Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: The Sheboygan Press Entry Title: Sheboygan Falls school board decisively rejects anti-LGTBQ policies proposed by one board member Entry Credit: Maya Hilty Judge Comment: Good coverage of an important local event. Good use of quotes to give context and bring the reader into the room. Even-handed journalism by the reporter.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: EagleHerald Entry Title: Future USS Cleveland christened, launched at FMM Entry Credit: Dan Kitkowski Judge Comment: Good use of details about the ship, about side-launching vs using a lift, and about the event. Liked the photos; they added to the story.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Oshkosh Northwestern Entry Title: Oshkosh Area Humane Society 'desperately' seeking help after exceeding cat capacity, 300% increase in impounded animals Entry Credit: Bremen Keasey Judge Comment: Good lede, but perhaps could have focused more on the overcrowding issue noted in the headline. (How many animals in a single cage, for example?)
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: The Freeman Entry Title: The battle for birds continues in Waukesha Entry Credit: Isabella Kostolni Judge Comment: Enjoyable piece and a good head. Perhaps more background on what other cities are doing, but still a good job.
Competition Comment: Many of the entries were more feature than news.
