Page 2 The Catholic Journalist June 2009

Newspaper Award Winners

N1aBest Front PageBroadsheetFirst Place Our Sunday Visitor, Huntington, Ind. OSV possesses a strong, contemporary personality which jumps off the page. The reader is drawn to take a second look by the large, creative imagery which dominates the page and tells a story in its own right.Second Place The B.C. Catholic, Vancouver, BC Here is a newspaper which presents a strong hierarchy of both imagery and written content. Even the subject of the photos leads the reader from the large, community image to the individual. Clean layout, consistent use of type and color allow the stories to take center stage. The page is easy to navigate. The inside teaser is well played. The BC Catholic is ambitious with its coverage but very intuned to its readership.Third Place Pittsburgh Catholic, Pittsburgh, Pa. Here is a paper which has a lot to offer its readers and wants to tell them this up front. The top of the page is hardworking but inviting. The mix of type and imagery is well done. Honorable Mention The Catholic Messenger, Davenport, Iowa

N1bBest Front PageTabloidFirst Place Texas Catholic Herald, Houston, Texas The pages in this entry are simply beautiful. The dome image and nameplate create abundant white space that set the tone for the page. Consistent column widths and spac-ing provide clutter-free architecture for the content. Head-lines are newsy yet conversational. Second Place The Catholic Transcript, Bloomfield, Conn. The no-nonsense design has a newsy feel and can adjust to the tone of the content. The nameplate fonts add a youthful appeal. Presentation of the content is organized and the index box helps readers navigate efficiently into the paper.Third Place The Tablet, Brooklyn, N.Y.

This entry departs from the norm, taking design risks, causing readers to take notice. The illustration using parishioners’ names is nice. The 2008 Top Stories pack-age attempts an alternative approach. Attention to detail would have propelled this entry. Love that nameplate!

N2aBest News WritingLocal/Regional 1-17,000 Diocesan PaperFirst Place Catholic East Texas, Tyler, Texas, “Churches Ready for Disaster Aid” by Susan De Matteo The article is thoroughly reported with a wide range of voices and information sources. The details are stitched into a comprehensive illustration of how the diocese is preparing for a major issue.Second Place Catholic Sentinel, Portland, Ore., “Agencies Note Mid-dle-Class Hurt Anxiety” by Ed Langlois This is a timely, well reported article. The story mixes hard numbers with the insight of professionals in-charge of relief agencies.Third Place The Catholic Spirit, Metuchen, N.J., “Fallen Hero Mourned by Parish Community” by Chris Donahue This story portrays the funeral of a local soldier a cel-ebration of service and sacrifice. The details are memo-rable.

N2bBest News WritingLocal/Regional 17,001-40,000 Diocesan PaperFirst Place Tennessee Register, Nashville, Tenn., “Patients Face Tough Choices as Teencare Cuts Loom” by Theresa Lau-rence This well-defined story is written in a direct manner that explores a serious social, financial and moral dilem-ma. Multiple sources gives the story depth, its greatest coming from examples of people directly affected by the cuts.Second Place The Pilot, Boston, Mass., “Prayers, Rosary Help Brock-ton Couple Endure Mumbai Terrorist Attack” by Neil W. McCabe A strong lead and descriptive writing resulted in a dra-matic and insightful story. Details mattered: for example, when the woman leaves the sign of the cross at each body she and her husband passed.Third Place Catholic Herald Madison, Madison, Wis., “Flood Cover-age” by Mary C. Uhler, Kat Wagner, Ben Emmel, & The Diocese of Madison Staff Multiple stories helped get information out about an emergency in more than one edition. The personal story of one family helped with perspective. Useful information helped people understand the need and how to help with the Church’s response.

N2cBest News WritingLocal/Regional 40,001+ Diocesan PaperFirst Place The Tidings, Los Angeles, Calif., “Carmelites and Lin-coln Heights Community Lose Appeal; ‘David Beats Goli-ath’ in Lincoln Heights” by R.W. Dellinger This is the kind of drama that could be a movie of the week -- a group of Carmelite sisters lose an initial battle to keep a beer-selling pizza parlor and arcade from mov-ing next door to their school, but then rally enough of a community protest to defeat the proposed development. The story highlights what the church does so well in blighted inner-city neighborhoods -- speak up as a voice for morality and justice. In this case they defeated a com-mercial enterprise that could have brought more conflict to the gang-infested community.

Second Place The Catholic Review, Baltimore, Md., “Changing Statue of Limitations” by George P. Matysek, Jr. The writer clearly lays out the risk posed by a bill that would suspend the statute of limitations for child-sex abuse cases and shows how the proposal would treat the church in a different manner than public institutions like schools, where sex abuse also takes place. The story also high-lights the magnitude of what’s at risk for the church -- the potential loss of its social service and education programs. In the end the bill was withdrawn, but the newspaper did an effective job informing its constituents about the risk, and that could have led the rally to voice their opinions to legislators.Third Place The Visitor, Saint Cloud, Minn., “Restraining Order Seeks to Protect Others from Disruptive Behaviours” by Joseph Young This story of a pastor filing a restraining order prohibit-ing parents from bringing their autistic son to the church has a tremendous advantage over the competition -- it’s unique, interesting and raises thought-provoking ques-tions. The writer has clearly articulated both sides of the issue, and it’s clear there are no easy answers. The story could have been improved if the reporter would have spent enough time with the child to tell how disruptive he is.

N3aBest News WritingNational EventFirst Place Catholic News Service, Washington, D.C., “U.S. Papal Trip Coverage” by Julie Asher, Benedicta Cipolla, Carole Norris Greene, Beth Griffin, Regina Linskey, Chaz Muth, Nancy Frazier O’Brien, Mark Pattison, Dennis Sadowski, Angelo Stagnaro, John Thavis, Cindy Wooden, Patricia Zapor, Carol Zimmermann, Chris Herlinger, & Laura Jami CNS’ coverage of the Pope’s visit was extraordinarily comprehensive. The writing was clear, tight timely and well organized. It captured the pagentry, the emotion, the color and the issues. It is an exceptional body of work.Second Place Catholic News Service, Washington, D.C., “Series of Sto-ries on the Economy” by Regina Linskey, Mark Pattison, Chaz Muth, Nancy Frazier O’Brien, & Dennis Sadowki CNS provided broad, thoughtful coverage of this issue when it was clearly important but had not yet reached the crisis it has become. The coverage focused on impact and

Award N1b, Best Front Page- Tabloid, Texas Catholic Herald, Houston, Texas

Award N2b, Best News Writing- Local/Regional- 17,001-40,000 Diocesan Paper, First Place, Tennessee Register, Nashville, Tenn.

June 2009 The Catholic Journalist Page 3

Newspaper Award Winners

what it means to Catholics and Catholic institutions in particular. These stories were well sourced, sophisticated and prescient. They conveyed what was important about an important, complex issue in stories accessible to every reader.Third Place National Catholic Reporter, Kansas City, Mo., “Should This Man be Defrocked?” by Jeannette Cooperman This coverage put flesh and humanity on an important issue, both for the church and the local parishioners. It took what superficially looked like a typical power struggle between a large institution and someone being insubordi-nate and fleshed out the issues and Fr. Marek Bozek in a way that gave both the church’s and Fr. Bozek’s positions credibility. It also clearly explained his interesting ratio-nale, which much of the coverage had missed.

N3bBest News WritingInternational EventFirst Place Catholic News Service, Washington, D.C., “Release of Vatican Bioethics Document” by John Thavis, Cindy Wood-en, & Nancy Frazier O’Brien Thavis and Wooden do an excellent job of explaining a Vatican document on a variety of bioethical issues such as stem cell research and cloning. Their clear reporting of the church’s position, including background and comment, puts in lay terms, a complex theological pronouncement that affects all Catholics.Second Place The Catholic Sun, Phoenix, Ariz., “World Youth Day Package” by Ambria Hammel Hammel takes readers of The Catholic Sun on a journey across the world to Australia with a contingent of young people from Arizona. Her stories go beyond description of the events to include the personal daily joys and problems of the participants at World Youth Day – a herculean task for one reporter.Third Place Catholic News Service, Washington, D.C., “Coverage of Violence Against Christians in India’s Orissa State” by Anto Akkara Akkara interviewed survivors to produce a terse series of stories that detail threats and savage attacks on Catholic clergy, nuns, and lay persons in India. The articles vividly tell readers of deaths, rapes, beatings, and humiliation of Catholics at the hands of Hindu mobs.Honorable Mention The Catholic Sun, Phoenix, Ariz., “The Church in the Middle East” by J.D. Long-Garcia

Honorable Mention The Catholic Spirit, St. Paul, Minn., “Food Crisis Series” by Maria Wiering

N4aBest Investigative News WritingFirst Place Our Sunday Visitor, Huntington, Ind., “Health Care” by Ann Carey Impressive combination of quality writing and in-depth reporting that really examines the sterilization issue. The clear winner.Second Place The Catholic Sun, Phoenix, Ariz., “Exodus: Are Arizona’s Immigration Laws Having an Effect on Churchgoers?” by J.D. Long-Garcia Well written lead to close, and a lot of sourcing to bring clarity to the immigration law/churchgoer issue. Lead is quite catchy and the nice quote close is a strong end to a strong story.Third Place Catholic Sentinel, Portland, Ore., “Church Maintains that Labor Movement Can Help Everyone” by The Catho-lic Sentinel Staff A vigorous effort at examining the labor movement from an award worthy variety of angles.

N4bBest Analysis/Background/Round Up News WritingThe Gerard E. Sherry AwardFirst Place The Catholic Sun, Phoenix, Ariz., “The Church in the Middle East” by J.D. Long-Garcia The writer employs storytelling techniques to relate the experience of real people and engage readers in the plight of this group of people. The technique allows the writer to look backward and forward with regard to the issue, giv-ing readers history and insight to help them understand the story.Second Place National Catholic Reporter, Kansas City, Mo., “Have We Brought This On Ourselves?” Paul Jeffrey The reporter writes with passion and clarity about a divisive issue. The story is well-focused. He explains the history of the issue and its key points. He writes clearly about the related issues faced by future generations .Third Place The Catholic Register, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, “Let the Reconciliation Healing Begin” by Michael Swan The writer uses a wide range of sources to gather the relevant viewpoints in this story. The piece is well-focused with relevant statistics to support the premise.

N5aBest Editorial Local Issue 1-17,000 Diocesan PaperFirst Place Western Catholic Reporter, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, “Voting Is An Act of Faith In Action” by Lasha Morning-star The best persuasive writing is plain and direct. This edit is just that. Acts as a very clear call to action for the faith-ful.Second Place The Messenger, Belleville, Ill., “A Time To Harvest” by Liz Quirin This one fooled me. It started as what I thought would be a lighthearted lesson on parenthood but turned into something more serious. I really like the thread between trust of our children and of our church. Did a good job of explaining why readers shouldn’t turn away from their faith, even during a time of hurt and anger.Third Place The Florida Catholic, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., “Faith-ful Show Courage in Face of Criticism with Execution Pro-tests” by Denise O’Toole Kelly Palm Beach served as a good pat on the back to those

who put their faith into action by protesting the death pen-alty.

N5bBest Editorial Local Issue 17,001-40,000 Diocesan PaperFirst Place Tennessee Register, Nashville, Tenn., “Searching for Jus-tice in the Case of Paul House” by Andi Telli Effective story telling blended with simple stats and concrete, evocative details to create a compelling and per-suasive piece.Second Place The B.C. Catholic, Vancouver, B.C., “Euthanasia Just Never Dies” by Paul Schratz Comes on strong and makes its case. Incorporates back-ground info in a lively manner.Third Place The Catholic Exponent, Youngstown, Ohio, “Catholic Can’t Turn Down the Volume in Pro-Life Efforts” by Lou Jacquet Frankly addresses the difference of opinion and approach within the Church’s membership. Makes effective case for a stance and the newspaper’s past efforts to advocate and continue to do so.Honorable Mention Western Catholic Reporter, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, “Don’t Sweep Our Ashes Under the Rug” by Glen ArganHonorable Mention Catholic Herald Madison, Madison, Wis., “Defend Free-dom of Religion” by Mary C. Uhler

N5cBest Editorial Local Issue 40,001+ Dicesan PaperFirst Place The Long Island Catholic, Roosevelt, N.Y., “A Critical Election For The State Legislature” by Rick Hinshaw Easy to follow and right to the point. The reader is likely to learn something beyond the paper’s opinion in reading them.Second Place The Catholic Sun, Phoenix, Ariz., “Crisis at Home” by Robert DeFrancesco The writing is punchy and to the point. Effective use of multiple examples to illustrate a point.

Award N4a, Best Investigative News Writing, First Place, Our Sunday Visitor, Huntington, Ind.

Award N4b, Best Analysis/Background/Round Up News Writing- The Gerard E. Sherry Award, First Place, The Catholic Sun, Phoenix, Ariz.

Page 4 The Catholic Journalist June 2009

Newspaper Award Winners

Third Place Catholic San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif., “Barring Church Door was Not Jesus Message” by Maurice Healy Light writing makes these articles easy to follow. The what and the why are clearly stated.

N6aBest Editorial National or International Issue 1-17,000 Diocesan PaperFirst Place The Catholic Post, Peoria, Ill., “God Views Beyond You-Tube” by om Dermody A timeless lesson from the Catholic faith becomes fresh and compelling with an amusing personal anecdote and a reference to a recent political controversy. Because read-ers will identify with the author, they’ll be more likely to absorb his message. The best written editorial of the category’s entries.Second Place Catholic Anchor, Anchorage, Alaska, “A Light in the Sui-cidal Darkness” by Joel Davidson In an unusual but effective approach to opining on assisted suicide, the author frames his point with a sus-penseful narrative. Third Place Catholic Sentinel, Portland, Ore., “Reassessing Afghani-stan” by Bob Pfohman A well-argued, succinct call for a new U.S. strategy. Despite its brevity, armed with plenty of facts to strength-en its case.

N6bBest Editorial National or International Issue 17,001-40,000 Diocesan PaperFirst Place The B.C. Catholic, Vancouver, B.C., “An Award’s Rose-coloured History” by Paul Schratz The issue of abortion stirs controversy in the greater society and also within the Catholic church. Schratz hits the issue head-on in this editorial, and his passion shines through. Some readers may indeed disagree with this editorial’s specific position, but no one will misunderstand Schratz’s position. Very persuasive writing.

Second Place The Rhode Island Catholic, Providence, R.I., “A Christ-mas Carol, of Mayhem, Murder” by Fr. Bernard A. Healey This is a beautiful editorial about a terrible tragedy-- the trampling of a man by shoppers seeking Christmas bargains. Father Healey uses this senseless death to bring home a strong moral point: Christmas is not about shop-ping; it’s about Jesus Christ and his message.Third Place The B.C. Catholic, Vancouver, B.C., “Closed Eyes to Beijing’s Brutality” by Paul Schratz Another excellent editorial with a clear moral point of view. What I really like about this editorial is how Schratz takes a world event and brings it to a very local level.

N6cBest Editorial National or International Issue 40,001+ Diocesan PaperFirst Place The Criterion, Indianapolis, Ind., “Economic Crisis is a Failure of Responsible Stewardship” by Daniel Conway The writer skillfully takes a national issue that is both little understood and over-commented on, and provides readers with a thoughtful, logical examination. The writer clearly connects religious and philosophical beliefs to the world of commerce. The editorial informs the reader, offers the reader context to understand the situation, and, final-ly, provides the reader with clear, firm leadership on how to respond. Well done.Second Place Catholic New York, New York, N.Y., “Playing God” by Editorial Staff The subject is well-traveled ground, but the writer ‘s vivid touch with words and well-articulated belief system bring freshness and urgency to the issue. The writing is clear, the examples evocative and the logic strong. That’s a combination that guides readers to action.Third Place The Catholic Sun, Phoenix, Ariz., “Abortion Industry Seeks Public Bailout as Well” by Robert DeFrancesco The writer presents the reader with an essay fill with outrage, but never does the writer lose control of the argu-ment or his emotions. The argument’s points come quickly, despite the piece’s length, and clearly. The reader is never in doubt as to where the writer stands. But the writer’s control keeps the reader’s attention on the subject, not the writer. This is good work.

N6dBest Editorial National or International Issue National NewspaperFirst Place National Catholic Reporter, Kansas City, Mo., “Rome Looks Bad in Bout With Bourgeois” An eminently reasonable but compelling challenge to Rome on its threat to excommunicate an activist priest. The editorial’s formidable rhetorical arsenal includes an apt historical reference to Martin Luther King Jr. and a spot-on quotation from St. Paul. A powerful appeal to the conscience.Second Place Our Sunday Visitor, Huntington, Ind., “Tending Glass Houses” A thought-provoking argument for professionalism in Catholic media and openness in the Church.Third Place Our Sunday Visitor, Huntington, Ind., “Freedom to Object” Wades bravely and forcefully into a very controversial issue, freedom of conscience for health care providers.

N7Best Editorial Page SectionFirst Place National Catholic Reporter, Kansas City, Mo., “Action and Simplicity; Another View of JFK; Apprehending an Angel of Glee” by Raymond Schroth, Tom Roberts, Kevin Doherty, Thomas C. Fox, Joe Feuerherd, Thomas Patric-

Melady, Colman McCarthy, Heather King, & Mary Ann Cejka The breadth, ambition and quality of the National Cath-olic Reporter’s opinion pages rival those of the best major metropolitan newspapers. The combination of thoughtful editorials, columns on hot topics, religious commentary, book and movie reviews, profiles and letters make for a consistently interesting and enjoyable read in an an eye-pleasing package.Second Place The Catholic Spirit, St. Paul, Minn., “This Catholic Life” by Joe Towalski The Catholic Spirit’s editorial section has an engaging mix of opinion pieces on current events as well as spiri-tual topics with contemporary references and relevance. It especially excels in its layout, with first-class illustrations, photos and quotes to grab readers.Third Place Catholic Sentinel, Portland, Ore., “Editorial Section” by Catholic Sentinel Staff The Catholic Sentinel’s opinion pages feature the most cogent editorials among the competitors in this category.Honorable Mention North Texas Catholic, Fort Worth, Texas, “Viewpoints” by Jeff Hensley

N8aBest Feature Writing 1-17,000 Diocesan PaperFirst Place Catholic Sentinel, Portland, Ore., “Rattled Iraqi Inter-preter Family Healing in a Land They Admire” by Ed Langlois Great, clean but descriptive writing. Solid reporting, solid writing. Enjoyable and thoughtful. Great example of an interesting and engaging feature.Second Place The Messenger, Belleville, Ill., “Families Learn To Cope When Loved Ones Die By Suicide” by Liz Quirin This piece is well-written and well-researched. A sensi-tive topic, tenderly written. Very engaging right from the start—an inspirational piece even though the topic is pro-vocative.Third Place Catholic Sentinel, Portland, Ore., “Inmate Carrying Out Ministry From Death Row” by Ed Langlois This story immediately draws in a reader—great descrip-tions and insights.

Award N7, Best Editorial Page or Section, First Place, National Catholic Reporter, Kansas City, Mo.

Award N8a, Best Feature Writing- 1-17,000 Diocesan Paper, First Place, Catholic Sentinel, Portland, Ore.

June 2009 The Catholic Journalist Page 5

Newspaper Award Winners

N8bBest Feature Writing 17,001-40,000 Diocesan PaperFirst Place The Compass, Green Bay, Wis., “When Baby Pictures May Be All You Have” by Patricia Kasten The story about the work of the Elizabeth Ministry pre-natal hospice for families whose baby’s prognosis may be death. The writer uses a dramatic narrative quote as the lead to an emotional account of one family’s sad tale about the loss of their two children. Next the writer provides an objective statement of medical statistics about infant mor-tality. Then she meticulously reconstructs anecdotes about the parent’s ordeal throughout her fact report about the work of the hospice. This is a great example of how tradi-tional news reporting can employ basic elements writing in scenes, using dialogue, foreshowing and anecdotes to tell a story as well as provide useful information. I typically don’t like direct quotes at the beginning of a story, but this time it really works.Second Place Tennessee Register, Nashville, Tenn., “Faith Sustains Sol-diers, Families During Wartime” by Theresa Laurence Theresa Laurence has written an inspirational account of self-revelation among solders relying on their faith in God. In this single ambitious article, Laurence used long-form storytelling techniques to provide the readers with depth, character description and development. This piece seems to be very personal to Laurence, and she has honored the subject competently.Third Place Tennessee Register, Nashville, Tenn., “Priest Mentors ‘Little Brother’ By Just Being There” by Theresa Laurence Theresa Laurence has written an interesting story about the relationship of ‘Big Brother’, ‘Father Wolf’ and ‘Little Brother’ James Myers. Laurence’s story bulges with details of sights (“…riding their bikes”), sounds (“… tire popped”) and the cool dialogue (“That’s cool.”) as she pro-vides some insight into the duo’s relationship. A good read.

N8cBest Feature Writing 40,001+ Diocesan PaperFirst Place The Leaven, Kansas City, Kan., “Love Me Tender, Love Me True” by Kara Hansen & Angela Boquin The choice of detailed narrative technique here sets the story apart, and Hansen’s sensitive, contained approach to interviewing and storytelling holds the narrative together. This is a beautifully crafted story, and it entails risk, because it forces the reader to work and to feel and to grapple with a harrowing decision. I believe this was well worth the effort for everyone who gave of themselves to share this.Second Place The Tidings, Los Angeles, Calif., “Gange Violence” by R.W. Dellinger From the second paragraph, R.W. Dellinger places the reader in this family’s world; the story builds empathy and understanding on the details, images and rhythms, and refuses to tie gang violence and grief in neat packages.Honorable Mention The Long Island Catholic, Roosevelt, N.Y., “Trips Down-town Help St. Charles Patients on Road to Recovery” by Mary IapalucciHonorable Mention Catholic San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif., “Priest Builds Village Of Hope In Haitian Countryside” by Mike Vick

N8dBest Feature Writing National NewspaperFirst Place National Catholic Reporter, Kansas City, Mo., “Think About It” by Michael Humphrey Humphrey leaves no stone unturned in reporting the issues of this story that has drawn much interest. It is a balanced piece on a complicated topic. It’s a lengthy story, and he breaks down the issues into easily digestible pieces.

Second Place Our Sunday Visitor, Huntington, Ind., “Sparing, Sharing Lifestyle” by Scott Alessi It’s a timely topic that has received much media atten-tion, but this story stands out by including historical context, as well as providing practical and attainable examples. Alessi crafts a breezy read with an important message.Third Place Catholic News Service, Washington, D.C., “In Remote Corner Of Bolivia, A Jesuit Legacy of Music” by Barbara J. Fraser Fraser engages the reader from the outset and doesn’t let them go, turning some very pleasing sentences and quotes along the way. It’s an enjoyable combination of history and human interest.

N9aBest Personality Profile 1-17,000 Diocesan PaperFirst Place Catholic Northwest Progress, Seattle, Wash., “A Well-lived Life Still Well Worth Living” by Kevin Birnbaum An important pro-life issue handled with clear, concise writing. The writer let the subject’s voice come through in a way that feels real, and true to the dying man’s message about life.

N9bBest Personality Profile 17,001-40,000 Diocesan PaperFirst Place Catholic Universe Bulletin, Cleveland, Ohio, “Caring for Those in the Dumps” by Brad Miklosovic This story’s organization ties the subject’s faith journey to his efforts in caring for the poor of Mexico. Excellent description, good use of quotations, and clear, interesting writing make this a compelling read. Thank you.Second Place Catholic Universe Bulletin, Cleveland, Ohio, “Coming Out of the Dark” by Nancy Erikson This personality profile starts with an enticing lead and continues to use good writing to describe the life of

a top Hollywood writer. Good details and storytelling that remains clear and easy-to-follow throughout. Nice job.Third Place The Compass, Green Bay, Wis., “Green Bay’s 10th Bishop Marks Birthday” by Patricia Kasten Great lead draws the reader right into this story that starts with a man’s life at age 60. Good details, background and news peg of upcoming tour at the end of the story. Quotes seem to round out the picture of this profile.Honorable Mention The B.C. Catholic, Vancouver, B.C., “Miss World Canada Fights Death Penalty” by Laureen McMahonHonorable Mention Today’s Catholic, San Antonio, Texas, “St. Elias Chapel’s Stained Glass Theory” by Carol Baass Sowa

N9cBest Personality Profile 40,001+ Diocesan PaperFirst Place The Florida Catholic, Miami, Fla., “Sculptor’s Dream Come True” by Ana Rodriguez-Soto The story of Roberto Perez is well-written, inspiring and touching. His journey from Cuba to Portugal to the United States is remarkable. A truly interesting profile on a man who lives his Faith through his art and life’s work.Second Place The Catholic Spirit, St. Paul, Minn., “From Dark Of Vam-pires To Light Of Christ” by Pat Norby Fascinating and well-written, the profile of Anne Rice’s journey from atheism back to her Catholic Faith upbring-ing is inspiring.Third Place Western New York Catholic, Buffalo, N.Y., “Russert Leaves Behind a Catholic Legacy” by Mark Ciemcioch Interesting and well-written tribute to Tim Russert’s Catholic legacy.

N9dBest Personality Profile National NewspaperFirst Place Catholic News Service, Washington, D.C., “Scholar, Pas-tor, Enigma: German Pope Defies Easy Cariacture” by John Thavis Thavis proves a strong personality profile doesn’t neces-sarily require face time with the subject. He uses a broad range of sources to paint his portrait. The reporting is strong and the writing is fluid and very readable. Well done.Second Place National Catholic Reporter, Kansas City, Mo., “‘Poped Out” Wills Seeks Broader Horizons” by John Allen Jr. An outstanding piece that provides insight and context as to why the subject is important. Allen shows true crafts-manship as he unfolds the many layers of this personality. It’s a compelling read.Third Place National Catholic Reporter, Kansas City, Mo., “Weaving Images in the Soul” by Rich Heffern Heffern’s use of details and place make this piece vivid.

N10aCulture, The Arts, And LeisureFirst Place Tennessee Register, Nashville, Tenn., “Reel Life Journeys column” by Christopher Fenogito The winner has a wonderful writing style that begs the reader to get to the next paragraph, and the next and the next. He combines ordinary activities like running and playing basball with messages that resonate. Lively read-ing.Second Place Catholic San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif., “Swedish Chamber Orchestra Proves Less Can Be More” by Father Basil de Pinto His reviews dig beneath the surface virtues of the mate-rial he is viewing. He is concise and to the point, and in the submissions gives the reader a solid parting declaration in the last sentence. His style just feels good.

Award N8c, Best Feature Writing- 40,000+ Diocesan Paper, First Place, The Leaven, Kansas City, Kan.