Winners of the 2015 SCPA News Contest with judges' comments

Recognizing the best in S.C. newspaper journalism
FIRST PLACE FEATURE PHOTO, DAILY OVER 45,000: Grace Beahm, The Post and Courier
2015 AWARD WINNERS

2 | 2015 News Contest Winners S.C. Press Association
Journalist
of the Year
index
Open Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
All Daily Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
All Weekly Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
Associate & Individual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11
Daily Under 16,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-15
Daily Under 16,000 & 2-3 Times Weekly Combined . . . . . . 15
Daily Under 16,000 & Weekly Over 4,500 Combined. . . . 15
Daily Under 16,000 & 16,000-45,000 Combined . . . . . 16
Daily 16,000-45,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-19
President’s Award for Excellence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21
General Excellence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21
Daily 16,000-45,000 & Over 45,000 Combined . . . . . . 22
Daily Over 45,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-26
Weekly Under 4,500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27-29
Weekly Under 4,500 & Over 4,500 Combined . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Weekly Over 4,500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31-33
WeeklyOver4,500&2-3TimesWeeklyCombined...........34
2-3 Times Weekly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35-39
WEEKLY DIVISION WINNERS
Photojournalist
of the Year
Jay Bender Award for
Assertive Journalism
Reid Montgomery
FOI AWARD
ACKERMAN
FIRST PLACE – TRAVIS JENKINS
THE NEWS & REPORTER
Travis Jenkins is general manager and editor of The
News & Reporter in Chester. He began his newspaper
career in 2003 as sports editor and staff writer. In
2010, he was promoted to editor of the paper and later
given the responsibilities of general manager in 2012.
During his tenure at the paper, Jenkins has won more
than 75 journalism awards with The News & Reporter
winning General Excellence under his leadership.
Judges’ Comments: Loved the breadth of
coverage from fighting to open meetings from
the S.C. High School League to obtaining police dashcam videos,
Jenkins fought hard on the public’s behalf for openness. His
reporting led to change and shed light on issues that the public
needed to know. Well done.
SECOND PLACE –MICHAEL SMITH, STEVE ROBERTSON AND
AUGUST DITTBENNER, CAROLINA FOREST CHRONICLE
Judges’ Comments: Michael Smith and team crusade for the
public’s right to know. In their community, they use the FOIA
effectively, challenging secretive record keeping practices by
the police department and filing suit in criminal court to gain
access to important information. Their aggressive journalism
demonstrated tenacity.
TANYA ACKERMAN, COASTAL OBSERVER
Tanya Ackerman earned a degree in photojournalism from Kent State University. She was a
photographer for The Greenville News for six years and joined the Coastal Observer in 2006.
She has received numerous awards for her work. She approaches her job with the same
exuberance she approaches life and that is reflected in her work. She goes beyond the surface
to get to the heart of a subject and is always looking for opportunities to tell stories in a new
way. She was named SCPA Photojournalist of the Year for weekly papers in 2011 and 2013.
Judges’ Comments: A very consistent portfolio. Good job of capturing emotion
and expression. Great variety of work.
CHRISTOPHER SARDELLI, THE LANCASTER NEWS
Chris Sardelli, 35, is a senior staff writer at The Lancaster News and Carolina Gateway.
Chris grew up in Virginia and received his BA from the College of William and Mary
and a master’s in journalism from Emerson College. He reported for two Boston
newspapers, The Beacon Hill Times and The Back Bay Sun, before moving to South
Carolina. He freelanced at The Herald, Fort Mill Times, The Gaston Gazette and the
Enquirer-Herald before joining The Lancaster News and Carolina Gateway in 2008. He
covers county government, education and whatever else he finds interesting. He and his
wife, Katie, a Winthrop University administrator, live in Fort Mill.
Judges’ Comments: Sardelli demonstrated impressive energy in producing a
varied scope of work. His reporting is remarkable. He digs deep into issues,
using open records laws effectively.
FIRST PLACE –JONATHAN VICKERY, THE PEOPLE-SENTINEL
Jonathan Vickery is the managing editor of The People-Sentinel in Barnwell. He worked
for the newspaper while in high school and returned in 2010 after graduating from
Anderson University. He is an Eagle Scout and loves giving back to the community. He is
involved in leadership organizations including the formation of a new young professionals
group in Barnwell, is on the board of The Circle Theatre, and is deeply involved with First
Baptist Church. He has won SCPA, as well as Morris Journalism Excellence, awards for
his reporting. Jonathan is a bulldog when it comes to the FOIA, going above and beyond
to make sure the public is able to access meetings and information. He regularly covers
three school districts and local government bodies, always making sure the politicians and
administrators keep the public informed and included making him the public’s best friend.
Judges’ Comments: Vickery was impressively aggressive in pursuing open meetings – individually
emailing school board members and the chairwoman to educate them on the FOIA. His efforts
were joined with news coverage, and he succeeded in getting the board to reverse its decision to
close the meeting. Commendable diligence and follow-through.
SECOND PLACE – TRAVIS JENKINS, THE NEWS & REPORTER
Judges’ Comments: Jenkins’ energetic pursuit to open the High School League’s meetings to the
public won an acknowledgement from the league’s lawyer that the meetings should be open. An
impressive confrontation of secrecy on behalf of the public.
JENKINSSARDELLI
VICKERY

2015 News Contest Winners | 3S.C. Press Association
Journalist of the Year Award ??? Reid Montgomery FOI AWARD ??? Jay Bender Award
for Assertive Journalism ??? Photojournalist of the Year Award ??? Journalist of
the Year Award ??? Reid Montgomery FOI AWARD ??? Jay Bender Award for Assertive
Journalism ??? Photojournalist of the Year Award ??? Journalist of the Year Award
??? Reid Montgomery FOI AWARD ??? Jay Bender Award for Assertive Journalism ???
Photojournalist of the Year Award ??? Journalist o f
the Year Award ??? Reid Montgomery FOI AWARD
??? Jay Bender Award for Assertive Journalism ? ? ?
Photojournalist of the Year Award ??? Journalist o f
the Year Award ??? Reid Montgomery FOI AWARD ??? Jay
Bender Award for Assertive Journalism ??? Photojournalist of the Year Award ???
for Assertive Journalism ??? Photojournalist of the Year Award ??? Journalist of
the Year Award ??? Reid Montgomery FOI AWARD ??? Jay Bender Award for Assertive
??? Reid Montgomery FOI AWARD ??? Jay Bender Award for Assertive
Journalism ??? Photojournalist oftheYear Award ??? Journalist of the Year
Award ??? Reid Montgomery FOI AWARD ??? Jay Bender Award for Assertive
Journalism ??? Photojournalist oftheYear Award ??? Journalist of the Year
Award ??? Reid Montgomery FOI AWARD ??? Jay Bender Award for Assertive
??? Reid Montgomery FOI AWARD ??? Jay Bender Award for Assertive Journalism
??? Photojournalist of the Year Award ??? Journalist of the Year Award ???
Reid Montgomery FOI AWARD ??? Jay Bender Award for Assertive Journalism ???
Photojournalist of the Year Award ??? Reid Montgomery FOI AWARD ??? Jay Bender
Award for Assertive Journalism ??? Photojournalist of the Year Award ??? Journalist
of the Year Award ??? Reid Montgomery??? Photojournalist of the Year Award ???
Journalist
of the Year
DAILY DIVISION WINNERS
Photojournalist
of the Year
Jay Bender Award for
Assertive Journalism
Reid Montgomery
FOI AWARD
FIRST PLACE – REBECCA LURYE
THE ISLAND PACKET
Rebecca Lurye has been with The Island Packet since Sept.
2013. She is currently the education and quality of life
reporter. In 2014, her work was recognized by the SCPA
in three categories: public service, in-depth journalism
and beat reporting. Rebecca is a graduate of the
University of Maryland and, before joining The Packet,
had internships with USA Today and the Washington
D.C. bureau of the McClatchy company.
Judges’ Comments: Relentless, dogged work. Rebecca held officials
accountable and offered solid reporting with great follow-through. After
the superintendent’s resignation, she kept reporting the story to give the
public even more information about the superintendent’s background and
nepotism claims. Very clearly and aggressively done.
SECOND PLACE – STAFF, INDEPENDENT MAIL
Judges’ Comments: A strong, sustained effort by staffers to unearth facts in
the Zachary Hammond shooting coverage. Coalition going to court over
tape was impressive.
HONORABLE MENTION – ANNA DOUGLAS, THE HERALD
Judges’ Comments: Don’t stonewall Anna Douglas. Though covering
Chester’s schools was virgin territory, she developed sources, utilized the
FOIA and was tenacious in her reporting. Her stories brought about
change in a troubled school system.
MELENDEZ
JENNIFER BERRY HAWES
THE POST AND COURIER
Jennifer Berry Hawes is a projects writer for The
Post and Courier who worked on the Pulitzer
Prize-winning team that produced “Till Death Do
Us Part.” During her stints focusing on healthcare,
religion, courts, features and education reporting,
she has won numerous national awards. They
include a George Polk Award, National Headliner
Award and an ASNE Award for Local Accountability
Reporting. She also is a past South Carolina Journalist of the Year and the
Religion Newswriters Association’s Cornell Reporter of the Year. Today,
she works on the newspaper’s Watchdog & Public Service Team.
Judges’ Comments: Hawes writes with passion and a steely resolve over
a wide array of issues. She writes about some of the most emotional
and sensationalized events without sensationalizing the story. A profile
package of work by an outstanding reporter and journalist. She represents
the very best qualities of journalism.
GERRY MELENDEZ, THE STATE
Gerry Melendez sets the standard for
photojournalism in South Carolina. As the state’s
most honored news photographer, Gerry has been
recognized for his work in news, sports, features,
enterprise, human interest and video storytelling.
A visual artist with more than 20 years experience,
Melendez has won top awards from the Inland
Press Association, the National Press Photographers
Association, the S.C. News Photographers
Association, the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association, Southern
Short Court Photojournalism and the S.C. Press Association. He received
The State Media Co. “Hampton Award” in 2014 as the most outstanding
non-reporter at The State newspaper.
A graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, Melendez
worked at the Santa Barbara Independent, the Santa Barbara News-Press
and The Idaho Statesman before joining The State in 2004.
Judges’ Comments: Lots of variety in this portfolio; a little different from
the rest of the field. Great use of light. Good eye for composition displayed
on every shot. Great work!
BERRY HAWES
FIRST PLACE – THE POST AND COURIER
Judges’ Comments: Clear winner! Relentless, vast, deep coverage. The
Post and Courier uses the FOIA as a tool to tell stories, and then the
newspaper’s journalists tell compelling stories of great public interest
in every section of the newspaper. The Post and Courier has an almost
daily commitment to identifying societal problems and exposing them.
Its stories lead to real change. Kudos for several projects built entirely
using information found through the FOIA. The standout example was
examining 30,000 pages of SLED reports to produce the “Shots Fired”
series.
HONORABLE MENTION – THE GREENVILLE NEWS
Judges’ Comments: The Greenville News aggressively reported on the
discrepancies in the official description of events leading up to the fatal
shooting of Zachary Hammond by a Seneca police officer, and was
instrumental in forcing release of the dashcam video after the newspaper
sued. The Greenville News clearly demonstrated aggressive journalism
and use of the FOIA in this entry. It is certainly noteworthy that the
newspaper filed suit and got a coalition of Upstate newspapers together to
force the video’s release.
LURYE

OPEN
division
JUDSON CHAPMAN
AWARD FOR
PUBLIC SERVICE
THE POST AND COURIER
Tony Bartelme and Andrew Knapp
“2.7 Seconds: How 8 bullets
pierced the nation”
Judges’ Comments: Writing style keeps
the reader engaged and paints a vivid
picture of what happens, providing the
reader with a “you are there” perspective.
SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier,
Staff, “Capitol Gains”
THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier,
Doug Pardue and Lauren Sausser,
“Cradle of Shame”
HONORABLE MENTION: The Post and
Courier, Tony Bartelme and Glenn
Smith, “Pull Over”
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Staff,
“Capitol Gains”
Judges’ Comments: Not only are South Carolina
politicians ignoring child mortality and group
homes, they’re also enriching themselves from
campaign cash. Politicos in S.C. must pick up each
morning’s Post and Courier with severe anxiety. It’s
really hard to pick one Post and Courier story over
another. I’m going with this one because of the
massive effort involved and because it lays bare the
self-serving nature of the politicians who steadfastly
turn their backs on infant mortality, the
warehousing of children and other state problems.
SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Lauren
Sausser, “Warehousing our children”
THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Doug Pardue
and Lauren Sausser, “Cradle of Shame”
HONORABLE MENTION: The Sun News, Issac J. Bailey,
“Beyond a reasonable doubt?”
SERIES OF SPORTS ARTICLES
FIRST PLACE: The Island Packet, Kendall Salter and
Gina Smith, “LOST TO TIME: Beaufort County’s
forgotten black athletes”
Judges’ Comments: Kendall Salter and Gina Smith
worked to give great unsung African-American
athletes of the past a chance to tell their story. The
series makes us realize that some of the best
athletic performances may have been lost to
history forever. This series helped bring some of
those back to life for a new generation.
SECOND PLACE: The Herald, Bret McCormick,
“Winthrop coach hopes operation stills
Parkinson’s symptoms”
THIRD PLACE: The State, David Cloninger, “10 years
ago: Week that changed USC football”
HONORABLE MENTION: The Island Packet, Stephen
Fastenau, David Lauderdale and Gina Smith,
“RBC Heritage memories: Tales told in plaid”
TABLOID PAGE ONE DESIGN
PORTFOLIO
FIRST PLACE: Greenville Journal, Kristy Adair,
“Greenville Journal, June 26; Upstate Business
Journal, Oct. 9; Greenville Journal, Oct. 16
Judges’ Comments: Clean, well-designed covers are
good use of small space. Solid headlines and
photography. Good choices on fonts and colors.
SECOND PLACE: Greenville Journal, Whitney
Fincannon, “Greenville Journal, Jan. 23; Upstate
Business Journal, Dec 19; Upstate Business
Journal, Jan. 30”
THIRD PLACE: The Fort Jackson Leader, Wallace
McBride, “Aug. 6; May 14; May 7”
CARTOON
FIRST PLACE: The State, Robert Ariail, “Cross to
Bear; Heartbreak; Charleston Flooding”
Judges’ Comments: Ariail understands how the visual
has to tell a story without explanation. His illustrations
fit the message and each has news currency.
SECOND PLACE:The Greenville News, Roger Harvell,
“Church shooting; Lindsey puzzled; Despicable US”
THIRD PLACE: News-Chronicle, Mike Beckom,
“Lucyball; Duck Drones; Gamey”
MIXED MEDIA ILLUSTRATION
FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Luke Reasoner,
“College Football Preview”
Judges’ Comments: This illustration’s composition of
kinetic figures playing against the torn paper, a visual
metaphor, perhaps, for a breakaway banner, cleverly
balances powerful gestures and colors. The exaggerated
proportions of the players in relation to each other also
conveys a sense of being larger than life. The overall
effect is dramatic, exciting, and perfectly suited to the
subject matter of the publication.
SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Brandon
Lockett, “Dangermuffin”
THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Chad Dunbar,
“Fall arts preview”
HONORABLE MENTION: The Post and Courier, Chad
Dunbar, “Book tree”
ILLUSTRATION
FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Brandon
Lockett, “James Beard food”
Judges’ Comments: Fun and creative way to
present a lot of numbers.
SECOND PLACE: Morning News, Justin Johnson,
“Medical marijuana in South Carolina”
THIRD PLACE: The Island Packet, Drew Martin,
“Who’s making our roads dangerous?”
HONORABLE MENTION: Morning News, Justin
Johnson, “Concealed Carry in SC”
INFORMATIONAL GRAPHICS
PORTFOLIO
FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Brandon
Lockett, “Deadly Force; Infant death rate; School
racial segregation”
Judges’ Comments: There’s no visual tool left unused
in condensing the statistics discussed in the
accompanying article into an easily read, visually
interesting representation of the content. Color, type,
shapes, and even line thickness work seamlessly and
consistently together to guide the reader through a
logical progression of information that gives the
data a sense of weightiness and significance without
confounding the reader or exaggerating the story.
The design ultimately succeeds because it’s nearly
invisible —making the numbers and scale of the
information the first thing you read rather than
concealing or obscuring it with decoration.
SECOND PLACE: The State, Meredith Sheffer, “Who’s
the best Pharaoh?; How South Carolina stacks up;
Cover 2”
THIRD PLACE: The Greenville News, Jeff Ruble,
“Road tax found backers in city; Online, real
worlds collide; Lights mostly dark at arena”
HONORABLE MENTION: The State, Elissa Macarin,
“Rains could soon soak S.C.; 2016 is already here
for early primary states; Gills Creek Watershed”

ALL DAILY
division
INNOVATIVE CONCEPT
FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, J. Emory
Parker, “Walter Scott Data Visualizations”
Judges’ Comments: Clear, smart and empathetic in
all the ways that mark the best journalism. The
use of sound analysis to show rather than tell is
brilliant. This is reporting at its best.
SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, J. Emory
Parker, “Live election results”
THIRD PLACE: The Greenville News, Staff, “News
Hound foster dog program”
AFFILIATED OR NICHEWEBSITE
FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Kurt
Knapek, Laura James and Caroline Fossi,
lowcountryparent.com
Judges’ Comments: This website was my top pick
because it communicated to me a passion for the
subject matter. It also was the easiest to navigate
and featured a simple and elegant design. In
several of the other niche websites I too easily
found myself landing on another partner website
that wasn’t even in the contest.
SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, Jose Franco,
85-26.com
THIRD PLACE: Independent Mail, Staff,
orangeandwhite.com
HONORABLE MENTION: Aiken Standard/Spurs
& Feathers, Brian Hand, Kyle Heck and Tim
O’Briant, spursandfeathers.com
SPORTS MAGAZINE
FIRST PLACE: Index-Journal, Mundy Price,
“Lakelands Outdoors”
Judges’ Comments: This magazine looks great,
reads well and it is evident lots of thought and
planning was put into this. The focus on women
who enjoy outdoor sports was unique and a
good strategy to broaden the typical outdoor
magazine audience.
SECOND PLACE: The State, Staff, “GoGamecocks
Magazine, Winter 2014”
THIRD PLACE: The Herald, Staff, “Chasing
scholarships”
DIGITAL NEWS PROJECT
FIRST PLACE: The State, Sammy Fretwell, Matt
Walsh, Gerry Melendez, Chris Hessert,
“Graniteville derailment, 10 years later”
Judges’ Comments: Truly a multimedia gem
using great writing, photography, audio and
video. Wow.
SECOND PLACE: The Island Packet, Staff, “Parris
Island: Making Marines for 100 years”
THIRD PLACE: Herald-Journal, Staff, “Interactive
map: Suspicious fires in Spartanburg”
FLOOD COVERAGE
FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Staff
Judges’ Comments: There were several good
submissions for this category, but this is the only
one that really enveloped me and put me so in the
moment that I felt like it was raining in my office.
The coverage is exhaustive and hits every
conceivable angle, and hits every angle well. The
maps, by themselves, would be award-worthy.
From the photography to the writing to the design,
this is the best flood coverage from 2015.
SECOND PLACE: The State, Staff
THIRD PLACE: The Sun News, Staff
EDITORIAL OR COLUMN
IN SUPPORT OF FOI/OPEN
GOVERNMENT ISSUES
FIRST PLACE: The Greenville News, Beth Padgett,
“Release video of police shooting”
Judges’ Comments: Best written of the slew of
editorials about the lawsuit against SLED over video
of the police shooting of Zach Hammond. Clear,
concise and reasoned rather than impassioned.
SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Elsa
McDowell, “No secrets in fighting crime”
THIRDPLACE:Index-Journal, Richard Whiting,
“McCormick County board act as masters of people”
HONORABLE MENTION:Aiken Standard, Tim
O’Briant, “School board must work to get it right”
E.A. RAMSAUR AWARD FOR
EDITORIAL WRITING
FIRST PLACE: The State, Cindi Ross Scoppe,
“On education ethics, roads: Start with the
fundamentals; Trust isn’t enough to justify self-
policing; Retire Confederate flag to a museum”
Judges’ Comments: The editorials are written with
passion and authority and each point made is backed
up by data or other evidence. Scoppe pulls no punches
as she advocates on the retirement of the Confederate
flag, takes issue with a popular sheriff who won’t let the
state investigate shootings by his officers and scolds the
state legislature for dragging its feet on dealing with
education, ethics and transportation issues. The
editorials take on important issues in the state and
presents those issues forcefully.
SECOND PLACE: The Herald, James Werrell,
“Friendship Nine honored once again; Politicians
must be held accountable; Shooting in car was
child endangerment”
THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Elsa McDowell,
“1.4 million reasons not to drill; End abuse in
group homes; No excuses: Fix rural schools”
FOOD WRITING
FIRST PLACE: The Island Packet, Erin Heffernan,
“Vanishing nets: Area shrimpers sail on despite
rising costs, threats from imported seafood”
Judges’ Comments: Lots of in-depth reporting in
this story answers important questions about the
issue. The reporter obviously understood the issue.
An important story for those who want to eat local
and the people who harvest it.
SECOND PLACE: The Island Packet, David
Lauderdale, “Jody, once the sassy face of Hilton
Head Island, takes her order to go”
THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Hanna Raskin,
“Southern discomfort: Hospitals grapple with
fried chicken”
GREENVILLEJOURNAL.COM • Friday, June 26, 2015 • Vol.17, No.26
GREENVILLEJOURNAL
‘Hate won’t win’
South Carolina, Upstate unite in aftermath of
Charleston church shootings Page 8
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FIRST PLACE TABLOID PAGEONE PORTFOLIO, OPEN
DIVISION: Kristy Adair, Greenville Journal
ARTS&CULTURE
previewFall arts
Inside
Warren Peper, F2
Books, F4
Travel, F5
THIRD PLACE MIXED MEDIA ILLUSTRATION, OPEN
DIVISION: Chad Dunbar, The Post and Courier

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
WRITING
FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Abigail
Darlington, “Top music industry engineer ends
up in Charleston”
Judges’ Comments: Risk and reward, suspense and
surprise: It’s all here, in a story that unfolds, rather
than reads as a chronicle of facts. The writer
allows the story to tell itself, in the words and
memories of the subject, in the emotion and
character of the tale, and in the descriptions of
subject, place and reason for interest. Good topic
and relevant community connections, both well
reported and well told.
SECOND PLACE: The Greenville News, Donna Isbell
Walker, “Upstate filmmakers are creating a scene”
THIRD PLACE: The State, Erin Shaw, “The Whig: Ten
years of making Columbia ‘more interesting’”
REVIEW PORTFOLIO
FIRST PLACE: The Greenville News, Paul Hyde, “The
39 Steps’ a giddy romp at Little Theatre; Vick
conducts thrilling ‘Carmina Burana;’ High-
stepping ‘Kinky Boots’ dazzles Greenville”
Judges’ Comments: Snappy, informed writing with
just enough wit.
SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Bo Petersen,
“Ron Rash Succeeds with who-done-it novel;
Narrow Road powerful raw story; Soon explores
flawed family relations in Southeast”
THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Hanna Raskin,
“Magnolias: Service staff shines; Short Grain
Food Truck: Diners take on a beautiful delicious
journey; Stereo 8: Rhythm is missing”
ELECTION/POLITICAL
COVERAGE
FIRST PLACE: The State, Staff
Judges’ Comments: It can be argued that
everything in South Carolina touches politics and
The State’s broad coverage of political races and
issues gives readers a context for electoral and
policy choices facing the state.
SECOND PLACE: Independent Mail, Staff
THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Staff
GOVERNMENTBEATREPORTING
FIRST PLACE: The State, Cassie Cope
Judges’ Comments: Great story on politics and
road building/the infrastructure bank. And a great
story on maintenance backlog. And the best story
I’ve seen on Haley’s (imbecilic) proposal to cut
income tax and raise the gas tax.
SECOND PLACE: The Greenville News, Tim Smith
THIRD PLACE: The Island Packet, Zach Murdock
HONORABLE MENTION: Morning News, Gavin
Jackson
HEALTH BEAT REPORTING
FIRST PLACE: The Greenville News, Liv Osby
Judges’ Comments: These thorough, gripping
stories informed readers on a wide range of
medical conditions and recovery. Good work.
SECOND PLACE: The Herald, Don Worthington
THIRD PLACE: The Sumter Item, Jim Hilley
HONORABLE MENTION: The State, Joey Holleman
EDUCATION BEAT REPORTING
FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Jennifer Berry
Hawes
Judges’ Comments: While Hawes’ research in each
piece was impeccable and left me feeling fully
informed, it was the personal stories in “Kids with
toughest hurdles” that made the piece so
compulsively readable. Following the students’
personal struggles made them more than statistics.
That story, in particular, was also effective because
of its use of graphics and the pulled quotes. The
follow up to this story shows a devotion to the issue.
And the lede into “Meeting Street School” kept me
reading. Great job on each part of the entry.
SECOND PLACE: The State, Andrew Shain
THIRD PLACE: The Greenville News, Nathaniel Cary
HONORABLE MENTION: The Island Packet, Rebecca
Lurye
FAITH BEAT REPORTING
FIRST PLACE: The Island Packet, David Lauderdale
Judges’ Comments: Powerful and poignant story
about slain pastor Clementa Pickney in Charleston
shooting. Just overall a very strong package of
compelling, well-written pieces.
SECOND PLACE: Independent Mail, Charmaine
Smith-Miles
THIRD PLACE: The Herald, Don Worthington
SPORTS BEAT REPORTING
FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, David
Caraviello
Judges’ Comments: His mixture of feature and
game stories are what they should be, and his
game stories don’t necessarily read like game
stories. He does a very good job of writing second-
day ledes that add substance.
SECOND PLACE: The State, Josh Kendall
THIRD PLACE: The Sun News, Ryan Young
FIRST PLACE FEATURE PHOTO, WEEKLY UNDER 4,500: Tanya Ackerman, Coastal Observer

NEWS HEADLINEWRITING
FIRST PLACE:The Post and Courier, Beth Harrison,
“Future of recycling or bunch of garbage?; Street
panhandlers may have to hit road; Dying for a fix”
Judges’ Comments: These headlines grab readers with
a playful use of words while clearly and concisely
conveying the meaning of the articles. Bravo!
SECONDPLACE:The Island Packet, Lindsay Trapp, “Red,
white and beach; Wet and chili; A banana split”
THIRD PLACE: Aiken Standard, Derrek Asberry,
“Fiscal finale yields quick-fix funds; Thinking
outside the MOX: A closer look at disposal
alternatives; In the presence of the King: Local
reverend remembers Martin Luther King Jr.”
HONORABLEMENTION:The Post and Courier, Tony
Brown, “Comfort in the valley of the shadow of death;
Local turtle patrollers meet few bad eggs; Islanders’
golfcartsreflect love of life in the slow lane”
FEATURE HEADLINEWRITING
FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Beth Harrison,
“Are there too many cooks in Charleston’s
kitchen?; Chicago will make a killing off the
Dead; My what big teeth we have”
Judges’ Comments: Good word choices, the
headlines play off the art well.
SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Teresa Taylor,
“Southern Discomfort; The Daily Grind; Class by
the glass”
THIRD PLACE: Morning News, Don Kausler Jr.,
“Exhibit ‘Ah’; Lost & found; Pipe dreams”
HONORABLE MENTION: The Island Packet, Todd
Money, “Sweet charity; Blooming laughter;
Reptile reflex”
SPORTS HEADLINEWRITING
FIRSTPLACE:ThePostandCourier,LukeReasoner,
“AllenwrenchesRays;TheGolfCoast;Owhatanight”
Judges’ Comments: The perfect balance of
cleverness, but not to punny. Headlines really
pulled the reader in. A standout submission in a
very competitive category.
SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, David Hale,
“Stingrays look to close the book on Reading; The
Man of Steal; Veni Vidi Vinci: Serena stunningly
conquered”
THIRD PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Jennifer
Spears, “Back in the sting of things; Blistering
Dixie; Tigers blow through Canes”
NEWS SECTION OR
SPECIAL EDITION
FIRST PLACE: The State, Staff, “The Confederate flag
is removed from S.C. State House grounds”
Judges’ Comments: Multiple angles on a complex
story told with care. Strong visuals.
SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Staff, “In
remembrance of Emanuel AME shooting victims”
THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Staff, “The
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge 10-Year Anniversary”
SPORTS SECTION OR
SPECIAL EDITION
FIRST PLACE: The State, Staff, “End of an Era: HBC
Keepsake Edition”
Judges’Comments:Forasuddenandunexpected
retirementlikeSpurrier,theturnaroundanddepthof
coverageherewasfantastic.Aremarkableachievement.
SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, Staff, “2015 Prep
Football Preview”
THIRD PLACE: The Times and Democrat, “50 Years
Of The Grand American”
LIFESTYLE/FEATURE SECTION
OR SPECIAL EDITION
FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Staff, “Food,
Feb. 11”
Judges’ Comments: Inviting design. The standing
features like Liquid Assets pulled me in with both
topic and visuals. The plate breakdown graphic was
nicely done and made me hungry. The cover story, of
course, was the draw. Intriguing concept, well done. It
did make me sad that all the men said they’d go for
another date, but the women were, like, pass...
SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Staff, “Food,
August 19”
THIRD PLACE: The Herald, Staff, “In Step”
ENTERTAINMENT SECTION
FIRSTPLACE:Independent Mail, Jake Grove, “Your
Hometown Fun, ‘Rolling Out Goodness,’ Feb. 5-11”
Judges’ Comments: Well-designed, well written,
organized, strong use of photos and outstanding
composition highlight this special section. The
graphic index is exceptional; using artwork and
writing, it goes beyond a standard list of what’s
inside to become a relevant “story” of its own with
teases and photos that give readers not only a sense
of the contents, but of the community depicted –
and further offerings online. Conversations, an
easily accessible calendar, reviews and more all say,
go, do, have fun right here at home. Excellent work.
SECOND PLACE:Independent Mail, Jake Grove, “Your
Hometown Fun, ‘Smoky Trend,’ June 18-24”
THIRD PLACE: The State, Staff, “Go Columbia,
‘Here’s to Oktoberfest,’ Sept. 17”
HONORABLE MENTION: The Post and Courier, Staff,
“Charleston Scene, ‘In Harmony,’ August 13”
FEATURE MAGAZINE
FIRST PLACE: The Post and Courier, Caroline Fossi,
Rachel Cook and Laurie Hellmann, “Lowcountry
Parent”
Judges’ Comments: Content is king in Lowcountry
Parent – relevant, useful and compelling. Despite
newsprint pages, the design is clean and
photography excellent. Great use of typography, too!
SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, Staff, “Spartanburg
Magazine, Summer 2015”
THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Staff, “My
Charleston”
INDIVIDUAL USE OF
SOCIAL MEDIA
FIRST PLACE: Independent Mail, Mike Ellis
Judges’ Comments: Unrivaled entry in highly
competitive class. Mike was the only journalist to
submit an entry showcasing multiple social
platforms, and he uses all of them well to share
news, engage, develop sources and build a
personal brand. His on-the-scene tweets and live
video are what we should strive for in breaking
news real time. The bonus of high-quality photos
plays wells on multiple platforms. Good mix of
hard news and lighthearted, humorous content.
He’s clearly dedicated to finding new ways to share
stories and information with his audience. Well
done!
SECOND PLACE: The Post and Courier, Andrew
Knapp
THIRD PLACE: The Post and Courier, Melissa
Boughton
Sunday, June 21, 2015
N
S
TO COME TOGETHER
There are a number of events in the Charleston area to help
a city in mourning grieve and honor those who lost their lives.
For a list of prayer services, vigils and more, see Page A5.
TO HELP THE FAMILIES
For details on how to contribute to funds
to benefit those who lost loved ones at
Emanuel AME Church, see Page A5.
INSIDE
A look at the lives of the nine victims,
and a poem by Marjory Wentworth,
South Carolina’s poet laureate.
Cynthia Hurd
54, a library manager whose life was dedicated to books, children and church
Susie Jackson
87, a mother ﬁgure to generations in her family and a renowned cook of collard greens
Ethel Lance
70, a church custodian who found strength in a gospel song to overcome life’s challenges
DePayne Middleton Doctor
49, a minister whose angelic voice could heal troubled hearts
Clementa Pinckney
41, a pastor and state senator who lent his booming voice to the voiceless
Tywanza Sanders
26, a barber, poet and aspiring entrepreneur ready to take the world by storm
Daniel L. Simmons Sr.
74, a minister who served as a model of endurance and service to God
Sharonda Singleton
45, a pastor and coach who became her runners’ biggest cheerleader, on and off the track
Myra Thompson
59, a builder of faith who worked to restore her beloved church’s properties to their full glory
IN REMEMBRANCE
BEST OF THE BEST PAGE DESIGN: Krena Lanham, Maureen
Hartshorn and Chad Dunbar, The Post and Courier

ALL WEEKLY
division
FLOOD COVERAGE
FIRST PLACE: Free Times, Staff
Judges’ Comments: This package is the perfect
example of how weekly newspapers should
operate. In times of disaster, most coverage is on
the immediate danger. This gives your readers a
great service in informing them of the impact.
SECOND PLACE: Georgetown Times, Staff
THIRD PLACE: Coastal Observer, Staff
EDITORIAL OR COLUMN
IN SUPPORT OF FOI/OPEN
GOVERNMENT ISSUES
FIRST PLACE: Laurens County Advertiser, Staff,
“Doing wrong by doing nothing”
Judges’ Comments: The Advertiser shows no fear
in taking on the government when it feels public
records are being wrongfully withheld. It even
scolded a judge when it felt the jurist had failed to
take any action on the newspaper attempts to have
documents properly released. “Shame on you, sir,”
the editorial said about the inaction of the judge.
SECOND PLACE: Georgetown Times, Mark A.
Stevens, “Andrews council must do public’s work
in plain sight”
THIRD PLACE: Carolina Forest Chronicle, Michael
Smith, “Police report redaction a black mark to
openness in Horry County”
EDITORIALWRITING
FIRST PLACE: Laurens County Advertiser, Staff,
“Doing wrong by doing nothing; Sensible
appropriate and essential bills; Of molehills and
locked doors”
Judges’ Comments: The editorial staff doggedly
pursued justice for all parties, and they won by
seeing a bill that would address potential future
injustices. Great job using the power of the pen to
make a difference in your state.
SECOND PLACE: Coastal Observer, Charles Swenson,
“A road plan with traction; Lesson learned
at lemonade stand; Restore confidence in
evacuations”
THIRD PLACE: Georgetown Times, Mark A. Stevens,
“Town needs Haley’s attention; Let’s be defined
by the future not the past; Town council’s action
doesn’t inspire trust”
FOODWRITING
FIRSTPLACE:Free Times, Eva Moore, “Mayo’s Moment”
Judges’ Comments: A humorous, in-depth look at
the classic condiment, with useful insights on
mayo controversies, a surprising taste test, and
instructions to make your own.
SECOND PLACE: Charleston City Paper, Stephanie
Burt, “Making Cents: A by-the-numbers look at
the price of dining in Charleston”
THIRD PLACE: Greenville Journal, April Morris,
“Greenville feeds itself: Growing the local food
movement”
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
WRITING
FIRST PLACE: Free Times, Dan Cook, “Arts in Black
and White”
Judges’ Comments: Great issue - bold and
unapologetic. Great enterprise journalism.
SECOND PLACE: Free Times, Jordan Lawrence,
“Nostalgia Industry”
THIRD PLACE: Free Times, Jordan Lawrence, “Never
Too Late: At 82, Midlands Blues Legend Drink
Small Is Ready for Redemption”
REVIEW PORTFOLIO
FIRST PLACE: Greenville Journal, Vincent Harris,
“Repurcussions; The king is gone – long live the
king; The road most traveled”
Judges’ Comments: Well written. The author draws
the reader in through the use of descriptive
language, especially in the Repurcussions piece,
allowing them to almost hear the music being
described. Also enjoy the presentation of unusual
facts, especially in the B.B. King piece.
SECOND PLACE: Free Times, Tom Mack, “Exhibition
Explores Emancipated Slave Town; Columbia
Museum Mounts Major Curran Retrospective;
Four Photographers Survey Columbia”
THIRD PLACE: Free Times, Jordan Lawrence, “Live
Review: tUnE-yArDs; Live Review: Dawes, John
Moreland; Live Review: Paul McCartney”
HONORABLE MENTION: The News-Era, Joseph Garris,
Jr., “Director injects much-needed originality to
genre; Kingsman pays homage to classic spy films;
Finally a worthy sequel to classic original”
ELECTION/POLITICAL
COVERAGE
FIRST PLACE: The Lancaster News, Staff
Judges’ Comments: This is deep, thoughtful, wide-
ranging entry covering everything from the
installation of state House Speaker to endless visits
by presidential primary candidates to the decision
and actions to remove the Confederate flag at the
capitol. Well done.
SECOND PLACE: The Berkeley Independent,
Lindsay Street
THIRD PLACE: Daniel Island News, Elizabeth Bush
HONORABLEMENTION:The Moultrie News, Sully Witte
GOVERNMENT BEAT
REPORTING
FIRST PLACE: Greenville Journal, Benjamin Jeffers
Judges’ Comments: Strong coverage of important
state house issues.
SECOND PLACE: The Summerville Journal Scene,
Monica Kreber
THIRD PLACE: Lexington County Chronicle & The
Dispatch News, Hal Millard
HEALTH BEAT REPORTING
FIRST PLACE: Georgetown Times, Mark A. Stevens
Judges’ Comments: I really enjoyed each article in this
entry. Very strong writing and nice flow. Excellent!
SECOND PLACE:The News & Reporter, Nancy Parsons
THIRD PLACE:The People-Sentinel, Jonathan Vickery
HONORABLE MENTION: The News & Reporter,
Brian Garner
EDUCATION BEAT REPORTING
FIRST PLACE: Coastal Observer, Charles Swenson
Judges’ Comments: This is really good education
reporting – it is relentlessly focused on children
and their experience in school. From a high-tech
Montessori charter school (hold the bell), to an
apprenticeship program at the water treatment
plant to using quilting to teach math and
computer skills, consistently deep reporting and
bright writing make this entry a winner.
SECOND PLACE: Bluffton Today, Scott Thompson
THIRD PLACE: The Gaffney Ledger, Scott Powell
SPECIAL THANKSSPECIAL THANKS
from SCPA and its members tofrom SCPA and its members to
EVENING POST PUBLISHINGEVENING POST PUBLISHING
for printing this publication!for printing this publication!

FAITH BEAT REPORTING
FIRST PLACE: Coastal Observer, Jason Lesley
Judges’ Comments: Writer has a feel for the subject
and presents the topic in a way that draws the
reader in, regardless of personal beliefs.
SECOND PLACE: Georgetown Times, Taylor Griffith
THIRDPLACE:The Lancaster News, Gregory A. Summers
SPORTS BEAT REPORTING
FIRST PLACE: Union County News, Brian Whitmore
Judges’ Comments: Wide variety of subjects in the
pieces chosen which offers a unique look at local sports.
SECOND PLACE:The News & Reporter, Travis Jenkins
THIRD PLACE: Myrtle Beach Herald, Joe Wedra
HONORABLE MENTION: The Star, T.J. Lundeen
NEWS HEADLINEWRITING
FIRSTPLACE:Greenville Journal, Jerry Salley,
“Appetite for construction: 2014 saw $100 million
in new building permits in Greenville – how will
downtown change in 2015?; Crate expectations:
After two years has Greer’s Inland Port lived up to
its initial projections? ; Poultry in motion: More
chickens are crossing the road into local backyards”
Judges’ Comments: These heds are excellent –
clever and engaging. Well done.
SECOND PLACE:The News & Reporter, Travis Jenkins,
“A Hot Mess; Chester Likes Ike; Pick-up Lines”
THIRDPLACE:TheSummervilleJournalScene,Monica
Kreber,“LowCountrySingingTreetakesitslast
bough;DD2mightsteerawayfromdriverseducation;
‘‘Moneycouldn’ttouchit,’ComeApril30alocal
hairdresserwilllather,rinse,retireafter45years”
FEATURE HEADLINEWRITING
FIRSTPLACE:Greenville Journal, Cindy Landrum, “For
human cannonball, work is a blast; Coming out flat;
Church recycling glass in biblical proportions”
Judges’ Comments: Clever wordplay on “blast”
and “biblical” heds. Nicely done.
SECONDPLACE:The Lancaster News, Christopher
Sardelli, “Figuring out life’s equation; You Say You
Want a Food Revolution; The Colbert Support”
THIRDPLACE:Georgetown Times, Taylor Griffith,
“Getting their act together: Actors live learn locally
while finding success on bigger ‘stage’; Happy feet:
Women’s trek sure to make you smile; In his shoes:
Cobbler carries on age-old trade in Pawleys shop”
SPORTS HEADLINEWRITING
FIRST PLACE:The Horry Independent, Robert
Anderson, “Conway fumbles A.D. job search;
Aynor’s Elms digs Dolphin volleyball; Kids offered
chance to gobble up turkey hunting tidbits”
Judges’ Comments: Witty headlines tied in well
with the overall article. Superb!
SECONDPLACE:Union County News, Brian Whitmore,
“USC Union Bantams sent to roost; Will write for
food; Whitmire girl helps birth Lady Gamecocks”
THIRD PLACE: The Voice of Blythewood and Fairfield
County, James Denton, “Lightning and a Battle;
Eagles Blankety-Blank Newberry; Werts and All,
F.C. Downs Dogs”
NEWS SECTION OR
SPECIAL EDITION
FIRST PLACE: Union County News, Staff, “World
War II, Those who served remember”
Judges’ Comments: An incredible amount of effort
went into this special section. The many, many
well written stories of veterans were spectacular.
Hats off to you for doing such a splendid job with
this special section!
SECOND PLACE: Charleston City Paper, Staff,
“Mother Emanuel”
THIRD PLACE: Greenville Journal, Staff, “Upstate
Business Journal, Dec. 19”
SPORTS SECTION OR
SPECIAL EDITION
FIRST PLACE: Carolina Forest Chronicle, Staff,
“Game of Inches”
Judges’ Comments: Lots of meat on these bones.
Good use of photos. Nice cover.
SECOND PLACE: Daniel Island News, staff, “Family
Circle Cup brings international flair to Daniel
Island”
THIRD PLACE: The Gaffney Ledger, Staff, “Kickoff
2015”
LIFESTYLE/FEATURE SECTION
OR SPECIAL EDITION
FIRST PLACE: Coastal Observer, Staff, “Beaches”
Judges’ Comments: Great concept. Speaks to both
locals and vacationers, plus it has a nice shelf life
in that it’s good for the entire vacation season. Also
allows for lots of ad flow.
SECOND PLACE: Carolina Gateway, Staff, “Indian
Land Fall Festival”
THIRD PLACE: The Moultrie News, Staff, “People to
Watch”
HONORABLE MENTION: Georgetown Times, Taylor
Griffith, Clayton Stairs, Mark A. Stevens and
Zena Altman, “Lifestyles, Oct. 9”
FEATURE MAGAZINE
FIRST PLACE: Greenville Journal, Staff, “TOWN
Magazine, September 2015”
Judges’ Comments: Nice quick hits. Lots of local
faces, especially in the “On The Town” section.
Variety of subjects covered. Major-league
presentation. Excellent magazine.
SECOND PLACE: The Press & Standard, Ashley
Rohde, “Collette, Fall 2015”
THIRD PLACE: Charleston City Paper, Kinsey Gidick,
“Dish: The Gullah Geechee Issue”
BEST OF THE BEST SPORTS PHOTO: Veasey Conway, Morning News

PUBLIC SERVICE
FIRST PLACE: The Gaffney Ledger, Staff,
“Community Matters”
Judges’ Comments: Nice job tackling topics that
are relevant to most communities.
SECOND PLACE: Lake Wylie Pilot, John Marks, “Lake
Wylie Children’s Charity”
THIRD PLACE: The News & Reporter, Travis Jenkins,
Brian Garner, Nancy Parsons, “Scam alerts”
SPORTS PAGE DESIGN
PORTFOLIO
FIRST PLACE: Carolina Forest Chronicle, Michael
Smith, “Jan. 15; Dec. 11; Oct. 15”
Judges’ Comments: Excellent use of dominant art
and a variety of designs. Good mix of college and
prep, and even a pro. Nice pages.
SECONDPLACE:DanielIslandNews,JanMarvin,“Where
intheworldisShelbyRogers?,Jan.15-21;Apowerful
ending,April16-22;FamilyCircleCup,April2-8”
THIRD PLACE: Georgetown Times, Sandy Schopfer,
“April 29; June 26; Nov. 21
FEATUREVIDEO
FIRST PLACE: Daniel Island News, Jan Marvin, “Live
a better life health and fitness expo 2015”
Judges’ Comments: The music and sound effects
during transitions match the feel of the event.
SECOND PLACE: Fort Mill Times, Michael Harrison,
“Carowinds unleashes the Fury 325”
THIRD PLACE: Lake Wylie Pilot, Catherine
Muccigrosso, “Stinky Corpse Flower blooms in
Belmont, NC”
NEWSPAPER’S USE OF
SOCIAL MEDIA
FIRST PLACE: Fort Mill Times, Michael Harrison
Judges’ Comments: Standout entry. Entrant said
“Readers are responding” and it sure looks like
they are! Terrific engagement, in the form of likes,
shares and comments. Also, it looks like followers
are increasing at fast rates. Great job live tweeting
news, events and sports. Good mix of content.
Something of interest for everyone in your town!
Keep up the good work!
SECOND PLACE: The Moultrie News, Staff
THIRD PLACE: The Summerville Journal Scene, Staff
INDIVIDUAL USE OF
SOCIAL MEDIA
FIRST PLACE: Free Times, Eva Moore
Judges’ Comments: Good mix of news and culture/
food/arts tweets, with lots of community
engagement. Highlight is coverage of presidential
election and local city beat. Quirky, informative
and fun to read.
SECOND PLACE: Free Times, Chris Trainor
THIRD PLACE:The Moultrie News, Frankie Mansfield
ASSOCIATE & INDIVIDUAL
division
NEWSPAPER PUBLICATION
FIRST PLACE: S.C. United Methodist Advocate,
Jessica Brodie and Allison Trussell
Judges’ Comments: Excellent writing and diverse
content elevated The Advocate to first place in a
very competitive category.
SECOND PLACE: Columbia Regional Business Report,
Chuck Crumbo, Chris Cox and Emily Matesi
THIRD PLACE: Charleston Regional Business
Journal, Staff
MAGAZINE OR SPECIALTY
PUBLICATION
FIRSTPLACE:The Baptist Courier, Staff, “August 2015”
Judges’ Comments: Strong coverage of church
massacre both in words and in photographs
pushed this magazine to the front in a very
competitive competition.
SECOND PLACE: Lake Wylie Today, Jenny Peterson
and Andrew Sprague, “Fall 2015”
THIRD PLACE: SCBIZ, Staff, “Summer 2015”
HONORABLE MENTION: Municipal Association of
South Carolina, Staff, “Shared Voices, Shared
Knowledge, Shared Solutions: A History of the
Municipal Association of SC”
NEWS REPORTING
FIRST PLACE: S.C. Lawyers Weekly, Phillip Bantz,
“Playing favorites”
Judges’ Comments: Well-written article that is
succinct yet includes plenty of relevant data on an
incredibly important issue.
SECOND PLACE: S.C. Lawyers Weekly, Phillip Bantz,
“A law school on the brink”
THIRD PLACE: Charleston Regional Business Journal,
Liz Segrist and Ashley Heffernan, “Redefining
Moment”
HONORABLE MENTION: Charleston Regional Business
Journal, Liz Segrist, “Investors plan to jump-start
Magnolia project”
FEATUREWRITING
FIRST PLACE: Municipal Association of South
Carolina, Reba Campbell, “Life’s a Bike”
Judges’ Comments: I went along for the rides from the
first sentence to the last. Writing that made me want
not only to ride my bike a lot more, but to actually
sense, feel what it was like to do what she did.
SECOND PLACE: Charleston Regional Business
Journal, Liz Segrist, “A mayor’s perspective: 40
years of changing Charleston”
Ashley Heffernan, “They Come in Peace”
SPORTS REPORTING
FIRST PLACE: Columbia Regional Business Report,
Chris Cox, “Hitting Paydirt”
Judges’ Comments: Well-written and a strong
summary of the impact of a coach and college
program on a community
SECOND PLACE: Ron Aiken, “No More B-Teams?
SCHSL Decision Changes High School Football”
THIRD PLACE: Ron Aiken, “USC: Gamecocks,
Wildcats Prepare to Battle”
EDITORIAL/OP-ED COLUMN
FIRSTPLACE:The Catholic Miscellany, Alison Blanchet,
“The grass is always greener at the Joneses”
Judges’ Comments: An engaging story makes a
point and the reader doesn’t see it coming. All the
better to make the point mean something.
SECOND PLACE: The Baptist Courier, Rudy Gray,
“Domestic Abuse Is Sin”
THIRD PLACE: Columbia Regional Business Report,
James T. Hammond, “Haley, most lawmakers rose
above partisanship”
BUSINESS REPORTING
FIRST PLACE: Charleston Regional Business Journal,
Ashley Heffernan, “Everyone Eats”
Judges’ Comments: Soul food for business news
readers! Engaging storytelling around a unique
business proposition–feeding customers because it’s the
right thing to do, and letting them decide what to pay.
The story delivers important and generous insight into
the cultural ties between a business and its community.
SECOND PLACE: GSA Business, Bill Poovey, “No
noise about tax increase”
THIRD PLACE: GSA Business, Matthew Clark, “Flag
vote: Lawmakers express dissent”
HONORABLE MENTION: Columbia Regional Business
Report, Chris Cox, “Midlands on Tap”
FAITH REPORTING
FIRST PLACE: The Catholic Miscellany, Amy Wise
Taylor, “Faith & fungi”
Judges’ Comments: This story easily stood out from the
rest. It’s what faith writing should be about: telling the
story of a group of faithful people serving man and
God with brevity and humanity, and even humor.
SECOND PLACE: The Baptist Courier, Butch Blume,
“From childhood to retirement, Connie Maxwell
has always been home”
THIRD PLACE: S.C. United Methodist Advocate,
Jessica Brodie, “Jesus Christ 101”

PHOTOGRAPH
FIRST PLACE: SCBIZ, Kim McManus, “Rodney
Scott of Scott’s BBQ”
Judges’ Comments: The composition is great here and
I love that it’s shot straight on. I do wish his hand
were more in focus, but overall great capture of a
simple subject in an unusual and interesting way.
SECONDPLACE:Columbia Regional Business Report,
Chuck Crumbo, “A student at Midlands Technical
College practices welding in preparation for a career
in a field where there’s a shortage of workers.”
THIRD PLACE: The Catholic Miscellany, Deirdre C.
Mays, “Faith & Fungi”
HONORABLE MENTION: The Catholic Miscellany, Mic
Smith, “Church shooting”
GRAPHIC DESIGN
FIRST PLACE: SCBIZ, Emily Matesi, “S.C. Road
Problems in Numbers”
Judges’ Comments: Standout in competitive
category. Edgy, clean design. Good use of colors,
fonts and background art. Well done.
SECOND PLACE: The Baptist Courier, Butch Blume,
“By the Numbers: The Graying of America”
Andrew Sprague, “The Road to Ridgeville”
HONORABLEMENTION:Charleston Regional Business
Journal, Ryan Wilcox, “Vaping Regulation Unclear”
WEBSITE
FIRST PLACE: Municipal Association of South
Carolina, Meredith Houck, Mary Brantner, Reba
Campbell, masc.sc
Judges’ Comments: Attractive, organized site
containing a bevy of information and resources
for members and the public. The association’s site
has much relevant information displayed in a
approachable format. Widgets feature latest news
and events with social media. Search functions are
well-incorporated and contest is easy to find. Site
looks great on desktop and mobile. Well done!
SECONDPLACE:S.C. United Methodist Advocate,
Jessica Brodie and Allison Trussell, AdvocateSC.org
ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER/
PUBLICATION
FIRST PLACE: Charleston Regional Business Journal,
Staff
Judges’ Comments: Informative daily email digest
with news briefs and features. Compelling content
encourages click-throughs, which likely grows your
print and digital audience. Mobile optimized template
allows readers to stay in the know regardless of device
used. Great product. Only suggestion would be to add
higher priority to visuals.
SECOND PLACE: S.C. United Methodist Advocate,
Jessica Brodie and Matt Brodie
EVENT MARKETING
FIRST PLACE ONLY: Charleston Regional Business
Journal, Jane Mattingly, “Health Care Heroes”
Judges’ Comments: Staff worked hard to create
a cohesive experience for our readers and
event guests... and it paid off! Every detail was
well-designed, well-written and thoroughly
incorporated into the theme. Great job!
PUBLIC RELATIONS PROGRAM
FIRST PLACE ONLY: S.C. Farm Bureau Federation,
Bill Johns, “Member Benefits Campaign”
Judges’ Comments: Good use of limited resources
to create a successful campaign. Marketing
materials – especially copy and design – were
well done.
AP PHOTO/JOHN BAZEMORE
SouthCarolinaGov.NikkiHaley
signs a bill into law to take
down the Confederate
flagfromtheStatehouse
grounds as former
South Carolina gov-
ernors and officials
look on Thursday.
AP PHOTO/JOHN BAZEMORE
SouthCarolinaGov.NikkiHaley
signs a bill into law to take
down the Confederate
flagfromtheStatehouse
grounds as former
South Carolina gov-
ernors and officials
look on Thursday.
YOUR LO C AL NE WS SOURCE SINCE 1867
75₡
“It is a new day in South Carolina, a day we can all be
proud of, a day that truly brings us all together as we
continue to heal, as one people and one state.”
– Governor Nikki Haley
Our state’s history and its future will always be
intertwined. This morning’s seminal moment of the
grounds won’t change that reality.
L o make this change
represents a triumphant way forward for our state.
This has clearly been a hard-fought battle – one 50
years in the making. While the compromise reached
15 years ago by the General Assembly was done in
’s clear it was incomplete. Tragedy – the
shooting deaths of nine people at Emanuel AME
Church in Charleston on June 17 – has brought our
state back to it.
-
ger
We will continue to do so with the monument that will
and others around
Whether you supported all
with respect and understanding for each position.
taught the world a lesson about reconciliation and un-
It is also appropriate that the thousands of souls who
fought and died in battle continue
and a monument is a symbol of what is past. With that
also
with any attempt to rename buildings or city streets or
.
The Legislature’s decision to
it furled is both powerful and responsible. Robert E.
both
come together as one strong and united nation.
There is no doubt a lesson in those words for our
future.
EDITORIAL
Time to unite, heal in the Palmetto State
Calendar..................5C
Crossword ...............4C
Comics.....................3C
Dear Abby...............4C
Editorials.............. 15A
Living OnThe Go .....1C
Sports .................... 1B
Television................2C
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High 99. Low 71.
Complete 5-day
forecast, 6C
General offices.....................803-648-2311
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INDEX CONTACT US
Billy Ray Johnson, Warrenville
David A. McGee, Fort Mill
James Key, Jackson
Deaths and Funerals, 6A
AREA DEATHS WEATHER
LOCAL REACTIONS
Aiken County legislators react to Confederate
flag removal from Statehouse location
Local News, 7A
South Carolina Gov. Nikkie Haley:
Confederate flag coming down today, 10 a.m.
State News, 8A
Find out how your legislative representative
voted on the Confederate flag bill
Local News, 7A
AROUND THE STATE
Family members of nine Charleston shooting
victims will receive pens used in signing of flag bill
State News, 8A
THIRD PLACE PAGE ONE DESIGN PORTFOLIO, DAILY UNDER
16,000: Tim O’Briant, Aiken Standard
FIRST PLACE GENERAL NEWS PHOTO, DAILY OVER 45,000: Grace Beahm, The Post and Courier

UNDER 16,000
daily division
BREAKING NEWS REPORTING
FIRST PLACE: Aiken Standard, Dede Biles, “Arborist
on Aiken oak: ‘A hazard and a liability’”
Judges’ Comments: Clean writing, appropriately
dealt with the subject matter, well-sourced stories.
SECOND PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Martha
Rose Brown, Gene Zaleski, Dionne Gleaton,
Princess Williams, “Man, woman, two children
slain in Holly Hill”
THIRD PLACE: The Times and Democrat, The Times
and Democrat Staff, “S.C. State University: Crisis
comes to a head”
ENTERPRISE REPORTING
FIRST PLACE: The Sumter Item, Rick Carpenter,
“Patience required”
Judges’ Comments: Thinking outside the box.
Reporter talked to transportation officials in other
states to find out how they dealt with flooded
roadways. Valuable information and good
enterprising.
SECOND PLACE: Aiken Standard, Derrek Asberry,
“Thinking Outside the MOX: A closer look at
disposal alternatives”
THIRD PLACE:Aiken Standard, Derrek Asberry, “Are
malls dying? Outdoor retail centers now favored”
REPORTING-IN-DEPTH
FIRST PLACE: Aiken Standard, Derrek Asberry,
“Aiken, Edgefield hit by three tornadoes”
Judges’ Comments: Strong coverage of severe
weather and its aftermath, including opening a
window into the work of law enforcement and EMS
to prepare and respond to citizens’ needs. Strong
writing. On the ground reporting. The storytelling
is engaging and informative, showing readers–even
those caught in the severe weather–something
about their community they would not have
otherwise seen. It’s what community papers should
be doing, done well.
SECOND PLACE: The Journal, Seneca, Carlos
Galarza-Veve, “Zachary Hammond”
THIRD PLACE: Aiken Standard, Tim O’Briant,
“Former Gov. Hodges closed S.C. to nation’s
waste, hopes it stays that way”
SERIES OF ARTICLES
FIRST PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Staff,
“Vietnam: They Served With Honor”
Judges’ Comments: Good to get these memories,
no matter how foggy, on the record while they
can still be collected. Not pure-play history, but a
microphone turned over to the person who lived
the Vietnam War. Overwhelming in this format,
but probably held readers interests when spread
out over three or so months.
SECONDPLACE:The Journal, Seneca, Greg Oliver and
Steven Bradley, “Growth in Clemson: boom or bust?”
“Savannah River Site celebrates 65th anniversary”
BEAT REPORTING
FIRST PLACE: Aiken Standard, Derrek Asberry,
“Savannah River Site”
Judges’ Comments: Good clear writing on difficult
subject.
SECOND PLACE: The Sumter Item, Konstantin
Vengerowsky, “Chicken murders”
“Body cams, domestic violence”
HONORABLE MENTION: The Sumter Item, Matt
Bruce, “Family feud”
BUSINESS BEAT REPORTING
FIRST PLACE: The Sumter Item, Rick Carpenter
Judges’ Comments: Carpenter does local news
reporting a service with his intense look into
everyday life. Whether its employees banding
together or how to paint a water tower, his stories
are entertaining and informative.
SECONDPLACE:The Times and Democrat, Gene Zaleski
THIRD PLACE: Index-Journal, Colin Riddle
NEWS FEATUREWRITING
FIRST PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Gene
Crider, “The tragic death of ‘Eddie Moe’”
Judges’ Comments: Well told story about the loss of a
local icon in a seemingly random traffic accident.
SECOND PLACE:Aiken Standard, Maayan Schechter,
“A village for Skylar: Local man who went through
trials to adopt his daughter tells his story”
THIRD PLACE: Aiken Standard, Dede Biles, “Woman
seeks her missing dog”
LIFESTYLE FEATUREWRITING
FIRST PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Dionne
Gleaton, “No limit”
Judges’ Comments: A well-written article that
genuinely makes a reader feel good. A subject who
displays toughness and a writer who handled things
deftly. This barely beat out the second-place article,
written by the same talented writer.
SECOND PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Dionne
Gleaton, “Beary big heart”
THIRD PLACE: Aiken Standard, Maayan Schechter,
“Gloves up, guns down: Local couple helping
youth through boxing”
PROFILE FEATUREWRITING
OR STORY
FIRSTPLACE:The Beaufort Gazette, Stephen Fastenau,
“Historic Pruitt’s Grocery in Beaufort to close”
Judges’ Comments: Really nice storytelling. Loved
the little details and the characters. Hits just the
right note.
SECOND PLACE: Index-Journal, Ariel Gilreath,
“Anderson nurtures flowers, children”
THIRD PLACE: Index-Journal, Mary Kate McGowan,
“From the heart”
SHORT STORY
FIRST PLACE: The Sumter Item, Jim Hilley,
“Mayesville store heist foiled by poor planning”
Judges’ Comments: I couldn’t stop laughing as I
read this. You turned what could have been an
average cop story into something that readers
probably rushed to share on Facebook.
SECOND PLACE: Index-Journal, Ariel Gilreath,
“Circle of life”
THIRDPLACE:The Times and Democrat, Gene Zaleski,
“Mechanics didn’t know birds, but knew to help”
HONORABLE MENTION: The Times and Democrat,
Gene Crider, “Saving people from collapsing
bridge, firefighter plunges into water”
COLUMNWRITING
FIRSTPLACE:Aiken Standard, Tim O’Briant, “S.C.’s
Confederate Flag flies high, keeps us low; Brian
Williams may have crashed and burned after all; A
small step for Hotel Aiken, a leap for John Klimm”
Judges’ Comments: Three well-written columns,
some local, some national, but all relevant to
news at the moment. Column on Confederate flag
made reasoned arguments without being overly
passionate, while still capturing the emotions of
the moment.
SECOND PLACE: The Sumter Item, Graham Osteen,
“Time to end Confederate flag discussion; Friday
was a monumental day in America; Stop offshore
drilling in the Atlantic”
THIRD PLACE: Index-Journal, Chris Trainor,
“Pendulum can swing for Calhoun Falls; While
I Breathe, I Hope; The Quiet Drive into God’s
Country”
HONORABLE MENTION: Index-Journal, Richard
Whiting, “He is one of many, but a special one;
Why you shouldn’t turn away from images of
Roanoke killings; Huckabee applies beliefs with
broad brush”

HUMOR COLUMNWRITING
FIRST PLACE: Index-Journal, Richard Whiting,
“Seriously? Are you nuts?; As Van Halen said, go
ahead and jump; I know it’s Sunday, but give me
a drink ‘cause there’s a horse in my bathtub”
Judges’ Comments: Like Goldilocks’ perfect bed, these
columns are ‘just right’ – Just the right amount of self-
deprecation to make me smile. Easy to read and relate
to. I look forward to the next column.
SECOND PLACE: Index-Journal, Chris Trainor,
“Woodstock at the cellphone store; I’ve Fallen
(and fallen), but I keep getting up; Weapon of
choice: A Pottery Barn catalog”
THIRD PLACE: Aiken Standard, Dan Brown, “Just
like Willie Nelson’s laptop; A monster haircut; A
big man drives a little car”
SPOT SPORTS STORY
FIRST PLACE: Index-Journal, Andrew Macke, “The
Comeback”
Judges’ Comments: The writer had a great story
and knew it ... and gave it the great treatment it
deserved. Wonderful use of drama and tension to
turn a game story into a human drama.
SECOND PLACE: Index-Journal, Andrew Macke,
“Johnson, Dixie hold off McCormick
THIRD PLACE: Aiken Standard, Kyle Dawson,
“Sweet Sauce: Mustangs capture state crown”
SPORTS FEATURE STORY
FIRST PLACE: The Journal, Seneca, Eric Sprott, “Day
by day: Tigers’ Schmidt continues cancer battle”
Judges’ Comments: A well-written, excellent read.
Full of details.
SECONDPLACE:Index-Journal, Andrew Macke, “All
Lakelands: Swearinger thrives despite her obstacles”
THIRD PLACE: Index-Journal, Ethan Joyce, “Helping
hands”
HONORABLE MENTION: Index-Journal, Ethan Joyce,
“In honor”
SPORTS COLUMNWRITING
FIRST PLACE: The Journal, Seneca, Robbie Tinsley,
“And now we come to the airing of grievances...;
When is it OK to fire a Hall of Fame coach?;
Bobcats have yet another win to build upon”
Judges’ Comments: Excellent storytelling, draws
the reader in.
SECOND PLACE: The Journal, Seneca, Eric Sprott,
“Not goodbye, see you over in the News pages;
Saying goodbye far too soon; Tigers’ Stoudt
enjoys perfect closing note”
THIRD PLACE: Index-Journal, Andrew Macke,
“Deciphering the Region 2-AA playoff picture,
Joyce style; Hopefully football brings back some
normalcy; It’s all in a name, or a nickname”
HONORABLE MENTION: Aiken Standard/Spurs &
Feathers, Brian Hand, “Spurs & Feathers in
Connecticut: An adventure we’ll never forget;
South Carolina showing how special it is in face
of devastation, tragedy; As a lifelong Gamecock
I will forever be thankful to Steve Spurrier”
PAGE ONE DESIGN PORTFOLIO
FIRST PLACE: Index-Journal, Aron Agerton, “June
23; July 11; Aug. 12”
Judges’ Comments: The kick out of the frame
is a great combination of image and type, as
is the story package over the flag image. Very
impressive skill shown.
SECOND PLACE: Aiken Standard, Amy Hunter, “June
7; June 23; June 27”
THIRD PLACE: Aiken Standard, Tim O’Briant, “April
28; April 29; July 10”
SINGLE PAGE ONE DESIGN
FIRST PLACE:Aiken Standard, Amy Hunter, “June 1”
Judges’ Comments: Using supporting photos to
frame the lady and her crop is great, as is using
the “dead space” in the main photo to place the
Headline. This page is very well done. The main
story is not the only one that has good design, the
treatment of the header as well as the bottom story
are well thought out as well.
SECONDPLACE:Index-Journal, Aron Agerton, “June 23”
THIRD PLACE: The Sumter Item, Melanie Smith,
“June 23”
FEATURE PAGE DESIGN
PORTFOLIO
FIRST PLACE: The Journal, Seneca, Zack Mauldin,
“April 28, May 26, Aug. 1”
Judges’ Comments: The effect created by using only
colors found in the images draws the whole page
together very nicely. Also the use of white space
and contrast to move the eye around the page is
splendid well done.
SECOND PLACE: Aiken Standard, Kyle Semones,
“April 9; May 7; May 14
THIRD PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Kristin
Coker, “March 22: Birders’ Paradise; Aug. 9: Back
to Basics; Nov. 15: Beary Big Heart”
SINGLE FEATURE PAGE DESIGN
FIRST PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Kristin
Coker, “July 5, Catch the Vision”
Judges’ Comments: The combination of the faint
rugged back ground and the photo treatment
pulled the page together in such a way that there
was no doubt the story would be interesting.
SECOND PLACE: Index-Journal, Aron Agerton,
“Stitch by Stitch: Aug. 9”
THIRD PLACE: Aiken Standard, Amy Hunter,
“Chiropractic care for children”
PERSONALITY PHOTOGRAPH OR PORTRAIT, DAILY OVER 45,000: Matt Walsh, The State

SPORTS PAGE DESIGN
PORTFOLIO
FIRST PLACE: Index-Journal, Aron Agerton, “March
5; Sept. 2; Oct. 14”
Judges’ Comments: The use of the photos to
emphasize but not overtake the story is great. The
ability to make all the stories on the page look
good not just the main story is well done.
SECOND PLACE: The Journal, Seneca, Robbie
Tinsley, “Feb. 17; March 7; Oct. 24”
THIRD PLACE: Aiken Standard, Eric Russell, “March
29; April 10; June 28”
SINGLE SPORTS PAGE DESIGN
FIRSTPLACE:Index-Journal,BobSimmonds,“Sept.26”
Judges’ Comments: Oversized cutout jumps off the
page and hammer headline grabs your attention.
Design makes you want to read the page.
SECOND PLACE: Index-Journal, Bob Simmonds,
“Sept. 25”
THIRDPLACE:Index-Journal, Aron Agerton, “Oct. 10”
HONORABLE MENTION: Aiken Standard, Eric
Russell, “March 29”
INSIDE PAGE DESIGN
FIRST PLACE: The Sumter Item, Jade Reynolds,
“Witness wildlife migration events, Aug. 27”
Judges’ Comments: Great use of dominant and
supportive photos adds energy and harmony to
the page. Elements are clearly defined but work
together. Well done!
SECOND PLACE: Index-Journal, Bob Simmonds,
“Aug. 21”
THIRD PLACE: The Sumter Item, Melanie Smith,
“Tuning his racing skills to the MAX, Aug. 8”
PHOTO PAGE DESIGN
FIRST PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Kristin
Coker, “June 28, Emanuel Nine”
Judges’ Comments: Sometimes, less is more, and
that’s the case in this photo page. A strong
dominant photo with nine smaller portraits is all
that is needed to evoke a response from the reader.
Text on the page complements the photography and
does not distract. Also, good use of white space.
SECOND PLACE: The Sumter Item, Melanie Smith,
“Home on the range”
THIRD PLACE: The Sumter Item, Jessica Stephens,
“This weekend, it’s all about the Iris Festival”
SPOT NEWS PHOTO
FIRST PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Larry
Hardy, “Flea Market Fire”
Judges’ Comments: The very definition of a “fully
involved” structure fire. Good framing.
SECOND PLACE: The Journal, Seneca, Jessica Nelms,
“Becky Burrell is embraced by her husband
Russell after arriving at the scene and discovering
her father, Franklin Hester was killed after being
struck by a box truck.”
THIRD PLACE: Aiken Standard, Teddy Kulmala,
“Jaime Rabon and Louis Taylor who are
neighbors in a Eutaw Street apartment that
caught fire Wednesday Place: embrace as crews
worked to finish extinguishing the blaze.”
GENERAL NEWS PHOTO
FIRST PLACE: The Sumter Item, Rick Carpenter,
“Ten-year-old Trace Adams asks President
Obama how old he was when he decided he
wanted to be president.”
Judges’ Comments: Great moment as the youngster
questions the President. You focused on the child,
which makes the picture.
SECOND PLACE: The Sumter Item, Keith Gedamke,
“Pastor Betty Deas Clark, Mount Pisgah AME
Church, wipes a tear away as Reverend Marion
Newton holds his head during the community
prayer service at Jehovah Missionary Baptist
Church on Saturday.”
THIRD PLACE: The Sumter Item, Rick Carpenter,
“Jennifer Clark wipes a tear as she explains to
Gov. Nikki Haley how she and husband Curtis
Clark lost everything at their residence on
Browning Ridge Road in Sumter.
FEATURE PHOTO
FIRST PLACE AND BEST OF THE BEST: Aiken
Standard, Mike Adams, “Homecoming
surprise”
Judges’ Comments: Now that’s a
priceless moment. Her reaction is
great, and is the “I’m not sure what
I should do” look on the face of her
escort. Great work on this one.
SECOND PLACE: The Sumter Item, Rick Carpenter,
“Cinda Kammermann, a minister at the Sumter
First Church of the Nazarene and a breast and
lung cancer survivor, gets a hug from Spiderman
during the Sumter Relay For Life.”
THIRD PLACE: Aiken Standard, Mike Adams, “Tuba,
Tuba, Tuba”
SPORTS ACTION PHOTO
FIRST PLACE: The Beaufort Gazette, Theophil Syslo,
“Beaufort High’s Jay Hawley gets pinned by West
Oak’s Daniel Ibanez in the 145-pound match.”
Judges’ Comments: The clear view of the wrestler’s
face adds volumes to this well-composed image.
SECOND PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Donny
Knight, “Armonte Prioleau of Timberland
stretches out for a touchdown run at Lake Marion
High School.”
THIRD PLACE: The Sumter Item, Keith Gedamke,
“Wilson Hall second baseman Robert James
and shortstop McLendon Sears try to field an
overthrow as Hammond’s Thomas Middleton
dives back to second during the Barons’ 5-4
victory over Hammond in the SCISA 3A state
semifinals at Baron Field.”
SUNDAY MAGAZINE
SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2015 / C1
THE TIMES AND DEMOCRAT | WWW.THETANDD.COM
AP
Pallbearers release doves over the
casket of Ethel Lance during her
burial service in Charleston.
EMANUEL
NINE
Rev. and Sen.
Clementa C.
Pinckney
Ethel
Lance
Susie
Jackson
Myra
Thompson
The Rev.
Dr. Daniel
Simmons Sr.
Tywanza
Sanders
Sharonda
Coleman-
Singleton
DePayne
Middleton-
Doctor
Cynthia
Hurd
See more photos ❱❱ C6
FIRST PLACE PHOTO PAGE DESIGN, DAILY UNDER 16,000: Kristin Coker, The Times and Democrat

SPORTS FEATURE PHOTO
FIRSTPLACE:Aiken Standard, Mike Adams, “Layla
Williams, 2, cheers for the Fox Creek Homecoming
Queens during half-time against Williston Elko.”
Judges’ Comments: Glad you looked into the
stands and found this child cheering. Nicely done.
SECONDPLACE:Aiken Standard,Mike Adams, “Cheers”
THIRD PLACE: Aiken Standard, Eric Russell, “Par 3
contest”
PERSONALITY PHOTOGRAPH
OR PORTRAIT
FIRST PLACE: Aiken Standard, Amy Banton, “Paul
Volz, shelter director for The Salvation Army of
Aiken, stands in the middle of tent city, a small
area where Aiken’s homeless sleep.”
Judges’ Comments: Shooting the man in his element,
in an encampment of the homeless, was a great idea.
SECOND PLACE: The Sumter Item, Keith Gedamke,
“From tree to treasure”
THIRDPLACE:Aiken Standard, Cindy Kubovic,
“Breanna Eubanks had some fun Saturday at the
Aiken County Rec Center’s back-to-school giveaway.”
PICTORIAL
FIRST PLACE: Aiken Standard, Mike Adams, “The
North Augusta Jackets enter the playing field
amid the smoke.”
Judges’ Comments: A great photo that just screams to
be run 6 columns. Photog in right place at right time
to capture excitement of players taking the field.
SECOND PLACE: The Beaufort Gazette, Delayna
Earley, “The GEICO Skytypers fly in formation
during the MCAS Beaufort Air Show at the
Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.”
THIRD PLACE: Aiken Standard, Cindy Kubovic,
“Village for Skylar”
HONORABLEMENTION:The Beaufort Gazette, Delayna
Earley, “Swampy land as seen at Donnelley Wildlife
Management Area in the ACE Basin.”
HUMOROUS PHOTO
FIRST PLACE: Aiken Standard, Dede Biles,
“Jordan Pruiksma and her 3-year-old bay
gelding, Fullback, are preparing for the Retired
Race Horse Project’s $100,000 Thoroughbred
Makeover competition in October.”
Judges’ Comments: OK, Fullback knows how to
horse around for the camera. Good shot.
SECOND PLACE: The Sumter Item, Konstantin
Vengerowsky, “Jamie Ridgeway holds a live
striped bass as Miss Clarendon Teen Addison
Hicks kisses it at the 2015 Striped Bass Festival
opening ceremonies.”
THIRDPLACE:The Sumter Item, Keith Gedamke,
“Pastor Dan Barber, of First Baptist Church, talks
about seeing God’s power every time he goes fishing.”
NEWSPAPER WEBSITE
FIRST PLACE: Aiken Standard, Staff,
aikenstandard.com
Judges’ Comments: Has what most would want
from a website. It has aesthetic appeal,
information you’re looking for and is easy enough
to navigate.
SECOND PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Staff,
thetandd.com
THIRD PLACE: Index-Journal, Billy Dunlap and
Staff, indexjournal.com
ONLINE PHOTO GALLERY
“Water everywhere: week of historic flooding”
Judges’ Comments: A flood is big news. By posting
this gallery, you shared, essentially, a dump of the
visual information gathered by your staff. A great
public service. Very well photographed and
presented.
SECOND PLACE: Index-Journal, Maddy Jones, “Ben
Terry Jr. Funeral”
THIRD PLACE: The Journal, Seneca, Jessica Nelms,
“East Brown Street House Fire”
2-3 TIMES WEEKLY &
DAILY UNDER 16,000
divisions combined
NEWS VIDEO
FIRST PLACE: Aiken Standard, James Grigsby,
“Aiken County Public Schools Honor Court”
Judges’ Comments: Excellent visuals, interviews,
and some humor, too. Gives the viewer a great
insight into the great things happening in the
school system.
SECOND PLACE: Aiken Standard, James Grigsby,
“Graniteville Cross Dedication”
THIRD PLACE: Aiken Standard, James Grigsby,
“Battle of Aiken Education Day”
INTEGRATION OF PRINT AND
WEB COVERAGE
FIRST PLACE: Greenville Journal, Staff, “Upstate
Business Journal print/Web coverage”
Judges’ Comments: Great integration of social, multiple
platforms, with video and web — cross-promoting
with print. The flipbook was helpful, and an email
newsletter shows thoroughness. UBJ turned a fairly
standard story topic into a well-strategized project.
SECOND PLACE: The Times and Democrat, Staff,
“Vietnam: They Served With Honor”
THIRD PLACE: Aiken Standard, Staff, “Game of the
Week high school football coverage”
WEEKLY OVER 4,500
& Daily Under 16,000
divisions combined
FIRST PLACE CARTOON, OPEN: Robert Ariail, The State

16,000-45,000
daily division
UNDER 16,000
& 16,000-45,000
daily divisions
combined
PUBLIC SERVICE
“Dramatic year at S.C. State University”
Judges’ Comments: You faced stiff competition
from another paper in this division but the fact
that you used FOIA and had been covering this
issue for 10 years made you the winner. Kudos to
a paper that puts this much time and effort into
an issue important to its readers.
SECOND PLACE: The Sun News, Staff, “Public safety
during Memorial Day weekend”
THIRD PLACE: Aiken Standard, Maayan Schechter,
“Aspirational Cities Tour”
HONORABLE MENTION: Morning News, Shamira
McCray, “DHEC investigates bedbug infestation”
SPORTSENTERPRISEREPORTING
FIRST PLACE: The Herald, Bret McCormick,
“Gray area”
Judges’ Comments: Way to shed some light on this
“gray area.”
SECOND PLACE: The Sun News, Ryan Young, “CCU
leaders share insight on talks with Sun Belt
Conference”
THIRD PLACE: The Herald, Bret McCormick, “How
plays get their names”
PHOTOSERIESORPHOTOSTORY
FIRST PLACE: Independent Mail, Sefton Ipock,
“Little League Coach”
Judges’ Comments: Really liked the way you told
the story of the coach. Nice selection of pictures,
well composed.
SECOND PLACE: Morning News, Veasey Conway,
“Faces of February”
THIRD PLACE: The Sun News, Janet Blackmon
Morgan, “Jayden Morrison”
FEATURE VIDEO
FIRST PLACE: The Island Packet, Delayna Earley,
“The Sum of its Parts: Activities in the ACE Basin”
Judges’ Comments: This video was the clear
winner in this category. I was skeptical it could
hold my attention given the length, but the
production quality and organization around 3
types of ACE Basin visitors kept me glued to the
screen. It also inspired me to think more deeply
about the recreational places I visit and how they
might be appreciated differently by others.
SECOND PLACE: The Sun News, Jason Lee, “The Bee
Preacher”
THIRD PLACE: Index-Journal, Maddy Jones,
“Margaret’s Wish”
HONORABLE MENTION: The Island Packet, Josh
Mitelman, “Power of a pig: Lila bolsters Bluffton
woman through cancer ”
SPORTS VIDEO
FIRST PLACE: Independent Mail, Ken Ruinard,
“Robby Cox, a blind bowler from Townville,
bowls with Special Olympics friends at Boulevard
Lanes in Anderson.”
BREAKING NEWS REPORTING
FIRST PLACE: The Sun News, Charles D. Perry,
“Friends, family remember North Myrtle Beach
contractor killed in Afghanistan”
Judges’ Comments: There were MANY well-written
and well-researched entries in this category but this
one stood out because Charles made readers feel
like they were right there, sharing the awful news
with the widow. And, he weaved a touching love
story into the mix as well. Well done.
SECOND PLACE: Independent Mail, Staff, “ONE
SCHOOL? District 5 looks at Hanna
Westside merger”
THIRD PLACE: The Herald, Staff, “Four killed at
Rock Hill home”
ENTERPRISE REPORTING
FIRST PLACE: The Island Packet, Dan Burley and
Rebecca Lurye, “Rough roads”
Judges’ Comments: Approach, voice really
compelling in this story — backed up with good
information captured by reporters. You can tell
they know the community, and thought about
what kind of story would matter. The writing
holds your attention well throughout.
SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, Daniel J. Gross,
Kim Kimzey, “Neighborhoods on edge - Threat to
safety, property values troubles residents”
THIRD PLACE: Morning News, Gavin Jackson,
“Crumbling buildings”
Judges’ Comments: A fantastic perspective on
sports from an inspirational young man.
SECOND PLACE: The Sun News, Jason Lee, “Battle for
the Bell: Conway takes back the Victory Bell from
rival Myrtle Beach.”
THIRD PLACE: Independent Mail, Ken Ruinard,
“Deandre Hopkins is one of the NFL’s best
receivers, and during a few weeks of his summer,
he returns to hometown Central, South Carolina
to teach boys skills of the game.”
NEWSPAPER’S USE OF
SOCIAL MEDIA
FIRST PLACE: The Island Packet, Staff
Judges’ Comments: Record likes, shares and
comments in this contest. Great interaction
with readers. Good mix of newsworthy and
entertaining content. Great work!
SECOND PLACE: The Sun News, Staff
THIRD PLACE: Independent Mail, Staff
REPORTING-IN-DEPTH
FIRST PLACE: Independent Mail, Mike Ellis,
“Identifying the officer in the Zachary Hammond
shooting”
Judges’ Comments: The reporter’s tenacity made
this entry stand out. Refusing to settle for what little
information authorities wanted to trickle out has
paid off and will continue to pay off. Keep digging.
SECOND PLACE: Independent Mail, Nikie Mayo,
“Troubled disabilities agency”
THIRD PLACE: The Island Packet, Zach Murdoch
and Dan Burley, “Property Administrators”
HONORABLE MENTION: The Herald, Anna Douglas,
“Chester superintendent resigns”
SERIES OF ARTICLES
FIRST PLACE: The Herald, Bristow Marchant,
“Chester County landfill fire”
Judges’ Comments: Thorough, balanced coverage.
Included the most important voices – those of
residents, which reporters sometimes fail to
include.
SECOND PLACE: The Herald, Anna Douglas, “Jamie
Williamson/Winthop University”
THIRD PLACE: The Sun News, Alan Blondin and
Steve Jones, “Chinese investors”

BEAT REPORTING
FIRSTPLACE:Morning News, Joshua Lloyd, “Public
Safety”
Judges’ Comments: The reporter elevated the
bread-and-butter cops and courts beat with an eye
for trends and timely localization.
SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, Daniel J. Gross,
“Public Safety”
THIRD PLACE: The Sun News, Charles D. Perry,
“Public Safety/Crime”
HONORABLE MENTION: Independent Mail, Mike
Ellis, “Courts”
BUSINESS BEAT REPORTING
FIRST PLACE: The Sun News, Charles D. Perry
Judges’ Comments: Even while telling the story of a
business venture turned sour, Perry has a knack for
telling the history of the business’ current situation
that informs the whole issue. That interest in the
history of the issue comes alive in both stories about
farmers, those reeling from drought and floor, and
most vividly in “Farmers seek to preserve heritage,
grow family business.” All of the pieces are well
researched and beautifully written.
SECOND PLACE: The Island Packet, Dan Burley
THIRD PLACE: Herald-Journal, Zach Fox
HONORABLEMENTION:Independent Mail, Kirk Brown
NEWS FEATUREWRITING
FIRST PLACE AND BEST OF THE BEST:
The Island Packet, Liz Farrell, “The
Crucible: No Parris Island recruit can
become a Marine without surviving
this test”
Judges’ Comments: Richly detailed. The
author hooks you from the opening
line. This article stands out as the best
in a deeply competitive group.
SECOND PLACE: The Sun News, Charles D. Perry, “A
month after wreck claims two popular brothers,
Loris still trying cope”
THIRD PLACE: The Island Packet, Amy Coyne
Bredeson, “The deepest loss”
HONORABLE MENTION: Herald-Journal, Daniel J.
Gross, “Gardens help prisoners grow as people”
LIFESTYLE FEATUREWRITING
FIRST PLACE: The Sun News, Charles D. Perry, “For
this Horry County family, riding in a hearse is an
everyday experience”
Judges’ Comments: A cleverly-told tale about a
local family’s love for the family hearse.
SECOND PLACE: Independent Mail, Mike Ellis,
“Faint shadows from centuries ago will be made
public Saturday”
THIRDPLACE:The Herald, Teddy Kulmala, “‘Pure
magic’: Rock Hill teen dazzles at sweet 16 celebration”
PROFILE FEATUREWRITING
OR STORY
FIRST PLACE: The Sun News, Charles D. Perry,
“Eddie Dyer retiring from Coastal Carolina
University after 39 years”
Judges’ Comments: This story rose to the top
because it contained lots of comments and quotes
from others about the subject–something many
entries lacked. Lots of anecdotes and quotes
complimented a complete profile.
SECOND PLACE:Independent Mail, Abe Hardesty,
“Smith answers call of double duty in Honea Path”
THIRD PLACE: The Sun News, Claire Byun, “Horry
County Teacher of the Year known for digging
‘into soul of a child’”
SHORT STORY
FIRST PLACE: Morning News, Veasey Conway,
“Itinerant man finds a space on Myrtle Beach
fishing pier”
Judges’ Comments: A small story that packs a big
punch. In not so many words, I felt like I got to
know Franklin Cook and why home is on a fishing
pier in Myrtle Beach.
SECOND PLACE: Morning News, Joshua Lloyd,
“Florence bailiff still going strong after 71 years”
THIRD PLACE: The Island Packet, Erin Heffernan,
“The Unclaimed: David “Fish Man” Myers”
COLUMNWRITING
FIRST PLACE: The Island Packet, David Lauderdale,
“Mosses must go, so credibility returns;
Some advice for the president as he speaks
in Charleston; The day we took Daddy to the
nursing home”
Judges’ Comments: Direct and clear writing on
important topics. If I lived in Hilton Head, I’d be
looking for Lauderdale’s columns.
SECOND PLACE: The Herald, James Werrell, “Lying
about brave deeds is a fool’s game; Do boycotts
accomplish anything?; Lowering the flag is more
than symbolism”
THIRD PLACE: Morning News, Don Kausler Jr.,
“Remember this titan of SC journalism; This
bud’s for you, Mom, on this special day; An
embarrassing, enduring lesson about ‘that flag’”
HONORABLE MENTION: The Sun News, Issac J. Bailey,
“Let’s be clear: The Confederate flag has always
been demeaning to black South Carolinians, even
during quiet periods; Police in Myrtle Beach and
elsewhere should not automatically be believed;
Black defendant, white victim and the role of race
in the verdict”
SPOT SPORTS STORY
FIRSTPLACEANDBESTOFTHEBEST:Herald-
Journal, Eric Boynton, “Spieth Shines”
Judges’ Comments: Eric Boynton takes
the reader around Augusta National
with Justin Spieth in the first round
of the Masters giving us a sense of the
amazement of both the crowd and the
other players in Spieth’s group as the
young golfer tore through Amen Corner
in the opening round.
SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, Todd Shanesy,
“Terriers upset ‘Pack at buzzer”
THIRD PLACE:Herald-Journal, Kevin Melton, “Rivals
have fond memories of ‘The American Dream”
SPORTS FEATURE STORY
FIRST PLACE: The Sun News, Ryan Young, “CCU’s
Moglia teaching ‘Life After Football’”
Judges’ Comments: Great story. It’s a great topic
that I haven’t seen elsewhere and well told.
SECOND PLACE:The Island Packet, Dan Burley, “Meet
the man who’s changing the Bluffton golf industry”
THIRD PLACE: Herald-Journal, Eric Boynton, “Who
needs a seat?”
HONORABLE MENTION: Morning News, Scott
Chancey, “High school hero”
BEST OF THE BEST NEWS PHOTO: Ken Ruinard,
Independent Mail

SPORTS COLUMNWRITING
FIRST PLACE: Herald-Journal, Bob Dalton, “An
open letter to the Dolphins; No reason to fight
over Rebels nickname; Dutch Fork’s Colburn got
a raw deal from Louisville Petrino”
Judges’ Comments: A sports columnist that uses
his platform to fight for social justice, amazing.
This writer takes the reader beyond the field of
play and makes his work more about the common
good than the scores, it is a refreshing approach.
SECOND PLACE: The Herald, Andrew Dys, “York
teen’s ‘beautiful heart’ beats after death; ‘Be the
ball?’ Golfers turn to yoga to help their game;
Girl, 12, dedicates her golf game to memory of
dad - lost in Iraq war”
THIRD PLACE: Herald-Journal, Eric Boynton,
“Harbour Town’s Stoic King; Leggett’s run at
Clemson nears end; Clemson, SC blew it on
Dorman standout”
PAGE ONE DESIGN PORTFOLIO
FIRST PLACE: The Island Packet, Abigail Westcott,
“Aug. 9; Aug. 16; Aug. 23”
Judges’ Comments: Three pages that demand a
passerby or reader to engage in their content.
Strong balance and structure while making a bold
statement. (It’s too bad that some of these were
not entered as singles and the same for pages who
finished second and third in this category.)
SECOND PLACE: The Island Packet, Sandra Ross,
“Oct. 5; Aug. 7; July 11”
THIRD PLACE: The Herald, Kate Sievers, “Jan. 29;
March 1; Nov. 7”
SINGLE PAGE ONE DESIGN
FIRST PLACE: Morning News, Mandy Buff, “July 11:
A new era begins”
Judges’ Comments: The headline. “A new era
begins” sums up why this page from the Morning
News was the clear winner. There was forethought
from the newsroom on what the message was that
day and the photographer captured a powerful
moment as the honor guard carries the flag away
from an empty flag pole while hundreds watch. The
designer leaned forward with their community.
SECOND PLACE: The Herald, Kate Sievers, “Jan. 29:
Finally Justice”
THIRD PLACE: The Island Packet, Sandra Ross,
“May 17”
FEATURE PAGE DESIGN
PORTFOLIO
FIRST PLACE: Herald-Journal, R. Keith Hatchell,
“Desserts around the area: Dec. 28; Marshall
Tucker Band: April 2; Traveling through a time
warp: June 28”
Judges’ Comments: Each of the three pages shows a
different approach to feature design. The designer
let the stories and images set the design path. The
table-top images of the many desserts tantalizes
the reader, the bold illustration for the band grabs
the reader, while the documentary images from
Cuba tells its own story.
SECOND PLACE: The Island Packet, Sandra Ross,
“Sept. 20; Oct. 3; Oct. 24”
SINGLE FEATURE PAGE DESIGN
FIRST PLACE: The Island Packet, Lindsay Trapp,
“Aug. 14”
Judges’ Comments: Fresh and inviting, this
design brings the main illustration, headline and
breakout boxes of info together for the reader.
Nicely done, “For the reader” item that separates
itself from the other content, while drawling the
readers attention to the correction.
SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, R. Keith Hatchell,
“retrofest 2015: Feb. 5”
THIRD PLACE: The Sun News, Jeff Nowak, “Honey,
we’re home; Feb. 7”
SPORTSPAGEDESIGNPORTFOLIO
FIRST PLACE: The Herald, Matt Memrick, “Sept. 4;
Sept. 25; Nov. 9”
Judges’ Comments: Clean and very readable with
excellent use of photography. The use of subheads
and other breakout elements helps the reader
move through the content and easily come away
with lots of tidbits of information sports fans love.
SECOND PLACE: Morning News, Stephen Guilfoyle,
“Nov. 29; Jan. 3; Jan. 23”
THIRD PLACE: The Herald, Chris Noble, “March 20;
Aug. 25; Oct. 7”
SINGLE SPORTS PAGE DESIGN
FIRST PLACE: Morning News, Stephen Guilfoyle,
“Nov. 29”
Judges’ Comments: Lots of elements, almost
complete lack of gray space, good use of photos
both in boxes and in cutouts, and a variety of
headline types are what makes this page stand out.
SECOND PLACE: The Island Packet, John Hansen,
“Sept. 28”
THIRD PLACE: The Herald, Maegan Smith, “June 28”
INSIDE PAGE DESIGN
FIRSTPLACE:The Island Packet, Lisa Wilson, “July 18”
Judges’ Comments: Excellent use of feature photo,
nice layout of stories.
SECOND PLACE: The Herald, Tracy Yochum, “Sept.
20 Insight”
THIRD PLACE: The Herald, Kody Timmers, “Sept. 24
Insight”
SPOT NEWS PHOTO
Independent Mail, Ken Ruinard,
“Smoke and flames”
Judges’ Comments: Nice eye, finding an
interesting picture of firefighters at work.
SECOND PLACE: Independent Mail, Ken Ruinard,
“Restaurant fire”
THIRD PLACE: Herald-Journal, Tim Kimzey,
“Firefighters with multiple departments battle
a fire at a fatal accident involving a tanker on
Interstate-26.”
Image from Daily Photojournalist of the Year Gerry Melendez’s portfolio, The State

GENERAL NEWS PHOTO
FIRST PLACE: Herald-Journal, Alex C. Hicks Jr,
“The look of a child”
Judges’ Comments: Quite a picture. He certainly
doesn’t look 18 years old as he makes his first
appearance before a judge. Really nice work.
SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, John Byrum,
“Spelling Bee Woes”
THIRD PLACE: Independent Mail, Sefton Ipock,
“Animals seized”
FEATURE PHOTO
FIRST PLACE: Herald-Journal, Tim Kimzey, “Steve
Jennings has a riding partner as he mows at his
home in the Mayo community.”
Judges’ Comments: That’s just an amazing
situation to capture. Nicely composed.
SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, Alex C. Hicks Jr,
“Ice Cream at the County Fair”
THIRD PLACE: The Sun News, Janet Blackmon
Morgan, “Father Daughter Dance”
SPORTS ACTION PHOTO
Morning News, Veasey Conway, “Lake
City High School’s Keenan Graham is
tagged out – and upended – by Wilson
High School’s Mason Park as he tries
to hurdle his way to home plate.”
Judges’ Comments: Wrestling or
baseball? Looks like this runner is
about to get body slammed in addition
to being tagged out. The expression
on the umpire’s face adds a lot to the
image. Great moment!
SECOND PLACE: Independent Mail, Sefton Ipock,
“Diving catch”
THIRD PLACE: Herald-Journal, John Byrum, “Head
Over Heels”
SPORTS FEATURE PHOTO
FIRST PLACE: Herald-Journal, Alex C. Hicks Jr.,
“Coach and the high jumpers”
Judges’ Comments: You turned away from the
action and found a revealing sidelight on the
bench. Great job!
SECOND PLACE: Herald-Journal, John Byrum, “Spot
light Cam”
THIRD PLACE: Herald-Journal, Tim Kimzey, “The
Spartanburg Methodist College Pioneers battle
the Surry Community College Knights.”
PERSONALITY PHOTOGRAPH
OR PORTRAIT
FIRST PLACE: Morning News, Veasey Conway,
“Queen Quet”
Judges’ Comments: One of the most unusual
portrait/personality shots I’ve ever seen. The hands
tell a lot about the person. Good work!
“Digital man”
THIRD PLACE: Independent Mail, Sefton Ipock,
“Trumpet”
PICTORIAL
“Amphitheater”
Judges’ Comments: The rows of seats radiate outward
like ripples in a pond. A very serene photograph.
“Picture perfect”
THIRD PLACE: Herald-Journal, Tim Kimzey, “A
tiny flower, covered with ice, stands in the newly-
fallen snow.”
HUMOROUS PHOTO
“Mohawk”
Judges’ Comments: Graduations are not the staid
events they once were, as this almost-graduate
demonstrates. Great shot.
SECOND PLACE: The Sun News, Janet Blackmon
Morgan, “A squirrel steals a bag of Fritos from an
unguarded golf cart.”
THIRD PLACE: Herald-Journal, John Byrum, “Rabid
Panther Fan”
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
FIRST PLACE: Herald-Journal, Tim Kimzey, “Child
Abuse”
Judges’ Comments: Quite well done, on a
subject that’s huge for all of us. Nice lighting and
composition.
SECOND PLACE: Morning News, Veasey Conway,
“Deflategate”
THIRD PLACE: Herald-Journal, John Byrum,
“Distracted Driving”
NEWSPAPERWEBSITE
FIRST PLACE: Morning News, Matthew Robertson
and Justin Johnson, scnow.com
Judges’ Comments: Local content is easy to find, as
are features that engage readers, such as contests
and an opinion poll. Navigation options are varied,
allowing for different user preferences, and options
are clearly marked. Site includes lots of community
content and photos, and a searchable calendar.
SECOND PLACE: Independent Mail, Staff,
independentmail.com
THIRD PLACE: The Sun News, Staff,
myrtlebeachonline.com
INTEGRATION OF PRINT AND
WEB COVERAGE
FIRST PLACE:Morning News, Justin Johnson, Melissa
Rollins and Shamira McCray, “Biggest Loser”
Judges’ Comments: An ambitious, well-thought-out,
wonderfully executed project with a mix of print and
digital pieces that makes it easy for the audience to
stay interested. A great way to involve members of
the community while inspiring others. Great work.
SECONDPLACE:The Island Packet, Staff, “Parris Island”
THIRDPLACE:The Island Packet, Staff, “Reader photos”
HONORABLE MENTION: The Island Packet, Staff,
“Reader comments”
NEWSVIDEO
“Baby Leonna still missing”
Judges’ Comments: Good video. Good audio. The
audio was more even compared to some other
videos submitted. A heartfelt story with touching
moments but not too long. Well done.
SECOND PLACE: Morning News, Justin Johnson,
“Dancing with the Stars of Florence”
THIRD PLACE: The Sun News, Jason Lee, “Good
Samaritans of Pitch Landing”
HONORABLE MENTION: The Island Packet, Theophil
Syslo, “Life over Limb”
ONLINE PHOTO GALLERY
FIRST PLACE: The Sun News, Jason Lee, “Friday
Evacuations from Dunbar”
Judges’ Comments: In addition to getting photos
that showed what was happening, you caught the
expressions in people’s faces – especially the worry
and sense of “what now?”
SECONDPLACE:TheSunNews,JasonLee,“BeePreacher”
THIRD PLACE: The Herald, Jeff Sochko, “UCI BMX
Supercross World Cup Finals”
HONORABLE MENTION: Morning News, Joshua
Lloyd, “Lynches River Flooding”
THIRD PLACE PHOTO SERIES OR PHOTO STORY, DAILY
16,000-45,000 & UNDER 16,000 COMBINED: Janet
Blackmon Morgan, The Sun News

Winners of the 2015 SCPA News Contest with judges' comments

Winners of the 2015 SCPA News Contest with judges' comments

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Winners of the 2015 SCPA News Contest with judges' comments