The Washington-Baltimore News Guild Local 32035 is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 Front Page Awards. These awards recognize outstanding contributions in the fields of journalism, photography, artwork, design and data published or accomplished in 2019.
This year’s contest saw a historic number of entries as well as record participation in units from across the Local. The entries from 2019, you see the depth and breadth of topics covered by the professionals that compose Washington-Baltimore News Guild Local 32035.
National issues related to immigration, education, public safety, climate change, the environment, and national defense. As well as providing the critical local stories on sports, local economic development, scandals in the governor’s office. They also told the stories that bring a smile to your face from a woman’s dream of providing her community’s Christmas Tree, the important role of an emotional support alligator, to how gold star families prepared for Memorial Day. They memorialized those who we lost, and celebrated their lives. Our members shared their expertise on congressional appropriations, federal contracting, tax law, international relations and canon law. They used data to tell important stories and investigated topics for the public and taxpayer interest. Perhaps the most important function of a free press in a democracy they held leaders from the local, state, regional, national and international accountable.
This year’s entries underline why news matters, now more than ever. We will be honoring them with an online awards ceremony on October 8, 2020 at 7PM.
Please join us in congratulating our colleagues and thanking them for the hard work they do every day to advance our profession and to make our world a better place.
SPORTS
1st Place: Wesley Lowery and Jacob Bogage of The Washington Post for “Fifty years after the ‘Black 14’ were banished, Wyoming football reckons with the past.”
2nd Place: Frank Bodani of The York Daily Record for “8,000 miles later, Central York, PSU graduate finds his future after rare hiking feat.”
Sports News 3rd Place: Frank Bodani of The York Daily Record for “Meet KJ Hamler, Penn State’s electrifying, fast-talking receiver and returner.”
COMMENTARY
1st Place: Mike Argento of The York Daily Record for “Sgt Rice Died a Hero in the Vietnam war. But for 50 years, his family had no idea.”
2nd Place: Sarah Kaplan of The Washington Post for “Ghosts of the future.”
3rd Place: Amy Mackinnon of Foreign Policy for “What Actually Happens When a Country Bans Abortion.”
Honorary Mention: Alex Horton of The Washington Post for “Reading ‘Slaughterhouse-Five’ in Baghdad: What Vonnegut taught me about what comes after war.”
NATIONAL NEWS REPORTING ON HEALTH
TIED: 1st Place: Liz Essley Whyte and Dianna Nanez of The Center for Public Integrity for “Big Tobacco’s Surprising New Campaign to Raise the Smoke Age.”
TIED: 1st Place: Roxana Tiron and Travis J. Tritten of Bloomberg for “Deadly Tumors, Surgical Lapses: Troops Court Trump in Bid to Sue.”
2nd Place: Amena H. Saiyid of Bloomberg for “Largest Sources of Cancer-Causing Ethylene Oxide go Unnoticed.”
3rd Place: Megan R. Wilson and Alex Ruoff of Bloomberg for “Lobbying on Drug Pricing Ramps up as Industry Faces Threats.”
NATIONAL NEWS REPORTING ON ENVIRONMENT
1st Place: Sarah Kaplan of The Washington Post for “Arctic ice is a climate keystone, but it’s crumbling more every year.”
2nd Place: Jaclyn Diaz of Bloomberg for “Poland Grapples With Coal Transition as It Holds on to Tradition.”
3rd Place: Lindsay C. VanAsdalan of The York Dispatch for “In the Shadow of the Tower.”
Honorable Mention: Kevin Rector of The Baltimore Sun for “Energy Tradeoff.”
Honorable Mention: Amena H. Saiyid of Bloomberg for “Wildfire Season Planning Includes Guarding Against Toxic Smoke.”
Honorable Mention: Dean Scott of Bloomberg for “Pentagon Pushed to Put Price Tag on Climate Vulnerability.”
NATIONAL NEWS REPORTING ON SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
1st Place: Rob Lever of The AFP for “Facial recognition: Coming to a gadget near you.”
2nd Place: Shaun Courtney of Bloomberg for “Dinner Delayed: Uber Delivery Drones Face Rules for Planes.”
3rd Place: Roxana Tiron of Bloomberg for “`Ghost Fleet’ Aimed at China, Russia Spooks Some in Congress.”
Honorable Mention: Elias Groll of Foreign Policy for “You Can Hack this Headline for $200.”
Honorable Mention: The Washington Post for “50 Astronauts in Their Own Words.”
Honorable Mention: Ivan Couronne of The AFP for “Apollo’s legacy: A quiet corner of Alabama that is forever Germany.”
NATIONAL NEWS REPORTING ON THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH AND POLICY
1st Place: Annie Gowen of The Washington Post for “Left Behind: Farmers fight to save their land in rural Minnesota as Trade War Intensifies.”
2nd Place: Jordan Rubin of Bloomberg for “America’s Secret Drug War.”
3rd Place: Cheryl Bolen of Bloomberg for “Trump Slow-Walks Legislative Deals With Democrats Ahead of 2020.”
Honorable Mention: Hassan Kanu of Bloomberg for “Trump Labor Board Chief Targets Agency Watchdog in Complaint.”
Honorable Mention: Katie Mettler of The Washington Post for “Trump again mentioned taped-up women at the border. Experts don’t know what he is talking about.”
NATIONAL NEWS REPORTING ON IMMIGRATION
1st Place: Carlos Hamann of The AFP for “From El Salvador to Texas Navigating the US Asylum Maze.”
2nd Place: Logan Hullinger of The York Dispatch for “Prison A key ICE Hub.”
3rd Place: Chris Stein of The AFP for “Don’t open the door’: US activists organize to thwart ICE.”
Immigration Honorable Mention: Laura Francis of Bloomberg for “H-1B Secrecy Veil Torn off as Trump Steps up Visa Targeting.”
Immigration Honorable Mention: Patricio Chile of Bloomberg for “Government Employs H-1B Workers Despite Trump Pledge.”
NATIONAL NEWS REPORTING ON JUSTICE LAW AND SOCIETY
TIED 1st Place: Katie Mettler of The Washington Post for “The ‘race whisperer’ A black activist convinced a neo-Nazi he’d save him from legal ruin. Then the real plan began.”
TIED 1st Place: Jessica Contrera of The Washington Post for “He was sexually abusing underage girls. Then, police said, one of them killed him.”
2nd Place: Issam Ahmed and Leila Macor of The AFP for “America’s gun violence survivors on life after the bullet.”
3rd Place: Emily Wilkins of Bloomberg for “Inmate-Scholars Do So Well on Pell Grants That U.S. May Add More.”
Honorable Mention: Jordan Rubin, Jacob Rund, and Madison Adler of Bloomberg for “Unpaid Jurors, Bare Evidence: The Cost of Courts Without Money”
NATIONAL NEWS REPORTING ON THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
1st Place: Nancy Ognanovich and Jack Fitzpatrick of Bloomberg for “Spending Infrastructure Top Agenda: Spring Hill Watch.”
2nd Place: Greg Giroux of Bloomberg for “Democrats’ NJ Defector Over Trump Risks Blowback in 2 Parties.”
3rd Place: Ken Doyle of Bloomberg for “Lawmakers’ Charter Jet Travel Ban Clipped by Devin Nunes Ruling.”
Honorable Mention: Dean Scott of Bloomberg for “Republican Senators in Tight Races Try to Look Just Green Enough.”
Honorable Mention: Roxana Tiron of Bloomberg for “Facing Split in Ranks, Democrats May Stumble on Defense Spending.”
Honorable Mention: Nancy Ognanovich and Madi Alexander of Bloomberg for “Record Number of women take lead as Committee Staff Bosses.”
Honorable Mention: Tonya Riley of The Washington Post for “The Technology 202: Airbnb now part of Congress’s debate over Silicon Valley’s legal shield.”
INTERNATIONAL NEWS & FOREIGN AFFIARS REPORTING
1st Place: Colum Lynch and Robbie Gramer of Foreign Policy for “Outfoxed and Outgunned: How China Routed the U.S. in a U.N. Agency.”
2nd Place: Amy Mackinnon and Robbie Gramer of Foreign Policy for “Once Again, Ukraine Steps Into the Unknown.”
3rd Place: Lara Seligman of Foreign Policy for “How the Iran Hawks Botched Trump’s Syria Withdrawal.”
Honorable Mention: Samantha Schmidt of The Washington Post for “A Language for All.”
STATE POLITICAL REPORTING
1st Place: Marie Albgies and Gordon Rago of The Daily Press for “Ralph Northam yearbook page shows men in blackface and KKK robe.”
2nd Place: Liz Essley Whyte of The Center for Public Integrity for “How a Bill that Seeks to Shut down Boycotts of Israel is Spreading State to State.”
3rd Place: Tonya Riley of The Washington Post for “The Technology 202: Uber, Lyft drivers vow to continue fight for unions despite company pushback.”
MEMORIALS
1st Place: Dylan Segelbaum of The York Daily Record for “‘This poor kid was doomed from the beginning:’ The tragic life and death of Dante Mullinix.”
2nd Place: Naomi Harris of The Capital Gazette for “We can’t grin our son back Family seeks answers after son chokes on a glove at Anne Arundel School.”
3rd Place: Harrison Smith of The Washington Post for “Mark Plotkin: Radio Host Fought for D.C. statehood.”
EDUCATION REPORTING
1st Place: Logan Hullinger of The York Dispatch for “Graduation Mystery.”
2nd Place: Emily Wilkins of Bloomberg for “Student Loan Forgiveness Plan Sputters, Helping 1% of Hopefuls.”
3rd Place: Lindsay C. VanAsdalan of The York Dispatch for “District Short on Subs.”
MILITARY & VETERAN REPORTING
1st Place: Tina Locurto of The York Dispatch for “York County Gold Star families prep for Memorial Day, reflect on fallen children.”
2nd Place: Selene San Felice of The Capital Gazette for “Jetpacks, Big Decks and Hundreds of Brits visit Annapolis waters on Royal Navy Supercarrier.”
3rd Place: Frank Bodani of The York daily Record for “All the heroes I know are buried somewhere’: How a World War II vet recalls Iwo Jima.”
LOCAL NEWS FOCUS ON SENIORS
1st Place: Mike Argento of The York daily Record for “Emotional Support Alligator Offers Comfort Paired with Razor Sharp Teeth.”
2nd Place: Tina Locurto of The York Dispatch for “New Freedom Senior Center Rebounds from Financial Instability.”
3rd Place: Leila Macor of The AFP for “US seniors fulfill dreams, fight depression with virtual reality.”
LOCAL NEWS REPORTING ON JUSTICE, LAW & SOCIETY
1st Place: Sarah Gregory of The Virginian Pilot for “Norfolk Teacher Accused of Abuse Face Similar Allegations a year ago and nothing was done.”
2nd Place: Gordon Rago of The Virginian Pilot for “Before his death, man begged for help at Hampton Roads Regional Jail.”
3rd Place: Mike Argento of The York Daily Record for “York Man was 2 when his father killed his mom. Years later, he had just one question.”
Honorable Mention: Leila Macor of The AFP for “Scars of torture at US reform school for boys won’t go away.”
LOCAL NEWS REPORTING ON GOVERNMENT
1st Place: Lisa Vernon Sparks of The Daily Press for “Arch to Jefferson Davis Memorial Park at Fort Monroe questioned as 1619 anniversary approaches.”
2nd Place: Lindsey O’Laughlin of The York Dispatch for “Time to Legalize?.”
3rd Place: Logan Hullinger of The York Dispatch for “Opportunity or Ouster.”
LOCAL NEWS REPORTING ON HEALTH
Local news: Health 1st Place: Dylan Segelbaum of The York Daily Record for “Some Pa. mental health patients end up with felonies, jail instead of the care they need.”
Local news: health 2nd Place: Samantha Schmidt of The Washington Post for “A Mother, but not a woman.”
Local News: health 3rd Place: Peter Jamison of The Washington Post for “D.C. mayor announces large new investment in opioid overdose antidote.”
HUMAN INTEREST
1st Place: Jasmine Vaughn-Hall of The York Daily Record for “Spring Grove actor hopes breakout role will encourage others with disabilities to audition.”
2nd Place: Frank Bodani of The York Daily Record for “‘Heaven on Earth’: Why a Central Pa. family cares for 600 wild animals.”
3rd Place: Jasmine Vaughn-Hall of The York Daily Record for “Let’s speak for the voiceless’: York natives want award- winning film to inspire others.”
PUBLIC SERVICE REPORTING ON CONSUMER & TAXPAYER PROTECTION
1st Place: Sarah Kleiner and Chris Zubak-Skees of The Center for Public Integrity for “You Donated to Kids with Cancer. This Vegas Telemarketer Cashed in.”
2nd Place: Julie Steinberg of Bloomberg for “Guns, Priests, and Drugs: New Targets for Old Consumer Laws.”
3rd Place: Lindsey O’Laughlin of The York Dispatch for “What’s Driving Up Yorktowne Costs?.”
PUBLIC SERVICE REPORTING ON PUBLIC SAFETY
1st Place: Lindsey O’Laughlin of The York Dispatch for “Years of Waiting.”
2nd Place: Shaun Courtney of Bloomberg for “Rail Prevails as Long Trains Block First Responders at Crossings.”
3rd Place: Sara Gregory of The Virginian Pilot for “Extent of rat, roach, mold problems being hidden, teachers at Norfolk school say.”
PUBLIC SERVICE REPORTING ON GOVERNMENT
1st Place: Michaela Ross of Bloomberg for “Trump’s FEMA Blamed for Elderly, Disabled Struggling in Storms.”
2nd Place: Jennifer A Dlouhy and Amena Saiyid of Bloomberg for “Trump Appointees Shunned Scientists on Pollution at Foxconn Site.”
3rd Place: Megan Wilson of Bloomberg for “Holocaust-Survivor Bill Prompts Allianz, AXA to Bulk Up Lobbying.”
PUBLIC SERVICE REPORTING ON LABOR & WORKER CONDITIONS
1ST Place: Maryam Jameel and Joe Yerardi of The Center for Public Integrity for “Despite Legal Protections, most workers who face discrimination are on their own.”
2nd Place: Hassan Kanu of Bloomberg for “Death to Scabby: Trump Labor Counsel Wants Protest Icon Deflated.”
3rd Place: Liz Evans Scolforo of The York Dispatch for “ York Sherif Fosters Toxic Work Environment say former sheriff, ex-deputies.”
PHOTOS
Best Video 1st Place: Ken Lam of The Baltimore Sun for “From Instagram portraits to preparing bodies, violence in Baltimore affects all.”
Best Photo: Sports 1st Place: Ken Lam of The Baltimore Sun for “McDonogh plays Archbishop Curley in boys soccer game.”
PHOTO LOCAL NEWS:
1st Place: John A. Pavoncello of the York Dispatch for “Tree Selection Fulfills Woman’s Dream”
2nd Place: Ken Lam of The Baltimore Sun for “MTA driver Joe Laprade cat naps during Orioles Blue Jays game after work.”
3rd Place: Kristen M. Zeis of The Virginian Pilot “Forgiveness, celebration and a call for change at funeral for shooting victim Keith Cox”
REPORTING ON RELIGION
1st Place: Chaz Muth of The Catholic News Service for “Seal of Confessional Series.”
2nd Place: Mike Argento of The York Daily Record for “Indonesian Christians who fled persecution released from immigration detention after 6 months.”
3rd Place: Mark Pattison of The Catholic News Service for “Century-old ‘Bishops’ Program’ highlights Labor Day statement.”
PORTER AWARD FOR BUSINESS REPORTING
1st Place: Cheryl Bolen of Bloomberg for “Goldman Banker Snared by AI as U.S. Government Embraces New Tech.”
2nd Place: Michaela Ross of Bloomberg for “Gym, Kennel Demands by Customs Adds to Port Operators’ Ire.”
3rd Place: Paige Smith of Bloomberg for “Trump Contractor Watchdog Wants Closer Tabs on Career Attorneys.”
PORTER AWARD FOR LABOR REPORTING
1st Place: Paige Smith of Bloomberg for “Labor Department Quietly Expanded Bias Settlement Months Later.”
2nd Place: Mark Olalde and Joe Yerardi of The Center for Public Integrity for “ While Zombie Mines Idle, Cleanup and workers suffer in limbo.”
3rd Place: Emily Wilkins of Bloomberg for “Unexcused Absences: Striking School Teachers Set Record in 2018.”
Honorable Mention: Michaela Ross of Bloomberg for “Sick, Exhausted Agents Stoke Exodus Fear Amid Migrant Surge.”
LEGISLATIVE ANALYSIS
1st Place: Sarah Babbage, Naoreen Chowdhury, Michael Smallberg, and Adam M. Taylor of Bloomberg for “BGOV Bill Summary: Amended H.R. 1865.”
2nd Place: Naoreen Chowdhury of Bloomberg for “BGOV Bill Summary S. 1838 Hong Kong Autonomy Assessments.”
3rd Place: Adam M. Taylor of Bloomberg for “BGOV Bill Summary: H.R. 3942, Online E-Cigarette Sales.”
NATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
TIED 1st Place: Fatima Hussein of Bloomberg for “‘Culture of Fear’ Grips UPS; Workers Say Injuries Underreported.”
TIED 1st Place: Emily Wilkins and Madi Alexander of Bloomberg for “Public Colleges Woo Wealthier Students With Aid They Don’t Need.”
2nd Place: Keith Johnson and Robbie Gramer of Foreign Policy for “Who Lost Turkey?.”
3rd Place: Cheryl Bolen of Bloomberg for “Trump’s Rules Rollback PLedge Withers As Business Pushes Back.”
LOCAL INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
TIED 1st Place: Lindsey O’Laughlin of The York Dispatch for “YCIDA Excluded Public.”
TIED 1st Place: Dylan Segelbaum of The York Daily Record for “Former Pa. scoutmaster, citizen of the year focus of inquiry into decades of sex abuse.”
2nd Place: Lindsey O’Laughlin of The York Dispatch for “Splashy plan to offer water sports at three Hampton parks sinks.”
3rd Place: Dylan Segelbaum of The York Daily Record for “Police say people who smoke weed have ‘green tongues.’ There’s no scientific evidence.”
BEST PODCAST
TIE 1st Place: Katie Mettler, Ted Muldoon, and Martine Powers of The Washington Post for “How a black activist managed to take over a neo-Nazi grou”
TIE 1st Place: Shaun Courtney and Sarah Babbage of Bloomberg Autonomous Vehicles and the Law: Is Congress at the Wheel?
2nd Place: Amy Mackinnon of Foreign Policy for “I Spy”
3rd Place: Rebecca Kern and Adam Taylor of Bloomberg for “Internet Industry Weighs In On Liability Shield”
BEST WEB DESIGN
1st Place Pratheek Rebala of The Center for Public Integrity for “Copy, Paste, Legislate – Model Legislation Tracker”
2nd Kevin Uhrmacher and Brittany Renee Mayes for “The Washington Post Quiz: Which of these 2020 Democrats agrees with you most?”
3rd Joe Fox of The Washington Post for “How to dress for space.”
BEST GRAPHICS
1st Place Chris Alcantara of The Washington Post for “How does an autonomous car work? Not so great.”
2nd Place Kelly Kimball and Lori Kelley of Foreign Policy for “Highlights: It’s Trump’s World Now. What Do We Do About It?”
3rd Place C.K. Hickey and Lori Kelley of Foreign Policy for “All the Presidents’ Meals”
BEST VIDEO CULTURE:
1st place Lee Powell of The Washington Post for “Building the Nation’s T. rex”
2nd Place Hannah Jewell of The Washington Post for “At the Area 51 ‘raid,’ the real alien invaders were the friends they made along the way.”
3rd place Dawn Sagert of The York Dispatch “Sewing Workshop at Gusa by Victoria”
Honorable Mention Chaz Muth Catholic News Service for “The Movies and The Church”
BEST LOCAL VIDEO
1stKristen M Zeis of The Virginian-Pilot for “Keith Cox remembered as protector of family”
2nd Kenneth Lam of Baltimore Sun for “From Instagram portraits to preparing bodies, violence in Baltimore affects all.”
3rd Lindsay C. VanAsdalan of The York Dispatch for “York Barbell hosts the IPA National Powerlifting Championships”
BEST LEGAL & POLICY VIDEO
1st Place Daron Taylor and Sarah Hashemi of The Washington Post for “What does copyright infringement sound like?”
2nd Place Dan Stoller of Bloomberg for “Google Wins Round in Fight Against Global Right to Be Forgotten”
3rd Place Shaun Courtney of Bloomberg for “Infrastructure: The Hardest Easiest Problem“
DATA WORK
1st Michaela Ross, Courtney Rozen and Christina Brady of Bloomberg for “No, You Still Can’t Bring Your Gun on a Plane”
2nd Robert Levinson of Bloomberg for “The Defense Budget in Historical Perspective: BGOV Analysis”
3rd Laura Criste of Bloomberg for “IT Spending Could Top $29 Billion in Q4 FY19: This Is IT”
TECHNICAL WORK
1st place Cameron Leuthy of Bloomberg for “Analyze RS3 Opportunities With Updated Dashboard: BGOV How-To”
2nd place Paul Murphy of Bloomberg for “Federal Subcontracting in 2020: BGOV Market Profile. “
3rd Irfan Hussein of Bloomberg for “Bulk Amendment Download Tool”
BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE
1st Jorge Uqullias of Bloomberg “Jorge does great work for us in automating our processes. He also closely mentors other colleagues. He has made significant contributions to the work we are doing in billing and other areas to improve the work conditions at Bloomberg Government and allow our employees to better focus on higher end work and production.”
2nd Brian Posner of Bloomberg “Brian is an amazingly hard worker for us at Bloomberg, he’s always on top of the contracts that need to go out to our customers and clients and is always there to help our sales team achieve their success. He has brought in contracts under the buzzer a number of different times to make sure we are successful.”
3rd Paul Murphy of Bloomberg “Paul has worked with Bloomberg Philanthropies in their small business efforts in Baltimore and provided them with actionable data.”