Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: The Chetek Alert Entry Title: Local/area healthcare shutdown Entry Credit: Kenton Troutman Judge Comment: A crucial issue in small and rural communities is lack of health care. This extensive and continued coverage of the local impacts of ongoing clinic closings is important. The writing is solid, and the reporting is very thorough and well-balanced, though there are minor editing errors and the print layout is too compact in places. Photo selection and captions are informative. Good follow-through on the labor and delivery story and its connections to the larger issues.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Price County Review Entry Title: 'Fighting cancer together' Entry Credit: Tom LaVenture Judge Comment: Nice layout with plenty of space and a themed masthead that caught the eye. The quotes were occasionally hard to follow, although the writing did work to contextualize them. Good callouts of community resources and connections provided depth. Telling these kinds of personal stories in a relatable and vivid way can educate readers on what cancer can look like in women, contributing to public health.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: The Chronotype Entry Title: Health care systems taking a hit in Rice Lake; HSHS/Prevea closures impacting Barron County programs; Challenges to covering anesthesia services; Funding woes cutting into advocacy services for sexual assault survivors Entry Credit: Michelle Jensen Judge Comment: Ongoing and significant coverage of medical closures in the area, an important topic for rural health. Generally nice clean layout, some editing errors, but solid writing providing lots of context and local expertise. Extensive informational quotes might be better paraphrased, and a wider variety of sources in some places could add balance.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: The Pierce County Journal Entry Title: FFA, Webster family shine light on farmer mental health Entry Credit: Sarah Nigbor Judge Comment: Mental health awareness for farmers is an example of a story that has potential for significant public impact. The reporting gave in-depth local context and plenty of good information, and displayed sensitivity to a difficult topic. This rates an honorable mention due to the writing suffering from lack of clarity and structure. Overall, good work on an under-covered topic that deserves recognition.
