Congratulations to all the recipients of the tenth annual Morris Journalism Excellence Awards, a celebration of enduring stars across the company.

Each award winner will receive $500 and a glass trophy, to be presented in local ceremonies

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT – Larger newsrooms
Winner: Staff, Savannah Morning News – Port warehouse rubber fire darkens city skies

Honorable Mentions
Staff, Augusta Chronicle – The Master’s 

Staff, Florida Times-Union – VAM: Value Added Measures of teacher performance

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT – Smaller newsrooms
Winner: Juneau Empire – Empire Readers Council editorials

Honorable Mention
Staff, The People-Sentinel – Ice storm Pax

 

DEADLINE REPORTING – Larger newsrooms
Winner: Eileen Kelley, Florida Times-Union – Fowler fire

Honorable Mention
Dash Coleman and Mary Mayle, Savannah Morning News – Port rubber fire darkens city skies

DEADLINE REPORTING – Smaller newsrooms
Winner (tie): Emily Russo Miller, Juneau Empire – Search for missing hiker

Winner (tie): Stuart Korfhage, St. Augustine Record – Zampatti case

Honorable Mention
Jonathan Vickery, The People-Sentinel – Buck’s Hardware fire

 

WATCHDOG REPORTING – Larger newsrooms
Winner: Topher Sanders, Florida Times-Union – Jacksonville crime

Honorable Mention
Sandy Hodson and Travis Highfield, Augusta Chronicle – A forceful presence

WATCHDOG REPORTING – Smaller newsrooms
Winner: Katie Moritz and Mary Catharine Martin, Juneau Empire – KSM Mine

 

WRITING – Larger newsrooms
Winner: Matt Soergel, Florida Times-Union – Stories

Honorable Mentions
Ed Morales, Athens Banner-Herald – Three articles

Clifford Davis, Florida Times-Union – Prison camp

WRITING – Smaller newsrooms
Winner: David McCollum, Log Cabin Democrat – Celebrating an angel among us

Honorable Mention
Amy Fletcher, Juneau Empire – Alaska Writer Laureate Nora Dauenhauer finishes up two-year term

 

COMMUNITY SERVICE – Larger newsrooms
Winner: David Bauerlein and Eileen Kelley, Florida Tiimes-Union – Pension reform

Honorable Mentions
Jim McBride, Amanda Castro-Crist, Matt Hutchison and Russell Anglin, Amarillo Globe-News – Police records

Kevin Welch, Matt Hutchison, Russell Anglin, Jim McBride and Vanessa Garcia, Amarillo Globe-News – Animal control

COMMUNITY SERVICE – Smaller newsrooms
Winner: Charles Westmoreland, Melissa Griffiths, Katie Moritz, Emily Miller and James Brooks, Juneau Empire – SB21 series

Honorable Mentions
Staff, Junea Empire – The Road

Nadya Gilmore, Maree Shogren, Andrew Jensen and Tim Bradner, Alaska Journal of Commerce – A Giveaway or a Gateway? A special report on Ballot Measure 1

 

COMMENTARY – Larger newsrooms
Winner: Damon Cline, Augusta Chronicle – Compilation

Honorable Mention
Staff, Savannah Morning News – Editorials

COMMENTARY – Smaller newsrooms
Winner: Steve Crawford, Columbia County News-Times – Publisher’s Notes

Honorable Mentions
Charles Westmoreland, Juneau Empire – Editorials

Parish Howard, News and Farmer – Living in a hard place; Hospital finances are on the mend; Recognizing all of our citizens

 

DIGITAL JOURNALISM – Larger newsrooms
Winner: AJ Reynolds, Rachel Bowers and Richard Hamm, Athens Banner-Herald – UGA Gymnastics

Honorable Mention
Staff, Savannah Morning News – 20th Anniversary of “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”

DIGITAL JOURNALISM – Smaller newsrooms
No award

 

SOCIAL MEDIA – Larger newsrooms
Winner: Staff, Savannah Morning News – Using portfolio strength to grow reach, conversations

Honorable Mention
Derek Hembd, Florida Times-Union – Echoes of the river

SOCIAL MEDIA – Smaller newsrooms
Winner: Staff, The People-Sentinel – People-Sentinel Facebook page

 

GRAPHICS – Larger newsrooms
Winner: Steve Nelson, Florida Times-Union – The Biggest Show on Turf

Honorable Mention
Steve Nelson, Florida Times-Union – Pension payouts

GRAPHICS – Smaller newsrooms
Winner: Rashah McChesney – Peninsula Clarion – Fish identification

Honorable Mentions
James Brooks, Juneau Empire – Sharing salmon

James Brooks, Juneau Empire – State of pie

 

PHOTOGRAPHY – Larger newsrooms
Winner: Corey Dickstein, Savannah Morning News – Soldier’s training in the desert

Honorable Mentions
Will Dickey, Florida Times-Union – No arms, no legs

Thad Allton, Topeka Capital-Journal – The gift of water

PHOTOGRAPHY – Smaller newsrooms
Winner: Rashah McChesney, Peninsula Clarion – Funny River fire

Honorable Mentions
Michael Penn, Juneau Empire – Juneau Life

Rashah McChesney, Peninsula Clarion – A fishing community

Michael Penn, Juneau Empire – Stone curling

 

VIDEOGRAPHY – Larger newsrooms
Winner: Jennifer Menster, Savannah Morning News – Savannah How

Honorable Mentions
Bill Kirby, Augusta Chronicle – Kirby’s Augusta

Matt Pittman, Florida Times-Union – Zip line over alligators

VIDEOGRAPHY – Smaller newsrooms
Winner: Michael Penn, Charles Westmoreland, Tim Foster, Melissa Griffiths and James Brooks, Juneau Empire – Sky Spotter (JESS) videos

Honorable Mention
Daron Dean, St. Augustine Record – Meet the tin man

 

PAGE DESIGN – Larger newsrooms
Winner: Monty Zickuhr, Florida Times-Union – Page 1A collection

Honorable Mentions
Tim Bisel, Topeka Capital-Journal – Royal crown; Big game hunter; Rarefield heir

Steve Nelson, Florida Times-Union, Steve Nelson’s Wild Life collection

PAGE DESIGN – Smaller newsrooms
Winner: Randi Spray, Juneau Empire – Front pages

Honorable Mentions
St. Augustine Record – Section – front designs

Becki Black, St. Augustine Record – Feature page designs

 

SPORTS – Larger newsrooms
Winner: Gene Frenette, Florida Times-Union – College and NFL football

Honorable Mentions
Scott Michaux, Augusta Chronicle

Nicholas Talbot, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

SPORTS – Smaller newsrooms
Winner: Klas Stolpe, Juneau Empire – Klas Stolpe articles

Honorable Mention
Parish Howard, News and Farmer – Dreaming Big; Into the light; Her ticket to the ball

 

WILLIAM S. MORRIS IV INNOVATION AWARD – Larger newsrooms
Winner (tie): John Boyette, Wayne Staats, Ashlee Duren, Ryan Wehmeyer and Kim Luciani, Augusta Chronicle – High school football

Winner (tie): Topher Sanders, Steve Patterson, Khristopher Brooks, Denise Amos, Christopher Hong, Bill Bortzfield and Derek Hembd, Florida Times-Union – VAM

 

WILLIAM S. MORRIS III DEDICATION AWARD
Mary Kelli Palka, Florida Times-Union