2019 ONAs

Winner: Grant LaFleche, St. Catharines Standard Grant LaFleche’s investigative reporting on an ongoing political corruption scandal in Niagara region took readers inside closed-door meetings. Through the use of secret recordings and confidential documents, he presented the perspectives of those who

Winner: Luisa D’Amato, Waterloo Region Record Runner-up: Joel Rubinoff, Waterloo Region Record Runner-up: Robin Baranyai, Postmedia News (freelancer) If there is any silver lining to be found amongst the storm clouds that continue to cast a gloom over the news

Winner: Bob Tymczyszny, St. Catharines Standard Tymczyszny’s dramatic photo of the Red Arrows fly-past over Niagara Falls has a huge “wow” factor.  It is beautifully framed by the sky, the mist, and the Horseshoe  Falls, with the Hornblower Cruise ship

Winner: Jane Sims, London Free Press This portfolio illustrates what great local court reporting should be, using court as a springboard to tell bigger stories, more fully told in extensive interviews outside the courtroom. Jane covered the trial of a

Winner: Trevor Wilhelm, Windsor Star Trevor Wilhelm of the Windsor Star captured first place in this extremely competitive category. His vivid writing and obvious reporting chops on emergency services and vulnerable people served to set his work apart. He showed

Winner: Derek Ruttan, The London Free Press London Free Press photographer Derek Ruttan was on the hunt for a feature photo when he happened upon a dangerous standoff. In a series of tense and disturbing frames, Ruttan captured images of

Winners: Joe Belanger, Sebastian Bron, Dale Carruthers, Jonathan Juha, Max Martin and Megan Stacey, London Free Press You could feel the heat, smell the gas and visualize the firefighter’s bloodstained jacket on the ground. When a massive explosion rocked London’s

Winner: Mark Malone, Chatham Daily News A smushed cheek, a flexing biceps and a struggling opponent lift this high school wrestling photo right off the screen. Mark Malone clearly knows the visual story of wrestling lay in the facial expressions

Winner: Mike Hensen, London Free Press The London Lightning shooter, solo and surrounded by his opponents, bracing himself before a hard landing, seemingly held up by his fingertips while his legs are contorted. The focus of all five players on

Winner: Nick Dunne, Cornwall Standard-Freeholder Nick Dunne’s two-part feature on the last known Mohawk-speaking code talker, Levi Oates, who died a year ago, is a wonderful and unusual piece of feature writing. It is a challenge to tell the story

Winner: Trevor Wilhelm, Windsor Star – Exit Wounds Trevor Wilhelm’s feature on first responders and post-traumatic stress disorder is the kind of story that sticks with a reader for days. It’s clear that former police officer William Donnelly trusted him,

Winner: Peter Lee, Waterloo Region Record, “Science Fair” The image took a relatively routine assignment and elevated the topic with personality, energy and humour. It is well cropped and has excellent interplay between the subjects in the foreground and background.