Features
Judge: Amy Zimmer
Amy Zimmer is the Bureau Chief for Chalkbeat New York. She is an award-winning journalist who previously covered education for the New York news site DNAinfo. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Metro newspaper, and City Limits, among other outlets. Her book, “Meet Miss Subways,” focused on one of the nation’s first integrated beauty contests. Amy received her bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Yale and has a master’s in journalism from New York University. She got her start in journalism writing for The Beacon, the student newspaper at Forest Hills High School in Queens.
Features, Citywide First Place Winner:
Townsend Harris High School, The Classic, “Despite state funds, Queens College Bridge Program funding remains uncertain long term. A look at why THHS continues to push for greater support.” by Cecilia Taravella, William Rhee, Ryan Eng, Cate Nguyen, and Jennifer Quisi.
thhsclassic.com/16746/news/bridge-program-funding/
This piece took a subject that is critically important to its community and dove deep. It has an accountability angle in terms of what’s at stake for students if the school loses its longstanding college bridge program. And it gave the reader a glimpse into the courses and what makes them so special to students (past and present), both academically and financially. The five reporters on this story interviewed current and former students in the bridge program, including an alum who is now a professor in the program as well as one who is a politician fighting for its survival. The paper has clearly been on this story for a while, and because of that, it helped the Classic reporters to write about this subject with authority.
Features, Citywide Second Place Winner:
Edward R. Murrow High School, The Murrow Network, “First generation students reflect on the college process,” by Annabel Rothfeld.
themurrownetwork.wordpress.com/2023/01/21/first-generation-students-reflect-on-the-college-process/
This nicely written story zooms in on the college application process, focusing on an angle that speaks to many of the school’s students: what it’s like for first generation applicants. It has strong details, images of the students interviewed, and clearly states why it is so relevant to its readers: more than a third of Murrow’s students have English as a second language and many of these students will be the first in their family to attend college. The vignettes from the students illustrated various hurdles they faced. It was also interesting to hear the viewpoint from faculty, especially that only half the spots the college office offered for FAFSA help were used.
Features, New Newspaper First Place Winner:
The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology, The Eagle Express, “From Ancient Greece to HS223: Inside the scramble for recommendation letters,” by Jason Garcia.
This piece took a topic that is relevant to the lives of so many students and elevated it in a way that was not only useful and user-friendly but also fun and engaging. It starts with a call to action: don’t be shy to ask teachers for recommendation letters. But this piece isn’t merely a guide on how to ask for such letters. Yes, it has practical tips, but it also has so much more: quotes from students and staff, helpful data points from school faculty, and a fascinating mini-history lesson. It also has a smart conversational tone that speaks directly to its audience, grabbing the reader’s attention.
hs223eagleexpress.com/106/news/recommendation-letters/
Remarks for the Category:
Features should speak to your readers and illuminate new angles or take deep dives into topics that are newsworthy to them — and should clearly make the case for why the reader should care. Reading these features felt like giving me a front-row seat at what’s important to students at various schools. I enjoyed reading about the performances your schools put on, the debates over masking, and the fascinating members of your school communities. Great features should also have a strong writing, incorporate interesting details, have quotes from students and staff in the school community, and include images. It’s important to have a solid “nut graf,” as we say in the newsroom. That’s the paragraph toward the top that clearly states the “so what” of your story. And while features are different from hard news stories, it’s important to ground features in some kind of news hook, using data when possible, to illustrate why the piece matters right now.
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Illustration/Comic/Cartoon
Judge Barry Blitt
Barry Blitt is a cartoonist and illustrator. Since 1992, he has contributed illustrations and more than a hundred covers to The New Yorker. In 2020, he won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning, for work that included several covers for the magazine, as well as an array of cartoons that appeared in its pages and on its Web site. Blitt’s work has also appeared in Vanity Fair, Time, Rolling Stone, and The Atlantic, and he illustrated Frank Rich’s weekly column in the New York Times. He has been honored with exhibitions and awards from the Society of Illustrators, Print, and American Illustration, and is a member of the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame. His work for children includes “George Washington’s Birthday” and “Once Upon a Time, the End (Asleep in 60 Seconds).” His latest book,“Blitt,” is a compilation of his illustrations for The New Yorker, the Times, Vanity Fair, and other publications.
Illustration/Comic/Cartoon, Citywide First Place Winner:
Midwood High School, Faizah El-Gamasy – “My Friend From Mars.”
“My Friend From Mars” is a delightful cartoon by Faizah El-Gamasy. It balances humor and science fiction – and in a casual, offhand way describes what life is like for a student in 2023 [in the USA, and on Mars]. As a bonus, it’s beautifully drawn and colored. Bravo!
www.midwoodargus.com/blog/2022/5/27/my-friend-from-mars
Illustration/Comic/Cartoon, Citywide Second Place Winner:
Edward R. Murrow High School, Juan Colon and Jenniah Phillips – “The Snack Scam.”
“The Snack Scam” by Juan Colon and Jenniah Phillips is a humorous cartoon that builds its comic set up nicely. The banter between the expressive characters is a hoot, and the gag is laid out and paced perfectly, leading to a conclusion that is funny and unexpected.
themurrownetwork.wordpress.com/2023/01/11/comic-the-snack-scam/
Illustration/Comic/Cartoon, Honorable Mention:
NYC Lab School, C.A.T., by Brooke Aviles, for the very lovely and interesting artwork and visual presentation.
Remarks for the Category:
This is a perilous time for editorial cartoonists – many newspapers and magazines have stopped running visual commentary, as the publishing industry as a whole changes. So the remaining cartoonists in the field are by necessity passionate and driven. It was a pleasure for me to review the entries in this category – much of the work appeared to have been enjoyable to create, and that is a good sign of the artists’ enthusiasm – and passion – for their craft.
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Multimedia
Judge: Alexa Capeloto
Alexa Capeloto is an associate professor of journalism and media at John Jay College/CUNY. She earned her master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University and has worked as a reporter and editor at The Glendale News-Press, The Detroit Free Press and The San Diego Union-Tribune, eventually serving as the Union-Tribune’s enterprise editor. Since joining the John Jay faculty in 2009, she has published several legal, scholarly and journalistic articles related to Freedom of Information laws, paying particular attention to the intersection of privatization and the public’s right to know.
Multimedia, Citywide First Place Winner:
Francis Lewis High School,“Pandemic Performances: How the Arts are Surviving COVID-19,” Christina Dakis, Sandy Gan and Seva Karonis.
In an 8-minute video these students offer a multifaceted portrait of the state of performing arts in their school during the pandemic. They cover drama, dance and music. They capture A-roll, B-roll, various shots and angles, student voices, faculty voices, helpful narration – all of it edited into a smooth, intuitive mix that brings the viewer right into the story. The piece feels effortless, and the work it took to achieve that effect must have been quite the opposite.
flhsnews.com/8303/arts-entertainment/pandemic-performances-how-the-arts-are-surviving-covid-19/
Multimedia, Citywide Second Place Winner:
Townsend Harris High School, “Harrisites Sit-In Against Educator Sexual Misconduct,” Devin Wu
Kudos to The Classic for continuing its reporting around the sexual misconduct controversy at Townsend Harris High School. This student was on the ground during a powerful sit-in by THHS students, and interviewed students, faculty and administrators that day for individual perspectives. There probably had to be some quick work and decision-making to capture this event, and it was done well.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJi5fB3086M
Remarks for the Category:
It was a pleasure seeing the great multimedia work being done here. Each entry had a unique strength that made me root for it. Keep pursuing stories with visual and audio elements, because audiences crave them. With video work, remember to move your feet more than the camera lens. Keep your shots steady and, if you must move or pan, go slow. With all types of multimedia work, orient your audience at every turn so they understand what’s happening and can just surrender to the storytelling.
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National/World News with a Local Lens
Judge: Lonnie Isabel
Lonnie Isabel has been a reporter, editor, and journalism professor, much of it in New York. He is currently a writer and press freedom advocate in Oklahoma. Lonnie was a deputy managing editor of Newsday, where he led coverage of several presidential campaigns, the second Iraq war, Sept. 11 and other major stories. He has taught journalism at CUNY and Columbia Journalism School.
National/World News with a Local Lens, Citywide First Place Winner:
Midwood High School,Alika Awan, Ciara Verneige and Tammy Chan,
“Secret Company Documents Reveal the Not-So-Perfect Side of Instagram.”
www.midwoodargus.com/blog/2022/1/8/secret-company-documents-reveal-the-not-so-perfect-side-of-instagram
A thoroughly researched story that skillfully weaves impactful and emotional student comments as they react to the disclosure that Instagram executives knew that the app was having a devastating impact on some teenagers who felt body shamed and bullied. The result was a memorable article that illustrates how the news caused students at Midwood to think about their usage of the app and to acknowledge their own negative experiences and feelings.
National/World News with a Local Lens, Citywide Second Place Winner:
The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology, The Eagle Express,
Ranyeli Rodriguez, “A Hurricane is Felt in Puerto Rico – And 1,600 Miles Away At HS223.”
hs223eagleexpress.com/640/news/hurricane-fiona/
An excellent job of bringing home the impact of a Hurricane in Puerto Rico to students at the school 1,600 miles away. The reporter packs the story with context about New York City’s large Puerto Rican population and how it responds to help relatives and others on the island where hurricanes have been frequent. The deft use of quotes and paragraphs to set up those quotes made the story flow narratively. And the kicker was the best of the group.
National/World News with a Local Lens, New Newspaper First Place Winner: The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology, see above under Citywide Second Place Winner in this category.
Remarks for the Category:
Each year the writing, layout and reporting gets exponentially better in these contest entries. The stories are well-researched and edited. The winners brought several key things to the table. One, their idea and approach was well thought out and specific. In short, they focused sharply. Second, there was a new twist to it, a fresh angle or perspective, and lastly, they were lavishly reported. The writers were able to write with authority that can be accomplished only through intimate knowledge of the subject.
One other observation: Several well-done submissions seemed out of place in this category—because they were editorials or infographics. Perhaps there should be categories for those as well.
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Opinion/Editorial
Judge: Robert A. George
Robert A. George is a member of the Bloomberg Opinion Editorial Board and previously served on the editorial boards of the New York Post and Daily News. He has been writing about New York and national issues for more than two decades. He was born in Trinidad and lived in the United Kingdom before moving to the United States. A 1986 graduate of St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, George worked for the Republican National Committee and, following the 1994 midterm elections, Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich. In addition to his newspaper work, George has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, Fox and other political affairs outlets. He’s written for the conservative National Review, libertarian Reason and progressive HuffPost. A cofounder of the political improv podcast Electoral Dysfunction, George is also a stand-up comic.
Opinion/Editorial, Citywide First Place Winner:
Townsend Harris High School, The Classic, “It Is Time For the DOE to Free All Student Newspapers From the Threat of Censorship,” by Janna Habibulla, Izegbuwa Adun, Elliot Heath, Kate Estevez, and Victoria Siebor.
thhsclassic.com/15538/opinion/editorial-it-is-time-for-the-doe-to-free-all-student-newspapers-from-the-threat-of-censorship/
The thoughtfulness that went into this editorial was quite impressive. In an era when a basic understanding of the rules of journalism is absent, a meditation on the importance of encouraging honest reporting without fear or favor and giving young journalists the freedom to pursue stories that might prove embarrassing to the powers that be is vitally important. The writers of this piece clearly understand the stakes and the responsibilities of their craft and why they and their peers should be given as much of a free hand and respect as any professional journalist. The editorial is passionately argued – appropriate given that the underlying issue ultimately involved student safety – but supported with persuasive examples of how student journalists can cover controversial topics, work with adult advisors (both inside and outside the school) without being interfered with due to potential institutional embarrassment. Most notably, it calls out a government agency – the Department of Education – and urges it to create a uniform objective standard for all student publications. In every sense, the editorial is timely, speaks truth to power and deserves the widest distribution.
Opinion/Editorial, Citywide Second Place Winner:
Manhattan Center For Science and Mathematics, The Ram-Page, “A Guide to Post-Pandemic Teen Mental Health,” by Nicole Manning.
mcsmrampage.com/2021/09/a-guide-to-post-pandemic-teen-mental-health/
A very well-reported opinion column on an important topic. The secondary effects of the pandemic arguably hit young people the hardest – between virtual learning, loss of interaction with friends and missing basic coming-of-age moments like prom and graduation. The long-term emotional impact will not be known for some time. Ms. Manning buttressed her personal perspective with multiple other viewpoints, including from other students, teachers and parents. The piece also includes recommendations from mental health and pediatric experts too. All told, the opinionated article (used in the very best sense of the term) fully captures the moment as well as the options available as schools and society at large struggle to address the challenges facing young people in this extraordinary time. Too often, the topic of mental health can pit various stakeholders – students, parents, teachers, professionals against one another. Ms. Manning persuasively argues that ideally, all should be working in concert. Her willingness to share her own experience with anxiety was particularly enlightening in that regard. All in all, an excellent written presentation.
Opinion/Editorial, Citywide Honorable Mention: Bard High School Early College Queens, Bard Broadside, “Cell Phone Policy,” by Maggie Chen,
bardbroadside.wixsite.com/bhsecq/post/cell-phone-policy-by-maggie-chen-24
Another timely piece on the intersection of technology and education. Bard High School Early College Queens has evidently adopted a strict policy governing cellphone use on school grounds. Ms. Chen explores what appears to be arbitrary enforcement of the policy – including confiscation of phones even after school has technically been out. Ms. Chen raises a number of legitimate points and includes several student perspectives at the conclusion. The piece could have done with at least one statement that reflected the administration’s perspective. That said, this is a well-argued column that reflects the legitimate tensions today’s elementary and high school students feel: On the one hand, schools feel the need to keep technological distractions (and cheating opportunities) out of the classroom; on the other hand, phones are vitally necessary as communication and safety tools for parents and students. Ms. Chen captures this conundrum well. She also underscores the irony inherent in a strict policy partly undermined by teachers emailing their students at times of the day when the students technically don’t have access to their phones: “The cell phone policy seems not to coincide with the increasing reliance on technology (by both students and faculty) in education.” Indeed. One hopes that BHSEC administrators read this and consider changes to the policy.
Opinion/Editorial, New Newspaper First Place Winner:
Bronx River High School, Bronx River News, “From nervous freshman to seniors ready to take on the world,” by Parmeshwar Singh, Lidia Gomez, Perry Williams Jr, Kristyn Brown, Oscar Diaz Cuadra and Bryan Garcia.
bronxrivernews.org/2022/03/from-nervous-freshman-to-seniors-ready-to-take-on-the-world/
A novel approach for an end-of-term editorial page: The board members of the Bronx River News reflect on their high school experiences. For high school students, four years is akin to a lifetime, when youngsters take the major steps and decisions that will inform the individuals they will be for the rest of their lives. Given that this cohort suffered through a 100-year pandemic, it was nice to see a couple observations on how Covid impacted them and how they responded to it. Staff writer Oscar Diaz Cuadra, for example, shared his brief transfer to a New Jersey school before deciding to switch back so he could, in a most poignant observation, “finish my senior year with the people I had grown with” (notably, not “grown up with). Given the diversity of perspectives and voices on the editorial staff, this was a smart experiment and enjoyable exercise. More student newspapers should encourage similar “career” reflective pieces – either from the editorial staff or solicited from the student body at large.
Opinion/Editorial, New Newspaper Second Place Winner:
Queens School of Inquiry, QSInquirer, “First plastic-free lunch day disappoints,” by Cai Racpan.
qsinquirer.com/718/uncategorized/first-plastic-free-lunch-day-was-a-disappointment/
With climate change and environmental policy taking up the attention of many in the younger generation, Cai Racpan offers a critical eye to the school’s recent plastic-free lunch day – particularly the disappointment stemming from the lack of takeup on the event. Racpan argues that there was not enough publicizing of the event outside of the expected environment and climate change communities. In the future, Racpan might take care on a topic like this to pay closer attention to hyphen placement given that “plastic-free” or “free-lunch” are easily confused phrases. But that’s a mild concern. Racpan’s central concern – that both students and administration should do more to publicize the occasion going forward. As the author notes, the downside of this being overlooked isn’t in just the missed day of observation; there is also the risk that more students, like Racpan, will grow more cynical that climate change will ever be seriously confronted.
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Photojournalism
Judge: Mehrunnisa Wani
Mehrunnisa Wani is a photojournalist and Assistant Professor of English. She is passionate about the coverage of marginalized communities, challenges faced by BIPOC communities, and social justice and solutions journalism. She has contributed to the History Channel, Chalkbeat, and Forbes.
Photojournalism, Citywide First Place Winner:
Columbia Secondary School, Image of the state of the school gym, by Dahlia Landry.
The photograph by Dahlia Landry is extraordinarily brilliant. The angle and composition of the photograph make the problem visible – amidst the tall piles of desks, the gymnasium is certainly not conducive to play. The student attempting to cull the ball from a precarious and dangerous stack also exemplifies how alarming a problem it is. This photograph illustrates the adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. Truly, sometimes words alone can’t convey what is occurring in a story and this particular moment captured in this photograph transposes the reader to that scene.
Photojournalism, Citywide Second Place Winner:
Francis Lewis High School, Culinary Program photo by Sophia Park and Taylor Burke.
flhsnews.com/8524/showcase/culinary-program-serves-up-a-full-plate-of-experience/
The photographs affixed to the story covered all different angles. From the food, to behind the scenes, to the raw emotions, this encapsulated a full reportage of this culinary program. The diversification of shots – the shots ranged from wide shots, medium shots, point of view shots, to close-up shots – and the documentation of the process was praiseworthy. Remember to show the vastness of a scene and to provide readers with the full picture. It’s imperative to understand that a photo must capture the visual representation of the story so the photographs must be able to stand on their own.
Photojournalism, New Newspaper First Place Winner: Pace High School, Pacer NYC, “Season of the Track Stars” by Winifred Haastrup.
pacernyc.com/1123/sports/season-of-the-track-stars/#modal-photo
The shots comprehensively covered track season at Pace High School. Sports photography requires tons of equipment – mostly versatile telephoto and zoom lens that can focus on movement, and largely on the subject. With outdoor sports you want to ensure that you have the right exposure — and that may require playing around with camera settings. The camera angles were varied, and the light was just right!
Remarks for the Category:
Get close. Get raw. Focus on emotions, on the unusual, and on the details. Always take more shots than you think you will need and from different angles. You never know which shots you’ll need or end up using, and you may not have the opportunity to go back and redo it because of the nature of journalism. Plan your shots beforehand and examine what the best possible image is to complement that story. Remember to photograph people (and) in action – not just inanimate objects. Always think about how your photograph can supplement your story and think of new ways that you can photograph the topic responsibly. Photojournalism conveys narratives that are fraught with emotions and complexities so always be conscious of how you can compose a photograph to do justice to these topics!
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School/Community News
Judge: Jere Hester
Jere Hester is the director of projects and partnerships at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. He most recently served as the founding editor-in-chief of The City, an award-winning nonprofit news site that serves New Yorkers through hard-hitting journalism. Prior roles include founding director of the award-winning NY City News Service, New York Daily News city editor, and editor of Downtown Express. His byline has appeared in The New York Times, New York Magazine, CNN, NBC News, and other outlets. Hester, the author of “Raising a Beatle Baby,” is a lifelong resident of Brooklyn.
School/Community News, Citywide and New Newspaper First Place Winner:
Pace High School, “Underfunded Library Remains Off-Limits Despite State Mandate,” Angel Mejia Ramirez, Pacer NYC.
pacernyc.com/936/news/library-remains-underfunded-and-unused-despite-state-mandate/
Why has a library that’s supposed to serve three schools been used as seemingly everything but a library for the last decade-plus? Angel Mejia Ramirez turned a good question into a great story that exposed a failure to serve students in defiance of a state mandate.
School/Community News, Citywide and New Newspaper Second Place Winner:
Bronx River High School, “Lehman Campus Crosswalk: Vehicles Race Through Red Lights on School Days,” Sara Singh and Elvia Serrano, with Arleth Vargas, Adriana Sadiku and Katie Ordaz, Bronx River News.
bronxrivernews.org/2022/06/lehman-campus-crosswalk-vehicles-race-through-red-lights-on-school-days/
The team at Bronx River News put their observations about traffic dangers lurking outside their school to the test, and found a very real danger to their community. Their work spurred a request (so far unfulfilled) from school officials for the installation of a red-light camera.
Remarks for the Category
The best stories in an overall strong field of entries show that asking questions inspired by lived experience, observation and talking to — and listening to — fellow community members can lead to meaningful local journalism.
Some general suggestions: Look for opportunities to include as many voices from the school community as possible. Be careful of letting editorializing creep into your stories: Your reporting is more powerful when you let it speak for itself. Uncovering things that are wrong — or going wrong — is a major part of any high-impact story, but make a point of seeking out people who might have solutions.
Overall, it’s heartening to see stories with a strong sense of service to the community. That’s what journalism is all about.
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Sports Writing
Judge: Randal Archibold
Randal C. Archibold is the sports editor of The New York Times. He joined the desk in July 2015, and helps coordinate and edit news and enterprise stories across a range of topics. Once in a while, he writes one, too. For five years, between 2010 and 2015, he was The Times’s bureau chief for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, based in Mexico City. He wrote a lot about drugs but also social issues and once even about a soap opera. Before beginning his assignment there in August 2010, he was a national correspondent based in Los Angeles. He covered a large swath of the southwestern United States and wrote extensively on the border and immigration, including Arizona’s crackdown on illegal immigration. He also did pieces on the lighter side, including the story of a fish in a desert. He joined the paper in 1998 as a reporter on the Metro staff and has written on a variety of subjects, including education and politics. He covered the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, writing a series on the residents of the damaged apartment building closest to the towers. His political reporting has included coverage of John Edwards’s 2004 presidential campaign and the 2005 New York City mayoral election. Before joining The New York Times, Mr. Archibold worked for five years at The Los Angeles Times as a reporter and editor and before that several places in California and New Jersey, many of which, sadly, no longer exist. Mr. Archibold graduated from Rutgers University and then spent several months studying history and Spanish in Panama, from which his parents immigrated. He considers himself a New Jerseyan living in exile in New York.
Sports Writing, Citywide First Place Winner:
Midwood High School, “Beyond the Finish Line: Life Lessons and Brotherhood in Outdoor Track,” by Lucas Paschke and Manuel Lozano-Velez.
www.midwoodargus.com/blog/2022/5/26/beyond-the-finish-line-life-lessons-and-brotherhood-in-outdoor-track
Sports Writing, Citywide Second Place Winner:
Stuyvesant High School, “The Real Cost of Stuyvasant Sports,” by John Jay Wang.
www.stuyspec.com/sports/sports-at-stuyvesant/the-real-cost-of-stuyvesant-sports
Comments:
This was really close but I would give the edge to Midwood for lively writing setting a nice scene and colorful description with plenty of voices. This quote in particular was excellent, “Running is physical pain that you have to fight through with your mind,” said junior Sajid Amin. “It requires a lot of commitment and dedication, as well as consistency.” Stuyvesant took on an important subject with a good combination of research and student voices.
Sports Writing, Citywide Honorable Mention:
Townsend Harris High School, “Boys Badminton Team defeats Stuyvesant to win PSAL Championship,” by Ryan Eng.
thhsclassic.com/15340/sport/boys-badminton-team-defeats-stuyvesant-to-win-psal-championship/
Sports Writing, Citywide Honorable Mention:
Francis Lewis High School, “FLHS Girls’ Sports Teams Surpass Boys’ Teams, by Marcellino Melika and Alejandro Miranda.
flhsnews.com/9847/sports/flhs-girls-sports-teams-surpass-boys-teams/
Sports Writing, New Newspaper First Place Winner:
Pace High School, Pacer NYC,
“Girls’ Basketball Team Dominated Their League this Season,” by Katelyn Seetaram.
pacernyc.com/962/sports/girls-basketball-team-dominated-their-league-in-2021-22/
Sports Writing, New Newspaper Second Place Winner:
Bronx River High School, Bronx River News, “Vollyball Team Pulls Off Major Upset,” by Elvia Serrano
and Sara Singh.
bronxrivernews.org/2022/10/volleyball-team-pulls-off-major-upset/
Comments:
The Pacer delivered an engaging story with a nice lede and important context on the impact of the pandemic. The quotes went beyond expression of joy to elaborating on the difficulty of the season and the journey. The story was a little heavy on adjectives but the effort and execution were solid. The Bronx River News was a strong second but needed more voices quoted. Still, it had some nice details such as the players’ fretting the game on the way over and their getting doughnuts the next day.
Overall for New Newspaper Sports Writing: These entries show a lot of promise for new newspapers, an exciting development. The game story can be important for the community, and I would love to see more profiles and pieces that break down how a team is winning/losing and why.
Remarks for the Sports Writing Category:
A strong performance. I was particularly impressed with the effort to take on weighty subjects like Title IX and to write features that stepped back a little from the action.
I would encourage the student journalists to go a little further behind the scenes. Who won or lost is important to note but so is helping the reader to understand how these developments occurred, either by analyzing the team’s or a player’s record over the season and interviewing the players and coaches about the journey, not just the result.
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Best Online Newspaper
Judge: Hasani Gittens
Hasani Gittens is a deputy editor for THE CITY. His priors include senior news editor for NBCNews.com and managing editor for NBCNewYork.com. He began his career as a copy kid at the New York Post and is a proud product of Baruch College’s newspaper, The Ticker, as well as the student magazine Dollars $ Sense.
Best Online Newspaper, Citywide First Place Winner:
Stuyvesant High School, The Spectator.
www.stuyspec.com/
Looking at The Spectator, the word that comes to mind is talent. The online newspaper is laid out very cleanly and the headlines pop like they were written by professionals. The stories are accompanied by photos and illustrations that could easily be in commercial publications. Looking deeper, the stories are very well written and cover a great array of topics relevant to students: The stress of school, the stress of finding community, the stress of being located next to an international terrorism event — and still sticking up for the life of the accused. The staff should relax and know they’ve done a fine job.
Best Online Newspaper, Citywide Second Place Winner:
Francis Lewis High School, Francis Lewis News.
flhsnews.com/
The Francis Lewis High School newspaper fulfills the number one job of a school paper: Give the student community information they need to better their lives. With a crisp design and clear headlines, their range of articles from cafeteria and building news, to community service and science fair pieces, to a story about bus service with a beautifully evocative lede, they are everything you like to see in a student publication.
Best Online Newspaper, New Newspaper First Place Winner:
Pace High School, Pacer NYC.
pacernyc.com/
The Pacer pops with great photos, a compelling layout and a heavy mix of stories about sports and school life. It’s evident that a lot of hard work is going on behind the scenes and as a nascent newspaper they are on track to being truly great one day. I am not sure though if the student body president should be on staff!
Best Online Newspaper, New Newspaper Second Place Winner:
Queens School of Inquiry, QSInquirer.
qsinquirer.com/
The QSInquirer has a sleek but sparse look and crisp writing that give it a classy appeal. The reporting is well done but seems to lean heavily on student opinion and quotes — which is the right way to be thinking about journalism. The voice of the people should be the loudest. Mixing in some deeper investigations in the future will make this a newspaper that’s tough to beat.
Remarks for the Category:
All of the publications in this competition and their staffs should be proud of themselves because each of them had merit and were producing some quality student journalism. I am heartened to see that the next generation of reporters and editors is on the right track to be even better than the last.
