Order of finish announced to be announced July 12

The winners are in for the 2001 Alternative Newsweekly Awards, but hold the champagne corks a moment longer. The order of finish will be announced at the July 12 awards luncheon in New Orleans.

AAN Convention host Gambit Weekly wins big this year with a total of nine winning entries, the most of any paper in either circulation division. The Texas Observer is at their heels with six winning entries.

In the large-paper division (circulation above 54,000), LA Weekly receives five awards, followed by Baltimore City Paper and Washington City Paper with four each.

Some familiar names appear on this list. Repeat winners from 2000 include: Godfrey Cheshire, Independent Weekly, Michael King, The Texas Observer, Betty Brink, Fort Worth Weekly, Mara Leveritt, Arkansas Times, Clancy DuBos, Gambit Weekly, Jim Schutze, Dallas Observer, Nate Blakeslee, The Texas Observer, and Ryan Greis, Cincinnati CityBeat.

There even were a couple of three-peats: Stephanie von Buchau, Pacific Sun, and Dan Kennedy, Boston Phoenix, have won Alternative Newsweekly Awards for three years running. And Brendan Bernhard, LA Weekly, has now won four years in a row.

Blakeslee of The Texas Observer is a big winner, with prizes in three different categories. Brink picks up two for separate entries in the News category, while Katherine Topaz of Willamette Week and Jandos Rothstein of Washington City Paper each win awards in both cover design and editorial layout.

Winners were chosen in two rounds. Forty-one first round judges read all the non-graphic entries, with at least two judges reading each submission. Three-judge panels then read each entry selected to proceed to the second round. Graphic categories (cover, editorial layout, illustration and photojournalism) were judged in one round, with three judges reviewing each entry. Cartoons also were evaluated in one round, by a panel of five judges.

The cartoon competition was administered separately under rules that allowed individual cartoonists to submit their own entries. To qualify, cartoons must have been regularly published in at least one AAN-member paper.

The following list places winners in alphabetical order by name of publication. Judges were required only to choose a first-place winner but had the option of awarding a second-place, third-place and honorable mention in each category and each circulation division.

Arts Criticism:

Circulation Above 54,000

Robert Faires, Austin Chronicle

Michael Anft, Baltimore City Paper

Kent Williams, Isthmus

Circulation Below 54,000

Sara Roahen, Gambit Weekly

Godfrey Cheshire, Independent Weekly

Stephanie von Buchau, Pacific Sun

Arts Feature:

Circulation Above 54,000

“Has Anyone Seen Clyde Angel?” Jeff Huebner, Chicago Reader

“Boss Cupid’s Poet,” Brendan Bernhard, LA Weekly

“Boogie Chillun,” Keith A. Owens, Metro Times

Circulation Below 54,000

“Dancing About Architecture,” Jeff Miers, Buffalo Beat/Blue Dog Press

“Play About the Playwright,” Michael King, The Texas Observer

Cartoon:

Ruben Bolling (Ken Fisher), Tom the Dancing Bug

Jesse Reklaw, Slow Wave

Chris Ware, Jimmy Corrigan/Rusty Brown

Column:

Circulation Above 54,000

Michael Ventura, Austin Chronicle

Rick Barrs, New Times Los Angeles

Chris Potter, Pittsburgh City Paper

Circulation Below 54,000:

Kathy Wilson, Cincinnati CityBeat

Andrei Codrescu, Gambit Weekly

Peter Kurth, Seven Days

Column/Political Commentary:

Circulation Above 54,000

Jim Schutze, Dallas Observer

Harold Meyerson, LA Weekly

Nat Hentoff, The Village Voice

Circulation Below 54,000

Pete McCommons, Flagpole Magazine

Clancy DuBos, Gambit Weekly

Peter Freyne, Seven Days

Cover Design:

Circulation Above 54,000

Sheila Sachs and Nickie Sage, Chicago Reader

Jandos Rothstein, Washington City Paper

Katherine Topaz, Willamette Week

Circulation Below 54,000

Dora Sison and Ben Delery, Gambit Weekly

David Jayne, Jason Malmberg, and Andrea Diaz, Reno News & Review

Linda Shankweiler, San Antonio Current

Editorial layout:

Circulation Above 54,000

Joe MacLeod, Baltimore City Paper

Bill Smith, LA Weekly

Jandos Rothstein and Bill Koeb, Washington City Paper

Katherine Topaz, Willamette Week

Circulation Below 54,000

Susanne Teichmann, Coast Weekly

Carrie Badgett, Memphis Flyer

Danny Proctor, Nashville Scene

Feature Story:

Circulation Above 54,000

“Witness to the Execution,” Ellen McGarrahan, East Bay Express

“Jena at 15,” Nancy Rommelmann, LA Weekly

“Inside And Out,” Jennifer Gonnerman, The Village Voice

Circulation Below 54,000

“Sex, The Internet, and You,” Mara Leveritt, Arkansas Times

“Black Gold Rush,” “Stripped, Scraped, and Scrapped,” Jesse Fox Mayshark, Metro Pulse

“Feathers and Blood,” Rob Simbeck, Nashville Scene

Illustration:

Circulation Above 54,000

Chuck Shacochis, Baltimore City Paper

Kevin Banks, Boston Phoenix

Dana Collins, LA Weekly

Dave Klug, Pittsburgh City Paper

Circulation Below 54,000

Don Keller, Artvoice

Ryan Greis, Cincinnati CityBeat

Joseph Forkan, Gambit Weekly

Trevor Paul, Metroland

Investigative Reporting:

Circulation Above 54,000

“Good Cop, Bad Cop,” Christine Biederman, Dallas Observer

“Paying the Price,” Bob Burtman, Houston Press

“False Witness,” Jason Cherkis, Washington City Paper

Circulation Below 54,000

“Down the Drain,” Eileen Loh-Harrist, Gambit Weekly

“Color of Justice,” Nate Blakeslee, The Texas Observer

Media reporting:

Circulation Above 54,000

“The Love Bus,” Dan Kennedy, Boston Phoenix

“What Does This Have to Do with the News,” Mike Mosdale, Minneapolis City Pages

“The Truth Hurts,” Tali Woodward and Tim Redmond, San Francisco Bay Guardian

Circulation Below 54,000

“Soft Serve,” Andrew M. Scutro, Boise Weekly

“Investigating the Investigator,” Allen Johnson Jr., Gambit Weekly

“Writing the Ruckus in Seattle,” Nate Blakeslee, The Texas Observer

Music Criticism:

Circulation Above 54,000

Monica Kendrick, Chicago Reader

Joey Sweeney, Philadelphia Weekly

Laura Bond, Westword

Circulation Below 54,000

Frank De Blase, City Newspaper

David Espinoza, Metro Santa Cruz

News:

Circulation Above 54,000

“This Boy’s Life,” Denise Hamilton, New Times Los Angeles

“Cruel & Unusual,” Bruce Rushton, Riverfront Times

“The Crack Issue,” multiple authors, Washington City Paper

Circulation Below 54,000

“The Gray and the White,” Nate Blakeslee, The Texas Observer

“Lessons in Neglect,” Betty Brink, Fort Worth Weekly

“Huntsman’s Odessa Syndrome,” Greg Harman, The Texas Observer

“I Think I had Sex . . . Today,” Betty Brink, Fort Worth Weekly

Photo Journalism:

Circulation Above 54,000

“Shooting Baltimore,” Christopher Myers, Baltimore City Paper

“Bike To The Future,” Geoffrey Kula, Boston Phoenix

“Border Lines,” Kass Mencher, Philadelphia City Paper “Artists’ Exodus,” Rick Dahms, Seattle Weekly

Circulation Below 54,000

“East Side Stories,” Nancy Santos, Charleston City Paper

“No Place Like Home,” Tracie Morris, Gambit Weekly

“Hell To Pay,” Chad Harder, Missoula Independent

“Where Are the Zapatistas?” Alan Pogue, The Texas Observer

Sports:

Circulation Above 54,000

“Knockdown,” Adam Pitluk, Dallas Observer

“I Know Why the Caged Man Swings,” Bill O’Driscoll, Pittsburgh City Paper

“Super Bowl Champion,” Eric Dexheimer, Westword

Circulation Below 54,000

“Cold Warriors,” Scott Jordan, Gambit Weekly

“Athletic Support,” Daniel Cowles, Urbanview

Judges were:

First Round: Craig Aaron (column/political commentary), Alex Abramovich (arts criticism), Jill Abramson (investigative), Patrick Beach (music criticism), Joel Bleifuss (feature story), Rob Borsellino (column), Marc Charisse (investigative), John Cloud (news), Marcia Froelke Coburn (feature story), Martin Dunphy (feature story), Amanda Fazzone (arts criticism), Mark Fitzgerald (media reporting), Jennifer Frey (sports), Beth Greenfield (news), Glenn Harper (arts feature), Heather Havrilesky (feature story), Andrew Hearst (arts feature), Andrew Hultkrans (arts criticism), Alan Light (media reporting), Hugo Lindgren (sports reporting), Eric Lorberer (arts criticism), Bob Massey (news), Carrie McLaren (media reporting), Rick Nelson (column), Michael Pakenham (arts feature), Sue Parilla (news), Dante Ramos (column/political commentary), Alexandra Ringe (feature story), Amanda Ripley (feature story), Michael Schroeder (investigative), Laura Secor (feature story), Andrea Simakis (news), Jeffrey St. Clair (news), Joe Strupp (news), Chris Suellentrop (sports), Heather Svokos (arts criticism), Nicholas Thompson (investigative), Josh White (news), Bill Wyman (feature story), Joanna Yas (arts feature), Jason Zengerle (sports).

Graphics: Joey Anuff (cartoon), Miriam Campiz (photo journalism), Cindy Daniels (photo journalism), Ed Gabel (illustration), Laurie Henzel (illustration,), Elizabeth Kairys (cover), Joe Kimberling (cover), Jen Lane (editorial layout), Nicholas Lemann (cartoon), Bob Newman (editorial layout), Suzanne Rush (editorial layout), Jack Shafer (cartoon), Jane Simon (photo journalism), Scott Simon (cartoon), Mark Allen Stamaty (cartoon), Kathleen Vincent (cover), Joe Zeff (illustration).

Final Round:
Arts Criticism: Allan Kozinn, Rebecca Solnit, Lawrence Weschler
Arts Feature: Dave Walker, Tom Piazza, Danielle Mattoon
Column: P.J. Corkery, Peter Rowe, Ruben Navarrette, Jr.
Column/Political Commentary: Joe Conason, Richard Reeves, James C. Warren
Feature Story: Rob Walker, David Granger, Alex Heard
Investigative: Katherine Boo, David Willman, David Cay Johnston
Media Reporting: David Carr, Gabriel Snyder, James Poniewozik
Music Criticism: Jim Derogatis, Joe Levy, Lorraine Ali
News Story: David Jackson, Tom Hallman, Jr., Katrina vanden Heuvel.
Sports: David Halberstam, David Maraniss, Keith Olbermann