Blade captures 6 key Ohio SPJ awards
COLUMBUS – Ohio’s Best Journalism Contest, sponsored by the Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) chapters statewide, has announced its 2016 awards, and The Blade captured six key awards, including Best Columnist and Best Website in the large newspaper category.
The categories include large circulation print (75,000 or greater), small circulation print (fewer than 75,000), radio, television, digital media, trade organizations, freelance and college. Click here for a full list of categories.
New this year were several free-lance and digital media categories to recognize the changing journalism profession.Best of Show distinctions are awarded in all categories except college. Entries were for work done in 2015. Judging was done by the Long Island Press Club.
A luncheon celebration to honor the winners will be held Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016, at noon at The Boat House at Confluence Park in Downtown Columbus, 679 W. Spring St., on the Scioto River.
First place awards for The Blade (Large circulation category (75,000 or greater):
- Best Website (toledoblade.com) – Blade Staff
- Best Columnist in Ohio – Keith Burris
- Best Issues Reporting, Higher Ed – Vanessa McCray, Lauren Lindstrom
- Best Environmental Reporting – Tom Henry
Second place awards for The Blade
- Best Sports Reporting (Pay-to-Play in the MAC and Big Ten) – David Briggs, Nick Piotrowicz
- Best Daily Newspaper (second place) – Blade Staff. Columbus won the category
Ohio’s Best Journalism is the only Ohio competition that honors journalists who fulfill the SPJ mission: defense of the First Amendment, support of literacy, resistance to censorship, advocacy for openness of public records and meetings, media self-criticism and community service.
Top winners were The Columbus Dispatch with 30 awards; The Cincinnati Enquirer with 24 awards; The Chronicle-Telegraph with 14 awards; and The Akron Beacon Journal with 13 awards.
In the Large Circulation Print (75,000 or greater), Best of Show category, top winners included:
- Best Page One Design, First Place, The Akron Beacon Journal, Mark Turner
- Best Reporter In Ohio, First Place, The Cincinnati Enquirer, Sharon Coolidge
- Best Photographer in Ohio, First Place, The Columbus Dispatch, Kyle Robertson
- Best Daily Newspaper, First Place, The Columbus Dispatch
