Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: The Journal Times Entry Title: Custodian becomes a citizen Entry Credit: Ryan Patterson Judge Comment: A strong lede that grabs attention, has a story that explains the lede, and, unlike most stories, it has an ending that refers back to the lede and ties the story together. Instructions are to place a strong emphasis in sentences and the lede and this story does both. The sentences and the information they provide work well in tying the story together. You have no problem reading it and it has good quotes. Plus, this is a great story of how a man decided to gain citizenship and worked to achieve it. Definitely a winner.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: The Journal Times Entry Title: Back to school without a cellphone Entry Credit: Adam Rogan Judge Comment: While cell phones in schools are problems, it's not so in this school. As the lede emphasizes, no cell phones can be used at the school as students entering each day put their phones in a container they cannot open and use the locker to open the patches as they leave school. Complete story and strong with sentences and quotes to show how things work. Grades are running higher now, bullying is down, students talk to each other, a teacher says students talk to him, etc. As the writer reports, no phones make the school better. Clearly this is a significant story and clearly written.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Leader-Telegram Entry Title: 'Momentous day' Entry Credit: Eric Lindquist Judge Comment: When you achieve what you never of doing, you have a lede that stands out. In reading how this came about, readers will find a story written with strong sentences and which tie together the story. Strong quotes are used and ample information is provided. Aside from the information, the significance of the story is evident—a $70 million donation from one family. The coming development is mentioned in the story.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Kenosha News Entry Title: Hard Rock returns: Menominee tribe to partner with international brand in casino effort Entry Credit: Daniel Gaitan Judge Comment: The reporter knows how to get information and how to relate it throughout the story. He is a good writer. His lede brings the reader into the story and reader can follow the information being provided. Quotes are solid and help the story. Sentences help hold the story together and they are constructed without being long or wordy. Obviously a significant story. If I still owned a newspaper, I would hire the writer.
Competition Comment: Before reading the entries, and checking back to the instructions while during the reading, I had to keep in mind these instructions: strong emphasis placed on sentence structure and lede, excellence in reporting, and significance of subject, writing quality, and thoroughness. Some quality stories in the entries, but some lacked the level of the items to be judged. Sentences and lede in the winners as well as in others caught attention. Note that sentences and excellence in reporting went well together. Many stories had significance of subject, including citizenship and phones in schools in the winners. I was amazed by the sad and unusual stories and reacted to them. Picking winners required reading more than once and looking for small things. Thanks for the stories. I enjoyed them.
