Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: The Cap Times Entry Title: Wisconsin Republicans race to reinvent state’s election system — again Entry Credit: Jessie Opoien, Jack Kelly Judge Comment: A comprehensive look at who wants to overthrow the state's election commission and why, as well as where it originated and why. Good use of documenting links. Strong sources, eloquent quotes. Top drawer civic education.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Wisconsin State Journal Entry Title: 'I have lost my everything': Afghans grapple with loss, hope as they prepare to leave Fort McCoy Entry Credit: Emily Hamer Judge Comment: Scope and emotional toll are conveyed through the voices of young Afghan women who left loved ones behind to escape the Taliban and now wait for whatever comes next, refugees among many refugees at the mercy of "underfunded and understaffed" resettlement agents. These women’s hopeful determination shines through this well organized, impressive account.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Wisconsin State Journal Entry Title: Urban wood movement looks to capture value, carbon from city trees Entry Credit: Chris Hubbuch Judge Comment: This was very educational for me. I learned about real-world obstacles that complicate what to a non-forester sounds like win-win, no-brainer recycling. Trying to mill urban trees is not necessarily worth the trouble to scale up, as the reporter lets one city forester explain. But visionary craftsmen are trying to make it work, and the reporter lets them say why, too.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: The Post-Crescent Entry Title: Does Appleton or Milwaukee have the right to claim Houdini as its own? Entry Credit: Duke Behnke Judge Comment: Delightful. I laughed out loud. Kudos to the reporter for not hamming it up, instead allowing the charming absurdity of the debate to stand forth in all its minute glory: "We're proud to be Houdini's self-proclaimed hometown. We're proud to be the hometown of anybody who claims us as their hometown.” ... "He never tried running away from Appleton, so that's another thing we have over Milwaukee" ... The reader learns little-known facts about the enigmatic superstar whose name remains a household word. And the gallery is terrific, too.
Competition Comment: Wisconsin Press Association should be proud of the depth and breadth of submissions in this category. I have felt a bear breathing down my neck, learned how tricky it is to sing the national anthem for the Green Bay Packers, been moved by the private drama behind a teenage organ recipient’s health and a son's gratitude to the nurse who died helping his dad survive World War II. I have been allowed to appreciate brave acts at a train wreck and a deadly pileup. I have been required to think through why a Black gun rights advocate feels his life is ruined in a state without provisions to clear the names of citizens arrested by mistake.
We could make a case for honoring every one of your entries, even the few that were somewhat undermined by poor copy editing.
It has been a pleasure to read your work, Wisconsin journalists.
