2011 BNC Booklet

Booklet Design & Layout by: Sylvie Tremblay

Ontario Community Newspapers Association

President’s Message

So another challenging and exciting year has gone by. Warm weather is upon us. Spring has arrived early and with it, the Ontario Community Newspapers Association’s Better Newspapers Competition Results. It is nice to see that even with our lives as busy as ever, we shoot for the stars and shine brightly! The Better Newspapers Competition allows us to celebrate the great accomplishments of our members.

We would again like to express our appreciation to our volunteer judges. Without them, our Awards program would not materialize. These individuals spend their days at the office, editing, publishing or designing, then when the bell rings, donate their time and expertise to help choose the best of the best in Ontario’s weekly community newspapers. Thank you!

Our sponsors must also be thanked for their continuing contributions! Their generous donations make it possible to reward those who truly deserve it!

And again, many thanks to members and staff who spent hours looking through numerous articles, photos and ads to enter into this year’s competition. We received an amazing 1,975 entries!! Too soon, it will be time to begin searching again for the 2012 Awards, but until then, bask in the glow that is the greatness of the Ontario weekly community newspapers!

Congratulations to all the winners!

Don MacLeod OCNA President 2011/12

General Excellence

Classes 1- 8

CIRCULATION 1,999 & UNDER

Number of entries: 18

JUDGES

Rob Vogt

Editor, Claresholm Local Press, Claresholm, Alberta

Keith McNiell

Editor, Clearwater Times, Clearwater, British Columbia

Karen Wells

Editor, The Pilot, Lewisporte, Newfoundland

FIRST PLACE

GRAVENHURST BANNER

The Gravenhurst Banner is simple excellent. There are plenty of letters in the editorial section, indicating a strong connection with its readers. A newspaper’s role is to provide readers with current hard and soft news as it occurs inside and outside of the community. The Gravenhurst Banner is well equipped with up-to-date content and proves it deserves to be at the top of this category.

SECOND PLACE

COBDEN SUN

The Cobden Sun has a clean front page, drawing in the reader with excellent photography and maintains visual appeal throughout. Content is well-written, well captured and portrayed effectively. Boxes around photographs not belonging to a story could be helpful to separate the content.

HONOURABLE MENTION

Barry’s Bay This Week uses visually appealing teasers on their front page, which really draws readers in to read more. Once engaged, readers will find a newspaper full of informative articles, plenty of photos and an organized layout. Overall, a great paper.

THIRD PLACE

MINDEN TIMES

The Minden Times does a wonderful job changing up its front page. Each week looks different from the next and it’s achieved through smooth transitions. White space is effectively used and catchy headlines encourage curiosity among readers. Overall, this is a successful community newspaper.

CIRCULATION

2,000 - 3,499

Number of entries: 14

JUDGES

Frank McTighe Editor & Publisher, The Macleod Gazette, Fort Macleod, Alberta

Joyce Carlson

Publisher, Peak Publishing, Powell River, British Columbia

Sarah Holmes

Publisher & Owner, Gabriola Sounder, Gabriola Island, British Columbia Director, BCYCNA board

FIRST PLACE

HALIBURTON COUNTY ECHO

The Haliburton County Echo is packed full of news, features and sports articles. All are strongly supported by outstanding photography, design and layout. It is evident this newspaper has a strong connection with its community and does an excellent job focusing on the people within it.

SECOND PLACE

WINCHESTER PRESS

The Winchester Press consistently presents the public with great spot news and provides the community with news as it occurs. The newspaper starts strong with an appealing front page and ends strong with quality work throughout.

GENERAL COMMENTS

It was a privilege to judge this category. Readers are well served by their OCNA members in this category. Each paper demonstrated a commitment to thorough news coverage and each delivered it in a well thought out package of stories, photographs and advertising.

THIRD PLACE

BRACEBRIDGE EXAMINER

Bracebridge Examiner contains an excellent mix of hard news, features, sports and outstanding photography. Attractive ads and an appealing layout provide the public with a pleasant read.

CIRCULATION

3,500 - 6,499

Number of entries: 9

JUDGES

John Arendt

Editor, Summerland Review, Summerland, British Columbia

Robson Fletcher

Editor, The Fitzhugh, Jasper, Alberta

Vern Faulkner

Editor, Saint Croix Courier / Courier Weekend, St. Stephen, New Brunswick

FIRST PLACE

Nunavut News/North is an overall very appealing community newspaper. It has an excellent front page with compelling photos and creative headlines, making for an attractive first impression while also effectively delivering meaningful information. Bilingual delivery of articles and headlines is a challenge and could easily become confusing but is handled nicely in this newspaper with clean layout which makes for an easier read.

SECOND PLACE

HUNTSVILLE FORESTER

GENERAL COMMENTS

If there’s one thing that could be improved generally across all the entries, it would be the photography. While it can be a challenge for relatively small editorial teams to have both the expensive camera equipment and knowledge, investing in this area would add a lot to most of the newspapers in the category. One really good front-page photo would make a huge difference to the first impression and overall impact of these publications.

Giving three of four stories relatively equal treatment on the front page can make for a muddle of information, but the Huntsville Forester manages this task quite well. While the front page is busy, separation of stories is clear and the style works. Quantity and quality of community news is very strong in this newspaper. The articles convey a local understanding of the issues yet are easily understandable to a reader coming from outside the community.

THIRD PLACE

FORT FRANCES TIMES

When looking at the Fort Frances Times, immediately the quality of newsprint jumps out. It’s thick, clean, and white and the end result is beautiful. It contains a fantastic sports section which stood out among the rest. The editorial page could be improved with a small re-design and a bit more creativity.

NUNAVUT NEWS/NORTH

CIRCULATION

6,500 - 12,499

Number of entries: 11

JUDGES

Carol Picard

Former Founder & Editor, Rocky Mountain Outlook, Canmore, Alberta

Ryan Dahlman

Managing Editor, Prairie Post, Medicine Hat, Alberta

Frank Bucholtz Editor, Langley Times, Langley, British Columbia

FIRST PLACE

HONOURABLE MENTION

Niagara This Week, Town Crier received high marks from all three judges. It contains great news coverage, strong photography and editorial pages, nice layout and design which are all attributes that put it at the top of the category. The wrap around ads, however, seem to be selling the paper as an advertising flyer rather than a legitimate news product.

GENERAL COMMENTS

The newspapers in this category represent very different communities in Ontario, but most of them have many traits in common. They are all filled with local news and information; have good solid local advertising support and serve their communities well. A visitor to any of these communities who picked up these newspapers would have no problem in discovering something interesting to do and see, and a local resident would be kept fully-informed about the place where they live, work and shop.

SCUGOG STANDARD

The Scugog Standard earned its top marks through its ability to carry on a conversation with the reader. Even as an outsider, in reading this paper one gets a real sense of what’s important to the readers and what it means to live in the community. It manages to encompass both folksiness and professionalism.

SECOND PLACE

INNISFIL JOURNAL

The Innisfil Journal deserved to be at the top due to the fact they had all of the main elements of a quality newspaper – a solid front page, decent editorial and good community content. The layout is clean and the production team is careful not to cram too much content into the space available. There’s something for everyone in this community newspaper. All in all the readership should be proud to have a paper of this quality.

THIRD PLACE

ARNPRIOR CHRONICLE-GUIDE

The Arnprior Chronicle-Guide has a sharp-looking front page, good photography and good editorial pages. All three are essential to a successful community newspaper. It also has lots of local news, sports and features. It gives the reader a strong sense of what is happening in the community. Ads are well-designed and nicely positioned throughout the paper, and it has an overall clean and fresh look.

Sponsored by: Metro Creative Graphics

CIRCULATION

12,500 - 22,499

Number of entries: 21

JUDGES

Jason Roessle Editor, Mission Record, Mission, British Columbia

Ian Jacques Editor, Coast Reporter, Sechelt, British Columbia

Lily Ryan

Editor, West Quebec Post, Managing Editor, Bulletin d’Aylmer, Gatineau, Quebec

FIRST PLACE

ELMIRA-WOOLWICH OBSERVER

The Elmira-Woolwich Observer is a solid newspaper from front to back. The front page is inviting with good story choices, bold headlines and interesting photos. There is artwork on every page which prevents it from becoming too text heavy, however our judges feel it would be nice to see more colour throughout. Opinion pages are lively with excellent columns and letters to the editor. It’s evident this newspaper has a strong relationship with its readers and the community.

SECOND PLACE

NIAGARA THIS WEEK – FORT ERIE POST

Tucked in a handy format, this gem of a newspaper can pride itself on careful use of space and colour. The photos are striking and the stories are interesting. There is a good balance of hard news with community content. One suggestion is to keep all sections together – hard and local news, editorial, opinion, regional news, etc. This will maintain consistency and prevent confusion among readers.

THIRD PLACE

WATERDOWN FLAMBOROUGH REVIEW

The touch of humour surely makes this paper a favourite among readers. It contains excellent photography, clean design and a dynamic sports page. One critique is to minimize the amount of content on the front page. Use the strongest one or two stories and enlarge the artwork. The front page is the first thing readers will see and should make them want to read more.

CIRCULATION

22,500 - 44,999

Number of entries: 20

JUDGES

John Kendle Managing Editor, Canstar Community News, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Kevin Weedmark

Publisher & Editor, The World-Spectator, Moosomin, Saskatchewan

Marlyn Graziano

Publisher, Surrey Now; Editorial Director, LMP Community Publishing Group, Division of Glacier Media, British Columbia

FIRST PLACE

CLARINGTON THIS WEEK

What generally sets Clarington This Week apart from others in this category is the space allotted for local news. This is a newspaper that is serving its community by providing relevant local news coverage. Editorial staff makes efficient use of space, with good local stories and quality accompanying photos. Overall, this newspaper has a clean look and deserves to be on top.

SECOND PLACE

HONOURABLE MENTION

Kawartha Lakes This Week – This newspaper earned its honourable mention on the strength of its local news coverage. The two news stories on the front pages submitted stood out as some of the best news reporting in all of the entries in this category. Others could learn from the kind of hard news reporting published in Kawartha Lakes This Week.

GENERAL COMMENTS

What was missing in some of the newspapers in this category is news. A few too many resemble flyers with a bit of news thrown in as an afterthought in the tiny amount of space between the ads. A bigger allotment of space for news will only make these newspapers more appealing to readers, and more valuable to advertisers.

MILTON CANADIAN CHAMPION

The Milton Canadian Champion does a great job of shining light on the people in its community, especially in photos. Readers will see themselves, their friends and their neighbours in this paper, which encourages them to pick up a copy and share it with everyone they know. This newspaper also understands that sports isn’t a ‘throwaway’ section, but one that adds another dimension of ‘community’ to its coverage. There’s something for everyone and it’s a well-rounded package that serves readers and advertisers equally well.

THIRD PLACE

WATERLOO CHRONICLE

Clearly labeled community content, clean layout, vibrant opinions and a well-defined sports section are all qualities that put the Waterloo Chronicle ahead of the pack in this category. The photography is sharp, providing impact and imagination. Overall, a fine packaged newspaper serving its community well.

Sponsored by: Northern News Services

CIRCULATION 45,000 & OVER

Number of entries: 15

JUDGES

Bill Phillips

Regional Editor, Prince George Free Press, Prince George, British Columbia

Martha Perkins

Managing Editor, WE Vancouver and Bowen Island Undercurrent, Vancouver, British Columbia

John Barlow

Associate Publisher/Editor, Okotoks Western Wheel, Okotoks, Alberta

FIRST PLACE

NEWMARKET ERA BANNER

The Newmarket Era-Banner contains a wonderful front page with strong photos, informative but engaging stories and plenty of them. It contains everything readers would look for in a newspaper – features on community growth, weather and upcoming events. Focusing on lots of local news allows for this newspaper to connect with its readers and build a strong relationship. Residents are kept well-informed about what’s happening in the area they live.

HONOURABLE MENTION

Markham Economist and Sun has clean front pages with good photos and production values. It could use improvements on the sports section and include more letters on the opinion page.

The Oakville Beaver is an excellent newspaper but compared to the others, just doesn’t stand out in this category. Not bland but could incorporate a bit more creativity and excitement.

GENERAL COMMENTS

In general, it was disappointing to see so many cartoons with blatantly obvious political stances that had nothing to do with local issues. In addition, a lot of the newspapers submitted in this category seemed to have problems printing black and white photos. The end results were very muddy and difficult to view.

SECOND PLACE

BRANTFORD, BRANT NEWS

Brant News contains a fresh look with stories that have flare. The writing really engages the reader and encourages them to read more. They do a wonderful job organizing the content and clearly labeling stories and sections. Using more creative and colourful photographs will push this newspaper above and beyond.

THIRD PLACE

PETERBOROUGH THIS WEEK

Peterborough This Week contains good arts and election coverage but lacks news articles. A reader is interested in what’s happening within their community and wants to be kept informed with up-to-date information. Providing its readers with more news as it occurs will push this newspaper to the top.

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY

Number of entries: 8

JUDGE

Lois Tuffin

Lois Tuffin has worked in the media business for 21 years, including stints in print, radio, TV and online. She is currently editor in chief of Kawartha Media in Peterborough. She is a relentless fact-checker, news hound, blogger and Tweeter.

FIRST PLACE

ALGONQUIN COLLEGE – ALGONQUIN TIMES

A commitment to covering a broad range of personalities and topics pushed this paper to the top. Most stories had strong photos and the layout was very clean. The point/counterpoint columns on the editorial page really add to intelligent debate, which was missing from some of the other entries. Stronger news stories could be placed closer to the front. Overall, this newspaper is really well done and deserves recognition.

SECOND PLACE

DURHAM COLLEGE – THE CHRONICLE

The Chronicle had the best sports section by far and, at times, looks and feels the most like a community paper. The content is relevant to the college and the community, supported by clean layout that doesn’t push any limits. More features and better photos would improve it overall.

THIRD PLACE

NIAGARA COLLEGE – NIAGARA NEWS

What a great first impression with the News’ front page. The photos and layout were also striking, however the content lacks focus. By not localizing stories, it seems the writers can just write about whatever they want. That’s good for the writers, bad for the paper.

Premier Awards

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Number of entries: 75

JUDGE

Chris Foulds

Christopher Foulds is editor of Kamloops This Week, which is like being a horse and carriage operator as Henry Ford is opening his first factory down the street. Foulds has a Facebook and Twitter account, but prefers ink on his fingers. If not for the grounding employed by his kids and the B.C. Lions, he shudders to think of what this business would have done to his fragile mind.

FIRST PLACE

VAUGHAN TODAY

Shawn Star’s profile of guitarist Dom Polito captures the spirit of Polito that enabled him to overcome the severing of two fingers, digits one would assume need to remain intact if one was to continue playing. Polito is candid in how he overcame the challenge and Star’s writing is refreshingly straightforward without edging into treacly territory, even a sentence chalk full of rock song puns doesn’t really take away from Polito’s tale. This is a fine profile of an everyman who has accomplished much in the face of a daunting obstacle, more so than many of the more famous we tend to celebrate a bit too much in print. There are many more Dom Politos in all communities. They are living stories to be told if we journalists can ferret them out.

HONOURABLE MENTION

Etobicoke Guardian – Jeff Hayward’s description of Etobicoke’s less fortunate making wonderful art as they find a bit of refuge in the Out of the Cold program is well written and gives a powerful voice to a very important endeavour.

GENERAL COMMENTS

It was an interesting 75 entries, from standard interviews with popular musicians passing through town to profiles of locals overcoming challenges in an admirable way. It was evident the submissions came from new journalists and veterans alike, but the common denominator that links them all is the passion behind the writing. This is very encouraging in this age of newspaper doomand-gloom. While there were no significant features that stood out from the others, the focus on profiling those who contribute to the arts in the community provided very enjoyable reading.

SECOND PLACE

TORONTO BEACH/RIVERDALE MIRROR

The world’s worst nuclear-reactor disaster happened in 1986 at the Chernobyl plant in the Ukraine. Reporter Joanna Lavoie writes about a photo exhibit focusing on Chernobyl, an exhibit featuring photos by a local photographer. The descriptions of Chernobyl, as told to Lavoie, are harrowing and bring back memories for anyone old enough to recall news coverage of the event 25 years ago. Lavoie also ties the Chernobyl disaster to the recent nuclear crisis in Japan following last year’s earthquake and tsunami. Wrapping up this strong story are chilling photographs by Olena Sullivan that capture the trapped-in-time status of the area around the nuclear power plant in eastern Europe.

THIRD PLACE

NEW HAMBURG INDEPENDENT

Opera is a tough subject to sell to a mass audience. I like how Doug Coxson speaks directly to the reader from the beginning as he tells the story of how Aida is being staged by an amateur theatre group called The Community Players. Coxson is entertaining and informative without talking down to his audience as he explains Aida and the people behind the production. The fact he wrote the story and took the photos is impressive as well.

BEST BUSINESS & FINANCE STORY

Number of entries: 68

JUDGE

Rick Volman

Rick Volman is currently editor of the Fort Saskatchewan Record. His wandering career has seen writing for daily newspapers, web-based publications and weeklies. Along the way he has won the Canadian Mining Institute’s national prize for feature writing and been a honourable mention for awards for his coverage in Alberta’s energy sector. He graduated from Grant MacEwan Community College in 1986.

FIRST PLACE

PARRY SOUND NORTH STAR

Dead highway slows business in village of Nobel – To be sure Cameron Ginn’s story about the impact of a highway bypass upon the business community of the village of Noble, published by the Parry Sound North Star, just jumped out of the pile. There are hundreds of communities impacted by these types of developments across this country, but his writing took me there, put me in front of those people and told me their story as if I saw their lips move and heard their mournful voices. His use of colour, and turn of phrase, created word pictures that pushed his story far beyond just straight reporting. It’s a story so well crafted, I wish I could write half as well.

GENERAL COMMENTS

When asked to judge this category I hardly expected the flood of material which poured over the transom. To be sure, there were the staples of the weekly trade. The entrepreneur of the week as I like to call them. There were also the stories of business people entangled in red tape, government departments being more obstructionist than helpful, projects and ambitions gone wrong, and redevelopment/revitalization stories by the truckload. The interesting thing about these stories is you find them almost in every community across Canada. The issue at play here isn’t so much about the story, but more about how well the writers tell them. Other than the odd publication, which submitted advertising features as business copy, a large part of the group showed a strength of writing skills and I am impressed by almost all the entries I saw. For the most part, everybody submitted what I would call portfolio pieces; the one’s you are not afraid to put under the nose of any editor as you move up the ladder of this trade. Keep writing like this, people, and you’ll be there.

SECOND PLACE

NIAGARA THIS WEEK, GRIMSBY

Handling Specialty celebrates its global reach – Scott Rosts wrote a corporate profile on Handling Specialty (published by Niagara This Week), that had a more yeoman-like flavour of writing by comparison. I liked his use of an antidotal lead to wander into the story and then kept his transitions and quotes solidly linked to his focus on a local business working on a global scale. There were many corporate features, but none so solidly written.

THIRD PLACE

TORONTO LEASIDE ROSEDALE TOWN CRIER

Laird’s new vibe – Third place was a lot harder to judge and frankly there were easily a dozen submissions that could have got the nod. As I scratched my head, and made my marks with my trusty red pen, I kept coming back to Joshua Freeman’s and Shadi piece on the transition of Laird Street from an industrial area to a more retail oriented strip. Using a blind lead, a touch of colour here and there, and keeping a half dozen voices from muddling the story, he showed a rare strength of focus. He allowed each voice to tell their part of the story without tripping over one another. What honestly sealed the deal, though, the use of a magazine-styled layout by the publisher. The layout was crisp, clean and arty enough to make the story stand barely above the fray.

BEST EDITORIAL

CIRC. 10,000+

Number of entries: 45

JUDGE

Glenn Mitchell

Glenn MItchell is the managing editor of The Morning Star newspaper in Vernon, B.C. and has worked at Black Press newspapers since 1986. He is a former director of the B.C. Press Council.

FIRST PLACE

OAKVILLE TODAY

Will you listen? – Well-researched, well-written and a creative angle on the rights of coyotes vs. humans. You may not agree with it necessarily but it’s provocative and well thought out, and should get the debate going, which is exactly what a good editorial should do.

HONOURABLE MENTION

Muskoka District Weekender –Clear the air – A well-written piece on the importance of trust and transparency.

GENERAL COMMENTS

Some great editorials here that take important stances, and the top dozen or so were difficult to choose from. However, too many were on the dull side and like too many editorials these days, appeared like they were written at the last minute before deadline to fill that darn hole on the editorial page. Editorials are still important and can be made more accessible to more people (not to mention more fun to write) if they are approached in a more creative manner. Have some fun with them and still get your point across. Plus don’t leave them until the last minute, he said knowing that it’s easy for a judge to say even though he does the same thing.

SECOND PLACE

INNISFIL JOURNAL

Police board switch welcome – Brave, bold and an important stance by the newspaper to show it is an advocate of the people for the good of the community. Bravo.

THIRD PLACE

NEWMARKET ERA-BANNER

Red poppy not broken, no reason to fix it – A refreshingly simple, straightforward style. A strong stance on what should be a non-issue but unfortunately isn’t. A great defence of the poppy and all that it represents.

JUDGE

BEST EDITORIAL

CIRC. -9,999

Number of entries: 31

Wendy Elliott

Wendy Elliott has been a reporter, editor and columnist for over 30 years. Writing for The Kings County Advertiser in western Nova Scotia, she has picked up regional and national awards for Best Columnist and Best Series.

HONOURABLE MENTION

FIRST PLACE

BLUE MOUNTAINS COURIER-HERALD

Leitch has picked the wrong master – Loyalty to a national leader in the face of scientific evidence of wrong to humanity is focus of this fine editorial. Canada is losing face on the world stage due to such misguided thinking.

SECOND PLACE

NUNAVUT NEWS/NORTH

Minden Times – Holy hypocrisy – Plain speaking is good. Church headquarters got slammed here and for good reason. Practice what you preach.

GENERAL COMMENTS

Editorials provide the viewpoint of each newspaper. This is an important function. They present more than a single opinion and, as such, must be clearly written, intelligent and thought-provoking - not tossed off just prior to deadline. This was a strong class, but the writing that stood out made the local issues understandable to a judge from another province. Editorials should not start on one page and carry over to another. That kind of layout only diminishes the value of the exercise.

Healing requires help – The wounds of the residential schools our First Nations peoples were forced into are taking a long time to heal. This editorial is an apt reminder that the pain goes on.

THIRD PLACE

PARRY SOUND BEACON STAR

Just not worth the risk – The quality of risk certainly varies, but as the writer quite rightly points out nuclear transportation should not leave any room for error.

JUDGE

EDUCATION WRITING

Number of entries: 74

Teresa Bird

Teresa Bird recently became publisher of the Alberni Valley News on Vancouver Island after many years as editor and publisher at the North Island Gazette in Port Hardy, B.C.

FIRST PLACE

HALIBURTON COUNTY ECHO

New report finds few male teachers in primary grades – Great job of personalizing a dry report and making it interesting and relevant to readers. Very strong layout ensures the story will catch the readers’ attention.

SECOND PLACE

GUELPH

TRIBUNE

HONOURABLE MENTION

Toronto Beach Riverdale Town

Crier – A good story with excellent information that parents can really use.

GENERAL COMMENTS

Education stories are surprisingly similar across the province and the country: innovative teachers, students and programs persevere despite insufficient funding. Schools are at the centre of communities, their stories are important to readers. Education is being well covered in Ontario. In almost every case the stories were relevant and well written. Reporters are getting into the schools, the classrooms and of course the board room to make sure parents and taxpayers know the good, the bad and even the ugly in public schools. A+.

High school experience can add up – If parents weren’t already talking about this, they were after reading this story. The information was comprehensive and relevant.

THIRD PLACE

CALEDON ENTERPRISE

Student artists fight back against graffiti – Great art and quotes from the students. Reporters Heather Abrey & Robyn Wilkinson obviously spent some time getting what was needed to make a good story a great one.

Sponsored by: Ontario Journalism Educators Association

JUDGE

ENVIRONMENT ONTARIO

Number of entries: 64

Dave Whitfield

Dave Whitfield is editor of the weekly Rocky Mountain Outlook in Alberta’s Bow Valley (Banff and Canmore). Dave has been involved in journalism for 20 years, working as reporter, photographer, sports editor and editor in weekly newspapers, an alternative entertainment weekly, a professional rodeo monthly and with freelance projects.

FIRST PLACE

Guildwood residents feel ‘vindicated’ – Nothing like a story that shows the little guy wins - in this case citizens against the province. A well-written, in-depth piece on a large topic by Danielle Milley. Adding visuals keeps the reader interested and the timeline is a good addition to clarify and simplify what was obviously a long, drawn-out process.

SECOND PLACE

HONOURABLE MENTION

Almonte/Carleton Place CanadianGazette – Chemical leak forces people to move out – Big dollars for a cleanup and finger pointing as to who’s to blame... Well written with both sides attended to –victims and those in charge.

GENERAL COMMENTS

This is a tough competition to judge as there is a wide range of topics. Environment almost needs to be broken further to environment news and environment features as both are interesting on their own. Some entries fell short quickly as they had no graphics/ photos/mugshots to add design features. Some examples showed much more work on research, while others were simply stories based on information from a single meeting, which is much easier to handle.

BURLINGTON POST

Do endangered species warrant full road closures? –Sometimes a good environment story comes down to the little guys - in this case salamanders. Tina Depko provides a well written story with some layout design and an image, which would have been better had a face been in a photo. But the salamanders added a good graphic look. As so often with environment stories, both sides have their arguments and are presented.

THIRD PLACE

MINDEN TIMES

Butterfly count sets records – Angelica Blenich creates an interesting story that shows not everything environmental is large-scale. The fact that a standard butterfly count resulted in a new find that has entomologists hopping with excitement is a good read. Even a tiny butterfly has an impact on the environment.

SCARBOROUGH MIRROR

FEATURE WRITING

CIRC. 10,000+

Number of entries: 69

JUDGE

Justin Beddall

Justin Beddall has been the editor of the award-winning North and West Vancouver Outlook since 2006. A journalist for more than a decade, he is also author of Vancouver Canucks: Heartstopping Stories from Canada’s Most Exciting Hockey Team.

FIRST PLACE

ALMONTE/CARLETON PLACE CANADIAN-GAZETTE

Picking up the pieces – Tackling the tough topic of youth suicide, this compelling feature by Laura Mueller tells the poignant stories of two teens in crisis and - perhaps most importantly - shows others facing similar problems that they are not alone. Heartbreaking and hopeful, this feature is an important conversation starter for teens and parents.

SECOND PLACE

OSHAWA THIS WEEK

He’s 78, alone and gay in Durham Region – Great opening scene that immediately draws readers into a unique story about issues facing gay senior citizens. An original, well-written piece by Jillian Follert, that does a great job of using a central character to tell a story.

HONOURABLE MENTION

Vaughan Today – Ahmadis find peace in the village – A thoughtful feature that takes readers inside Vaughan’s Ahmadi Muslim community and provides great insight about its denizens and the unique struggles they’ve overcome to create this flourishing neighbourhood.

GENERAL COMMENTS

This was an extremely difficult category to judge because of the vast number of well-written, thought-provoking entries. Congratulations to all who entered.

THIRD PLACE

NEWMARKET ERA-BANNER

Father, son struggle to survive – This story takes a look at the issue of homelessness through the eyes of a father and son who are struggling to survive. In a community where little is known about those who are desperately seeking work and shelter, this compelling feature succeeds in putting a face to homelessness. A well-researched piece by Chris Traber, that captures the reader from start to finish.

Sponsored by: O’Donnell, Robertson & Sanfilippo

JUDGE

FEATURE WRITING

CIRC. -9,999

Number of entries: 32

David Kelly

David Kelly has been the editor at the Kings County Record, an award-winning weekly newspaper in Sussex, New Brunswick, since 2008.

GENERAL COMMENTS

FIRST PLACE

HALIBURTON COUNTY ECHO

Still the same Stuart – Jenn Watt did great work on this piece. It was easy to feel how happy the family is to be back together after the accident. The story brought me into their lives and I’m pulling for them all the way.

SECOND PLACE

VANKLEEK HILL REVIEW

Think prostitution isn’t a local problem? –An occupation born of desperation – Lianne Lahaie provided fantastic insight in this story. Getting the four women to talk on the record was the first bit of magic and their stories make it all the more interesting.

The top three entries in this category show how much writing and interviewing skills can transform an ordinary feature into something memorable. Features go beyond the norm and dig down into the personal details so readers connect with people or events. Many of the other stories entered didn’t go deep enough or have subject matter to create that “wow” factor, which helped the cream rise to the top in the end. Congratulations Haliburton County Echo, Vankleek Hill Review and Cobden Sun.

THIRD PLACE

COBDEN SUN

A stranger saved her life – I felt every up and down in this couple’s life because of the writing. Well done Debbie Robinson.

Sponsored by: O’Donnell, Robertson & Sanfilippo

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Number of entries: 78

Kevin Higgins

HONOURABLE MENTION

14-y

During his 14-year community newspaper career, Kevin Higgins has been a reporter and editor, as well as a business and office manager, at two of the 14 community newspapers in Newfoundland and Labrador. Since 2007, he has been the editor of The Beacon in Gander, NL, one of the largest community newspapers in the province. Previous to that he spent two years in the sports and news room of the daily newspaper, the Western Star, in his hometown of Corner Brook, NL. Through these years, he has won numerous Atlantic Canada and national awards for reporting, editorial writing, photography and page design.

FIRST PLACE

TORONTO FOREST HILL TOWN CRIER

Time for that talk – This story, by Sharon Ko & Shadi Raoufi, touches on a subject that is both difficult and uncomfortable for most parents to discuss with their children. It provides very helpful advice on how to approach this subject. The multiple interviews, photographs and layout set this apart from the others.

Toronto North Toronto Town Crier –

Through the hard times – A personal touch to an ever-growing problem in society. The writer uses a different approach to tell about services available.

GENERAL COMMENTS

Overall, there were many good health/ wellness features in this category. While the writing and topics were very well done in many, the difference a lot of the time came in the photographs or layout of the feature. Some pieces missed out in being in the top 3 because of these. When doing feature pieces, layout, photographs, information boxes, etc.. are important elements. Many others didn’t make the cut because they were more like news stories than feature pieces, and even then there some were lacking initiative, originality and research elements. Features in this category have the opportunity to affect the lives of the readers, and even though some entries came up short, all presented issues that could potentially help a reader personally.

SECOND PLACE

RICHMOND HILL/THORNHILL LIBERAL

Crossing the digital divide: Cyber-savvy seniors plugging in – Very informative piece from Kim Zarzour, that details the experience of one senior. More importantly, it sends a message to other seniors – a healthy life is important, and part of that is keeping up with the times.

THIRD PLACE

TORONTO LEASIDE ROSEDALE TOWN CRIER

Living life in the raw – one bite at a time –Alima Hotakie gives us a unique story on a healthyeating option that not many know about - it’s not just your usual fruits and vegetables.

Sponsored by: Safetycare Inc.

HERITAGE

Number of entries: 65

Tim Jaques

Tim Jaques is the Managing Editor of The Tribune in Campbellton, New Brunswick. He has been editor since 2005

FIRST PLACE

NUNAVUT NEWS/NORTH

‘A very backward experience’ by Jeanne Gagnon from Nunavut News North was about Inuit elders from Qikiqtani region speaking to the Qikiqtani Truth Commission about relocation from their traditional settlements to newer communities between 1950 to 1975 to suit the convenience of the federal government. It contained some very moving first-hand testimonial. I also found it to be very nicely laid out.

SECOND PLACE

MANITOULIN EXPOSITOR

‘Wikwemikong sisters tell stories of abuse, loneliness while at St. Joseph’s residential school, Spanish’ by Alicia McCutcheon, The Manitoulin Expositor, was, coincidentally, also about elders speaking to a Truth and Reconciliation Commission about abuse committed against them in their youth. This dealt with their residential school experience. It also contained moving first-hand historical testimonial.

THIRD PLACE

GENERAL COMMENTS

All the entries in this category were of good quality. I certainly would have been happy to have published any of these submissions and it was indeed a pleasure to read them. It was difficult to pick three winners out of the stack.

NEW HAMBURG INDEPENDENT

‘Tramp artistry’ by Doug Coxson, New Hamburg Independent, was an interesting little piece on a local carver of trinkets, a tramp who died in 1926. As is often the case, the tramp’s little trinkets now command sums which would have astonished him. I liked as well how the page was laid out.

Sponsored by: Fort Frances Times

BEST INVESTIGATIVE NEWS STORY

Number of entries: 27

JUDGE

Jim Zeeben

Jim Zeeben is the editor of the Saanich News and a senior editor in the Black Press Greater Victoria newsroom. Zeeben has been in the community newspaper industry since the 1990s and has been involved in newspaper startups. He has worked with numerous teams that have been recognized nationally and provincially for newspaper excellence.

HONOURABLE MENTION

Vankleek Hill Review – Think prostitution isn’t a local problem? – An occupation born of desperation –Shedding light on a shadowy side of society by speaking directly to the people involved helped this piece rise above the more mediocre entries. However, the feature simply didn’t have the scale of those that finished in the top three.

GENERAL COMMENTS

A few of the entries seemed entirely out of place in this category, almost as if they were entered just to ensure the paper was in every category. Many were only marginally more investigative than a basic council story. However, those papers that made an honest effort to do the work really shined. The stories, though local, were flushed out well enough to capture a much larger audience. Congratulations to the winners, and all of the reporters and editors who did the hard work necessary to bring these stories to readers.

If newspapers are going to thrive, we need publishers and owners willing to provide the resources for newsrooms to do investigative work. It is among the best way for our medium to show its strength and value among the countless sources of information available.

FIRST PLACE

CALEDON ENTERPRISE

The Lost Boys of Caledon ‘I just want to know what happened.’ – Andrew Livingstone & Robyn Wilkinson – Compelling story, well-written article that stood out among the competition. This nicely packaged piece wouldn’t be out of place in a national magazine.

SECOND PLACE

PETERBOROUGH THIS WEEK

The health unit’s tobacco ties – Lauren Gilchrist – Good job of getting to the point and calling out a powerful individual for some questionable decisions. This is the type of ballsy story that more newspapers need to publish.

THIRD PLACE

WATERDOWN FLAMBOROUGH REVIEW

Off Track – Catherine O’Hara & Christina Commisso – A lot of thought went into this package and it shows in the breadth of coverage. It would have been nice if the stories showed a little more variety rather than retelling essentially the same story.

BEST NEWS STORY

CIRC. 10,000+

Number of entries: 63

JUDGE

Joe Banks

Joe Banks has been an Ontario community newspaper reporter, editor and publisher for 25 years. He now coordinates, and is a professor for the journalism program at Algonquin College.

FIRST PLACE

MISSISSAUGA NEWS

Baby dies at daycare – Reporter Louie Rosella’s story covering the tragic death of a 14-month old girl as the result of suffering head trauma at a private daycare is the type of story that captures the attention of an entire city. The community paper has a responsibility to answer the many questions horrified readers would have, not only about the circumstances of the case itself, but the implications for this and other home-operated private daycares throughout Mississauga. Under what must have been difficult circumstances, Rosella was able to get perspective from the family affected, but didn’t stop there. Rosella also included sidebars that widened the story, including one sourcing childcare advocates calling for tougher laws with regard to private home daycare facilities and a coroner’s inquest. This is the kind of first-rate coverage good reporters deliver and Rosella and the News is to be congratulated for it.

HONOURABLE MENTION

Newmarket Era-Banner – Community mourns officer’s death – Like Peterborough This Week, the Newmarket Era-Banner’s coverage of the death of a local police officer went beyond the usual. In words and photos, Era reporters Chris Traber, Amanda Persico and Joe Fantauzzi covered all aspects of this tragedy.

GENERAL COMMENTS

The winners of this category went beyond the usual 5Ws reporting and were exhaustive in their coverage of a story that would have been on the lips of everyone in their readership area. They used sidebars, compelling layout and graphics to do that. Re-writing a police press release isn’t journalism, it’s transcription. A lack of resources is often the reason for bare-bones coverage, but it’s important for publishers to know that community papers can easily beat their daily cousins by drilling down further and bringing to light the background of a major news event.

PETERBOROUGH THIS WEEK

Pulling for Keith – One of the disadvantages of non-daily publication is that the daily media will always get the jump on breaking major news stories. Competing community papers, then, need to go beyond that 5Ws-type coverage and find new angles to what can be a dated story by the time it’s published, whether online or in print. Peterborough This Week chose to help the community heal following the wounding of Constable Keith Calderwood, who was shot while executing a search warrant at a Lindsay home. Reporter Lauren Gilchrist, with files from colleagues Barbara-Ann MacEachern and Catherine Whitnall, detailed – over three pages – the depth of affection and respect the police department, friends and citizens had for Const. Calderwood., and the many charitable works in which he was involved. This was accompanied by an easy-to-read point-by-point list of the known facts behind the shootings which provided context into the broader implications of the outrage. Well done.

THIRD PLACE

SECOND PLACE SCARBOROUGH MIRROR

Local community housing problems highlighted – The troubling state of community housing doesn’t get the attention it deserves where it is the frontline resource in the prevention of poverty. But the Scarborough Mirror’s Mike Adler used the words of an 11 year-old boy to lay bare the disturbing neglect by the city of his family’s ground-floor apartment in a public housing unit. The accompanying photo and details of board-level turmoil in the Toronto Community Housing authority will serve as an ongoing and very public call to action when the wheels of progress begin to seize up. Good work.

Sponsored by: Hydro One Networks Inc.

BEST NEWS STORY

CIRC. -9,999

Number of entries: 26

JUDGE

Steve Bonspiel

Steve Bonspiel, owner and publisher of Kahnawake, Quebec’s newspaper called The Eastern Door, is an awardwinning Mohawk journalist. He is also the editor of the newspaper, which serves 8000 community members. Steve’s travels during his nine years in the journalism business have brought him to Honduras and Guatemala for reports on Indigenous eco-tourism, to northern Quebec Cree territory, where he worked as assistant Editor for the Nation magazine for close to six years, as well as to Rome, Italy for the Pope’s apology to residential school survivors. Steve also freelances for various Aboriginal and mainstream papers. In 2008 Steve won the Lindsay Crysler Award from the Quebec Community Newspapers Association for his outstanding contribution to the community newspaper business, and, in 2011, was a Michener award nominee for his controversial series on eviction letters handed out to non-Natives in the community by the Mohawk Council.

FIRST PLACE

HONOURABLE MENTION

Burks Falls Almaguin News –Magnetawan’s black day – This piece could have squeaked into the top three, if the top three weren’t so strong. It lost points when it used terms like “during the interview” to describe a lull in the reporting process that day. It just doesn’t need to be put into the story.

GENERAL COMMENTS

It is always a pleasure to see what other journalists are doing, especially in an org as vibrant as the OCNA. I thought the entries were solid and there were hardly any that were entered just to fill a category (which we all know happens across the board in ALL of our associations). The first prize winner was a no brainer. I almost gave it a perfect score. It had everything a news piece should have and it went the extra mile and more. Want to know how to win this competition next year? Follow the two reporters’ lead. Second place was appealing to me because asbestos is a problem in almost every province and its detrimental effects are well know. This category was tough to judge, informative to read and a pleasure to make the time for.

LISTOWEL BANNER

Community mourns fallen heroes – A very sad and heartfelt piece that demonstrated the impact the deaths of two beloved firefighters had on the community. The story brings tears to your eyes and although I’m tempted to say it ran a little long, it is exactly what the community needed. A range of sources, strong quotes and a ton of legwork by Andrew Smith & Shannon Burrows put this piece head and shoulders above the rest. Great job!

SECOND PLACE

BLUE MOUNTAINS COURIER-HERALD

Leitch stays mum on asbestos issues – I thought this entry could have been bolstered by using three different heads, instead of using the same one for the main and two bleeds. There were also mistakes contained within that would have made this a better piece if caught by the editor. However the research that went into it and the sources quoted, not to mention the huge issue that we should all be aware of, was written in a way that informed me and made me angry. Erika Engel, thank you for bringing this issue to the forefront and don’t stop pushing until you get answers.

THIRD PLACE

GRAVENHURST BANNER

Downtown reeling from fire – I liked this piece by Allyson Snelling because it painted a picture of a close-knit town dealt a sever blow by a tragic fire. The layout was very nice, one of the best in this category.

Sponsored by: Hydro One Networks Inc.

BEST RURAL STORY

CIRC. 10,000+

Number of entries: 29

JUDGE

Stu Salkeld

Stewart Salkeld grew up in a tiny farming community located in the east-central region of Alberta, so he is no stranger to rural communities. Graduating from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in 1991 with a diploma in Journalism, Salkeld has spent his entire newspaper career as a reporter or editor with community newspapers. The papers he’s worked for include the Oyen Echo, the Arrow Lakes News, the Macleod Gazette and the Rocky Mountain House Mountaineer. Salkeld has been at The Mountaineer since 2001, starting as a reporter/photographer and becoming editor (after the sudden passing of Brian Mazza) in 2007.

FIRST PLACE

GEORGETOWN/ ACTON INDEPENDENT & FREE PRESS

The first place award in this category was earned by Georgetown/Acton Independent & Free Press reporter/ photographer Ted Brown and his story “Road Rage” a news/ feature that gave a firsthand account in the Halton Hills region of what farmers experience as they operate large machinery on highways packed with commuters. An excerpt: Dairy farmer Paul Laidlaw of Norval knows firsthand how people react to farm vehicles on the road. With his operation located on Winston Churchill Boulevard, he takes more than his share of abuse on the road. “Traffic congestion is one of the major reasons why so many farmers have left and moved from Halton and Peel, into other farming areas,” added Laidlaw. The story excellently illustrates an issue family farms are facing in rural Ontario as they deal with urban encroachment into rural areas: farms and freeways. The story scored perfect marks in all grading categories: quality of writing, effective use of photography, clarity, interest and display. The story was clear, easy to understand, packed with memorable quotes and had some clearly illustrative photos.

GENERAL COMMENTS

It was very difficult to narrow this category down to three winners from 29 entries. Each of the entries was worthy of a first, second or third place finish. The category, “Best Rural Story Over 10,000 Circulation,” at first glance would appear to be almost exclusively agriculture, but the entries provided a snapshot of a diverse rural community served by members of the OCNA. The entries ranged from a “learn as you work” farm, the shutting down of a popular flea market, a mythbusting horticulturalist and author and an indoor spinach operation that is making inroads with the supermarket chains. A very interesting and diverse group of entries that illustrates the communities served by larger community newspapers over 10,000 circulation.

SECOND PLACE

OTTAWA THIS WEEK - SOUTH

The second place award in this category was earned by Ottawa This Week - South journalist Emma Jackson and her story “Snowmobile pathway fuelling controversy”. Conflict between recreational area users is nothing new, and many times it seems motorized vehicles are at the heart of the issue. Jackson’s story succinctly explains the efforts of the City of Ottawa’s efforts to develop guidelines for the use of the Osgoode-Leitrim multi-use pathway in the south and the Prescott-Russell pathway in the east. Jackson explained both are being built along old railbeds in rural areas of the city. The story really offered a great impression of how complex such rural issues can be: how two different groups each felt passionately about their recreational wants and desires with a municipality in the middle, trying to ensure everyone is treated fairly.

THIRD PLACE

BURLINGTON POST

The third place award was earned by the Burlington Post and its reporter Dennis Smith along with photographer Daniel Ho for a story titled “Pursuit of agriculture in Burlington’s backyard.”Smith’s story is best described by his excellent, snappy lead: “A chilly breeze rustles through trees filled with reddish-green pears. A mass of 1,000 busy bees throbs in their hive. But this escarpment farm’s sweeping view also includes highrises and the gleaming CN Tower. “Welcome to the 31st annual Halton Farm Tour, which was focused this year on near urban agriculture. Smith went on to show how “near agriculture” in the shadow of a metropolis is still amazingly diverse: a living, breathing honey operation with up to 80,000 bees per colony along with a variety of fruit, vegetable, flower and plant operations. Smith also let the subjects tell their own story: the article was packed with interesting, informative and memorable quotes. Photography was sharp and colorful.

JUDGE

BEST RURAL STORY

Number of entries: 23

Steve Cogan

CIRC. -9,999 alum

Stephen Cogan is a proud alumnus of community newspapers in the Upper Ottawa Valley. He’s also been a writer and editor at the Kingston Whig-Standard, CBC News in Toronto and NBC News in New York. He co-manages the journalism programs at Centennial College in Toronto.

FIRST PLACE

HALIBURTON COUNTY ECHO

Midwives bridge the gap in rural health care – This story has it all: subject-matter that everyone can relate to; an important development; fine reporting, writing and photography that balances both individual and community experience; an engaging visual package; even a tie-in to additional content online. Congratulations, Jenn Watt and Darren Lum!

HONOURABLE MENTION

Huntsville Forester – Mayor Doughty lodges dam complaints – Alison Brownlee realizes the far-reaching implications in a municipal committee meeting that might not have even caught the attention of another reporter. She explores the issue from various sides and presents a nuanced but clear account.

GENERAL COMMENTS

Having worked for a rural weekly, and with family roots in the country, I thought this would be a fun category to judge. And it was. But I didn’t realize how hard it would also be – sifting so many examples of quality journalism. The two-dozen nominees are an impressive reflection on the high level of work being done by staff at newspapers in smaller but still vibrant communities across the province. Sincere congratulations to all.

SECOND PLACE

NUNAVUT NEWS/NORTH

Communities lobby for proper morgues – A difficult subject, confronted head-on by a gutsy reporter and solid writer. Jeanne Gagnon avoids a morbid tone, but doesn’t shirk from portraying a significant indignity and steps being taken to address it.

THIRD PLACE

NEW HAMBURG INDEPENDENT

Rising from the ashes – A heartrending event presented through a dramatic narrative. Doug Coxson effectively describes a family’s trauma and recovery, touching on lessons learned and powerfully illustrating community solidarity.

JUDGE

BEST FEATURE / NEWS

Number of entries: 56

Brian Lazzuri

SERIES, CIRC. 10,000+ indus

Brian Lazzuri has worked in the newspaper industry for more than a decade first in advertising sales and later on the editorial side of the business. He moved with his wife, Clare, to Antigonish, Nova Scotia in 2002 and helped the Casket establish the Atlantic Catholic. In 2006, Lazzuri was named managing editor of the Casket newspaper, the oldest continuing weekly in Canada. The paper has served the Antigonish community for 160 years and has a circulation of 4,500. As managing editor, he helped launch the Quad County EXTRA a total market vehicle reaching more than 20,000 homes in the Strait of Canso area, instituted a redesign in the Casket and developed an on-line presence for the paper. Lazzuri has been recognized by the Atlantic Community Newspaper Association (Newspapers Atlantic) for his editorial writing on national and local issues. In 2011, the association recognized the Casket for its Christmas edition and special section for Remembrance Day. The paper also garnered its first Canadian Newspaper Association Blue Ribbon last year. Brian and Clare live in Ashdale with their five children. He is an avid reader who follows politics, sports and enjoys spending time with his family.

FIRST PLACE

PETERBOROUGH THIS WEEK

Population shift – From the opening story with its eye catching photo to a solid layout throughout, the Peterborough This Week entry surely caught readers attention both visually and verbally. Excellent photographs and information boxes supported the writing without overshadowing the content. The topic of population shift is one that many Canadian communities are experiencing. With a diversity of voices including young immigrants, youth and elderly, the series demonstrated how the residents of Peterborough are coping with a changing world. Bravo for the reporter, Lauren Gilchrist, the photographers and design team.

HONOURABLE MENTION

Almonte/Carleton Place Canadian-Gazette – Picking up the pieces – One of several youth focused stories, the Almonte/Carleton Place Canadian-Gazette series on youth suicide provided a glimpse into every parent’s worst nightmare with first-hand accounts from a family who lost a beloved-son and one where the son lived and continues to face his problems. The series offered insight to parents and avenues of support. Great interviews and excellent writing.

GENERAL COMMENTS

A tough and interesting category to judge not only due the volume of submissions but the variety of topics covered. Whether stories discuss teenage suicide, homelessness, plights of veterans, municipal government, economic well-being, how youth are educated, sexual assault or drug use, writers used their skill to shine a light on the many ailments of society while others covered positive news. Most of the entries were well worth the read but the top echelon of the submissions included the total package: excellent writing, high reader interest, related well to the community and jumped off the page with superior layout. Overall the submissions were an impressive collection of features and news stories illustrating community journalism will continue to thrive in Ontario.

SECOND PLACE

NEWMARKET ERA-BANNER

Shaping our Future – Another submission with strong layout of material, the six-part series from the Newmarket Era-Banner chronicled the York Region’s vision for 2051. Comprehensive writing showed how the community is facing the future from infrastructure, economy, policing, poverty and leisure. Not the easiest of subjects but ones every reporter must be able to write about.

THIRD PLACE

OSHAWA THIS WEEK

Wasted youth – The Oshawa This Week entry showed the dark side of teenagers who are fighting addiction to drugs and how drug use is impacting youths’ families. The series included ways for youth and parents to seek help as well as provide. Well researched, well written and well done.

BEST FEATURE/NEWS

SERIES, CIRC. -9,999

Number of entries: 20

JUDGE

Lisa Joy

Editor of Lacombe Globe. Started in the media industry in mid 80s and has worked as a reporter and editor in Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. Won First Place Best Feature Series CCNA 2008. Won First Place Best Local Editorial CCNA 2011. Golden Dozen Award for Outstanding Editorial Writing when at Ponoka News as editor in 2006.

FIRST PLACE

ARNPRIOR CHRONICLE-GUIDE

Picking up the pieces – First place goes to the heartwrenching series about youth suicide. A face is put to the issue especially with the contrast of stories featuring the tragedy of one youth who took his life. All the signs that he was suicidal were missed or those he told, kept quiet. The other story portrays a youth who battled suicidal tendencies and emerged from the darkness with help. A discussion on a topic that isn’t discussed much was opened. But hope was given, sometimes in the form of just one caring person, and help listed by the resources available. This series truly portrayed how it takes a village to raise a child. Details of how difficult it is to navigate the mental health system were given, as well as tips. In the end, there was a call made for Canada to have a National Suicide Prevention Strategy.

SECOND PLACE

HUNTSVILLE FORESTER

HONOURABLE MENTION

Manitoulin Expositor – Suicide watch – Honourable mention goes to Suicide Watch that dealt with the issue of native youth suicide. The frustration over the situation is revealed in Chief Shining Turtle’s comment: “Hope, opportunity and a level playing field, that’s what we want but its not here. So who do you turn to? The chief coroner apparently.”

GENERAL COMMENTS

There were many excellent entries in this category and deciding on the winners was a difficult task. Some of the entries, however, could have been improved by adding the human element.

Families at risk: Teen says child welfare experience left him with nightmares – The series gave a balanced approach to the Children’s Aid Society and portrayed a youth who was deeply hurt by and in the system, and in contrast, a mom who benefited from the system’s involvement in her and her children’s lives. The series delved into the challenges of the society and the issues facing it, and spoke about the changes needed within the system to help some of the most vulnerable members of our society – children.

THIRD PLACE

WASAGA SUN

Mission Bound – The reporter presented a fascinating series of stories about humanitarian work done by a group of Rotary members in the Dominican Republic. After returning from the trip, an interesting angle by the reporter was doing a piece asking if they made a difference in the lives of those they went to help.

SPORT & RECREATION STORY

Number of entries: 88

JUDGE

Chris Clegg

A graduate of Lethbridge Community College in April 1987, Chris Clegg was named editor of High Prairie South Peace News in December 1988 where he still works today. South Peace News has won 28 CCNA awards and 25 AWNA awards since 1988 including nine CCNA sports awards and seven AWNA sports awards. Clegg, 49, is single and will celebrate his 25th year in the newspaper industry this coming April, making him eligible to receive AWNA’s Silver Quill Award.

FIRST PLACE

BRIGHTON / EAST NORTHUMBERLAND INDEPENDENT

Gay and playing sports – This is a very tough subject to write about. Layout is very good and the subject is given its due attention with a full page presented nicely. There are lots of quotes in the story which pleases the reader. Very good lead. Paul Rellinger lets the subject tell the story through a good use of quotes. Very good job overall. No doubt this story had everyone in town talking.

GENERAL COMMENTS

Readers of Ontario are blessed with an abundance of excellent community newspaper writers. Take a bow! Overall, the writing is very high in quality and thus there are few criticisms. I must say the leads in almost every story were very well done. It’s the writers who were able to carry the momentum of a strong lead throughout the story which rose to the top. When there are so many excellent entries in a category, judges look for what might be missing and the treatment some stories received. Editors must find a way to give good stories their fair due. Give them a full page. And, if you are submitting an entry for an award, consider this. Why publish the story on an inside page instead of the front page or front page of sports, what does that tell the judge? Don’t be afraid to run sports stories on the front page. Photos need to be better. If you take the time to write a good story – and many of you did - you must find a way to publish a good photo to accompany the story to be an award winner. In the past I’ve judged various CCNA, Atlantic Canada, Manitoba and Saskatchewan competitions. This was by far the toughest category I’ve judged. I can honestly say five different judges may select five different winners. It was that close.

SECOND PLACE

BURLINGTON POST

Courage Canada takes kids skating – Excellent first few paragraphs! Well done John Bkila! Very good writing! There are plenty of quotes from program organizers and participants. This is a complete package, with good photos. Nice to see a story get play on the front page to garner interest.

THIRD PLACE

ETOBICOKE GUARDIAN

Football helps kids tackle life’s challenges – Very well done! Nice story, lots of quotes and well-packaged. A great success story! The only criticism is a weak photo which keeps Cynthia Reason from placing even higher. Almost a full page is given to the story which is exactly what it deserves.

HUMOUR COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR

Number of entries: 23

Gail Sjuberg

Gail Sjuberg has been the editor of the awardwinning Gulf Islands Driftwood newspaper in B.C. since 2003 and in the community newspaper business for more than 20 years. She is also the editor of Driftwood Publishing Ltd.’s magazine called Aqua-Gulf Islands Living and the Gulf Islander tourist guide, and has been a judge for numerous OCNA and CCNA competitions.

FIRST PLACE

HALIBURTON COUNTY ECHO – STEVE GALEA

Downsizing can be barbaric; Shock and awe; Living out loud – Steve Galea, whose columns of different names were entered by three different newspapers, is clearly a master of the craft. The top entry, especially since layout is a criteria to consider, came from the Haliburton County Echo.

SECOND PLACE

UXBRIDGE STANDARD – BLAKE WOLFE

GENERAL COMMENTS

As expected, this was a fun category to judge. Who doesn’t like to read humour columns?

Some entries were standard columns with a few funny bits thrown into the mix, but most came from writers who obviously toil regularly at creating witty and insightful pieces dotted with humour throughout.

The most common writing problem was the inclusion of unnecessary details or tangents, which made the column lose its focus. It’s hard to trim the details of a factual incident, but doing so results in a better, tighter story.

Sights of the season / Coming soon!: Patio Set II / Poetic License – Blake Wolfe’s “From the Newsroom” column from the Uxbridge Standard earned a solid second place. All three submitted pieces were distinct from each other in style and topics, which demonstrated his versatility. Wolfe’s column would be a reader’s favourite in my newspaper, for sure.

THIRD PLACE

LINDSAY POST – PEGGY ARMSTRONG

Santa Claus, Three Little Pigs weigh in on MPAC; KISNSM: Keep It Simple Not Stupid Meters; Eliminate flat surfaces to live with Mr. Fixit – Peggy Armstrong’s Observations from Omemee is my third-place choice. Her use of well-known fable characters and Santa to illuminate criticisms with the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation was particularly brilliant.

COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR

Number of entries: 47

JUDGE

Julie McCann

Julie has been a full-time journalism professor at Algonquin College since 2003. Prior to that, she was a staff writer at National Post Business magazine and a contributor to Chatelaine, Canadian Geographic, Applied Arts, the Montreal Gazette and the Ottawa Citizen. Previously she was the managing editor of Canadian in-flight magazine and a staff writer at Marketing Magazine. She holds a B.A.A. in journalism (magazine) from Ryerson University and an M.J. from Carleton University. She makes her home in Ottawa.

FIRST PLACE

TORONTO TODAY – BRIAN BAKER

Context is the message; Fight the power; Respect is due volunteers – Brian Baker’s columns are persuasive, colourful and smartly written. Whether he is writing about a misunderstood ad campaign or street hockey bylaws gone wrong, he owns his material – and his reader.

SECOND PLACE

HONOURABLE MENTION

Waterloo Chronicle – Bobby’s World - BOB VRBANAC (Hockey is definitely Canada’s passion) – The depth of knowledge and information encapsulated in these columns illustrates how informed and passionate Bob Vrbanac is about his community. A treat to read.

GENERAL COMMENTS

Overall, this is a strong, informed collection of voices, opinions and insights. The winners in this category should walk tall knowing that this was a strong, competitive field. It should be noted: the honourable mention category was particularly tough as there are some up-and-comers with a grand amount of talent. Keep up the great work everyone.

MARKHAM ECONOMIST & SUN – BERNIE O’NEILL

Bernie O’Neill has a smart, funny and wholly pleasurable voice. From start to finish, his reader fully trusts that he has his material well under control. Wherever he’s going next, we’re happy to follow along.

THIRD PLACE

OSHAWA THIS WEEK – BRIAN MCNAIR

Mudge makes smooth transition from the football field – Brian McNair is a natural storyteller and his readers in Oshawa are lucky for it. With a balanced blend of personal insight and experiences, solid reporting and a nice turn of phrase, the tone is just right: a reader leaves informed and entertained.

STEPHEN SHAW AWARD FOR REPORTER OF THE YEAR

Number of entries: 10

Leslie Cholowsky

Le

Leslie is the Editor of The Community Press, a weekly publication in East Central Alberta which serves the county of Flagstaff and is part of the Caribou Publishing group. Leslie began as Sales Executive in the fall of 2009, and pursued the Editor position when it opened up in January of 2011. Previously an editor of an E-Book publishing company, Les was thrilled to put her experience to work in this new and challenging position. She currently resides with her husband Murray in Killam, Alberta where she has been an active member of the community and raised her now adult son.

FIRST PLACE

BURLINGTON POST –- TINA DEPKO

Car culture – This is a very comprehensive, well-written and well-researched story by Tina Depko. The two-part presentation was very well done, with many facets of the traffic problems, trouble-spots, and gripes brought to light along with multiple solutions, current city undertakings, and considerations for citizens. The article provided a great deal of in-depth information on the subject, which is clearly one of great local relevance. The writing was clear, concise and virtually error-free, and the visual presentation is what really put it over the top as the winning entry. Extremely well done.

HONOURABLE MENTION

Peterborough This Week – Lauren Gilchrist – This story gets big points on local relevance and depth of research, and is very well-written. The issue at hand is presented fairly thoroughly, and many points of view are represented to give a look at the issue from a number of sides. Mere percentage points separated Lauren Gilchrist from the top three.

GENERAL COMMENTS

With one-and-a-half percentage points separating the top seven entries, this was an extremely difficult decision to come to. What it came down to was who presented the total story, in a comprehensive series of articles that left no question unasked, or unanswered. The top three entries exemplify what good reporting is all about. The second and third place entries scored almost identically, in fact for all intents and purposes, they tied for second place. I would like to make that distinction.

SECOND PLACE

WATERDOWN FLAMBOROUGH REVIEW – CATHERINE O’HARA

Coming home – In this series of very well-written stories, there is a common Remembrance Day theme that binds them together, with each retaining distinctive relevance of its own. Catherine O’Hara clearly did a lot of research work in finding related stories spawning from the first but so completely different from it, and the local relevance is clear from a lot of different angles. Whether taken as a whole or individually, the stories are very well done, and the presentation is excellent.

THIRD PLACE

HUNTSVILLE FORESTER – ALISON BROWNLEE

Families at risk series – This is clearly a relevant issue in Huntsville, and it is also apparent what depth of research was necessary to well present what could easily have become onesided issues. Strong writing skills by Alison Brownlee allowed for good story flow and skilled use of two points-of-view to every point brought forward in the story kept it from becoming too emotional, or one-sided despite the subject matter. Very well written series of articles on an extremely touchy subject.

Sponsored by: Ontario Power Generation

JUDGE

BEST FEATURE PHOTO, CIRC. 10,000+

Number of entries: 62

JUDGE

Richard Dal Monte

Richard Dal Monte has been editor of The Tri-City News since 2001 after spending 14 years with The News and other Black Press community newspapers as an editor and sports and general assignment reporter. He has won provincial, national and North American journalism awards for feature writing and page design.

HONOURABLE MENTION

Barrie Advance – Twins, triplets mom celebrates Mother’s Day – A simple idea that has been done before but never more appropriately.

GENERAL COMMENTS

A colourful photo of an adorable kid in an cute situation is not a feature photo. A good feature photo is about capturing a moment and telling a story within that image. Each of the winners does that while few of the other entries -- which certainly included some striking photos -- accomplished the same thing.

FIRST PLACE

WHITBY THIS WEEK

Jason Liebregts’ dance photo took planning and a great deal of thought about lighting, and even amongst other strong photos, stood out and had great impact.

SECOND PLACE

RICHMOND HILL/THORNHILL LIBERAL

Egyptian Canadians anxious about revolt – Steve Somerville’s portrait of a priest is simple but simply well done – composed nicely, lit beautifully. It’s something classic done very well.

THIRD PLACE

NORTHUMBERLAND NEWS

Hundreds turn out for triathlon – Karen Longwell’s triathlon photo took a sporting event and made one moment into art.

BEST

FEATURE PHOTO, CIRC. -9,999

Number of entries: 28

JUDGE

Joe Callahan

HONOURABLE MENTION

Joe Call

Joe Callahan is coordinator of the Journalism-Online, Print and Broadcast program at Loyalist College of Applied Arts and Technology in Belleville. With the ongoing support of the OCNA, he completed a Master’s degree in June 2010 focusing on journalism standards and accreditation. His study was published by Athabasca University.

FIRST PLACE

BRACEBRIDGE EXAMINER

Fire breather – The winning entry by Louis Tam chose a dramatic camera angle and good timing and technique to capture an impressive moment in a fire entertainer’s act. Strong play and good composition played an important role in the overall impact of the image.

SECOND PLACE

HUNTSVILLE FORESTER

Minden Times – Dizzy days at the Kinmount Fair – Interesting graphic elements, colour and a tough angle contribute to the success of this honourable mention image.

GENERAL COMMENTS

This year’s best feature photo entries comprise mostly unusual moments in small town Ontario’s community events: fairs and festivals. Sometimes the best feature photos come from the commonplace as some of our winners prove; summer days at the quarry or at the local skateboard park. Good feature photographs almost always require a creative approach to the commonplace by juxtaposing disparate elements in a single image.

Illusion – Timing is everything as they say and this year’s second place winner from Tamara de la Vega is a good example of how timing and camera angle can lift the most commonplace to the exceptional. Cooperative subjects can also make a difference!

THIRD PLACE

ST. MARYS JOURNAL ARGUS

Keeping cool at the Quarry – Chet Greason also proves that a sense of moment is critical but also captures the feeling of youthful abandon on a summer day.

BEST PHOTO LAYOUT

Number of entries: 78

JUDGE

Joe Callahan

Joe Callahan is coordinator of the Journalism-Online, Print and Broadcast program at Loyalist College of Applied Arts and Technology in Belleville. With the ongoing support of the OCNA, he completed a Master’s degree in June 2010 focusing on journalism standards and accreditation. His study was published by Athabasca University.

Premier Award – PHOTOGRAPHY

FIRST PLACE

CLARINGTON THIS WEEK

Where every child fits – Sabrina Byrnes of Clarington This Week’s layout of photographs of children with special needs enjoying time visiting an exotic animal farm and interacting with the facility’s volunteers, provided an understated glimpse of humanity at its best. Moments of joy, intimacy and tenderness presented in a simple design made a powerful statement.

HONOURABLE MENTION

Oshawa This Week – Silhouettes – Staff at Oshawa This Week compiled a collection of aesthetically pleasing images linked by a single theme that reminds us that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, if we look for it. A collaborative effort, this collection of commonplace scenarios, seen through the eyes of creative photographers and packaged with a simple design approach, likely lifted the audience’s spirits and helped it to leave its cares behind at least for a few moments.

GENERAL COMMENTS

This year’s submissions presented a strong variety of photographic excellence both visually and technically. The content issues addressed tended to focus on the “good news” community events and there was, with the exception of the first place winner, little attention paid to the more serious, social justice issues that exist in every community. Excellence in photojournalism requires technical proficiency, visual sensitivity and creativity as well as a commitment to telling stories about the achievements of a community as well its struggles.

SECOND PLACE

ALEXANDRIA GLENGARRY NEWS

Dancing, piping, pulling and tossing all make great Games – In its coverage of the Highland Games In Glengarry, Steve Warburton at the Alexandria Glengarry News provided impressive photographic coverage of a complex and multi-faceted community event. As impressive as the photographic coverage was its commitment to detailed caption information for 21 photographs in a well-constructed two-page layout with accompanying story. While slightly busier than traditional design would call for, the detailed attention paid to layout made the spread effective.

THIRD PLACE

ORANGEVILLE BANNER

Sweet sounds of the blues ... and jazz too –Bill Tremblay & Janine Taylor of the Orangeville Banner used a creative photo layout in conjunction with appropriate typography to present its photographic coverage of Orangeville’s 9th annual blues and jazz festival. An assortment of performance moments in combination with images of an obviously entertained audience gave viewers a solid impression of the event.

JUDGE

BEST SPORTS PHOTO

Number of entries: 88

Richard Dal Monte

Richard Dal Monte has been editor of The Tri-City News since 2001 after spending 14 years with The News and other Black Press community newspapers as an editor and sports and general assignment reporter. He has won provincial, national and North American journalism awards for feature writing and page design.

FIRST PLACE

OSHAWA THIS WEEK

Ron Pietronero’s “Coming in for a landing,” makes the most of negative space with a blast of colour in the young athlete’s shirt.

SECOND PLACE

PORT PERRY STAR

“On the pitch” by Celia Klemenz has great face and perfectly freezes the action in a rugby match.

GENERAL COMMENTS

The best photos in this competition have this in common: impact. They’re photos that make you say, “Wow!” and they’re used well. Strong, simple photos, well-composed, used at a size and in a manner to maximize their impact and without the distractions common to other entries such as heads jutting out of photos or boxes and texts jutting into photos.

THIRD PLACE

MARKHAM ECONOMIST & SUN

Sjoerd Witteveen’s “Leap of faith” crisply captures a moment of airtime and effort during a baseball game.

BEST SPOT NEWS PHOTO

Number of entries: 50

JUDGE

Andrea Rondeau

Andrea Ron

Andrea Rondeau is the editor of the award-winning Cowichan Valley Citizen newspaper in Duncan, British Columbia. She graduated from the Bachelor of Journalism program at University of Kings College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, then began her reporting career at the Yarmouth Vanguard newspaper. After a cross-country move to B.C. she filled a maternity leave position at the Citizen where she has remained for the past seven years, moving into the editor’s chair in 2007.

FIRST PLACE

PETERBOROUGH THIS WEEK

Downtown apartment blaze extinguished – I was a little surprised to see that unlike the rest of the winning entries, this was not a front page photo. It was, however, an excellent photo. It stood out from the other fire photos in the category because, although it did not have flames, the clean composition and contrast of the smoke with both the blue sky and the cyclists in front gave it immediate impact. The cyclists in the foreground also gave the photo a real on-the-spot, moment-in-time feeling and highlighted the height of the burning apartment building. Well done by Lance Anderson.

SECOND PLACE

NEW LISKEARD TEMISKAMING SPEAKER WEEKENDER

HONOURABLE MENTION

Walkerton Herald Times – Manhunt in Walkerton – This competition was as close as it gets, and it was with great difficulty that this photo was left out of the top three. John McPhee captures an excellent shot that tells the tale of a search for a wanted man.

GENERAL COMMENTS

Overall this was an excellent competition, with many great photographs that made it tough to choose just three winners. There were a few shots that really should have been entered in a feature photo category. A few others were done a disservice with size or placement on the page that took away from their potential impact. The winners stood out with the immediacy of their impact on the viewer, and their ability to draw the viewer in and tell a story by themselves, while still making us want to know more.

Derailment – The angle of the derailed train car dominates the background of the shot, catching the eye and drawing the viewer in. The passengers being led from the car in the foreground make it true spot news. By Steven Larocque.

THIRD PLACE

GEORGINA ADVOCATE

Feeling loss – The emotion captured by Mike Barrett in this shot set it apart from the pack. It immediately tells a story for the viewer and makes the viewer want to know more. Spot news isn’t always just about wreckage or fires, but about the human element.

BEST NEWS PHOTO

Number of entries: 57

JUDGE

Joe Banks

Joe Banks has been an Ontario community newspaper reporter, editor and publisher for 25 years. He now coordinates, and is a professor for the journalism program at Algonquin College.

FIRST PLACE

AJAX/PICKERING NEWS ADVERTISER

Pickering murder victim laid to rest – Ryan Pfeiffer’s photo of two mourners comforting each other wins top honours. Not only does it evoke emotion, but it’s technically and artistically beautiful, capturing a moment that speaks volumes about the human condition and the fallout of violent death.

SECOND PLACE

OSHAWA THIS WEEK

In Durham, Roger that – You can feel the emotion at play in this Oshawa This Week photo by Sabrina Byrnes. The best entries in this category really don’t need any caption to explain what’s going on in the photo and this dramatic moment caught at a council meeting is no exception.

GENERAL COMMENTS

You can see that each of the three top entries had something in common: spontaneous emotion. Whether sorrow, anger or joy, the photojournalist’s job is to capture it all in a way that allows the photo to tell a story with or without the words. The majority of entries did not do that. Most were simply the paper’s best photo of the year, perhaps best entered in another photo category.

THIRD PLACE

OAKVILLE TODAY

Finding hope in Oakville – This was simply a very sweet photo by Ian Holroyd. Heartwarming on its own, it captures the depth of joy between a couple who had just completed a walk for cancer. It’s a good template for photographers looking for a new way to cover these community events.

PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Number of entries: 8

JUDGE

Autumn McDonald

Autumn MacDonald is only seven years in the business, but having grown up with the industry since the womb, feels ink runs in her veins. “There is quite simply no better job in the world,” she said. MacDonald started her career as a photographer, moving into feature writing, news writing and is now editor of the Quesnel Cariboo Observer, a division of Black Press. She’s been fortunate enough to collect several awards over the years, such as Best Feature writing at both the provincial and national level and Best Spot News Photo and Feature Photo. A huge congratulations to all the winners, this was not an easy decision.

FIRST PLACE

MISSISSAUGA NEWS – FRED LOEK

Fred Loek has committed 40 years to photography and journalism. That in itself is worthy of first place, but best of all? That man can take one hell of a picture.

SECOND PLACE

KINGSTON/FRONTENAC THIS WEEK –ROB MOOY

HONOURABLE MENTION

Kawartha Lakes This Week –

Lance Anderson

GENERAL COMMENTS

This was an incredibly hard decision. Honestly, not just blowing smoke, these photographers all deserve praise. But a decision had to be made. I took into account not only the photo: The composition, lighting, creativity, action, sensitivity, relevance, focus and depth, but the person behind the lens as well. Congratulations to all winners and contestants. You guys (and gal) make this look easy, and we all know, it is anything but.

Rob Mooy was a close second and should be incredibly proud. His shots were fantastic.

THIRD PLACE

AJAX/PICKERING NEWS ADVERTISER –RYAN PFEIFFER

Ryan Pfiffer’s eye is spot-on.

CARTOONIST OF THE YEAR

Number of entries: 13

JUDGE

Lawrence Woodall

I am an avid outdoorsman/naturalist/wilderness guide, spending most of the year trekking the forests and mountains of B.C. I relay my enjoyment of nature as a freelance photographer, columnist and editorial cartoonist.

FIRST PLACE

GUELPH TRIBUNE – BRIAN FRAY

Brian Fray’s work stood out from the rest of the field breaking down issues into smaller and simpler components that deal with every day issues, and this allowed for the his cartoons to have a greater impact statement.

SECOND PLACE

PARRY SOUND NORTH STAR –JONATHAN MAHOOD

Jonathon Mahood’s entry spoke volumes about society today, on a basic level we all get a chuckle about the turn around between halloween and christmas, but this is so true about our instantaneous every thing lives these days from fast foods to fast technology, this had two levels of impact for myself and I enjoyed both levels.

THIRD PLACE

HAMILTON MOUNTAIN NEWS –MIKE VUKOVICH

Mike Vukovich had music, art, and politics all combined, it was a tough call between second and third place.

Nunavut News/North –– Norm Muffit-Bush

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Number of entries: 7

JUDGE

Ian Doig

HONOURABLE MENTION

curre

The current editor of Where Calgary and former editor of Fast Forward Weekly, Ian Doig’s feature writing has been published in numerous magazines and newspapers including Alberta Venture, Quill & Quire, Canadian Geographic the Calgary Herald as well as online for OpenFile Calgary.

FIRST PLACE

VANKLEEK HILL REVIEW

Yes! Women Can! – The Review sinks person power and money into its Yes, Women Can event. It has created very tangible benefit for young female scholarship winners and financial and spirit spin-off within the community. Copy tidy, though could be more engaging. Good effort on the graphics. Great to see a custom website that includes a photo gallery.

SECOND PLACE

STONEY CREEK NEWS

Community Book Bank – Stoney Creek News shows great initiative in running its Community Book Bank. Its efforts are well supported in print. However, the print component could be more engaging.

Peterborough This Week – Health unit’s tobacco ties – Though this series features the best reportage among the submissions by a country mile, it doesn’t “extend beyond the normal community service mission of the newspaper.”

GENERAL COMMENTS

Lauren Gilchrist, Bruce Danford, Mike Lacey, Lois Tuffin – The entrants engage in a lot of worthy community work. The energy and commitment to the various projects is clear, though many fall down on the print component. The stories and images simply aren’t as engaging as they could and should be.

THIRD PLACE

SCUGOG STANDARD

Scugog public library and community are ‘Growing Together’– Well written, effectively presented piece of library and literacy advocacy.

Sponsored by: Young Drivers of Canada

BEST VERTICAL PRODUCT

Number of entries: 43

JUDGES

Ted Brewer

Ted Brew

Ted Brewer has been involved in sales and marketing for some of Canada’s largest corporations for over 20 years and most of that time has been spent in a National Accounts sales environment. He has a BA from the University of Guelph and has earned many sales and marketing accreditations over the years to grow and foster his professional development. Always willing to think outside the box, since joining AdReach as a National Accounts Manager five years ago, Ted has sold hundreds of thousands of advertising into Ontario’s Community Newspapers and has become an invaluable resource to clients, agencies, and publishers alike.

Doug Sexton

Doug Sexton is a National Accounts Manager at AdReach. He has been in media sales and education for over 3 decades. Owning several media companies and agencies has provided much insight from different vantage points for his students and clients.

FIRST PLACE

PLA

BARRY’S BAY, THE VALLEY GAZETTE

Madawaska Valley & Neighbours – Picture the Memories – This digest size regional tour guide is a go-to travel resource for Barry’s Bay, Combermere, Killsloe, Palmer Rapids, Deacon, Quadeville and Wilno catchment areas. The guide is entirely in full colour with glossy stock, bright graphics and engaging photography making this FREE 62 page handbook a hit for tourists and visitors alike. This 2nd annual piece not only generates healthy revenues for the Valley Gazette but for its advertisers as well. A great mix of stories and information provides the user with a pathfinder to a treasure-trove of retail and sightseeing destinations.

SECOND PLACE

PARRY SOUND NORTH STAR

Sideroads of Parry Sound – This oversized glossy covered quarterly publication covering Parry Sound and Area is very attractive and packed with regional historical information alongside current perspectives of the local culture. This is well balanced between copy and photography keeping the reader firmly engaged. Advertisers enjoy the long shelf life and the keepsake nature of the piece. As a potential reader this would be a difficult publication to overlook.

THIRD PLACE

HUNTSVILLE FORESTER

Sideroads of Muskoka – Summer 2011 – This quarterly glossy covered supplement from Hunstville, Bracebridge and Gravenhurst introduces the reader to fascinating people and places in Muskoka. The community is well served by this publication as it opens up Ontario’s Muskoka cottage country culture through engaging local content. It also serves as a tour guide with special events and notable area attractions. A strong cover page photograph intrigues potential readers with a Red Fox. Advertisers are relevant to the content making a call to action more possible. This is a beautiful Ontario area with an inspiring supplementary magazine.

BEST FRONT PAGE, CIRC. +10,000

Number of entries: 64

JUDGE

Ted Hill

GENERAL COMMENTS

Edwar

Edward Hill has been the editor of the Goldstream News Gazette since September 2007. He’s worked as a reporter at Black Press newspapers in Duncan and Ladysmith, was a reporter at the Gazette in 2006 and earned a few awards along the way. Edward went to Langara College in Vancouver for journalism. Prior to that, he earned a science degree from the University of Victoria, and worked in offshore seismic surveying.

FIRST PLACE

NEWMARKET ERA-BANNER

The young man was a hero – A striking, emotionally powerful front page, beautifully laid out. Headline and excellent photo complemented each other and drew the reader into the story. Writing was strong and the overall layout clean. Great job.

SECOND PLACE

OAKVILLE TODAY

Sunningdale light burns bright – A stunning photograph and smart use of the black background combined for a beautiful, eye catching front page.

THIRD PLACE

There were many excellent contenders for best front page, but only a few broke from the pack and took risks with innovative layouts,powerful headlines, and strong photos.

MIDLAND FREE PRESS

Burning matter – Combination of subhead, headline and photo draws the reader into a strong front with good writing.

Sponsored by: Laurentian Publishing

JUDGE

BEST FRONT PAGE,

CIRC. -9,999

Number of entries: 29

Eric Anderson

Eric is the Publisher of The Community Press, a weekly publication in East Central Alberta which serves the county of Flagstaff and is part of the Caribou Publishing group. Entering his ninth year with the newspaper, Eric actually began as a student reporter while in highschool. He was named Editor in late 2007 and Publisher in 2009, not long after the newspaper celebrated its 100th year in business. Eric works primarily out of Killam, Alberta where he currently resides and was born and raised.

FIRST PLACE

BURKS FALLS ALMAGUIN NEWS

The front page story and photo was incredible, combined with the depth of reporting, and multiple angles of a devastating loss to the community. The layout is clean and proves in my mind that a classic approach to the modern newspaper is still the best.

SECOND PLACE

BRACEBRIDGE EXAMINER

HONOURABLE MENTION

Huntsville Forester –Just a lot of great, wellorganized content. The main photo was very interesting. The layout seems to flow. A very worthy runner-up.

GENERAL COMMENTS

It was both a treat and a very arduous task to find a top 4 in this category. Of the 29 entries, I’d argue that at least 20 could have very nearly won. I’m extremely impressed by the job being done by OCNA member newspapers in this circulation category, and as a young Publisher it inspires me to follow suit.

Phenomenal journalism from top to bottom accompanied by two fantastic feature photos. This is how a newspaper should look. A very close second.

THIRD PLACE

GRAVENHURST BANNER

The main feature here was captured and reported on extremely well. Fantastic and well laid out photography illustrated what was no doubt one of the biggest news items the community has witnessed. The fact that three other interesting stories were neatly tucked away underneath made this one of my very favourites to judge.

Sponsored by: Laurentian Publishing

BEST SPORTS SECTION

Number of entries: 31

JUDGE

Premier Award – SECTION/SERIES

Garrett Simmons

HONOURABLE MENTION

Oakville Beaver

GENERAL COMMENTS

Garrett

Garrett Simmons is the managing editor of the awardwinning Taber Times newspaper in Alberta. A veteran of nearly 15 years in the news business, Simmons has been with The Times since January, 2000, when he started as the sports editor.

FIRST PLACE

Overall, the category included some very good entries, while others have significant room for improvement. Sports is a tough category to judge, as some papers may have more resources available to them and simply a more diverse sporting community to cover. That said, good action photos, some stats and standings, dynamic writing and a wide array of coverage can all go a long way to producing a top-notch section. As a general rule, papers should try and stay away from the grip-and-grin images that, while easy to take, are not the most interesting for readers to view. While the top three are certainly deserving, honourable mention should go out to The Oakville Beaver, which finished a single point behind the third-place winner. Other top entries included Clarington This Week, Peterborough This Week and The Waterloo Chronicle. Those four also scored very high, with strong commitments to quality local sports content.

OSHAWA THIS WEEK

Garbatt wins by a nose – Oshawa This Week is a mix of solid photography, great sports coverage and captivating colour, with a fine eye towards design. Overall, it was the best of the bunch, by a very slim margin, thanks to a solid showing in every statistical judging category.

SECOND PLACE

ELMIRA-WOOLWICH OBSERVER

To say Elmira’s sports coverage is comprehensive would be an understatement. It would be hard to believe any local resident would be disappointed here, as such a wide range of sports are covered. Add in some innovative design and tons and tons of scores, and you have an awardwinning section.

THIRD PLACE

WHITBY THIS WEEK

Keeping a close eye – A cohesive package of sports coverage, Whitby This Week featured all the items you would like to see – solid photography, a wide range of coverage and good design.

Sponsored by: Metroland Media Group Ltd., Southwestern Ontario Division

SPECIAL SECTION, CIRC. +10,000

Number of entries: 22

JUDGE

Premier Award – SECTION/SERIES

Stephanie Matches

Stephanie Matches has been at The Whistler Question newspaper and Whistler The Magazine since 1999, first as sales manager of both and then as publisher from 2005. Stephanie in an active contributor to the community of Whistler, currently as director of both Whistler Community Services Society and Whistler Museum. Recently she also sat on the boards of Whistler Arts Council and Whistler Health Care Foundation. She was also a charter member of Rotary Club of Whistler Millennium (2004/05) and a trainer at Rotary’s PresidentElect Training Seminars (2006-09) in Seattle Washington. Stephanie has two grown daughters and she enjoys the wonderful outdoor lifestyle that IS Whistler.

FIRST PLACE

LISTOWEL BANNER

Country Life, Fall edition – This full feature focusing on farming in a large area, encompassing all ages and interests is really interesting, from the stories and photos to the ads... all provide a well-rounded example of country life in this rich agricultural area. The rich original editorial content entices the reader to clearly understand the inclusive nature of the area and to encourage participation in local events. Advertising support is vast and pertinent to the cultural theme of the feature. Well done!

SECOND PLACE

MIDLAND FREE PRESS

The History of Humanity in Huronia Through 100 Objects – This tremendously interesting feature focuses on the ancient history of the Huronia area. A vast amount of research went into this piece with assistance from the local museums and historical societies. This is a unique example of how to produce an interesting readership and advertising feature and historic perspective of the area in the form of a Top 100-style piece.

An excellent read!

THIRD PLACE

HUNTSVILLE FORESTER

Coming Home Remembrance 2010 – This area is fortunate in that its history is chalk full of fascinating stories. The ad content all recognizes the hard work and dedication of the area veterans and honours those who have supported Canada’s war effort over the years. This complete 26 page commemorative section is a fitting salute and an interesting piece that encompasses all facets of the local community and surrounding areas.

of the area veterans and honours those who have supported Canada’s war effort over

CIRC. -9,999

Number of entries: 13

JUDGE

Stephanie Matches

Step community member Washington. Stephanie has two grown daughters and she enjoys

Stephanie Matches has been at The Whistler Question newspaper and Whistler The Magazine since 1999, first as sales manager of both and then as publisher from 2005. Stephanie in an active contributor to the community of Whistler, currently as director of both Whistler Community Services Society and Whistler Museum. Recently she also sat on the boards of Whistler Arts Council and Whistler Health Care Foundation. She was also a charter member of Rotary Club of Whistler Millennium (2004/05) and a trainer at Rotary’s President-Elect Training Seminars (2006-09) in Seattle Washington. Stephanie has two grown daughters and she enjoys the wonderful outdoor lifestyle that IS Whistler.

FIRST PLACE

BRACEBRIDGE EXAMINER

Antique and Classic Boat Society’s 31st Annual Antique and Classic Boat Show feature is an example of how to partner with a community organization celebrating an anniversary. It’s often to the advantage of the papers to share resources with these groups...ie: supporters of an organization can assist by providing contact lists and partner/sponsor information. There’s no shortage of interesting stories and the reader gains a good understanding of the history of boating life in Muskoka. This piece is well-written and the design is graphically pleasing.

SECOND PLACE

PARRY SOUND BEACON STAR

On The Water. This feature provides year round information on fishing, boating and water sports in and around the expansive Georgian Bay and the lakes and rivers of Parry Sound and area. This feature is full of information and targets a broad interest group with schedules of events and fishing guides, ads and editorial content. The graphic content is compelling and makes for a great feature.

THIRD PLACE

KINCARDINE INDEPENDENT

100 Year Journey of Bruce Telecom. This is a great example of partnering with a local area business to cover their long history in a community. Each business in the area is personally affected by this local service provider and the support of those businesses are well represented here. The collection of photos and stories are interesting and layout and graphic design is appealing. Of particular interest is the new and historic photo collection.

BEST CREATIVE AD

Number of entries: 40

JUDGE

Premier Award – ADVERTISING

Chanie Pritchard

Chanie

Chanie Pritchard is an award-winning designer in her eighth year as creative director at Sage Media, a corporate design studio in the West Carleton community in Ottawa. She is an Arts graduate of Carleton University, with an honorary doctorate in Art and Design from Woodcrest at California, and has worked with some of the world’s most successful brands.

FIRST PLACE

THUNDER BAY SOURCE

RFDA – Empty Plates... true stories of Hunger in our community –This ad series addresses an immediate and pressing issue in a manner that is accessible, simple, and understatedly creative. The concept of ‘empty plates’ as both medium and message is very effectively employed here. An appropriately stark treatment of basic need. Well done.

SECOND PLACE

LISTOWEL BANNER

HONOURABLE MENTION

Mount Forest Confederate –Uncle Richard’s Maple Syrup and Products – Talk about putting the star front and center. This ad makes me hungry. And its content nestles in around that delicious imagery very nicely. Inclusion of the word “nutrition” as a USP seemed dubious, but a bit of research confirmed it’s a good source of calcium, iron, zinc and especially manganese... who knew? Great ad in that beyond making me want some maple syrup, it also prompted me to learn a bit more about it.

Saddle Up – If creativity is the order of the day, then this ad definitely fits the bill. It presents the ‘rodeo tour’ in a fun and irreverent manner, taking the rodeo theme fully on board and eschewing the tired old cliches that dealership ads are otherwise typically known for. Love this.

THIRD PLACE

MIDLAND/PENETANGUISHENE MIRROR

Escape..Explore..Experience..Wye Marsh – This ad is just lovely. Everything fits, from the leaf-tipped filigree to the use of colour to the thoughtful presentation of what is admittedly a pretty dense block of content. The workshops are presented in a way that’s almost appetizing, as if on recipe cards. Probably not intended, but a very nice effect all the same.

Sponsored by: Centroid Training & Marketing

IN HOUSE PROMOTION

Number of entries: 29

JUDGE

Collin Gribbons

HONOURABLE MENTION

Collin Gribbon

Collin Gribbons has worked in print publishing for more than 30 years, dating back to his involvement in the editorial board of his student newspaper at the University of Guelph. He has worked as a reporter, editor, creative director and public relations consultant in Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto. He is the founder of Union Communications, where he has been a partner for more than 25 years. The agency’s work has appeared hundreds of times in OCNA-member newspapers.

FIRST PLACE

Orangeville Banner – The Results Are In! – This Orangeville Banner ad deserves a bigger size, with the good news it conveys. It’s a design that’s all the more effective for its restraint in the use of colours. It presents a lot of information in an organized way.

GENERAL COMMENTS

The in-house promotion category gives OCNA members a chance to show what they can do when they are not constrained by advertisers’ requirements. And clearly, the entries in this year’s competition show that the design and production crews of OCNA newspapers take no back seat to their daily cousins. Although it’s a purely subjective viewpoint, the level of skill in overall design, use of colour and photo editing seems to be increasing every year. Congratulations to all the entrants and keep up the good work! Local newspapers are vital parts of our communities, and OCNA members shouldn’t be shy about promoting the work they do to build them.

OSHAWA THIS WEEK

durhamregion.com – Nothing says commitment to a product like a four-page colour wrap. Congratulations to Oshawa This Week for outstanding design and typography, and for producing a resource that is useful to the community.

SECOND PLACE

FERGUS-ELORA NEWS EXPRESS

Sign Me Up! – A quick glance is enough for readers to see what they’re missing if they don’t subscribe to the Fergus-Elora News Express in this effective and innovative design. Typography is simple and effective and helps rather than detracts from the message.

THIRD PLACE

MIDLAND FREE PRESS

Don’t Wait Until Thursday – With its stark, post-industrial look and use of a QR code, this ad from the Midland Free Press grabs you by the lapels and forces you to look. The QR code provides utility as well as a graphic image which complements the stark theme.

LOCAL RETAIL LAYOUT

Number of entries: 33

Premier Award – ADVERTISING

Jody Epp

Jody has been working for Black Press on Vancouver Island for 10 years and as a senior account rep, director of sales and now sales manager for UsedEverywhere.com. Congratulations to all the swinners for a job well done.

HONOURABLE MENTION

Thunder Bay Source – Fresco Deli

One Giant Birthday Party –This ad has all of the components to be a great ad. They took advantage of the vendor support without sacrificing the quality of the design. Nice touch adding some price and item as well as a coupon. Shows a commitment by the advertiser of giving back to the community.

GENERAL COMMENTS

There were a lot of well designed ads for this category. Clearly a lot of good ideas and collaboration between advertisers, sales reps and graphic designers is required to produce such fine ads. I was very impressed by the use of photos and white space to make ads clear and appealing.

FIRST PLACE

VAUGHAN CITIZEN

Vinsanto Ristorante – Incredible photo and great ad layout and design. Marina Taylashev kept it simple and clean. The message is clear to the reader –come and try our amazing food and that is all I wanted to do when I saw this ad.

SECOND PLACE

WALKERTON HERALD TIMES

October Winter Tire Blow Out (Toyota) – A great flash back to clip art and creative ad design. Donna Sparks puts fun and creativity back into automotive advertising. I especially liked the tire deal at the bottom.

THIRD PLACE

BURLINGTON POST

ESC Coffee Inc – Very nice colours, design and photos. Excellent layout with good strong head line and sub head lines.

Sponsored by: Metro Creative Graphics

ORIGINAL AD

IDEA, CIRC. +10,000

Number of entries: 15

JUDGE

Collin Gribbons

Collin Gribbons has worked in print publishing for more than 30 years, dating back to his involvement in the editorial board of his student newspaper at the University of Guelph. He has variously worked as a reporter, editor, creative director and public relations consultant in Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto. He is the founder of Union Communications, where he has been a partner for more than 25 years. The agency’s work has appeared hundreds of times in OCNA-member newspapers.

FIRST PLACE

ALLISTON HERALD

Alliston Hornets Program 2010/11 – The Alliston Herald has provided an ad idea with staying power in its Hornets’ hockey program. Fans will want to keep it around for the whole season, multiplying the exposure its advertisers get. Congratulations to the Herald for also limiting the number of advertisers, greatly increasing the impact of each ad.

HONOURABLE MENTION

Scugog Standard – International Women’s Day – The Scugog Standard shows its community roots with a section honouring the women of the community on the occasion of International Women’s Day. Congratulations to the Standard for promoting IWD and bringing it to reality with its portraits of women community leaders.

GENERAL COMMENTS

In a world where almost everything has been done, OCNA member newspapers show advertisers that there are still a lot of original and sometimes unusual ways to feature their products. The strongest of these ideas have staying power: readers will want to keep them handy for months, multiplying the exposure advertisers get. Many of these ideas, from shopping in your own community to promotion of local teams and businesses, provide more evidence of the depth of OCNA members’ roots in their communities. Congratulations to all the entrants, and keep looking for that original, offbeat idea that both promotes a business or service and brings your readers another moment to appreciate the value of their local community newspaper.

SECOND PLACE

RENFREW MERCURY

The Renfrew Mercury’s Visitor Guide is chock full of information which both visitors and residents will want to keep year round. Colour photos throughout keep interest high.

THIRD PLACE

BURLINGTON POST

Clip or Click – The Burlington Post has a good cross-promotion with flyerland.ca in its “Clip or Click” pages. The idea extends the reach of the newspaper on the web. The logo is well designed and the designer has made some effort in choosing an appropriate, modern typeface.

Sponsored by: John Young - JCY Associates

ORIGINAL AD

IDEA, CIRC. -9,999

Number of entries: 16

JUDGE

Wayne Aubert

Wayne Aubert is a Professor and the Program Coordinator for the Advertising Program at Mohawk College in Hamilton Ontario. He has over 25 years of advertising industry experience and is also a Program Director with the Institute of Communication Agencies (ICA) in Toronto.

FIRST PLACE

LISTOWEL BANNER

“Know Your Merchant” is a neat concept for a local contest...very interactive...

SECOND PLACE

FERGUS-ELORA NEWS EXPRESS

Our Doors Are Open Too – Fun play on the Open Doors event by having your photographer feature the “doors” of your advertisers...had you taken each picture with an “open door” with someone welcoming you in to the business... you would have won this category.

THIRD PLACE

PLA

NUNAVUT NEWS/NORTH

The Akhaliak Group of Companies – What a fascinating ad that has to incorporate so many languages! Nicely done.

fascinat

Sponsored by: John Young - JCY Associates

USE OF PROCESS COLOUR

Number of entries: 35

JUDGE

Wayne Aubert

Wayne Aubert is a Professor and the Program Coordinator for the Advertising Program at Mohawk College in Hamilton Ontario. He has over 25 years of advertising industry experience and is also a Program Director with the Institute of Communication Agencies (ICA) in Toronto.

FIRST PLACE

VAUGHAN CITIZEN

Deal or No Deal Maple Toyota – Unexpected, and unusual for a car ad. This ad would make me stop to read.

SECOND PLACE

KAWARTHA LAKES/NORTH DURHAM CAPS COMMUNITY NEWS

The Ranch Resort - Easter Buffet – Lovely colour, very appropriate.

THIRD PLACE

BELLEVILLE EMC

Our Best To You – Bold colour... you’d spend some time on this page admiring the details...

BEST COMMUNITY WEBSITE/WEBPORTAL

Number of entries: 19

Cheryl Wirch-Ryckman

Cheryl Wirch-Ryckman has over 20 years experience in publishing. Cheryl began agency-side before moving across the country to work with Black Press, first on the print side and then moving to the Digital division as the company evolved their online strategy, moving from Director of Marketing to Director of Operations. Working closely with over 80 online publications, Cheryl was provided with a unique opportunity to grow the online audience from virtually the ground up and experienced first-hand the exciting changes and challenges of online publishing. Cheryl is currently the manager of communications at the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce and enjoying life on the other side of the press release.

FIRST PLACE

SUDBURY NORTHERN LIFE

NorthernLife.ca is the perfect hybrid of a modern and traditional newspaper. Like any good community paper there are lots of local ads and local faces with an online photo gallery that spans over 5 years. The design is simple and clearcut with a noteworthy rethinking of their navigation bar. Featuring obituaries with pictures on the home page is unusual and it would be interesting to see how that has impacted page views. Editorially, content is very local and frequently updated on all of the various navigation bars, their use of video to tell the story is notable in terms of quality and content. Along with the usual Facebook, Twitter, Google self-marketing it was good to see a newsletter option and as well a very active local calendar.

SECOND PLACE

ALLISTON HERALD

AllistonHerald.com

AllistonHerald.com has a clean easy to navigate site. With tools like Featured, Hot Topics and Must Read I have no doubt that they have seen a clear growth in page views. The search segregation is innovative and has no doubt reduced the number of “no results” pages that their readers were experiencing. Although the local news has fresh content loaded regularly with a great local faces and places vibe to it, their elections page and blogs page could use new content.

THIRD PLACE

MISSISSAUGA NEWS

Mississauga.com has a clean easy to navigate site. Stunning photography enhances their home page and invites readers to spend more time with the site. Articles seem to inspire local readers to get involved with the paper by liking and/or commenting on many of the stories. Hot Topics and Featured would both seem to be powerful tools for driving page views and more attention should be paid to what’s highlighted to achieve optimum results.

Sponsored by: Giant Tiger Stores Limited

SURFER’S SELECTION

JUDGES OCNA MEMBERS

Each OCNA Member Newspaper was given two chances to vote for the Surfers Selection Award. They were instructed to choose a first and second choice for the Best Website. Each First choice pick was given two points and each second choice pick was given one point.

FIRST PLACE

SECOND PLACE PLA

THIRD PLACE

ELMIRA-WOOLWICH OBSERVER

College & University Awards

JUDGE

STUDENT FEATURE WRITING

Number of entries: 12

Karen Miceli

Karen Miceli has 23 years experience in the community newspaper industry. Currently she’s managing editor of Milton’s twice-weekly community newspaper, The Canadian Champion, a role she has held for the last 12 years. Miceli is a graduate of Humber College’s Journalism – Print and Broadcast program.

FIRST PLACE

NIAGARA COLLEGE – ANTON MWEWA

“Letting go of the past”

Anton Mwewa presents the compelling story of a sexual abuse survivor effectively but with compassion. The piece stood out above the rest.

SECOND PLACE

ALGONQUIN COLLEGE –MICHAEL AUBRY

“Graffiti: vandalism or art?”

HONOURABLE MENTION

Fanshawe College – Bobby Foley

Help for Depression – Bobby Foley’s story on student depression provides useful information, but could have been enhanced if a student who has suffered from the illness was the focus. The layout was best of all the entries.

GENERAL COMMENTS

Judging by the student feature writing entries, the future of journalism is in good hands. Many of the feature writers tackled serious issues in their communities, however some only scratched the surface and could have delved much deeper into their subject matter. Overall, though, the entries were impressive.

Michael Aubry uses great sources in this well-written piece examining the issue of graffiti that’s plaguing many communities.

THIRD PLACE

ALGONQUIN COLLEGE –CHANTAL MACK

“Students volunteer to help city’s homeless” This article by Chantal Mack on students helping out at a homeless shelter vividly paints a picture of the hardship some experience.

Sponsored by: Ontario General Contractors Association

STUDENT NEWS WRITING

Number of entries: 14

Gordon Cameron

Gordon Cameron is the Managing Editor of the Town Crier group of newspapers, publisher of eight monthly newspapers, focusing on the neighbourhoods of Toronto. His newspapers have won numerous awards for both their print and online work and Cameron is a past winner of AWNA’s Gordon Scott Memorial Award from his time as editor of the Redwater Tribune. He also oversees the Town Crier’s internship program and greatly enjoys working with young journalists.

FIRST PLACE

NIAGARA COLLEGE – SARAH FERGUSON

Sarah Ferguson’s article “How safe is our campus?” offers great lede that transitions seamlessly into an artful, accurate and sensitive retelling of an incident that befell a young female student in one of Niagara College’s buildings. Ferguson gets to the bottom of why safety equipment that is available in other buildings was missing from the one where the incident took place. The sidebar on personal safety tips was a nice touch.

SECOND PLACE

DURHAM COLLEGE – TARA HATHERLY

HONOURABLE MENTION

Loyalist College – Nathan Rochford – Son gives gift of life to dad – A touching, well written story from Nathan Rochford, but one better suited to the feature writing category.

GENERAL COMMENTS

The submissions in this category contained a lot of very good student journalism on a wide variety of subjects. The difference in score between the winners and most of the rest of the submissions was quite small. Congratulations to all and good luck in your future careers.

Tara Hatherly’s story “Presidents say schools won’t extend code of conduct off campus” is a thorough examination of a request by the city of Oshawa for the local post-secondary institutions to police the behaviour of their students while off school property. Her great lede drew me in and the five individuals she quoted covered the reasons behind the schools rejection of the city’s request from every angle. However, a comment from the city regarding why it is pushing for schools to take on extra responsibility for their students was missing and would have added much needed context to the article.

THIRD PLACE

NIAGARA COLLEGE – SABINE DUNAC

Sabine Dunac’s story “Is this art or vandalism?” tells the story of one student’s quest to put his art posters up around Niagara College’s campus and turns into a discussion of the limits of student artistic expression. This story was helped along by some strong photography by Dunac and Anton Mwewa and an interesting layout, but needed to be proofread a little more carefully.

Sponsored

by: Ontario Journalism Educators Association

STUDENT PHOTOGRAPHY

Number of entries: 11

JUDGE

Ron Pietroniro

Ron began his 25th year in Metroland all in the Durham Region, he is now serving as the Managing Editor of Multi Media after being a photographer for 22 years. Ron has been the recipient of over 20 awards for photographic excellence and covered the 2008 Beijing Olympics for Metroland.

FIRST PLACE

LOYALIST COLLEGE – GALIT RODAN

“Beyond the change jar”

The 1st place image was obvious – a great photo of a difficult subject. Galit Rodan, the photographer, had to put himself in an uncomfortable place to capture this image, really well done.

SECOND PLACE

LOYALIST COLLEGE – LEAH MYERS

“Cars and Scars”

Another well crafted photo, nice feel in black and white and perfectly cropped. Another difficult subject which was handled nicely by the photographer, Leah Myers.

GENERAL COMMENTS

Some nice entries in this category, a really nice mix of feature, sports and news images. The top 3 photos really jumped to the front of the line. The size and cropping on some photos needed to be thought out with a little more. Overall nice work from some up and coming young photojournalists.

THIRD PLACE

LOYALIST COLLEGE – HADAS PARUSH

“The stuff of Alan Bridge” Hadas Parush – Overall a nice image, great leading lines of the stairs that frame the subject. Nice tones of color and great body language from the subject added to that cluttered feeling of the photo.

Sponsored by: The Journalists of Oshawa This Week

BEST COLLEGE / UNIVERSITY NEWSPAPER WEBSITE

Number of entries: 5

JUDGES

The Fort Francis Times

The Fort Frances Times has had a web presence since 1997 when news stories were first posted online. They eventually began designing and hosting websites for clients and currently host over 160 different client websites. The judging team combined both editorial staff and web/marketing staff to look over all of the College/University web-site submissions. The team consists of reporting staff, Duane Hicks, Heather Latter, Lucas Punkari, Publisher Jim Cumming, Web Marketing and social media sales Leanne Beck and Times Web Design manager Linda Plumridge.

HONOURABLE MENTION

Fanshawe College – Interrobang, is the only online news website in this category not to be run by a journalism program. They are not as strong in editorial content and use of technology, but are probably the only paper to make money.

GENERAL COMMENTS

A Newspaper on the internet has different challenges than print product. It has to capture the viewer immediately to keep them reading. It also has to have content updated often to keep readers returning. (An issue noticed when reading over the Christmas break) Readers are expecting all the new technology, video, audio, photo galleries and commenting which is lacking in most of these sites. All the components of this category, design, editorial content, Ad content, community involvement and the use of technology have a factor in keeping a newspaper viable. 3 of the newspapers had no advertising component, which if they had to pay for the design and hosting and writing wouldn’t be able to survive. Accessibility is something these newspapers should also consider implementing. Kudos to Loyalist and Toronto Observer for having mobile settings.

FIRST PLACE

LOYALIST COLLEGE

QNET News – Loyalist has embraced technology, making use of podcasts, video and social media. This website has interesting pages to look at. It includes easy navigation and is well written. However, it does lack advertising.

SECOND PLACE

ALGONQUIN COLLEGE

Algonquin Times uses a good clean design. They do not include enough photos, or they are difficult to find. The website has advertising, and uses social media. They could use some video and audio.

THIRD PLACE

CENTENNIAL COLLEGE

The Toronto Observer website design is somewhat confusing, and advanced technology is found on links to other sites.

Sponsored by: Gaulin Media

2011 Molson Coors Community Award in Memory of Mary Knowles

Heidi Ostner, President, Ayr News

Heidi Ostner, has been a full-time employee of Ayr News for 25 years, however, her involvement with the paper began as an infant. Heidi was born into the Ayr News family, a business owned by her father Jim Schmidt but it’s been in the family since 1913. At the age of 12 she began her career with the newspaper in bindery and janitorial. As she grew older she assumed duties as Office Manager, Accounts Payable/Receivable, Front Desk, Sales and now President.

“Heidi has ink flowing in her veins,” says nominator Irene Schmidt-Adeney. “She lives and breathes Ayr News.”

Heidi embraces new technologies and is constantly looking to improve processes and reduce cost while maintaining a top-quality community newspaper. She works hard to ensure the Ayr News is constantly growing and succeeding.

In addition to her involvement with the newspaper, Heidi consistently gives back to others.

“From an early age, she has learned working for a local newspaper meant that community involvement is important and expected,” says Schmidt-Adeney.

Her long list of involvements began 32 years ago as a member of the Ayr-Paris Band playing the clarinet. She has been Secretary for the band for the past 26 years and is founder of the Ayr-Paris Junior Band Program which has

been running for the past 16 years. She is an Ayr Library Board Member, sits on the North Dumfries Historical Committee and acts as Chairperson for the North Dumfries Community Complex Fundraising Gala which has raised more than $130,000. In addition she has been a Sunday school teacher with Christ Anglican Church for two decades and has sat on the church’s fundraising committee for eight years.

When Heidi is not busy with the newspaper or working on projects for organizations, she can be seen running on the field or spiking a ball on the court. Heidi is an avid soccer, volleyball and tennis player.

It’s a wonder she finds time for anything else, however she is currently helping to publish a book on the history of the Schmidt Family’s ownership of the Ayr News for the last century.

The Molson Coors Community Award in Memory of Mary Knowles is coordinated by the Ontario Community Newspapers Foundation and supported by Molson Coors Canada. It wishes to recognize those in the community newspaper business who contribute their own time to the betterment of their communities. The award also recognizes the intimate connection community newspapers have with their communities.

Congratulations Heidi!

Class 1 (Circ 1,999 & Under)

Class 2 (Circ 2,000

Class 5 (Circ 12,500 - 22,499)

Class 6 (Circ 22,500

2011 SPONSOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

would like to thank all our award sponsors:

Centroid Training & Marketing

Fort Frances Times

Gaulin Media

Giant Tiger Stores Limited

Hydro One Networks Inc.

John Young – JCY Associates

Laurentian Publishing

Metroland Media Group Ltd., Southwestern Ontario Division

Metro Creative Graphics

Northern News Services

O’Donnell, Robertson & Sanfilippo

Ontario General Contractors Associatio

Ontario Journalism Educators Association

Ontario Power Generation

SafetyCare Inc.

The Journalists of Oshawa This Week

Young Drivers of Canada