Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: The Pierce County Journal Entry Title: Local nonprofit aims to save rare Ojibwe horse Entry Credit: Sarah Nigbor Judge Comment: This is an extremely well written piece on an extremely interesting topic, weaving together the story of Loerzel and the situation of the horse population currently and over the past 50 years. While weighing the other winners against one another, it occurred to me that there is a certain level of uniqueness in the situation covered by the article as compared to the others, something I honestly am having trouble putting my finger on, that really made it a 10/10 for me. All I can really say is that the story captured my attention quickly, held it throughout and has stuck with me since. The writer also has the right flow for a feature so that the paragraphs move smoothly from one to the next, and also has a strong leade. The only thing I did not like was the format of the section headers, it really should have been larger or made use of a different font to better stick out and help the reader organize their thoughts, but I did not feel it detracted enough to move the article from a well deserved 1st place spot.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Dodge County Pionier Entry Title: Clerks Entry Credit: Mitchell Keller Judge Comment: A much needed effort to humanize an important cornerstone of American society that tends to be flattened in the discourse. Going the extra mile to really get at the heart of the thoughts and feelings of its three subjects, the article takes a smart approach to the job of poll workers and does a good job of presenting the thoughts of the subjects on their job while also providing enough information for the reader to understand the context of those thoughts. In terms of style, I think getting three primary subjects helped the article a good deal in covering the multiple facets of the issue and the author does a good job pacing the story. The strong leade and the right amount of personable tone (in my experience a tricky skill to get right) in places also gives the article a certain verve that keeps the reader invested through to the end. I never felt bored reading it.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Superior Telegram Entry Title: At 105, Superior woman recounts history she lived through Entry Credit: Shelley Nelson Judge Comment: A well focused profile on the life of a single individual. The author pulls from a good number of sources for quotes and made good use of (what I assume) are local landmarks to really drive home for the reader what getting to that age means and the changes that have happened across that time. The article also does not overstay its welcome, focusing on painting vivid pictures of moments and not dwelling too long on any one part of Isabell’s life. In the writing switching between Isabell herself and her children. Making use of the landmarks as mentioned above, the opening of the article really captured my attention and the ending quote was a good choice.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Lake Geneva Regional News Entry Title: Rose-y outlook: Wisconsin native heads up 2023 Rose Parade, Rose Bowl Entry Credit: Eric Johnson Judge Comment: The decision to begin the article with a quote certainly caught my attention and the early focus on Wainscott’s childhood connection to the Rose Parade, Rose Bowl locked me in for the rest of the article. The section dealing with her background and journey to where she is now is handled well and talking about her influence on the event was a good place to finish on. Overall just an extremely solid and engaging article.
