HAMILTON Steve Buist of the Hamilton Spectator and Jason Kryk of the Windsor Star took home the top two prizes at the 60th annual Ontario Newspaper Awards dinner.
Buist won the Martha Blackburn Award as journalist of the year and also received top honours in four individual categories: Investigative/Enterprise Reporting, Municipal Affairs (over 25,000 circulation), Business Writing, and Health News and Lifestyle.
The centerpiece of Buist’s entry was Code Red, a series that showed that people living in poorer parts of Hamilton were dying of cancer at far higher rates than those in better-off parts of the city. Buist was also named journalist of the year in 2011.
Kryk won the Richard Sutton Award as photojournalist of the year. He was a finalist in three separate photo categories: online, spot news (over 25,000 circulation) and sports (over 25,000 circulation).
Judges said Kryk was cited for “an absolutely outstanding and concise portfolio that showed great expertise across all categories.” Kryk was also named photojournalist of the year in 2012.
The Spectator had the most wins, eight, while the Star had seven. Including finalists as well as winners, the two papers were each nominated 20 times. The Waterloo Region Record placed third with six wins and nine finalists.
Among newspapers below 25,000 daily circulation, the Guelph Mercury had eight nominations (two wins and six finalists) and the Sudbury Star had four wins and two finalists.
This is the 60th year the awards have been presented.
Open to 32 daily newspapers across the province, the awards are supported by a number of sponsors including Tim Hortons, the Council of Ontario Universities, Colleges Ontario, the Toronto Star, Accenture, Ontario College of Trades, the Ontario Tire Stewardship, the Ontario Professional Firefighters Association and Fox 40 International.
The full list of 2014 winners and finalists:
Martha Blackburn Award, Journalist of Year
Winner: Steve Buist, Hamilton Spectator. Finalists: Jon Wells, Hamilton Spectator; Jane Sims, London Free Press
Richard Sutton Award, Photojournalist of Year
Winner: Jason Kryk, Windsor Star. Finalists: Mathew McCarthy, Waterloo Region Record; Dax Melmer, Windsor Star
James Bruce Award, Arts and Entertainment Writing
Joel Rubinoff, Waterloo Region Record. Finalists: Rob O’Flanagan, Guelph Mercury; John Law, Niagara Falls Review
Tony Fredo Memorial Award, Feature Writing (under 25,000 circulation)
Barbara Simpson, Sarnia Observer. Finalists: Tara Jeffrey, Sarnia Observer; Rob O’Flanagan, Guelph Mercury
Green Environment Writing
Winner: Heather Rivers, Woodstock Sentinel-Review. Finalists: Matthew Van Dongen, Hamilton Spectator; Rob O’Flanagan, Guelph Mercury
Investigative/Enterprise Reporting
Winner: Steve Buist, Hamilton Spectator. Finalists: Dan Battagello, Windsor Star; Jason Miller, Belleville Intelligencer
Municipal Affairs Writing (under 25,000 circulation)
Winner: Laura Stricker, Sudbury Star. Finalists: Sara Ross, Orillia Packet and Times; Elliot Ferguson, Kingston Whig-Standard
Larry N. Smith Award, Novice Reporting (under 25,000 circulation)
Winner: Mary Katherine Keown, Sudbury Star. Finalists: Matt Day, Niagara Falls Review; Victor Ferreira, Guelph Mercury
Municipal Affairs (over 25,000 circulation)
Winner: Steve Buist, Hamilton Spectator. Finalists: Jeff Outhit, Waterloo Region Record; Jon Wells, Hamilton Spectator
K.J. Strachan Award, Editorial, Opinion and Analysis (under 25,000 circulation)
Winner: Brian MacLeod, Sudbury Star. Finalists: Cathy Dobson, Sarnia Observer; Tara Klager, Guelph Mercury
Walter J. Blackburn Award, Sports Photography (under 25,000 circulation)
Winner: Bob Tymczyszyn , St. Catharines Standard; Finalists: Mark Wanzel, Barrie Examiner; Brian Thompson, Brantford Expositor
C.B. Schmidt Award, Novice Reporting (over 25,000 circulation)
Winner: Amy Kenny, Hamilton Spectator. Finalist: Paige Desmond, Waterloo Region Record
Multimedia Journalism
Winner: Mathew McCarthy, Waterloo Region Record. Finalists: Chris Seto, Guelph Mercury; Luke Hendry, Belleville Intelligencer
General News Feature
Winner: Jane Sims, London Free Press. Finalists: Dave Battagello, Windor Star; Susan Clairmont, Hamilton Spectator
Education Reporting
Winner: Brian Cross, Windsor Star. Finalists: Matthew Van Dongen, Hamilton Spectator; Patrick Maloney, London Free Press
Jack Bowman Memorial Award, Spot News Photography (under 25,000 circulation)
Winner: Ian McAlpine, Kingston Whig-Standard. Finalists: Mike DiBattista, Niagara Falls Review; Brian Thompson, Brantford Expositor
K.A. (Sandy) Baird Award, Humour Writing
Winner: Drew Edwards, Guelph Mercury. Finalists: Michelle Hauser, Kingston-Whig Standard; Paul Benedetti, Hamilton Spectator
Feature Photography (over 25,000 circulation)
Winner: Philip Walker, Waterloo Region Record. Finalists: Mathew McCarthy, Waterloo Region Record; Dax Melmer, Windsor Star
Del Bell Memorial Award, Feature Writing (over 25,000 circulation)
Winner: Jon Wells, Hamilton Spectator. Finalists: Joel Rubinoff, Waterloo Region Record; Molly Hayes, Hamilton Spectator
Online Photography
Winner: Dax Melmer, Windsor Star. Finalists: Tyler Brownbridge, Windsor Star; Jason Kryk, Windsor Star
Editorial, Opinion and Analysis (over 25,000 circulation)
Winner: Karen Hall, Windsor Star. Finalists: Chris Vander Doelen, Windsor Star; John Roe, Waterloo Regional Record
Design and Graphics (under 25,000 circulation)
Winner: Sherri Lavigne, Sudbury Star. Finalists: Brad Demers, St. Catharines Standard; Dan Dakin, Welland Tribune
Spot News Reporting (under 25,000 circulation)
Winner: Tara Jeffrey, Barbara Simpson, Tyler Kula, Jack Poirier, Sarnia Observer. Finalists: Susan Gamble, Brantford Expositor; Sarnia Observer
Business Writing
Winner: Steve Buist, Hamilton Spectator. Finalists: Claire Brownell, Windsor Star; Lisa Grace Marr, Hamilton Spectator
Gene Florcyk Memorial Award, Sports Writing (over 25,000 circulation)
Winner: Drew Edwards, Hamilton Spectator. Finalists: Dave Waddell, Windsor Star; Jeff Hicks, Waterloo Region Record
Joan May Memorial Award, Column Writing
Winner: Chris Vander Doelen, Windsor Star. Finalists: Lorraine Sommerfeld, Hamilton Spectator; Jim Moodie, Sudbury Star
Spot News Reporting (over 25,000 circulation)
Winner: Jennifer O’Brien, Randy Richmond, Patrick Maloney, London Free Press. Finalists: Doug Schmidt, Chris Thompson, Sharon Hill, Chris Vander Doelen, Trevor Wilhelm, Windsor Star; Danielle Bell, Doug Hempstead, Megan Gillis, Kelly Roche, Chris Hofley, Jon Willing, Susan Sherring, Mike Aubry, Ottawa Sun
Feature Photography (under 25,000 circulation)
Winner: Luke Hendry, Belleville Intelligencer. Finalists: Mike DiBattista, Niagara Falls Review; John Lappa, Sudbury Star
Spot News Photography (over 25,000 circulation)
Winner: Mathew McCarthy, Waterloo Region Record. Finalists: Jason Kryk, Windsor Star; Robert Wilson, Waterloo Region Record
Walter J. Blackburn Award, Sports Photography (over 25,000 circulation)
Winner: Craig Glover, London Free Press. Finalists: Derek Ruttan, London Free Press; Jason Kryk, Windsor Star
Online Video Production
Winner: Mathew McCarthy, Waterloo Region Record. Finalists: Bob Tymczyszyn and Cheryl Clock, St. Catharines Standard; Mark McNeil and Barry Gray, Hamilton Spectator
Social Media
Winner: Claire Brownell, Windsor Star. Finalists: Dan Dakin, St. Catharines Standard; Hugo Rodrigues, Brantford Expositor
Health News and Lifestyle
Winner: Steve Buist, Hamilton Spectator. Finalists: Claire Brownell, Windsor Star ; Teri Pecoskie, Hamilton Spectator
John E. Motz Memorial Award, Design and Graphics (over 25,000 circulation)
Winner: Tania Praeg, Waterloo Region Record. Finalists: John Bullock, Hamilton Spectator; Diane Shantz and Tania Praeg, Waterloo Region Record
Robert J. Hanley Award, Sports Writing (under 25,000 circulation)
Winner: Drew Edwards, Guelph Mercury. Finalists: Bernie Puchalski, St. Catharines Standard; Dave Dawson, Orillia Packet & Times
Online Multimedia Special Project
Winner: Craig Pearson, Trevor Wilhelm, Dan Janisse, Don McArthur, Dylan Kristy, Windsor Star. Finalists: Craig Glover and Patrick Maloney, London Free Press; Susan Gamble, Brian Thompson, Hugo Rodrigues, Vincent Ball, Jeff Dertinger, Brian Smiley, Heather Ibbotson, Brantford Expositor
Student Journalist of Year
Winner: Lauren LiBetti, Centennial College. Finalists: Ryan Bowman, Conestoga College; Brad MacDonald, Humber College
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