The New England Press Association held its annual awards banquet at Boston’s Park Plaza Hotel on Saturday, February 11. It was a very good year for the Boston Phoenix, which came away with 20 trophies, including three major awards.
In the Alternative Weekly class, the Phoenix swept the big three, winning the General Excellence award, first place for the best Arts & Entertainment section, and the prize of prizes, the George A. Speers Newspaper of the Year plaque. The Speers award, which the Phoenix has won several time in the past, is given for overall excellence in editorial content and presentation.
In addition, Phoenix editorial staffers and freelancers won 17 individual awards — six for first-place, six seconds, and five thirds.
First Place
Reporter David S. Bernstein took home first-place prizes in two contest categories: General News Story, for his April 1, 2005 crime story, “Did He Murder His Mother,” and Health Reporting, for his December 17, 2004 feature on amphetamine abuse, “All Methed Up.”
Reporter Adam Reilly won a first in the Reporting on Religious Issues category for his March 18, 2005 feature on the Mormon church’s role in Mitt Romney’s presidential bid, “Onward Mormon Soldiers.”
First-place honors also went to freelancers Flint Born (Personality Photo), Eric Levin (Color Photo), and Dale Stephanos (Illustration).
Second Place
Features writer Camille Dodero took second-place honors in the Human Interest Feature Story category for her July 22, 2005 feature on MySpace.
Fellow features writer Mike Miliard took second in Education Reporting for his April 22, 2005 report on challenges facing gay students at Boston College.
Adam Reilly won a second award for Religious Reporting for his June 17, 2005 report on Domino Pizza founder Tom Monaghan’s plans to build a Catholic utopia.
And our online edition — the former bostonphoenix.com — won second place for Best Newspaper Web Site.
Second-place prizes also went to freelance photographers Kelly Davidson (Personality Photo) and Eric Levin (Photo Series).
Third Place
In the Environmental Reporting category, reporter Deirdre Fulton won third place for her February 25, 2005 feature on the consequences of budget cuts to environmental programs, “Green Wake-Up Call.”
Third place in the Serious Column category went to former Phoenix senior writer Dan Kennedy for his “Don’t Quote Me” columns.
Features writer Mike Miliard took home a third in Business and Economic Reporting for his October 22, 2004 write-up on a Worcester-based anti-major-label music-activist organization called Downhill Battle, “Fight Songs.”
Longtime freelance classical-music critic Lloyd Schwartz collected a third-place certificate in Arts & Entertainment Reporting for his March 25, 2005 report on the Boston Globe’s attacks on Boston Symphony Orchestra conductor James Levine, “Stretching Exercises.”
Freelancer Mark Ostow won third in the Personality Photo category.
