2020 Ohio Hooper & Collegiate Newspaper Awards

2020

OSMAN C. HOOPER NEWSPAPER AWARDS

&

OHIO COLLEGIATE NEWSPAPER COMPETITION

HOOPER DIVISIONS

A

Circulation 4300 and above

B

Circulation 2501-4299

C

Circulation 2500 and below

Athens News • Barberton Herald • Chagrin Valley Times • Geauga Times Courier • Putnam County Sentinel • The Budget • The People’s Defender • The Press (Millbury) • West Life

Clermont Sun • Geauga County Maple Leaf • Monroe County Beacon • Morgan County Herald • News Democrat • Pike County News Watchman • The Gazette • The Lake County Tribune • The Telegram (Jackson) • Vinton-Jackson Courier

Archbold Buckeye • Fulton County Expositor • Morrow County Sentinel • Ripley Bee • Solon Times • Swanton Enterprise • The Courier • The News • Yellow Springs News

COLLEGIATE DIVISIONS

A

The News Record, University of Cincinnati The Collegian, Lorain Co. Community College The Lantern, The Ohio State University The Post, Ohio University The Clarion, Sinclair Community College The Guardian, Wright State University The Jambar, Youngstown State University

B

The Collegian, Ashland University The Exponent, Baldwin Wallace University The Witmarsum, Bluffton University The Chimes, Capital University Cedars, Cedarville University The Pulse, University of Findlay The Carroll News, John Carroll University Northern Review, Ohio Northern University T&C Media, Otterbein University The Newswire, Xavier University

HOOPER CATEGORY

01

NEWS COVERAGE

Division

A

CATEGORY

01

NEWS COVERAGE

3rd Place Athens News Credit: Staff

Division

A

CATEGORY

01

NEWS COVERAGE

2nd Place West Life Credit: Staff

Division

A

CATEGORY

01

NEWS COVERAGE

1st Place Chagrin Valley Times Credit: Staff

Division

B

CATEGORY

01

NEWS COVERAGE

3rd Place Vinton-Jackson Courier Credit:

Sydney Dawes, Jeremiah Shaver, Tyler Buchanan

Division

B

CATEGORY

01

NEWS COVERAGE

2nd Place Pike County News Watchman Credit:

Matt Lucas, Sherry Stanley, Julie Billings

Division

B

CATEGORY

01

NEWS COVERAGE

1st Place Geauga County Maple Leaf Credit: Staff

Division

C

CATEGORY

01

NEWS COVERAGE

3rd Place Archbold Buckeye Credit: Staff

Division

C

CATEGORY

01

NEWS COVERAGE

2nd Place Yellow Springs News Credit: Staff

Division

C

CATEGORY

01

NEWS COVERAGE

1st Place Swanton Enterprise Credit: Staff

COLLEGIATE

CATEGORY 01 NEWS COVERAGE

Division

A

CATEGORY

01

NEWS COVERAGE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place The Post, Ohio University Credit: Staff

The Post gives readers a comprehensive buffet of news, features, sports and commentary. The stories were written well and the graphics offered readers additional information at a glance. Keep up the good work.

Division

A

CATEGORY

01

NEWS COVERAGE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place The Guardian, Wright State Univ.

Credit:

Sarah Cavender, Natalie Cunningham, Lucas Gonzalez, Michael Mathews

The Guardian staff does an excellent job of covering news both on campus and in the Dayton community. Stories are written well as are the headlines. The coverage includes a good mix of news, features, sports and commentary. Well done.

Division

A

CATEGORY

01

NEWS COVERAGE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place The Jambar, Youngstown State Univ.

Credit:

Rachel Gobep, Morgan Petronelli, Jambar Staff

The Jambar staff skillfully tackles a wide range of hard news stories that impact both university students and the greater Youngstown community. The writing was lean and tight with excellent leads. Interesting features on campus personalities and sports rounded out each edition.

Division

B

CATEGORY

01

NEWS COVERAGE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place The Pulse, University of Findlay Credit: Staff

The Pulse reflected a nice balance of campus news, features, opinion and sports. Stories and headlines were written well. This high level of work is impressive for a college newspaper.

Division

B

CATEGORY

01

NEWS COVERAGE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place The Newswire, Xavier Univ.

Credit: Staff

The Newswire gives readers a comprehensive reflection of issues important to students. Good writing, headlines. Staff does a nice job.

Division

B

CATEGORY

01

NEWS COVERAGE

1st Place The Exponent, Baldwin Wallace Univ.

Credit: Emma Selmon and Staff

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

The Exponent packs a punch of news, features and sports in each edition.

The writing is good, headlines tight and photos used well. Nice job.

HOOPER CATEGORY

02

BEST NEWS STORY

Division

A

CATEGORY

02

BEST NEWS STORY

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Really good story. The reporter did a lot of legwork to get comments from seniors who had been scammed and people who worked with seniors to help them.

3rd Place West Life Credit: Jeff Gallatin

Division

A

CATEGORY

02

BEST NEWS STORY

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place Putnam County Sentinel Credit: Steven Coburn-Griffis

Powerful lead on a great story that connected a national issue to your community. I appreciated that you returned to the animal at the end.

Division

A

CATEGORY

02

BEST NEWS STORY

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

This kind of story is what a local newspaper needs to do. The News ran down all the leads they could to get to the bottom of who financed this effort.

1st Place Athens News Credit: Conor Morris and Kayla Beard

Division

B

CATEGORY

02

BEST NEWS STORY

3rd Place The Gazette Credit: Stefanie Wessell

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Good localizing story. Nice use of descriptions of the interactions at the event.

Division

B

CATEGORY

02

BEST NEWS STORY

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

A well executed story. It provides an excellent narrative outline of the abuse case.

2nd Place Geauga County Maple Leaf Credit: Ann Wishart

Division

B

CATEGORY

02

BEST NEWS STORY

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Geauga County Maple Leaf Credit: John Karlovec

Nice execution of a heartbreaking story. It provides both details about the crime and an overall context for the increasing use of DNA evidence by law enforcement.

Division

C

CATEGORY

02

BEST NEWS

3rd Place Archbold Buckeye Credit: David Pugh

Division

C

CATEGORY

02

BEST NEWS STORY

2nd Place Archbold Buckeye Credit: Mary Huber

Division

C

CATEGORY

02

BEST NEWS STORY

1st Place Yellow Springs News Credit: Carol Simmons

COLLEGIATE

CATEGORY 02

IN-DEPTH REPORTING

Division

A

CATEGORY

02

IN-DEPTH REPORTING

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place The Jambar, Youngstown State Univ.

Credit:

Morgan Petronelli and Rachel Gobep

Interviews with multiple students who had concerns about this professor delivered a strong and compelling story. The narrative also was engaging and drew readers into the story.

Division

A

CATEGORY

02

IN-DEPTH REPORTING

2nd Place The Lantern, The Ohio State Univ.

Credit: Jerrod Mogan

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

An amazing piece of data journalism to show an important trend that would have likely gone unnoticed otherwise. A great example of using data to tell important stories. Well done.

Division

A

CATEGORY

02

IN-DEPTH REPORTING

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place The Post, Ohio University Credit: Bailey Gallion

By far the most compelling writing in this category. The author gave readers a great sense of the challenges two women overcame to fight sexual harassment. A strong overall effort.

Division

B

CATEGORY

02

IN-DEPTH REPORTING

3rd Place The Collegian, Ashland Univ.

Credit: Avaerie Fitzgerald

Division

B

CATEGORY

02

IN-DEPTH REPORTING

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place Cedars, Cedarville University Credit: Staff

An impressive team effort showing how technology impacts all of us in many, many ways. A good concept with strong execution.

Division

B

CATEGORY

02

IN-DEPTH REPORTING

1st Place Cedars, Cedarville University Credit: Paolo Carrion

JUDGE’S COMMENTS: A compelling story told with strong writing that successfully holds a reader’s attention.

HOOPER CATEGORY

03

IN-DEPTH REPORTING

Division

A

CATEGORY

03

IN-DEPTH REPORTING

JUDGE’S COMMENTS: Very good in-depth reporting of a single sexual assaults case and the nuances of recovery for the victim.

3rd Place Athens News Credit: Conor Morris

Division

A

CATEGORY

03

IN-DEPTH REPORTING

2nd Place The Press (Millbury) Credit: The Press Staff

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

This is an ambitious and very well-conducted overview of the environmental problems facing Lake Erie’s southwestern shore. The reporting covers many different aspects of the problem, is very well sourced, and is reasonably well written.

Division

A

CATEGORY

03

IN-DEPTH REPORTING

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Exceptionally well researched, reported, and written series. Text provides ample context about regional recycling programs.

Infographics are informative.

1st Place Chagrin Valley Times Credit: Staff

Division

B

CATEGORY

03

IN-DEPTH REPORTING

3rd Place Clermont Sun Credit: Brett Milam

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Good coverage of a classic NIMBY story involving drug/alcohol addiction clinics.

Division

B

CATEGORY

03

2nd Place Clermont Sun

IN-DEPTH REPORTING

Credit: Staff

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Thorough coverage of all events related to a multi-faceted community tragedy.

Division

B

CATEGORY

03

IN-DEPTH REPORTING

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Monroe County Beacon Credit: Kreg Robinson, Carey Harlan

Strong, consistent coverage of the financial difficulties facing the county’s elder care facility and the political controversy surrounding actions of the county commission. The reporting is balanced, fair, and thorough.

Division

C

CATEGORY

03

IN-DEPTH REPORTING

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place Archbold Buckeye Credit: Pam Graber

Articles are “information dense” and provide important information to the community about the challenges of municipal recycling locally and nationwide.

Division

C

CATEGORY

03

IN-DEPTH REPORTING

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place Yellow Springs News Credit:

Megan Bachman, Carol Simmons, Diane Chiddister

Strong and thorough overview of anti-racism and pro-diversity challenges and efforts in the community. Strong local reporting augmented with review of scholarly research and expert testimony.

Division

C

CATEGORY

03

IN-DEPTH REPORTING

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Solon Times Credit: Sue Reid

Thorough and multi-faceted coverage of a divisive development proposal that revealed loopholes and limits of the community’s home-rule and zoning policies. Coverage was consistently fair, balanced, and thorough.

COLLEGIATE

CATEGORY 03

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Division

A

CATEGORY

03

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place The Lantern, The Ohio State Univ.

Credit: Staff

Good topics with straight writing. Very different entries that encompass a wide range of topics. Focused writing that was easy to read.

Division

A

CATEGORY

03

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

2nd Place The Post, Ohio University Credit:

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Alexis Eichelberger, Taylor Johnston, Georgia Davis

Nice subjects. Well written. Geocaching piece especially strong.

Division

A

CATEGORY

03

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place The Clarion, Sinclair Community College

Credit:

Henry Wolski, Jeri Hensley, Samuel J. Claude

Great pieces with solid graphics to bring the piece together. Mario is a must and the writer killed it in making others want to take the game for a spin.

Division

B

CATEGORY

03

3rd Place Cedars, Cedarville University

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Varied topics. Nice layouts. Solid writing.

Credit: Lauren McGuire, Kattie Milligan

Division

B

CATEGORY

03

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place The Chimes, Capital University Credit: Staff

Nice mix of topics. Solid writing. Easy to understand.

Division

B

CATEGORY

03

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

1st Place The Witmarsum, Bluffton Univ.

Credit:

Hannah Conklin, Dakota Fredette, Nicole Centofanti

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

These pieces set the bar. Topics were focused. Writing was clear.

Incredible job.

HOOPER CATEGORY

04

BEST LOCAL FEATURE

Division

A

CATEGORY

04

BEST LOCAL FEATURE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place Chagrin Valley Times Credit: Julie Hullett

The unusual subject matter drew me in.

A fox hunt in Ohio made me curious.

The writer provided a good sense of scene.

Division

A

CATEGORY

04

2nd Place The People’s Defender

BEST LOCAL FEATURE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Starting the story with an ordinary day drew me in. The quotes showed the emotion that the family went through trying to save the store.

Credit: Patricia Beech

Division

A

CATEGORY

04

BEST LOCAL FEATURE

1st Place The Budget Credit: Beverly Keller

JUDGE’S COMMENTS: This behind-thescenes look at a long-standing family business was enlightening. You get a sense of the family and employees’ love and care about the business.

Division

B

CATEGORY

04

BEST LOCAL FEATURE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place Monroe County Beacon Credit: Carey Harlan

Effective local reporting of a story that has implications far beyond the paper’s circulation area. Educational piece with crisp writing and good use of quotes.

Division

B

CATEGORY

04

BEST LOCAL FEATURE

2nd Place Monroe County Beacon Credit: Kreg Robinson

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Heartwarming story. This is a classic piece for community-based journalism.

Division

B

CATEGORY

04

BEST LOCAL FEATURE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Geauga County Maple Leaf Credit: Rose Numenaitis

It is written in warm, colorful language, engaging the reader and eliciting the owner’s emotion.

Effective use of imagery without going over the top.

Division

C

CATEGORY

04

BEST LOCAL FEATURE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place Swanton Enterprise Credit: David J. Coehrs

The subject matter in this story is not only compelling but also shocking with its specifics of brutality. The writer lets the survivor tell her story without judgment.

Division

C

CATEGORY

04

BEST LOCAL FEATURE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place Archbold Buckeye Credit: David Pugh

The dialog gives it a literary feel. This story shows you can tell a tale in a linear fashion and still be creative.

Division

C

CATEGORY

04

BEST LOCAL FEATURE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Archbold Buckeye Credit: Mary Huber

The writer’s use of dialog moves the story quickly. The story gives a great sense of a community pulling together to help a family of its own.

COLLEGIATE

CATEGORY 04

OPINION WRITING

Division

A

CATEGORY

04

OPINION WRITING

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Each piece was well written.

Great job.

3rd Place The Lantern, The Ohio State Univ.

Credit: Wyatt Crosher

Division

A

CATEGORY

04

OPINION WRITING

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place The Post, Ohio University Credit: Mikayla Rochelle

Great topics and solid writing. While these were topics many have talked about, the writer made them feel like you had read them for the first time.

Division

A

CATEGORY

04

OPINION WRITING

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place The Post, Ohio University Credit: Georgia Davis

Looking at the bad of Netflix was an angle that was unique for that age set. Clear messages. Not afraid to speak her mind.

Division

B

CATEGORY

04

OPINION WRITING

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Great pieces with wellrounded content. Deeply personal and moving pieces are definitely what set this writer apart from others.

3rd Place The Chimes, Capital University Credit: Kathryn Poe

Division

B

CATEGORY

04

OPINION WRITING

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place The Carroll News, John Carroll Univ.

Credit: Olivia Shackleton

Each piece had a zip to it that made it easy to read and left me wanting to read more opinions from this writer. Well organized.

Division

B

CATEGORY

04

OPINION WRITING

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Northern Review, Ohio Northern Univ.

Credit: Emma M. Green

Absolutely fantastic. Well written and easily understood.

HOOPER CATEGORY

05

BEST LOCAL PROFILE

Division

A

CATEGORY

05

BEST LOCAL PROFILE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS: This story was very personal and must have been as difficult to write as it was for the subject to discuss it. A great story with vivid descriptions during a time where many people can relate to mental health issues and drug abuse.

3rd Place West Life Credit: Maureen Bole

Division

A

CATEGORY

05

BEST LOCAL PROFILE

2nd Place Athens News Credit: Dennis Powell

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Stories about those behind the scenes are always great. The more personal style of writing also helps to draw in the reader.

Division

A

CATEGORY

05

BEST LOCAL PROFILE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place The People’s Defender Credit: Patricia Beech

I couldn’t put this story down. The description of the war and all the history that is relayed can’t help but make a reader emotional.

Division

B

CATEGORY

05

BEST LOCAL PROFILE

3rd Place Monroe County Beacon Credit: Kreg Robinson

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Avoids a pat “program review” story or a standard “feel-good” story by intertwining a program’s development with one person it served.

Division

B

CATEGORY

05

BEST LOCAL PROFILE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place Geauga County Maple Leaf Credit: Rose Numenaitis

Writer places reader at the scene, demonstrating significant interviewing and listening skills to bring detail to life.

Division

B

CATEGORY

05

BEST LOCAL PROFILE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Geauga County Maple Leaf Credit: Jamie Ward

Writer deftly moves the reader back and forward in time while keeping the focus on the subject.

Division

C

CATEGORY

05

BEST LOCAL PROFILE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place Archbold Buckeye Credit: Mary Huber

The quotes totally make this story. While the story is mostly told through the couple’s words, I don’t think it would have worked any other way. It was a heartfelt story that made me remember my grandparents.

Division

C

CATEGORY

05

BEST LOCAL PROFILE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place The Courier Credit: Martha Sorohan

It’s a great story about a man coming home, and the lead about football was interesting and relatable.

Division

C

CATEGORY

05

1st Place Yellow Springs News

BEST LOCAL PROFILE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

This profile made me laugh out loud. All the points in his life transition smoothly and it was a quick read!

Credit: Diane Chiddister

COLLEGIATE

CATEGORY 05

SPORTS COVERAGE

Division

A

CATEGORY

05

SPORTS COVERAGE

3rd Place The Lantern, The Ohio State Univ.

Credit: Colin Gay, Wyatt Crosher

Division

A

CATEGORY

05

SPORTS COVERAGE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place The Clarion, Sinclair Community College

Credit: Jeffery Allen

Very solid coverage. Excellent writing, especially in the feature piece, in addition to color and design.

Division

A

CATEGORY

05

SPORTS COVERAGE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place The Post, Ohio University Credit: Sports Staff

Excellent use of photography and layout to advance the stories.

Well-rounded coverage.

Division

B

CATEGORY

05

SPORTS COVERAGE

3rd Place The Exponent, Baldwin Wallace Univ.

Credit: Staff

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Good coverage.

Division

B

CATEGORY

05

SPORTS COVERAGE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place The Collegian, Ashland Univ.

Credit: Staff

Well-rounded coverage with a good use of graphics to enhance the feel of the pages.

Division

B

CATEGORY

05

SPORTS COVERAGE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place The Newswire, Xavier Univ.

Credit: Staff

Professional looking products with a good mix of game coverage and info/entertainment pieces.

HOOPER CATEGORY

06

ORIGINAL COLUMNS

Division

A

CATEGORY

06

ORIGINAL COLUMNS

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place West Life Credit: Maureen Bole

This writer submitted a series of three columns on her first person fight with drug addiction. Tthis was a strong recounting of a terrible, widespread problem.

Division

A

CATEGORY

06

ORIGINAL COLUMNS

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place West Life Credit: Michele Murphy

Clear explanations and down-to-earth outrage ... made Michele Murphy’s columns compelling. She speaks with the voice of a goodhearted person who is angered by wrongs and incompetencies.

Division

A

CATEGORY

06

ORIGINAL COLUMNS

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Athens News Credit: Terry Smith

The writer speaks out with a voice on important local issues. He clearly is not afraid of challenging people, and will never stoop to boring readers with opinions about the weather.

Division

B

CATEGORY

06

ORIGINAL COLUMNS

3rd Place Clermont Sun Credit: Marc Hoover

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Marc Hoover took deep dives into the lives of his subjects.

Division

B

CATEGORY

06

2nd Place

ORIGINAL COLUMNS

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Pat Greene’s folksy tales, often connected to Butters the dog, were entertaining looks at life in the community.

The Lake County Tribune Credit: Pat Greene

Division

B

CATEGORY

06

1st Place Clermont Sun

ORIGINAL COLUMNS

Credit: Danei Edelen

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Danei Edelen’s three-part series of columns on “What are the signs of mental illness?” provided a great community service. Her technique of telling the real stories of people in the community who suffered from mental illness brought the issue home to readers.

Division

C

CATEGORY

06

ORIGINAL COLUMNS

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

I like the premise of this column -thought for food -- using basic staples as symbols of the life around us.

3rd Place Yellow Springs News Credit: Lauren “Chuck” Shows

Division

C

CATEGORY

06

ORIGINAL COLUMNS

2nd Place Yellow Springs News Credit: Bomani Moyenda

JUDGE’S COMMENTS: The author offered a very personal perspective on events happening around him -forcing readers to see, and perhaps understand things through the eyes of someone else.

Division

C

CATEGORY

06

ORIGINAL COLUMNS

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Morrow County Sentinel Credit: Anthony Conchel

The author uses his personal observations to tell clear, often entertaining stories. He uses a direct, but gentle touch.

COLLEGIATE

CATEGORY 06 DESIGN

Division

A

CATEGORY

06

DESIGN

3rd Place The Clarion, Sinclair Community College

Credit: Clarion Graphic Design Team

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Topic headlines effectively guide readers through the paper. Unjustified type gives pages interesting look. Use of photos with stories was effective.

Division

A

CATEGORY

06

DESIGN

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place The Lantern, The Ohio State Univ.

Credit:

Jack Westerheide, Kelly Meaden, Claire Kudika

The Lantern designers effectively used classic layout techniques to produce clean pages that were easy for the reader to navigate.

Uses of photos made pages pop. There was good use of entry points to break up the gray type.

Division

A

CATEGORY

06

DESIGN

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place The Post, Ohio University Credit: Design Staff

The Post had sophisticated use of illustrations on the cover and inside as well as excellent use of graphics to complement stories. Pages were clean with good use of headline font, subheads and lines to separate the stories.

Division

B

CATEGORY

06

DESIGN

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place The Exponent, Baldwin Wallace Univ.

Credit: Staff

The Exponent has a nice clean layout style that accommodates putting as many as four stories on a page without it looking crowded.

There was good use of photos on front and inside pages as well as entry points.

Division

B

CATEGORY

06

DESIGN

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Cedars draws readers in with its front cover illustration. The front cover of the winning men’s basketball team shot was done well. Good use of photos throughout the paper.

Headlines were balanced and centered for a nice clean look. Pages had entry points thanks to pull quotes. It was nice to see some graphics.

2nd Place Cedars, Cedarville University Credit: Staff

Division

B

CATEGORY

06

DESIGN

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Northern Review, Ohio Northern Univ.

Credit: Staff

The photo cover was eye-catching. Headlines are clear and easy to read. Good use of photos. Nice entry points on the pages with pull quotes to break up the type.

HOOPER CATEGORY

07

BEST EDITORIAL

Division CATEGORY CO MB IN ED BEST EDITORIAL

07

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

4th Place Chagrin Valley Times Credit: Ellen J. Kleinerman

Chagrin Valley Times made very clear how out of touch the Geauga County Commissioners were who complained about members of the public using social media to object to a proposal to move county offices. When one commissioner said people who used social media must be bored or unemployed, the paper let the commissioner know that he needed to learn how to communicate with his constituents.

Division CATEGORY CO MB IN ED BEST EDITORIAL

07

3rd Place West Life Credit: Susan Condon Love

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

West Life named names and publicly scorned the elected officials who voted against a ban on plastic bags. This issue had been explained and explored in previous editorials and West Life was able to bring those arguments back to refute the excuses made by those voting against the ordinance. This was a strong stance that was well-argued.

Division CATEGORY CO MB IN ED BEST EDITORIAL

07

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

The Athens News joined a national campaign condemning Donald Trump’s attacks on the news media in which he described members of the media as “enemies of the people.” Some might consider an editorial in support of the media to be self-serving. This one was not. It clearly made the point that the First Amendment guarantee of a free press is meant to serve all of the people.

2nd Place Athens News Credit: Staff

Division CATEGORY CO MB IN ED BEST EDITORIAL

07

1st Place Athens News Credit: Staff

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

This editorial urging defeat of State Issue I offered a clear explanation of a complicated subject and a strong argument supporting the editorial stance. There was no mistaking where the Athens News stood on this issue and no misunderstanding about the basis for the opinion.

COLLEGIATE

CATEGORY 07

PHOTOJOURNALISM

Division

A

CATEGORY

07

PHOTOJOURNALISM

JUDGE’S COMMENTS: The snow. The sidewalk. The light. The contrast. The strife. This is an important thing to take a picture of. Well done.

3rd Place The Guardian, Wright State Univ.

Credit:

Soham Parikh, Staff Photographer

Division

A

CATEGORY

07

PHOTOJOURNALISM

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place The Lantern, The Ohio State Univ.

Credit: Casey Cascaldo

To capture the emotion in an otherwise normal sports situation is important to the culture. Love the vulnerability. And composition and light are particularly strong here.

Division

A

CATEGORY

07

PHOTOJOURNALISM

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place The Lantern, The Ohio State Univ.

Credit: Casey Cascaldo

A photo within a photo, which is what this is, can be so compelling and fun. Way to be in the right place at the right time and capture a strong moment.

Division

B

CATEGORY

07

PHOTOJOURNALISM

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place Cedars, Cedarville University Credit: Carrie Bergan, Macey Wymer

Like the angle and ability to capture color and light.

Division

B

CATEGORY

07

PHOTOJOURNALISM

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place The Exponent, Baldwin Wallace Univ.

Credit: Jesse Kucewicz

What a photo! And I’ve seen so many attempt to do this. Clear, crisp, and a great moment used to highlight a high in the season.

Division

B

CATEGORY

07

PHOTOJOURNALISM

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Northern Review, Ohio Northern Univ.

Credit: McKenzie Wilson

Captured such a normal moment in a way that was symmetrical and yet interesting. There’s adventure had and also adventure to be had. Familiar and fun. A nice celebration of the season.

HOOPER CATEGORY

08

SPORTS COVERAGE

Division

A

CATEGORY

08

SPORTS COVERAGE

3rd Place Putnam County Sentinel Credit: Charlie Warnimont

Division

A

CATEGORY

08

SPORTS COVERAGE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place West Life Credit:

Jack Kopanski, Chris Voloschuk, Rob DiFranco

Stats are important in sports coverage. But, the sports writer(s) avoid stats-dump and make the stories interesting.

Division

A

CATEGORY

08

SPORTS COVERAGE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Chagrin Valley Times Credit: Tony Lange

Lucid writing that would motivate even a non-sports fan to read the stories.

Division

B

CATEGORY

08

SPORTS COVERAGE

3rd Place News Democrat Credit: Wade Linville

Division

B

CATEGORY

08

SPORTS COVERAGE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place Pike County News Watchman Credit:

Julie Billings, Ethan Leist, Baden Fuller

Compelling writing and good coverage of a wide array of sports.

Division

B

CATEGORY

08

SPORTS COVERAGE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Vinton-Jackson Courier Credit: Staff

Captivating leads without score-data dumps. It makes the stories interesting even to non-sports readers.

Division

C

CATEGORY

08

SPORTS COVERAGE

3rd Place Swanton Enterprise Credit: Staff

Division

C

CATEGORY

08

SPORTS COVERAGE

2nd Place The Courier Credit: Byron C. Wessell

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Good leads and lucid writing.

Division

C

CATEGORY

08

SPORTS COVERAGE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Good story-telling interspersed with tidbids and research.

1st Place Fulton County Expositor Credit: Staff

COLLEGIATE

CATEGORY 08

HEADLINE WRITING

Division

A

CATEGORY

08

HEADLINE WRITING

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Piques reader interest.

3rd Place The Post, Ohio University Credit: Bailey Gallion

Division

A

CATEGORY

08

HEADLINE WRITING

2nd Place The Clarion, Sinclair Community College

Credit:

Cerridwyn Kuykendall, Henry Wolski, Samuel J. Claude

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Lyrical, colorful words draw reader to story.

Division

A

CATEGORY

08

HEADLINE WRITING

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place The Lantern, The Ohio State Univ.

Credit: Amanda Parrish

Nice use of Greek mythology to describe problems with Greek fraternities.

Division

B

CATEGORY

08

HEADLINE WRITING

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place Cedars, Cedarville University Credit: Staff

Clever use of double meaning of diamonds and mining.

Division

B

CATEGORY

08

HEADLINE WRITING

2nd Place The Newswire, Xavier Univ.

Credit: Sofia Ordonez

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Succinct headline with clever alliteration.

Division

B

CATEGORY

08

1st Place

HEADLINE WRITING

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

A succinct headline that leads you to read the story.

Northern Review, Ohio Northern Univ.

Credit: McKenzie Wilson

HOOPER CATEGORY

09

BEST SPORTS FEATURE

Division

A

CATEGORY

09

BEST SPORTS FEATURE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place Chagrin Valley Times Credit: Tony Lange

A well-written story about the emotional roller coaster of a football player whose dream had been shattered by hemorrhage.

Division

A

CATEGORY

09

BEST SPORTS FEATURE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place West Life Credit: Jack Kopanski

An in-depth story on how the community helps with housing for lowpaid minor league players. Kudos!

Division

A

CATEGORY

09

BEST SPORTS FEATURE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS: The writer deftly captures the grit of a physically challenged high school wrestler.

1st Place Chagrin Valley Times Credit: Tony Lange

Division

B

CATEGORY

09

BEST SPORTS FEATURE

3rd Place Pike County News Watchman Credit: Julie Billings

Division

B

CATEGORY

09

BEST SPORTS FEATURE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS: A compelling read about a father who draws inspiration from his young daughter. It is more than a sports feature.

2nd Place Monroe County Beacon Credit: Kreg Robinson

Division

B

CATEGORY

09

BEST SPORTS FEATURE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Clermont Sun Credit: Garth Shanklin

A thoroughly-researched series on an issue that affects all sports nationwide, not limited to Ohio. Kudos to the writer for highlighting the challenges faced by referees.

Division

C

CATEGORY

09

BEST SPORTS FEATURE

2nd Place Archbold Buckeye Credit: Mary Huber

Division

C

CATEGORY

09

BEST SPORTS FEATURE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Yellow Springs News Credit: Carol Simmons

A timely story about the school’s push for equity in cheer-leading.

COLLEGIATE

CATEGORY 09 BEST MULTI-MEDIA PACKAGE

Division

A

CATEGORY

09

BEST MULTIMEDIA PACKAGE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

With the growing use of video and audio production in multi-media, we sometimes forget the power of photographs capturing one moment in time.

Excellent use of a photo gallery to show the emotion of the event.

3rd Place The Jambar, Youngstown State Univ.

Credit:

Morgan Petronelli, Tanner Mondok and Jambar Staff

Division

A

CATEGORY

09

BEST MULTIMEDIA PACKAGE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place The Post, Ohio University Credit:

Bennett Leckrone, Ashton Nichols, Georgia Davis

Solid job of reinforcing the written article with a video interview.

Division

A

CATEGORY

09

BEST MULTIMEDIA PACKAGE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place The Lantern, The Ohio State Univ.

Credit:

Rachel Bules, Joe Matts, Casey Cascaldo

Excellent coverage of a controversial topic by using multi-media.

Equal weight was given between the written word and the video, allowing a consumer an equal choice in how they wanted to receive the news. Top quality production work on the video.

Division

B

CATEGORY

09

BEST MULTIMEDIA PACKAGE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place T&C Media, Otterbein Univ.

Credit: Tim Pennucci

Exceptional examples of using one of the fastest growing storytelling mediums - podcasting.

Division

B

CATEGORY

09

BEST MULTIMEDIA PACKAGE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Great use of short form video in combination with the written story.

Technically solid with interviews and the use of voice overs to keep the visual storytelling interesting. Shows how much can be done on a dayto-day basis of covering events.

2nd Place Cedars, Cedarville University Credit: Keegan D’Alfonso

Division

B

CATEGORY

09

BEST MULTIMEDIA PACKAGE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place The Witmarsum, Bluffton Univ.

Credit: Dakota Fredette

Excellent mini-documentary with good transitions, interesting graphics, and good use of interspersed interviews to keep the story moving. Even the closing credits helped to bring out the personality of the subject.

HOOPER CATEGORY

10

NEWSPAPER DESIGN

Division

A

CATEGORY

10

NEWSPAPER DESIGN

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place Chagrin Valley Times Credit:

Amanda Petkiewicz, Maureen Bole

All three newspapers that placed in this category were well designed. All use headlines in one font family, follow modular design, organize with section headers and sigs and feel contemporary. They have a great balance of photos and text. Choosing the place finishes boiled down to small details from the pages the news organizations chose to submit.

Division

A

CATEGORY

10

NEWSPAPER DESIGN

2nd Place West Life Credit: Maureen Bole

Division

A

CATEGORY

10

NEWSPAPER DESIGN

1st Place Athens News Credit: Terry Smith

Division

B

CATEGORY

10

NEWSPAPER DESIGN

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place Clermont Sun Credit: Brett Milam, Garth Shanklin

The second and third place winners were very similar in design. Both have organized pages and stories packaged as modules with headlines helping to organize the page.

Division

B

CATEGORY

10

NEWSPAPER DESIGN

2nd Place Pike County News Watchman Credit: Staff

Division

B

CATEGORY

10

NEWSPAPER DESIGN

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Geauga County Maple Leaf Credit: Pam Molnar

The format of the Maple Leaf is an advantage. The combination of restrained design, modular organization and consistent signposts aids in the reading of the newspaper. Story packages included a pulled quote, appropriate clip art or photograph that visually enhanced the story rather than distracting the reader.

Division

C

CATEGORY

10

NEWSPAPER DESIGN

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place Archbold Buckeye Credit: Staff

Strong color sports photography would have appeal for local audience. Modular design and standing headers help the reader move through the newspaper. Font choices and sizes are appropriate and consistent.

Division

C

CATEGORY

10

NEWSPAPER DESIGN

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Yellow Springs was the clear winner in this division. The overall design is the right balance of photos and text. The clean design is organized and uses consistent headers to help the reader move through the paper.

Story packages are designed as modules and smaller “briefs” are grouped into sections.

1st Place Yellow Springs News Credit: Staff

COLLEGIATE

CATEGORY 10 BEST WEBSITE

Division

A

CATEGORY

10

BEST WEBSITE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Attractive contrast and design. Information seems easy to find. Appreciate the Twitter feed.

3rd Place The Jambar, Youngstown State Univ.

Credit:

Brady Sklenar, Ryan Peplowski and Jambar Staff

Division

A

CATEGORY

10

BEST WEBSITE

2nd Place The News Record, Univ. of Cincinnati Credit: Staff

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

There is a lot of content very visible, but this makes this website easy to scan for important information. Appreciate the header, color scheme and design.

Division

A

CATEGORY

10

BEST WEBSITE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place The Post, Ohio University Credit: Staff

The Post website is far and away the easiest entry to navigate and is very easy on the eyes. Love the simplicity, clarity and design. Keep up the good work.

Division

B

CATEGORY

10

BEST WEBSITE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place Cedars, Cedarville University Credit: Staff

Headers make it easy to find what you’re looking for and seem inviting because of the design. The division of Campus News and OffCampus News is wise. Also like the graphic element of one big photo and several small ones per topic as you scroll.

Division

B

CATEGORY

10

BEST WEBSITE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place The Witmarsum, Bluffton Univ.

Credit: Staff

Design is well done with strong graphic element on top and clean navigation elements. Like the three taller columns for News, Features and Opinions, followed by Sports and more general content. In Case You Missed It on the bottom is a smart Easter egg.

Division

B

CATEGORY

10

BEST WEBSITE

JUDGE’S COMMENTS: The dual focus on sports and campus life is smart.

Like the top stories at the top and the graphic element. Good personality.

Clear navigation. Also was pleased to find live broadcast and social media along the side. Keep up the good work!

1st Place T&C Media, Otterbein Univ.

Credit: Staff

HOOPER CATEGORY

11

BEST PAGE DESIGN

Division

A

CATEGORY

11

BEST PAGE DESIGN

3rd Place Athens News Credit: Laura Zielinski

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

The depth and dimension created by the designer make the real spider seem alive. The coloring of the crowd picture underneath has a very 1950’s horror movie screen shot feel to it.

The combination of the spider and the photo and the placement of the spider across the the nameplate and the dominant photo makes this design work. The added fact that the spider was taken by the designer only adds to the creepiness.

Division

A

CATEGORY

11

BEST PAGE DESIGN

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place West Life Credit: Maureen Bole

The reader got a lot of information in a perfectly balanced, appealing, easy-to-digest design. The topic of the spread is reflected in the color choice. The pulled quoted is wrapped in the main story. The font choices are clean and fit with the page design.

Division

A

CATEGORY

11

BEST PAGE DESIGN

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Chagrin Valley Times Credit: Maureen Bole

The illustrations of Maureen Bole propelled this design to the top. The artwork combined with the color, restrained use of the well-chosen decorative font and the clear packaging of the separate stories made for an outstanding design.

Division

B

CATEGORY

11

BEST PAGE DESIGN

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

The story of the farm closing is told through family photos with standout captions.

Color is used in the borders of photos as well. The boxes showing the timeline is a nice addition to the storytelling.

3rd Place The Telegram (Jackson) Credit: Pam Wilson

Division

B

CATEGORY

11

2nd Place Morgan County Herald

BEST PAGE DESIGN

Credit: David Keller

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

The front page is inviting and has a unique design that is related to the story about a farm. The greens are inviting and the fonts add to the design but don’t detract from the main photo.

Division

B

CATEGORY

11

BEST PAGE DESIGN

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Geauga County Maple Leaf Credit: Pam Molnar

The photo really helped to make this an amazing front page design.

The other stories do not detract from the main story. The addition of the cutouts of the books helps to keep your eyes moving down the page to other stories. It’s simple but impactful.

Division

C

CATEGORY

11

BEST PAGE DESIGN

3rd Place Solon Times Credit: Amanda Petkiewicz

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

The second and third place winners are the same front page template.

The template relies on a strong dominate photo to carry the main story. All the stories are designed as modules.

The overall balance of the page, the typography choice, and the use of color make for a dynamic front page.

Children always make a great subject to draw the reader in and the perfect crop of this interesting photo succeeds in making this a winning design.

Division

C

CATEGORY

11

BEST PAGE DESIGN

2nd Place Solon Times Credit: Amanda Petkiewicz

Division

C

CATEGORY

11

BEST PAGE DESIGN

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

This jump page could stand alone and all the elements of the design work together.

Clean typography helps the reading as does the use of subheads to divide up a long story. The variety in shape of the photos adds appeal yet allows the photos to work as one visual unit due in part to attention to the alignment and spacing. The detailed captions are placed appropriately and avoid starting the captions with the directional words.

1st Place Yellow Springs News Credit: Staff

HOOPER CATEGORY

12

ADVERTSING

Division

A

CATEGORY

12

ADVERTISING

3rd Place West Life Credit:

Lindsey Poyer, Connie Gabor, Ashley Gier

Division

A

CATEGORY

12

ADVERTISING

2nd Place Chagrin Valley Times Credit:

Connie Gabor, Ashley Gier, Brandyn Mortiz

Division

A

CATEGORY

12

ADVERTISING

1st Place Athens News Credit: Staff

Division

B

CATEGORY

12

ADVERTISING

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place Clermont Sun Credit: Staff

Especially like the “Mow the Distance” ad.

Division

B

CATEGORY

12

ADVERTISING

2nd Place Pike County News Watchman Credit: Staff

JUDGE’S COMMENTS: Nice ads.

Division

B

CATEGORY

12

ADVERTISING

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Morgan County Herald Credit: Janis Keller

Nice Father’s Day page. Also like the Easter ad.

Division

C

CATEGORY

12

ADVERTISING

3rd Place The Courier Credit: Lisa Zavada

Division

C

CATEGORY

12

ADVERTISING

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place Archbold Buckeye Credit: Mary Huber, Pam Kruse

Loved the ads on the sports page

Division

C

CATEGORY

12

ADVERTISING

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place The News Credit: Lisa Zavada

The MAX pizza ad made me hungry. I like the variety of the ads and the placement on pages

HOOPER CATEGORY

13

BEST NEWS PHOTO

Division

A

CATEGORY

13

BEST NEWS PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place Chagrin Valley Times Credit: Philip Botta

There is something about showing popcorn balls whizzing through the air on such a winter day that makes for a wonderful image. Plus, I enjoyed the great joy in the woman’s face as she was firing the “popcorn ball cannon.”

Division

A

CATEGORY

13

BEST NEWS PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place West Life Credit: Dave Gielow

I thought showing the bridge in the winter was the most effective way of telling the story of the demolition of the bridge. The grayness of the image set the emotional tone of the overall photograph.

Division

A

CATEGORY

13

BEST NEWS PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS: I think this might be the perfect representation of Palmer Fest. This picture needed the caption provided and that’s all.

1st Place Athens News Credit: Jordan Kelley

Division

B

CATEGORY

13

BEST NEWS PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place Vinton-Jackson Courier Credit: Sydney Dawes

I thought the ability to capture the tilt of the girl’s head showing the joy of riding in the wagon was a perfect encapsulation of this event.

There is something about the happiness of children during Christmas that makes this image.

Division

B

CATEGORY

13

BEST NEWS PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

The therapy dog was well framed in the image and caught at the right moment in time. I thought there was a real sense of emotion in the eyes of the dog.

2nd Place Clermont Sun Credit: Brett Milam, Megan Alley

Division

B

CATEGORY

13

BEST NEWS PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Clermont Sun Credit: Brett Milam, Megan Alley

I felt the stillness of the image plus the contrast between the damage in the background against the sense of hope in the foreground of the image made the photograph for me. It seems to capture a moment in time where words alone could not provide. I feel the photographer got to the essence of what the story was about in this one image.

Division

C

CATEGORY

13

BEST NEWS PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place Yellow Springs News Credit: Megan Bachman

The emotion of the UPS driver expressed in the image made the image. I found that the crowd’s reaction to the driver added to the overall nature of this compelling work.

Division

C

CATEGORY

13

BEST NEWS PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS: I felt the angle the photograph chose allowed the viewer to understand the full impact of the damage of the accident.

2nd Place Archbold Buckeye Credit: David Pugh

Division

C

CATEGORY

13

BEST NEWS PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Yellow Springs News Credit: Audrey Hackett

I thought the framing of the image felt like the photographer was capturing a slice of life in this image. Also, I thought the flash of humanity within the image made it the most compelling image of the group.

HOOPER CATEGORY

14

BEST FEATURE PHOTO

Division

A

CATEGORY

14

BEST FEATURE PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place West Life Credit: Nadine Bluemel

Simple but sweet, with beautiful colors, well structured and framed. Contrasts help the image pop.

Division

A

CATEGORY

14

BEST FEATURE PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place Geauga Times Courier Credit: Michael Steinberg

Good eye to frame and capture the steam and the expressions of wonder. Strong image that brings the moment to life.

Division

A

CATEGORY

14

1st Place

BEST FEATURE PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Beautiful photo--well framed, lovely colors. Terrific work.

West Life Credit: Nadine Bluemelv

Division

B

CATEGORY

14

BEST FEATURE PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place The Telegram (Jackson) Credit: Mindy Barry

Nice framing and cow is full of expression. We can only guess what the kids are thinking.

Division

B

CATEGORY

14

BEST FEATURE PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place The Telegram (Jackson) Credit: Mindy Barry

This is a joyful photo that captures such a wonderful moment.

Division

B

CATEGORY

14

BEST FEATURE PHOTO

1st Place The Gazette Credit: Dee Riley

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

The expression on his face is what seals this terrific photo, which is well framed and executed.

Division

C

CATEGORY

14

BEST FEATURE PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place Yellow Springs News Credit: Luciana Lieff

Lovely shot of the moment before freedom. Well framed with lovely expression and feel.

Division

C

CATEGORY

14

BEST FEATURE PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place Archbold Buckeye Credit: David Pugh

This simple shot says so much. I love his hand on the corn and the authority in his pose. The future of farming.

Division

C

CATEGORY

14

BEST FEATURE PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Yellow Springs News Credit: Carla Steiger

Creative use of fisheye lens, well structured with clear focal point.

Good use of black and white. Very pleasing.

HOOPER CATEGORY

15

BEST SPORTS PHOTO

Division

A

CATEGORY

15

BEST SPORTS PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

The rain adds to the interesting mood of the image. The wider composition, not typical for this action, works well and I’m happy to see the paper included the horizontal composition with the ball.

3rd Place Chagrin Valley Times Credit: Philip Botta

Division

A

CATEGORY

15

BEST SPORTS PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place Chagrin Valley Times Credit: Philip Botta

Great job reading the game and anticipating the action.

Division

A

CATEGORY

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

15

BEST SPORTS PHOTO

This is a great image that brings me right into the action.

The wide angle, the position of the ball and the faces of all the players on the action made this image stand out from the rest.

1st Place West Life Credit: David Cleveland

Division

B

CATEGORY

15

BEST SPORTS PHOTO

3rd Place Morgan County Herald Credit: Janis Keller

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Good anticipation and timing to capture this image. You can clearly see he is out!

Division

B

CATEGORY

15

BEST SPORTS PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Love the kids expression.

Great choice for the cover with space for text to invite the audience into the the story.

2nd Place Clermont Sun Credit: Garth Shanklin

Division

B

CATEGORY

15

BEST SPORTS PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

You can definitely see the intensity and determination of the player trying to get every inch possible against his rivals. Great moment.

1st Place Pike County News Watchman Credit: Julie Billings

Division

C

CATEGORY

15

BEST SPORTS PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS: Great example of using a slow shutter speed and panning with a fast-moving subject. Perfect moment and execution of a photo technique that works for this scene.

3rd Place Yellow Springs News Credit: Kathleen Galarza

Division

C

CATEGORY

15

BEST SPORTS PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place Archbold Buckeye Credit: Mary Huber

Great job catching an emotional moment that tells the story. This image complements the article and photo package extremely well.

Good job.

Division

C

CATEGORY

15

BEST SPORTS PHOTO

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Yellow Springs News Credit: Matt Minde

I love the intensity in the pitcher’s eyes in this photograph. The photographer did a very good job composing the image by using the batter and the catcher in the foreground to frame the pitcher.

HOOPER CATEGORY

16

BEST HEADLINE

Division CATEGORY CO MB IN ED BEST HEADLINE

16

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

4th Place West Life Credit: Jack Kopanski

Excellent play on the word “home” to draw reader attention to this feel-good story. Headline is concise and connects to ordinary readers. The headline clearly matches the tone of the article.

Division CATEGORY CO MB IN ED BEST HEADLINE

16

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place

Headline is clear, simple and powerful. Headline is excellent in matching tone of the article and connecting to readers. The headline also sparks curiosity in how the two got clean and gave back.

West Life Credit: Maureen Bole

Division CATEGORY CO MB IN ED BEST HEADLINE

16

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place Putnam County Sentinel Credit: Steven Coburn-Griffis

Humor is a an element of strong headline writing, when appropriate.

In this case, humor works well. Headline is concise and basically tells the whole story. Headline does a good job in sparking curiosity!

Division CATEGORY CO MB IN ED BEST HEADLINE

16

1st Place Chagrin Valley Times Credit:

Ellen J. Kleinerman, Tim Tedeschi

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Eye-catching headline with creative use of cursive writing to draw reader attention.

Headline connects with most readers and sets the tone of the story. Strong verb choice.

Headlines are the most important element on a page, and this one is outstanding in grabbing attention.

HOOPER CATEGORY

17

SPECIAL EDITION/ SECTION

Division

A

CATEGORY

17

SPECIAL EDITION/ SECTION

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place The Budget Credit: Staff

Delightful coverage of all things cheese. The writing here was as sharp as cheddar and provided a good history of the region as it became Ohio’s curds and whey mecca. Combine that with cute pictures of aspiring Little Swiss Miss contestants and you have a special section that exudes all the charm of an Alpine village.

Division

A

CATEGORY

17

SPECIAL EDITION/ SECTION

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place Chagrin Valley Times Credit:

Tony Lange, Amanda Petkiewicz

I liked the way the magazine allowed its readers to re-live every moment of a memorable year for Kenston High School, reprising each game story and flooding the pages with excellent gameaction photography. Great job and Go Kenston!

Division

A

CATEGORY

17

SPECIAL EDITION/ SECTION

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Athens News Credit: Staff

The folksy writing style blended sometimes with a bite and the tongue-in-cheek humor that runs from subtle to a pie-smack is what makes this a fun - and informational - read. The reader gets a good sense of Athens as the townies see it.

Division

B

CATEGORY

17

SPECIAL EDITION/ SECTION

3rd Place Clermont Sun Credit: Staff

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Beautifully laid-out section with fascinating stories, safety tips and even recipes. For the hunter (and the cook), this section is a complete package.

Division

B

CATEGORY

17

SPECIAL EDITION/ SECTION

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place Clermont Sun Credit: Staff

An excellent special section that is both educational and poignant with local survivors telling their stories. The writing is solid and the experiences related by the women who beat cancer are powerful.

Division

B

CATEGORY

17

SPECIAL EDITION/ SECTION

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Bright writing focusing on one of the original farms in the area with the delightful Clarke sisters and a wonderful story about a girl and her pigs with an opening that makes you smell the barn - all make this a special edition that should have sent everyone in Geauga County straight to the fairgrounds.

1st Place Geauga County Maple Leaf Credit: Staff

Division

C

CATEGORY

17

SPECIAL EDITION/ SECTION

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place Solon Times Credit: Staff

Good comprehensive look at the past and the future of Solon as the city nears its 200th anniversary.

Division

C

CATEGORY

17

SPECIAL EDITION/ SECTION

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place Morrow County Sentinel Credit: Staff

Photos were crisp - even the cap toss was in focus. I’m sure the newspaper had to print a lot of extra copies.

Division

C

CATEGORY

17

SPECIAL EDITION/ SECTION

1st Place Yellow Springs News Credit: Staff

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Nicely done section that shows the versatility of the community with interesting and well-written stories about artists - famous and not-so-famous - who have helped to give Yellow Springs its special personality.

HOOPER CATEGORY

18

COMMUNITY AWARENESS

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18

AWARENESS

4th Place Archbold Buckeye Credit: Staff

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

Good combination of stories and editorials.

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18

AWARENESS

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place Pike County News Watchman Credit: Matt Lucas, Sherry Stanley

Excellent work by paper in tracking a complex, critical issue even while covering other major stories. Evidence of hard work by reporting staff and editors keeping focus on multiple important stories.

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18

AWARENESS

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

2nd Place Vinton-Jackson Courier Credit:

Sydney Dawes, Tyler Buchanan, Andy Hudnall

Excellent work outlining a problem critical to county residents. Particularly notable that the writer distinguished what truly makes a cancer cluster that’s distinct from anecdotal evidence.

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18

AWARENESS

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Putnam County Sentinel Credit: Martin Verni

Terrific example of a local paper owning an issue important to its community. Great depth, presentation of different views and opportunities for public engagement in critical issue.

HOOPER CATEGORY

19

BEST WEBSITE

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19

4th Place Yellow Springs News Credit: Staff

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19

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

3rd Place Athens News Credit: Staff

The site has a clean design and is easy to navigate. Photos are played well. The content was updated often during the judging period. The site had the strongest calendar feature of all those reviewed. The mobile site also looked good.

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19

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

The site has a striking design that allows for great photo play. It looks great on mobile, too. The colorcoded, static navigation bar at the top of the site makes it easy to navigate.

Ads are tastefully placed.

2nd Place Geauga County Maple Leaf Credit: Staff

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19

JUDGE’S COMMENTS:

1st Place Vinton-Jackson Courier Credit: Staff

This website stood out because it is updated regularly and offers a variety of multimedia content, including photo galleries and video.

The design is clean, and the site is easy to navigate; it doesn’t require the reader to wade through unnecessary subsections. Ads don’t overwhelm readers. The mobile site looks good, too.

AND A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR JUDGES: HOOPER JUDGES

Steve Dorsey - Statesman Media, Austin Nicole Kraft - The Ohio State University Leonardo Carrizo - The Ohio State University Bill Reader - Ohio University Hans Meyer - Ohio University Kelly Taylor - Bowling Green State University Jim Foust - Bowling Green State University Terry Rentner- Bowling Green State University Jessica Graue - Sinclair Community College Jo Ingles - Ohio Wesleyan University Kelly Messinger - Capital University Cliff Anthony - Lorain County Community College Shane Tilton - Ohio Northern University Hillary Warren - Otterbein University Bob Jonason - University of Cincinnati John Stowell - Xavier University David Wells - Miami University

COLLEGIATE JUDGES

Bev Keller - The Budget, Sugarcreek Kirk Dougal – AIM Media Midwest Ellen Kleinerman – Chagrin Valley Times Jamie Ward – Geauga County Maple Leaf Mike Shearer – Akron Beacon Journal Wendy McManamon - formerly w/Cleveland Plain Dealer