / FORMAT BUSTER circulation 50,000 and over
City Pages (Twin Cities): Michele Bachmann Quote Generator by Hart van Denburg
Phoenix New Times: Best of Phoenix Map by Staff
Washington City Paper: Annotated Guide to 2011 by Staff
Willamette Week: 2011 Restaurant Guide (PDF) and Video: Inside the Kitchen of WW’s Restaurant of the Year and Video: Inside the Runner-Up Kitchen by Ben Waterhouse, Emilee Booher, Jess Sword, Ruth Brown, Carolyn Richardson
INNOVATION / FORMAT BUSTER circulation under 50,000
Boise Weekly: Red Potatoes by Rachael Daigle, Deanna Darr, and Adam Rosenlund
Colorado Springs Independent: WeBrand Colorado Springs: Community Contest; City Brand: Is That All?; Our Branding Escapade; Branding the Springs, Take 2; Slogans Wanted, Too; Logo and Behold; and Live Adventure by Staff
Jackson Free Press: GOOD Ideas Issue (PDF) by Staff
VUE Weekly: Choose Your Own Adventure: The Lonely Road (PDF) by Pete Nguyen, Eden Munro, Bryan Birtles, and Mike Siek
SPECIAL SECTION circulation 50,000 and over
Chicago Reader: The Reader’s 40th Anniversary Issue by Staff
NOW Magazine: The Beer Guide (PDF) by Troy Beyer, Susan G. Cole, Graham Duncan, and Andrew Sardone
Willamette Week: Finder 2011 – 2012 by Staff
SPECIAL SECTION circulation under 50,000
LEO Weekly: The Fake Issue by Sarah Kelley, Sara Havens, Phillip M. Bailey, Jonathan Meador, Mat Herron, Britany Baker, Buddy Schneider, Ron Jasin, Jim Welp, and Kevin Gibson
Nashville Scene: Best of Nashville by Staff
VUE Weekly: Golden Fork Awards (PDF) by Eden Munro, Bryan Birtles, and Pete Nguyen
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