First Place - Owensboro Messenger Inquirer, Matthew Francis

This is a clear, tight edit that was written with flair and conviction. Good job!

Second Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Jamie Lucke

Direct quotes and research bring life to this editorial. A clear message backed up by solid reporting.

Third Place - Kentucky Post, Dan Hassert

Does a good job offering both criticism and guidance.

Category 2 - Best Spot News Coverage

First Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Steve Lannen

The story’s narration drew me in and in two paragraphs revealed how a local homicide was part of a larger state and national issue. It took a family’s tragedy, detailed how quickly it rippled to the state capitol and easily flowed into a summary of murder and the latest developments. Each graph taught me something new and compelled me to read on.

Second Place - Kentucky Enquirer, James Pilcher

A straightforward approach can excel with superb use of detail and strong reporting. Readers can picture the sixth fairway and computes joysticks because the reporter was sharp enough to pick up on those images and many more. Reporting on the company and RTSB, including use of records, secured details is about an investigation that are tough to get on deadline. A story construction with subheads made it very readable. Strong sentence structure helped too. Another account of this wreck reported more aspects of relief that plane did not hit nearby nursing home and hotel. I would have liked to see more of that here, too.

Third Place - Kentucky Enquirer, Brenna R. Kelly, Jim Hannah

This could have been a story about a building, instead it was about a community. A fine example of how to take a spot news story beyond the routine. It’s hard to do on deadline, but it’s what separates the good from the average. Also, where a similar story used overwritten sentiment, this relied on facts, quotes and observation of detail.

Honorable Mention - Kentucky Enquirer, Brenna R. Kelly

I enjoyed reading this little story as much as any in the category. It told a neat story well enough to mist me up. We used to do more of this. It’s what people will read and talk about.

Honorable Mention - Lexington Herald Leader, Staff

These two stories are strong examples of thorough coverage of major news events, what should be expected of a paper this size. The first day storm story was routine, however, the second-day main story needed subheads or breakouts. Good side bars and tip boxes. Good job of reporting on siren problem. The firefighter coverage was equally good. What a great poise to get the suspect interview. But I would have used those details higher in main story. The main story also failed to tell me why firefighters were in the line of fire until well into the jump. I kept asking how? why?

Category 3 - Best General News Story

First Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Bill Estep

Well written overall, with good in-court description mixed with details and background.

Second Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Jim Jordan

Good writing details and quotes, but a little odd to focus so much on the protest rather than the court hearing, which deserved at least a sidebar.

Third Place - Kentucky Post, Shelly Whitehead

Story needed stronger quotes higher up to support the notion that officers were upset with the deal.

Category 4 - Best Feature Story

First Place - Kentucky Post, Shelly Whitehead

A compelling account of a unique story.

Second Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Bill Estep

Lede really pulls reader into a fascinating story.

Third Place - Paducah Sun, Jimmy Nesbitt

You really get a sense of the struggle the subject goes through. Good tight writing.

Honorable Mention - Owensboro Messenger Inquirer, Chris O’Nan

A strong entry in a very competitive field.

Category 5 - Best Column

First Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Larry Dale Keeling

Not afraid to take controversial stances. Backs up opinion with strong arguments. Selection shows range as columnist.

First Place - Owensboro Messenger Inquirer, Keith Lawrence

If a column is powerful, especially the personal reveal the personal local at the end. Good mix of subject, insight and humor.

Second Place - Owensboro Messenger Inquirer, Bob Ashley

Boils complex issues down to simple arguments. Good voice that speaks directly to reader.

Third Place - Owensboro Messenger Inquirer, Karen Owen-Phelps

Not afraid to ask difficult questions. Uses warm touches without being too “holey.”

Category 6 - Best Sports Column

First Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Mark Story

Crisp, fast-paced writing. Consistently good and creative columns. Interesting concepts that are well executed. Columns show flexibility and wide range of emotions.

Second Place - Kentucky Post, Lonnie Wheeler

Good columnists lets you into their soul a bit and it did a great job of that with “Sports don’t make a man.” He writes well about history and life. Writing is solid although paragraphs could be shorter.

Third Place - Lexington Herald Leader, John Clay

The Belmont Stakes column did all the things a good column does, including eliciting emotion. The quotes were good and well placed. the writing was snappy and made me feel as if I were there.

Category 7 - Best Sports Story

First Place - Kentucky Post, Victoria Sun

Great lead with the bell motif. Well structured very thorough. Good transitions. Great quotes and usage. Excellent game story giving you much you wouldn’t know from just watching the game.

Second Place - Owensboro Messenger Inquirer, Rich Suwanski

Interesting story that’s well sourced and pretty thorough. Would have liked to hear the commissioner say why Kimmel’s job was being opened up. Should have had at least a no comment. Still story paints a good picture of situation.

Third Place - Kentucky Post, Josh Katzowitz

Loved the line about Tyson looking extremely calm while the referee possibly counted his career away. Lead was solid. Nice job on dead line.

Category 8 - Best Sports Feature Story

First Place - Kentucky Enquirer, Kevin Kelly

A good topic, well executed. Descriptive writing with good integration of quotes. let the subjects tell the story yet involved his own writing style. Short paragraphs and active voice make this a nice read. Well done!

Second Place - Owensboro Messenger Inquirer, Jim Pickens

A crisp read that elevates Little League and a little leaguer to serious commentary. So often writers “write down” to readers about children playing sports. This is as serious to them and their supporters as the world series. Interesting, strong and well told. Sometimes quotes go on for too long.

Third Place - Kentucky Post, Josh Katzowitz

The lead reels you in. Although the feature sometimes borders on commentary/opinion. It works well with this story. Quotes are well placed.

Category 9 - Best Enterprise or Analytical Story

First Place - Lexington Herald Leader, John Stamper, Linda Johnson

This package of stories put it all together: tight writing, good research, a human voice and a comprehensive look at what is clearly a vexing problem for the region.

Second Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Bill Estep, Linda Johnson, Lu-Ann Farrar, Linda Minch

I was compelled by this piece because it brought illumination through the lens of a single conviction to an under reported issue.

Third Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Greg Kocher

Great writing, great story telling, photographs. Though this story doesn’t involve a lot of analysis, it does offer an intimate view of a crime and its consequences.

Honorable Mention - Kentucky Post, David Welcher

Honorable Mention - Lexington Herald Leader, Lisa Deffendall

Category 10 - Best Investigative Story or Series

First Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Bill Estep

Shows you don’t need a seven-day series to show how congressmen manipulate the system. Well documented.

Second Place - Kentucky Post, Kevin Eigelbach

Very thoroughly researched, but ultimately, most of the scandal wasn’t uncovered by the paper.

Third Place - Kentucky Post, Kevin Eigelbach

A good story, but it would have been much better with context about how common a problem this is, and comments from someone in law enforcement or drug treatment about how doctors like this make their work more difficult.

Category 11 - Best On-Going/Extended Coverage Story

First Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Mary Meehan, Jim Warren, Staff

Excellent breadth, in several ways. Brings average people in. Leads readers toward solutions.

Second Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Linda Blackford, Linda Minch, Joseph Lord, Jenny Robertson

My initial inclination was to give this first place. It is fresh in various ways and much good can be said about it. But, I was somewhat taken aback by the references to Knight-Ridder. I am not sure they advanced the story and they can be seen as being biased in sections. The statement that “chain ownership brought a new corporate emphasis on diversity” is apparently not supported within the story, regardless of how true it is.

Third Place - Kentucky Post, Kevin Eigelbach

I would have liked more information about how the new church, Christ Baptist Church, is doing after the split.

Honorable Mention - Lexington Herald Leader, Staff

Especially because the smoking ban affects business, I would have liked more numbers-driven reporting and comparisons.

Category 12 - Best Business/Agribusiness Story

First Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Janet Patton

Great storytelling that puts you in the middle of the action. Excellent pacing and color in story. Covered all the relevant business aspects as well.

First Place - Lexington Herald Leader, John Stamper

Tremendous profile with an excellent lead. Incredibly thorough and well organized. Paints a good picture of Patrick Madden, his family and his development

Second Place - Owensboro Messenger Inquirer, Keith Lawrence

Good research pointing out a big problem with hotel assessment. Good use of sources. Good admission by Durbin of problem. Would like to have heard from Durbin’s boss.

Third Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Michelle Ku

Good reporting.

Category 13 - Best Headline

First Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Will Scott

Great lead on a football classic. Good playoff long and short. Clever use of puns and double meanings; very good sub heads as well.

Second Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Susan Waggener

Clever.

Third Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Scott Shive

Loved “Washington Inciter” best single headline I saw, but other two lacked cleverness, although they certainly weren’t bad headlines.

Category 14 - Best Spot News Picture

First Place - Owensboro Messenger Inquirer, Gary Emord-Netzley

“Johnny-on-the-spot” response, well cropped, graphically strong, strong contrasting emotional appeal.

Second Place - Kentucky Post, Jason Geil

Nice 6-column layout, strong composition, great crop, nice story telling, good use of available light.

Third Place - Owensboro Messenger Inquirer, Gary Emord-Netzley

Bizarre, strong graphic appeal. Nice crop.

Category 15 - Best General News Picture

First Place - Lexington Herald Leader, David Stephenson

This photo is extremely well-composed, full of emotion, and respectful to the family. A clear winner.

Second Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Charles Bertram

A strikingly graphic, but solemn picture. Backlit flag and silhouettes of two firefighters made a clean effective image.

Third Place - Kentucky Post, Jim Osborn

We’ve seen several homecoming photos, but this one makes excellent use of lighting, layering and the moment.

Category 16 - Best Feature Picture

First Place - Kentucky Post, Melvin Grier

Incredible use of color! Great situation.

Second Place - Owensboro Messenger Inquirer, Robert Bruck

Good enterprise work, nice moment.

Third Place - Owensboro Messenger Inquirer, Jenny Sevcik

Great job getting close. Nice expressions.

Honorable Mention - Lexington Herald Leader, Charles Bertram

Nice and graphic! Good enterprise photo.

Honorable Mention - Lexington Herald Leader, David Stephenson

A nice antsy take on a backstage moment.

Category 17 - Best Picture Essay (Spot, General or Feature)

First Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Pablo Alcala

Impressive body of work on a medical mission to Ecuador. Strong images showing the value of the mission and the personalities of those helping and those receiving help.

Second Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Charles Bertram

Best possible treatment of a daily assignment. Three photos, none wasted. Humorous and immediate.

Third Place - Kentucky Post, Bruce Crippen

We see Sister Mary de Lellis, 70, in a variety of roles. The moments in these photos convey her personality in several different situations. The vertical photo could have been cropped tighter and played smaller.

Category 18 - Best Sports Picture

First Place - Lexington Herald Leader, David Perry

Cerebral sports pic; great job taking chances. Reminds us of Norman Rockwell.

Second Place - Owensboro Messenger Inquirer, Patricia Hess

Great peak moment. Good story telling.

Third Place - Kentucky Enquirer, Patrick Reddy

Good job capitalizing on action. We hated that it only ran two columns.

Honorable Mention - Owensboro Messenger Inquirer, John Dunham

Nice light. We wondered why the heads were chopped off. It lacked the second layer to make it a great photo.

Category 19 - Best Sports Picture Essay

First Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Charles Bertram

Second Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Pablo Alcala

Great story idea. Would have liked to see more variation. All seem shot from same distance. We didn’t feel photographer was comfortable with subjects.

Third Place - Owensboro Messenger Inquirer, Jenny Sevcik

Nice moments.

Category 20 - Special Sections

First Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Alyssa Sims

What a great package!! Captivating editorial, fantastic photography, and first rate design. Keeps your attention throughout. Very charismatic section.

Second Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Dennis Varney

Extremely comprehensive package with well-written editorial content, eye-catching photography and clean layout. A very enjoyable read that gives an outsider a real feel for the sights, sounds and history of the event.

Third Place - Kentucky Enquirer, Jim Hannah

Tremendous cover photography/design! A very engaging section that goes well beyond the schedule and stats to give readers a look at the true personalities and issues affecting prep football.

Honorable Mention - Lexington Herald Leader, Dennis Varney

Just too many good entries in this category! Overall very nice publication on all levels, with fabulous cover photography.

Honorable Mention - Owensboro Messenger Inquirer, Staff

What a great team effort to compile such an in-depth and interesting look at Owensboro. Every facet of the community and its history represented. I’m sure this was a hit with readers.

Category 21 - Best Graphic

First Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Camille Weber

Love the design mix and color choices, which highlight the ability of the designer. Very well done.

Second Place - Kentucky Post, Ryan Ostrander

I really like this illustration. perfectly conveys and complements the story and gives readers a sense of what story’s about before they begin. Great concept.

Third Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Camille Weber

I wish Weber worked in my area. I have quickly become a fan of her work. Caricatures of price, Britany and Oscar hopefuls work on many levels, but most of all, they are fun to look at!! They all work well with page layout, being dominant without being overpowering.

Category 22 - Best Sports Page/Section

First Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Staff

There are some amazing sections. Strong stories, strong photo, strong design. Your readers must have enjoyed the heck out of these sections. I certainly did. The Smarty Jones/Derby section, in particular, exemplified some of the best this business can do.

Second Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Dennis Varney

Pages show strong creativity. The “Built for Speed” was especially well done. Great illustration, good use of photography.

Third Place - Owensboro Messenger Inquirer, Staff

Strong sections with strong local content. Especially enjoyed staff’s basketball pics block. Design is clean and consistent.

Category 23 - Best Business/Agribusiness Page

First Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Staff

Roadside signs, what fun! Stories on manufacturing and investment quarterly section Wow! prove that business is not boring at Herald-Leader. Congratulations!!

Second Place - Owensboro Messenger Inquirer, Mary Kissel

Stories people want to read, office thermostat, to go food orders, pc docs, all packaged in inviting, eye-catching manner.

Category 24 - Best Lifestyle Page

First Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Marilyn Kitchens

Clearly the Herald-Leader is tops in layout. The garden pages are lovely and utilize white space cutouts. Clever ledes all work together. Beautiful work, congratulations!!

Second Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Randy Medema

I wish we had this kink of space Wow! Nice work with content and what is in the week ahead. Clay Asher layout made for quite an interesting page. The Arts Preview page is excellent.

Third Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Marilyn Kitchens

Again, Marilyn has excellent pages. What a visual treat for the reader.

Honorable Mention - Lexington Herald Leader, Stephanie Gladney

Really neat bubble tea layout. The sandwich photo worked with text, how’d you convince the photog?!

Honorable Mention - Owensboro Messenger Inquirer, Jamie Madigan

Very nice entertainment section. Like the typography and the listings. Jamie had done a very good job with the double-trucks.

Category 25 - Best Editorial Page

First Place - Owensboro Messenger Inquirer, Matthew Francis

A lot of meaty topics on these pages. Bob Ashley’s column on a reporter’s misdeeds just blew me away. Justin Willis’ column helped make the page a strong one. Very solid work. Congratulations!!

Second Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Staff

Inviting layout, great use of color and graphics. An obviously well thought out and executed section, which uses a wide variety of writers to explore a wide range of topics, from thoroughbred horse raising to malpractice insurance to civil rights and smoking. Very good work in these pages!!

Category 26 - Best Front Page

First Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Stephanie Gladney

White space makes these pages so airy and inviting. So many entry points, smart use of color screens with large photos. A lot of info is packaged attractively. The mast head is quite deep, a lot of these without being intrusive. Congratulations!

Second Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Brian Simms

Very nice Reagan package. So interesting and readable. Also liked the picture of D-Day on that front.

Third Place - Lexington Herald Leader, Stephanie Gladney

Again, Stephanie knows what she’s doing with white space, use of photos and very prominent and eye-catching headlines and typography.

Honorable Mention - Lexington Herald Leader, Brian Simms

Brian met the challenge well, of a post-election day page.

 

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