2020 Better Newspaper Awards

BEST OVERALL NEWSPAPER AWARDS

A1 Best Overall Newspaper (AN)
Judge: Maurice Rees from “The Shoreline Journal”

Contestant: The Low Down to Hull & Back News

Headline: Cream of the Crop

Placement: 1st

Judge’s comment: The competition was tight, with this entry scoring 67 points two ahead of the second-place winner

Contestant: The Eastern Door

Headline: Devastating Fire Destroys Barn

Placement: 2nd

Judge’s comment: In second place, Eastern Door was a one-half point ahead of the third-place winner

Contestant: Nunatsiaq News

Headline: Two copies of a January 2019 issue and a September 2019 issue

Placement: 3rd

Judge’s comment: this year was the toughest I have judged for QCNA. Placing third only one half point out of second place and 1.5 points ahead of fourth place.

A2 Best Front Page (AN)
Judge: Joyce Webster from the “East Central Alberta Review”

Contestant: Nunatsiaq News

Headline: GN touts its long-awaited, revised Corrections Act

Placement: 1st

Judge’s comment: First place had a nice clean front page, good head, deck and lead into the story. Nice sized photo that tells the story at a glance, especially when the crowd was included in an effective photoshoot. Great Index. Very good!

Contestant: The Suburban Laval

Headline: Laval Police speak on sexual abuse of minors

Placement: 2nd

Judge’s comment: Although busy I felt this was a very good front page. It contained the elements of an index, a photo that draws people to the story and although the 2 stories have a carry-over, the heads and leads were very well written. Very good.

Contestant: The Suburban City

Headline: Taxi driver demo paralyzes island

Placement: 3rd

Judge’s comment: A little busy, a very good action photo. Had the same qualities of my 2nd choice but felt the stories in 2nd place were more compelling.

A3 Best Editorial Page (AN)
(Judge: Joyce Webster from the “East Central Alberta Review”)

Contestant: The Equity

Headline: Best Editorial Page

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: This was a very well-written strong piece with a strong ending in a well laid out page. Congratulations.

Contestant: The Suburban City

Headline: The Suburban City Jan 16

Placement: 2nd

Judge’s comment: A strong opinion well written and cartoon to go with it. Good selection of letters and design

Contestant: The Suburban Laval

Headline: The Suburban Laval Nov 14

Placement: 3rd

Judge’s comment: Strong opinion with the cartoon took this up to the top along with a pleasing layout for the reader.

A4 Best Feature Page(AN)
Judge: Joyce Webster from the “East Central Alberta Review”

Contestant: The Low Down to Hull & Back News

Headline: Climate Change

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: 'The Low Down is the only entry that had all the elements of a good feature story. Congratulations!

Contestant: Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph

Headline: Quebecers commemorate victims of 2017 mosque shooting

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: Good variety of photos and a crisp story gave this entry more points than most. Great work!

Contestant: The Equity

Headline: Best Feature Page - "It's a nightmare"

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: Quality of writing and layout was weak because of the length and we know we lose readers if stories are too long. Extra points for the feature value moved this into 3rd place. Good job.

A5 Best Sports Page(s) (AN)
Judge: Pete Fisher from “Today’s Northumberland” and “Beyond “Education Through Communication””

Contestant: Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph

Headline: A- Stoneham hosts Jeux du Québec alpine ski races B- Rive-Sud wins! Mission accomplished, Capitale Nationale! C- St. Pat’s girls win silver in ringette in Jeux du Québec D- Centre-du-Québec wins in wheelchair basketball at the Jeux du Québec

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: Love the layout and everything about the pages including the photos and stories. It's obvious sports is a major part of this community

Contestant: Laval News

Headline: Best Sports Page

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: Once again, great layout of the pages along with the action, the team shot and the trophy

Contestant: The Suburban West Island

Headline: A5 The Suburban_West Island

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: Nice action photos, and again the reader can easily tell that sports are a major part of the community.

A6 Best Special Section (AN)
Judge: Barb Donnelly Mazerolle from “Island Press Ltd.”

Contestant: The Suburban West Island

Headline: Creative Kids

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: I love everything about this section. This is why Creative Kids deserve #1

Contestant: The Suburban City

Headline: Back to School

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: Beautiful use of colour, good content... A great special section

Contestant: Pontiac Journal

Headline: Remembrance Day

Placement: 3rd

Judge’s Comment: Love that it is in both English & French definitely deserves recognition.

A7 Best Community Newspaper Promotion (AN)
Judge: Joyce Webster from the “East Central Alberta Review”

Contestant: The Eastern Door

Headline: The Secret Door

Placement: 1st place
Judge’s comment: First Place comment: The Eastern Door entry, The Secret Door is a top choice because of the huge amount of money raised, everyone was a winner, and the work put into the promotion. The paper's revenue from the ads and the draw to readers would have been exceptional.

Contestant: The Suburban Laval

Headline: The Suburban hat Trick Ball Hockey Tournament

Place: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: Second Place comment: The Suburban’s Hat Trick Ball Hockey tournament took 2nd because of the involvement of everyday people, and amount of time and organizing skills it took to put this event on and the support of three different charities.

Contestant: The Low Down to Hull & Back News

Headline: Cheeky subscription drive

Placement: 3rd

Judge’s comment: Toughest sell is subscriptions and the entry from The Low Down certainly used imagination, great photography and certainly gained high points for imagination.

A8 Best Advertisment (AN)
Judge: Zoë Larson from “Mid-America Publishing”

Contestant: The Suburban West Island

Headline: Moda Elle

Placement: 1st place
Judge’s comment: This ad has a good symmetrical balance, a clear message, and its copy is arranged well. The sale prices are noticeable and the photo matches the ad's message.

Contestant: The Suburban City

Headline: Happy Holidays, Bailey Blu

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: Great use of typographic hierarchy, photography and white space. The photo of the dog looking upwards brings attention to the business’s name and message.

Contestant: The Eastern Door

Headline: Casting call

Placement: 3rd

Judge’s comment: This ad contains a lot of copy and was arranged in a way that makes the information easy to read and interesting. Its use of graphics is creative and relates to the ad's subject.

A9 Best Website (AN)
Judge: Zoë Larson from “Mid-America Publishing”

Contestant: Nation

Headline: www.nationnews.ca

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: The home page’s hierarchy is evident and the reader’s eye moves smoothly from story to story. This hierarchy is found throughout the site. Stories are relevant to the community and are timely.

Contestant: The Suburban City

Headline: A9 The Suburban_City (https://www.thesuburban.com)

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: Stories are easily accessible from the categories found in the navigation bar. The e-editions have full pages viewable along with their web stories to the side of the webpage. By clicking on a story on the full page, it brings up the web copy of the same story. This creates a great user experience for readers.

Contestant: Laval News

Headline: Best Website (lavalnews.ca)

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: This website has a clean design and its informative headlines grab the interest of readers. The stories’ paragraph headers break up space nicely and pulls even more of the reader’s attention. Navigation is clear and consistent.

WRITERS’ AWARDS

B1 Best News Story (AN)
Judge: Lois Perepelitz

Newspaper: Iorì:wase

Contestant: Greg Horn

Headline: Armed standoff ends in tragedy

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: good detailed reporting under difficult conditions. stuck to the facts and didn't go on any sidebars of personal opinions.

Newspaper: The Equity

Contestant: J.D. Potié

Headline: Waters rising (FLOOD: Pontiac prepares for high water); (More pictures of Pontiac Flooding)

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: Good complete reporting of a widespread event.

Newspaper: The Suburban City

Contestant: Joel Goldenberg

Headline: Is the ‘new Decarie’ ready for more traffic?

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: good job of explaining the problem as well as giving some possible answers to that problem.

B2 Best Feature Story (AN)
Judge: Alison Ramsey

Newspaper: Nunatsiaq News

Contestant: Lisa Gregoire

Headline: Another shot: homeless Ottawa Inuit find comfort in managed alcohol program

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: Of all the features submitted, this one clearly had the most outstanding lead. Not only is it instantly compelling, but the writer takes her time to carefully set the stage — and the tone — of the story, building concrete observations one upon the other to construct a rich overall picture. In less skilled hands, this drawn-out introduction to the meat of the story could have allowed the reader’s attention to wane or wander. As it is, however, the reader is pulled deeper with each paragraph, happy to be in the privileged position of watching it all unfold. Cleverly, the pacing serves to mirror the tempo of the work of the organization it reports on: residents patiently line up for their doses, moving slowly forward with anticipation. The residents’ quotes are well chosen. They serve a dual purpose: furthering important aspects of the organization’s purpose while grounding the story by focusing on individuals. The information the writer gleans from residents is surprisingly frank and highly personal, which, the reader learns at the end, is likely due to the writer’s familiarity with the population she is interviewing, and theirs with her, due to her weekly volunteering at the residence. Interviews with the founder, doctor, and volunteer weave smoothly with the residents’ quotes, and point to the bigger picture: perhaps this place is a beacon of possibility for others, elsewhere. The story, overall, portrays people who are often marginalized with a compassionate, humanizing perspective that is extremely welcome. Beautifully written; excellent job!

Newspaper: Nunatsiaq News

Contestant: Elaine Anselmi

Headline: A hybrid cruise ship and a call for a ban on HFO

Placement: 2nd

Judge’s comment: It isn’t easy to write a feature describing scientific information that necessitates multiple acronyms, numbers, and necessary explanations of processes, all of which may be unfamiliar to the reader while maintaining interest and a smooth flow. This feature, however, accomplishes that difficult task. It also introduces readers to a timely, important topic: key aspects of shipping fuels, traffic in the Arctic, and the growing impact of both on the environment. The lead is strong, using historical facts that give concrete imperative to current concerns. The writer does an excellent job of anticipating the reader’s need-to-know by presenting the information in a clear, logical progression. The information is provided in an easily digestible format, notable for careful pacing that gives the reader the time to absorb a high level of detail while, at the same time, continuing to move the story along briskly. It combines interviews with multiple sources, people with expertise who, together, present a trustworthy, faceted discussion. A lot of ground is covered in a relatively short space, and this reader, for one, certainly gained a deeper understanding of the critical issue that the feature presents. A compelling read; well done!

Newspaper: Nation

Contestant: Amy German

Headline: Home Delivery

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: This relatively short feature packs a surprising amount of information into its good-news story, which has a silky flow. The reader lands at the lyrical ending startled at how swiftly they arrived there, evidence of having been in capable hands throughout the journey. The writer seamlessly draws together key players and aspects: the women themselves, their midwives, historical context, and the community and its culture. The quotes enhance the statements of fact, deepening the reader’s engagement. The writer’s vocabulary in delivering quotes and paraphrases enhances the storytelling: she uses “said” as the excellent standard it is, but branches out on occasion to more fully describe individuals and their information with more descriptive selections, such as “stressed,” “recounted,” and “emphasized.” Overall, throughout this story, it feels as though each word has been carefully weighed and selected. This story is a wonderful example of how an economy of words can be both descriptive and powerful, and deliver the satisfying feeling of a complete story well told.

B3 Best Feature Series (AN)
Judge: Gordon Cameron from “Hamilton Community News”

Newspaper: Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph

Contestant: Charles André Nadeau

Headline: 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings: Debating D-Day; Planning D-Day, Invasion begins

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: Charles André Nadeau, Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph. Charles André Nadeau does the nearly impossible by distilling something as complex as the story behind the D-Day landings into a short, tightly written series. He gave the reader a complete narrative which didn’t leave any questions begging. A high achievement to be sure.

Newspaper: Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph

Contestant: Lisa Lafond

Headline: A year-long adventure to help save the planet begins; Is your computer really off… or is it wasting energy? The anatomy of a landfill.

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: Lise Lafond, Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph. Lise LaFond’s series offered readers a series of simple things that they could do to reduce their environmental footprint. Her straightforward style doesn’t come across as preachy or hectoring, but rather in the guise of common sense. It’s work like this that changes minds.

Newspaper: The Suburban City

Contestant: Joel Goldenberg

Headline: Hampstead and demolition of CSL Road apartment buildings

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: Joel Goldenberg, The Suburban City. Joel Goldenberg’s series is an excellent example of what continuing coverage of a contentious issue should be. Both sides are given their opportunity to be heard and each milestone in the process is fairly documented. I greatly appreciate the economy of their writing. Not every update needs to be a 500-word rehash of the entire issue. Well done.

B4 Best Business Story (AN)
Judge: Maurice Rees from “The Shoreline Journal”

Newspaper: Quebec Farmers' Advocate

Contestant: Brenda O’Farrell

Headline: Technology can 'catapult Canadian farming back to the forefront of global food innovation'

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: This is an excellent story on how the revised new trade agreement will affect Quebec's important dairy industry.

Newspaper: Iorì:wase

Contestant: Jordan Standup

Headline: Old Malone Pharmacy spreading its roots in Kahnawake

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: A great business story that details how a retail operation such as a pharmacy in Northern portions of Canada can rise to the challenger to increase their importance to a remote area.

Newspaper: Nation

Contestant: Patrick Quinn

Headline: Moving on up

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: There were several excellent stories from remote First Nations publications, but this stood out above the rest because it explained ownership changes that have been under discussion for decades.

B5 Best Investigative Reporting (AN)
Judge: Elyse Amend from the “Department of Journalism, Concordia University”

Newspaper: Nunatsiaq News

Contestant: Sarah Rogers

Headline: Nunavut moves towards online health inspection reports, but legislation lags

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: Sarah Roger's work on Nunavut's food inspection reporting procedures brings to light cracks in the current, outdated system and the serious public health implications these may have. Rogers uses access to information requests to bring new, important information about the situation to light, and communicates it all in a clear and well-written piece. This is an excellent example of what investigative community reporting should be like.

Newspaper: Nation

Contestant: Patrick Quinn

Headline: Quebec’s Long Gun Registry

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: Patrick Quinn’s reporting illuminates the impacts of Quebec’s new long gun registry on the community served by his newspaper. The articles part of the series reveal the registry’s unclear elements, serious disparities in the community’s access to information about it, and lack of cultural awareness on the part of provincial authorities. Quinn’s work also highlights the negative impacts confusion around the new policies have had on trust between the community and the police. This is an important story told with care and caution.

Newspaper: Nunatsiaq News

Contestant: Emma Tranter

Headline: Some Kivalliq beneficiaries ineligible to vote in upcoming KIA election

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: Emma Tranter’s article brings to light important issues with voting regulations that affected the 2019 Kivalliq Inuit Association elections. Working off a tip and numerous accounts, Tranter’s reporting diligently confirms details about the problem and ties it all together in a clear and concise piece.

B6 Best Sports Story (AN)
Judge: Luke Edvards from “Niagara This Week”

Newspaper: Nation

Contestant: Julie McIntosh

Headline: Softball Strikeout

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: An interesting look at a complex subject. The writer was able to include multiple voices and tackle many angles without bogging the story down. Great layout too.

Newspaper: Record

Contestant: Gordon Lambie

Headline: Strange sports in the Townships: Woodsmen competitions

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: Despite never having been to one of these competitions the writer managed to make me feel like I was an old pro lumberjack.

Newspaper: Nation

Contestant: Patrick Quinn

Headline: Husky Competition

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: Solid writing with some good information. I would have liked a little more description about what it's like at these competitions, but otherwise a good job all around.

B7 Best Arts & Entertainment Story (AN)
Judge: Steve Warburton: from “The Glengarry News”

Newspaper: Nation

Contestant: Martin Siberok

Headline: The Art of Survival

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: This story actually made me well up and get angry. If a story, written objectively, can make you feel something, you're doing something right.

Newspaper: The Suburban City

Contestant: Kristine Berey

Headline: World Press PhotoExhibition showcases excellence in visual storytelling

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: A very well written story about the images that tell us about our world.

Newspaper: Nation

Contestant: André Simoneau

Headline: Boycott

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: A well-balanced story about a controversial and important issue.

B8 Best Column Writing (AN)
Judge: Lois Perepelitz

Newspaper: The Suburban City

Contestant: Anthony Bonaparte

Headline: Best Column Writing City

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: He tells it like it is without going overboard

Newspaper: Pontiac Journal

Contestant: Fred Ryan

Headline: Best Column Writing

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: Very well written opinions that make you stop and think.

Newspaper: Record

Contestant: Ross Murray

Headline: Best Column Writing

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: He uses humour and everyday life to make you see what is really important.

B9 Best Business Column or Feature(AN)
Judge: Dennis Wade from Texas Opportunity Partners

Newspaper: Record

Contestant: Gordon Lambie

Headline: Keeping things local in the old northward

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: Outstanding and very encouraging. Every small business in Canada should be required to read this article. YAY!

Newspaper: Nation

Contestant: Ben Powless

Headline: Banking on Whapmagoostui

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: Took a challenging subject and made it easy to understand. I really appreciate the in-depth research.

Newspaper: Nation

Contestant: Patrick Quinn

Headline: Diamonds are Forever

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: Tough subject to report but has a potential happy ending. The community and investors need to know and this piece reveals the reality of conditions beyond control and who does what when. Nice reporting.

B10 Best Editorial (Local Affairs) (AN)
Judge: Élisabeth Le from the “Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta

Newspaper: Laval News

Contestant: Renata Isopo

Headline: Is Quebec on the right track for replacing School Boards with Service Centers and School Governing Boards?
Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: Best researched editorial; clear and well-structured argumentation.

Newspaper: The Low Down to Hull & Back News

Contestant: Nikki Mantell

Headline: Rural Anglos need more health support

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: Excellent progression from individual to regional to the provincial level of news.

Newspaper: The Equity

Contestant: Chris Lowrey

Headlines: We talked about this…

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: Extremely relevant connection established between a very local event and today's general societal problems.

B11 Bob Phillips Award for Best Editorial (general) (AN)
Judge: Elyse Amend from the “Department of Journalism, Concordia University”

Newspaper: Nation

Contestant: Will Nicholls

Headline: Still Waiting for a Lifeline

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: The Nation’s editorial on the federal and provincial governments’ actions—and inaction—on annual flooding in Kashechewan First Nation is a well-written piece that demonstrates the impacts on the local community and its people’s daily lives. The editorial tracks both governments’ broken promises, and finishes with a clear, yet skeptical, call on politicians to finally do something.

Newspaper: Nunatsiaq News

Contestant: Jim Bell

Headline: Nunavut repudiates the Liberals

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: The Nunatsiaq’s News’ entry is a well-written and forceful editorial focused on the NDP’s Mumilaaq Qaqqaq’s win in the Oct. 21 federal elections. Arguing the election results were a call of protest, the editorial serves as a clear warning to other politicians and parties of what can happen when one breaks promises and fails to act when it really matters in the face of housing shortages, poverty, food prices, health crises and suicide in the territory.

Newspaper: The Low Down to Hull & Back News

Contestant: Nikki Mantell

Headline: Just say no to Bill 21

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: Bill 21 was certainly a hot topic in 2019, and The Low Down to Hull & Back News' entry is well-written and to the point. Along with explaining the paper's position on the issue, the editorial provides a clear call to action for local authorities, politicians and community institutions to take a stand against Bill 21.

B12 Best Headline Writing (AN)
Judge: Natascia Lypny from “CBC Saskatchewan”

Newspaper: The Suburban City

Contestant: Mark Lidbetter

Headline: Best Headline Writing City

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: It can be easy in sports writing to fall back on straightforward, simplistic headlines or the same plays-on-words over and over again. This writer approaches each headline with such creative gusto it's an — ahem — feast for the eyes.

Newspaper: The Suburban Laval

Contestant: Mark Lidbetter

Headline: Best Headline Writing City

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: These headlines demonstrate a fun use of the English language and make the sports reporting stand out on the page. Some weren’t as creative or were “stretching it”, compared with the first-place entry.

Newspaper: Nation

Contestant: Lyle Steward, Martin Siberok, Will Nicholls, Dan Isaac

Headline: ‘Wreck-conciliation’; Rootin’ Tootin’ Cowboy Shooting; Softball Strikeout

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: These magazine-style, short headlines are eye-grabbing and entice the audience to read on to know exactly what the article is about.

B13 Best French-language News Story (AN)
***No judge decision***

B14 Best French-language Editorial/Column (AN)
*** No judge decision***

B15 Best Education Story (AN)
Judge: Catherine Whitnall from “Torstar Corporation Community Brands”

Newspaper: The Eastern Door

Contestant: Daniel J. Rowe

Headline: Third-grader gifted with language

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: N/A

Newspaper: Nunatsiaq News

Contestant: Dayna Bruce

Headline: Nunavut’s student funding isn’t enough to live on, out-of-territory students say

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: N/A

Newspaper: The Suburban City

Contestant: Mark Lidbetter

Headline: Making a pitch on the pitch to further their education

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: N/A

B16 Best Agricultural Story (AN)
Judge: Ryan Rogers from the “Scugog Communications Group”

Newspaper: Quebec Farmers' Advocate

Contestant: Brenda O’Farrell

Headline: How stressed are Canadian farmers?

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: Brenda, you did a terrific job on this article. With a strong lead, excellent sources and many quantitative facts and figures to support your sources’ qualified opinions, your effort demonstrates the dedication and passion you put into your work. Great job. As for areas for improvement – challenge yourself to include quotes only when they add colour, personality, or first-hand accounts/opinions to your article. By trimming out some quotes through paraphrasing, you can maintain your article’s pace and tell your story even more clearly. Also, consider that you used the verb “to be” at least 23 times in your writing, and “of” 18 times. You could challenge yourself in the editing process to prioritize strong, engaging, meaningful and intentionally selected words, and these are some indicators that you could get even more intentional and selective with your language. That said, congratulations! Great job.

Newspaper: Quebec Farmers’ Advocate

Contestant: Andrew McClelland

Headline: Where’s the beef?

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: Andrew, your commitment and devotion to your work shows in your article’s presentation. With a holistic and comprehensive understanding of the issue at hand, you presented an even and well-researched article with a strong lead, excellent sources, great quote selection, and supportive figures. Great job. For further improvement, take more care during the editing process to eliminate typos and any issues with sentence structure. Also, consider that you used the verb “to be” at least 14 times in your writing, and “of” eight times and “that” nine times. You could challenge yourself in the editing process to prioritize strong, engaging, meaningful and intentionally selected words, and these are some indicators that you could get even more intentional and selective with your language. Nice work.

Newspaper: Nation

Contestant: André Simoneau

Headline: Winter Harvest

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: Andre, this article proves that the quality of your writing, reporting skills and enterprise as a reporter are consistently high. Nice work in assembling this article. Your writing is clear and clean, and you found great sources for your information. Really well done. For further improvement, consider closer adherence to the CP Style Guide to match your caps and spelling to the industry standards. Also, during the editing process, challenge yourself to prioritize strong, engaging, meaningful and intentionally selected words. You used the verb “to be” at least 23 times in your writing, and “of” 20 times. These indicate you can be more intentional and selective with your language. And you could consider being more selective in the quotes you choose to include in your article. By trimming out some quotes through paraphrasing, you can maintain your article’s pace and tell your story even more clearly. Terrific work.

B17 Best Environmental Story (AN)
Judge: David Secko from “Concordia University”

Newspaper: The Equity

Contestant: Caleb Nickerson, JD Potié, Chris Lowery

Headline: Water still a-risin'

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: This story is an excellent example of what a community story can do to inform readers about the record floods in the Municipality of Pontiac. The story is packed with information but still presented as a clear, readable story. The reporting from across the region by Potié, Lowrey and Nickerson is quite impressive. The story is paired with many excellent photos. Excellent work.

Newspaper: The Eastern Door

Contestant: Lindsay Richardson

Headline: Pipeline projects prompts protests

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: Richardson writes a strong story about important events surrounding the Wet’suwet’en pipeline protests and an impromptu evening demonstration in Montreal. The power of the story comes from how Richardson weaves together information from the community and federal government, with a timeline of events over two days. Strong journalism.

Newspaper: Low Down to Hull & Back News

Contestant: Hollie Davies

Headline: Elizabeth the butterfly gets new wings

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: This story adds some fun to a well-covered (albeit important) topic of Monarch butterfly migration, whereby Davies’ reports on a local quadruple butterfly wing transplant. It is an environmental topic wrapped in an excellent narrative device, with the bonus of descriptive pictures of the transplant. Well done.

B18 Best Municipal/Civic Affairs Story (AN)
Judge: Natascia Lypny from “CBC Saskatchewan”

Newspaper: The Equity

Contestant: Caleb Nickerson

Headline: Health care workers speak out about short staffing

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: Good job getting workers to speak about a sensitive topic. Nice balance as well.

Newspaper: The Equity

Contestant: J.D. Potié

Headline: A RECORD more than 20 power outages in a month

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: Nice find on the local resident who collects data and I appreciate the level of depth on this hyper-local issue that affects residents in their daily lives. But the story relied too much on that one person as a definitive source of information. I would have liked to have seen more independent data, as well as comments from other affected residents.

Newspaper: Nunatsiaq News

Contestant: Sarah Rogers

Headline: Only Nunavik-based legal aid lawyer now based outside region

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: A solid story idea based on a community issue that's important to inform readers about. I appreciate the succinct writing as well.

B19 Best Community Health Story
Judge: Ana Olsthoorn from the “Buffalo Center Tribune”

Newspaper: Record

Contestant: Gordon Lambie

Headline: My People Need Help

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: An engaging story. You can't get much more "community" than this. This nearly defines it.

Newspaper: Nunatsiaq

Contestant: Sarah Rogers

Headline: Nunavut health centre officers minimum services

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: Short and simple, but the pressing urgency is there in spades. And the fact that this story caused some action is fantastic.

Newspaper: The Low Down to Hull & Back News

Contestant: Jake Munro

Headline: Chronic Fatigue

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: N/A

PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

B20 Best News Photo
Judge: Ted McFadden from “Torstar Corporation Community Brands”

Newspaper: The Low Down to Hull & Back News

Contestant: Hunter Cresswell

Headline: Brush fire in Edelweiss

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: Nice photo, with great front-page play. Provides a different perspective of the efforts that go into fighting fires.

Newspaper: Iorì:wase

Contestant: Greg Horn

Headline: Kanehsatake battles flood waters

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: The motion in this photo brings the reader knee-deep into the flood waters that swamped this neighbourhood.

Newspaper: The Eastern Door

Contestant: Daniel J. Rowe

Headline: Devastating fire destroys barn

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: The horse looking at the camera makes this photo. Great eye to capture something more than a charred barn.

B21 Best Feature Photo
Judge: John O'Connell from the “Herald Community Newspaper, NY”

Newspaper: The Equity

Contestant: Caleb Nickerson

Headline: A community in mourning

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: This image has a strong impact. The photographer captured the news value and dealt well with the exposure challenge. The best image in this category.

Newspaper: Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph

Contestant: Cassandra Kerwin

Headline: Historical Days on the Plains of Abraham: city under siege

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: Timing was excellent. It's a joyous image and it's fun to look at, and a good capture of the event. That's community photojournalism at its best.

Newspaper: Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph

Contestant: Peter Black

Headline: Le Vaisseau fantôme conquers the Grand Théâtre

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: Dramatic. Impactful. Successful exposure with a difficult lighting situation.

B22 Best Sports Photo
Judge: Stanton Paddock: from the “Department of Journalism, Concordia University”

Newspaper: The Suburban West Island

Contestant: Rob Amyot

Headline: Experience and discipline key in Zulus win over Gryphons

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: Rob Amyot’s image is tight and full of action and motion. It captures an excellent and exciting sports moment. Well done!

Newspaper: Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph

Contestant: Cassandra Kerwin

Headline: Alex Harvey reigns on the Plains of Abraham

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: Cassandra Kerwin tells the whole story of the race in a single image. It has excellent technical execution mixed with a clear sense of place and action. Superb!

Newspaper: The Suburban West Island

Contestant: Rob Taussig

Headline: Lions battling the Goliath that is the Levis Chevaliers in round three of the playoffs

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: Rob Taussig freezes an action-filled moment for the viewers. A clean background jumps the action off the page. Wonderful!

B23 Best Photo Essay (AN)
Judge: John O’Connell from the “Herald Community Newspaper, NY”

Newspaper: Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph

Contestant: Cassandra Kerwin, Cheryl Stabinski

Headline: Spring comes marching in with the Défilé de la Saint-Patrick

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: When a feature series perfectly captures the emotions of a major community event it’s a winner. What could easily have been a bunch of sideline parade snapshots to complete the assignment, these images were, instead, a whole level higher, bringing almost as much joy to the readers as the participants seem to be having.

Newspaper: The Suburban City

Contestant: Beryl Wajsman, Karen Cross, Anthony Bonaparte

Headline: A celebration of Nos Amours 50th anniversary

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: Comprehensive coverage enabled the readers to experience the whole anniversary parade. Closeups, mid-range, wide shots brought the parade and event to all readers.

Newspaper: The Eastern Door

Contestant: Natalia Fedosievia

Headline: Kanesatake flooding

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: The challenge for this photographer wasn't exposure, but composition and access. Bravo for the effort in this difficult environment. The "environmental portraiture" is well done. A few facial closeups would have earned this an even higher rating.

BEST EDITORIAL CARTOON

Best Editorial Cartoon B24 (AN)
Judge: Ana Olsthoorn from the “Buffalo Center Tribune”

Newspaper: The Suburban City

Contestant: Anthony Bonaparte

Headline: The Secularism Law

Placement: 1st

Judge’s comment: Makes a good point in a thought-provoking way, and I didn't even have to read the comment to know what this is about. That is a successful cartoon. One from which I can glean the commentary, without additional sources. Well done.

Newspaper: The Low Down to Hull & Back News

Contestant: John Miedna

Headline: In the absence of rental accommodation

Placement: 2nd

Judge’s comment: Ok, now this is funny! I’ve driven over those potholes in my hometown! Great way to make a comment! I think we forget that a cartoon doesn’t have to be beautiful, it just has to have a point and be funny (either kind, weird or haha)

Newspaper: The Suburban West Island

Contestant: Anthony Bonaparte

Headline: Campaigning Federal Leaders

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: Very cute, good old see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil standby.

BEST GRAPHIC DESIGN

B25 Best Advertising Creation (Large Format)
Judge: Dennis Wade from the “Texas Opportunity Partners”

Newspaper: The Suburban West Island

Contestant: Stephen Balena

Headline: A.C.E. Dog Training Montreal

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: Jumps and attracts. Says it all without having to say much.

Newspaper: The Low Down to Hull & Back News

Contestant: Aleks Gniazdowska

Headline: National Kids camp

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: Terrific art and simplistic design that makes the readers' job so much easier.

Newspaper: The Suburban Laval

Contestant: Oliver Sutton

Headline: Manoir Kanisha

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: I love this ad and the captivating art. Very clean and attractive.

B26 Best Advertising Creation (Small Format)
Judge: Emily Griffioen from the “Division of Mid-America Publishing”

Newspaper: The Low Down to Hull & Back News

Contestant: Aleks Gniazdowska

Headline: Physio des Collines

Placement: 1st place

Judge’s comment: Bold colours and treatment of type earned this ad first place. It is eye-catching while very clear about what it wants readers to know.

Newspaper: The Suburban West Island

Contestant: Oliver Sutton

Headline: M. Smiline

Placement: 2nd place

Judge’s comment: The alignment of elements and treatment of text on this ad is great. The simplicity of the illustrations and graphics used make this ad stand out.

Newspaper: The Suburban West Island

Contestant: Stephen Balena

Headline: ABC Compression

Placement: 3rd place

Judge’s comment: The large photo and text work very well together. The hierarchy of information is handled well in this ad. If I were to adjust anything, I would expand the negative space between the text and legs.