2009 AltWeekly Awards Winners
DESIGN CATEGORIES
COVER DESIGN
Circulation 50,000 and over
First Place: Miami New Times, Share the F*&%ing Road, I'm HIV Positive, and Drop-Dead Sexy by Pam Shavalier
Second Place: Willamette Week, The Queer and the Qur'an, Nope, and Yeah! by the Willamette Week Design & Production Staff
Third Place: Riverfront Times, Cougar Heaven, The Veep Fair, and Lip Service by Tom Carlson
Circulation under 50,000
First Place: Santa Fe Reporter, The Politics of Eating, Down and Dirty, and Vote by Angela Moore
Second Place: Boston's Weekly Dig, I Want to Ride My Flycycle, Spring Dining Guide, and Abs of Wood by the Weekly Dig Staff
Third Place: Nashville Scene, Gettin' Jacked, Best of Nashville, and Reckless Love by Rob Williams
EDITORIAL LAYOUT
Circulation 50,000 and over
First Place: LA Weekly, Death of a Hollywood Beauty by Darrick Rainey
Second Place: NOW Magazine, Banning Handguns in Canada by Troy Beyer
Third Place: Village Voice, The Ultimate Re-Vamping by Ivylise Simones and Howard Huang
Honorable Mention: Phoenix New Times, Green Fatigue by Peter Storch and Jasmine Hobeheidar and Village Voice, Prodigy’s 25th Hour by Ivylise Simones
Circulation under 50,000
First Place: Gambit Weekly, Gone Daddy Gone by Amy Morvant
Second Place: Pacific Northwest Inlander, Fall Arts Preview by Chris Bovey
Third Place: Fast Forward Weekly, The Cinematic Sounds of Calgary’s Underground by Riley Brandt and Kris Twyman
Honorable Mention: San Luis Obispo New Times, Secrets of Recycling by Patrick Howe, Alex Zuniga and Steve E. Miller
ILLUSTRATION
Circulation 50,000 and over
First Place: Riverfront Times, 7-Up vs. Coke, Part 2 by Brian Stauffer
Second Place: Village Voice, A Wing and a Prayer by Christian Northeast
Third Place: Baltimore City Paper, Sizzlin’ Summer by Paige Shuttleworth
Circulation under 50,000
First Place: Santa Fe Reporter, Eureka by Richard Borge
Second Place: Fast Forward Weekly, Twin Peaked by Julie McLaughlin
Third Place: Seven Days, Say Yes! by Matt Mignanelli
PHOTOGRAPHY
Circulation 50,000 and over
First Place: Baltimore City Paper, City Paper Freelancers 2008 by John Ellsberry, Frank Hamilton, Frank Klein, Michael Northrup, Ryan "Rarah" Stevenson and Jefferson Jackson Steele
Second Place: Riverfront Times, Photos by Jennifer Silverberg
Third Place: Washington City Paper, Photos by Darrow Montgomery
Circulation under 50,000
First Place: Style Weekly, Scott Elmquist Photography by Scott Elmquist
Second Place: Folio Weekly, Through The Lens by Walter Coker
Third Place: San Luis Obispo New Times, Momento Mori by Steve E. Miller
* * *
WRITING CATEGORIES
ARTS CRITICISM
Circulation 50,000 and over
First Place: Washington City Paper, Pine of the Times, Sheet Smart, and Pain by Numbers by Jeffry Cudlin
Second Place: Village Voice, Kill One for the Gipper, What We Learned about the Election in This Summer's Movies, and Deep Freeze by Jim Hoberman
Third Place: LA Weekly, Benjamin Button, Diary of the Dead, and The Visitor by Scott Foundas
Honorable Mention: LA Weekly, From Reverence to Rape, Waugh and Remembrance, and Was Roman Polanski a Pedophile? by Ella Taylor
Circulation under 50,000
First Place: Metroland, Not as They Seem, Branching Out, and Everything Is Illuminated by Meisha Rosenberg
Second Place: Independent Weekly (NC), Kipper Kids, El Greco, and USPO by Amy White
Third Place: Metro Pulse, So, This Is My Life... by Charles Maldonado
ARTS FEATURE
Circulation 50,000 and over
First Place: LA Weekly, No Exit Plan and The Life and Death of JT Leroy by Nancy Rommelmann
Second Place: Chicago Reader, Life Without a Script by Anne Ford
Third Place: The Pitch, A Picture of Hope by Jason Harper
Circulation under 50,000
First Place: Metro Pulse, Lowbrow Genius by Coury Tourczyn
Second Place: Fort Worth Weekly, Magical Misery Tour by Jeff Prince
Third Place: Metro Santa Cruz, Unlock & Roll by Curtis Cartier
COLUMN
Circulation 50,000 and over
First Place: Phoenix New Times, Globe High School Censors its Student Newspaper, Peter Singer to Talk at ASU, and Sarah Fenske's in Dogged Pursuit by Sarah Fenske
Second Place: Dallas Observer, No Nature for Old Men, What's in a Nombre, and Eat My Dirt by Jim Schutze
Third Place: Philadelphia Weekly, "The Angry Grammarian" by Jeff Barg
Honorable Mention: OC Weekly, "¡Ask a Mexican!" by Gustavo Arellano
Circulation under 50,000
First Place: Folio Weekly, Sugar Land, Dumb & Dumber, and History Lesson by Anne Schindler
Second Place: Colorado Springs Independent, “Ranger Rich” by Rich Tosches
Third Place: Portland Mercury, “In the Shadows” by Matt Davis
Honorable Mention: Orlando Weekly, “Police Beat” by Jeffrey C. Billman
COLUMN (POLITICAL)
Circulation 50,000 and over
First Place: Village Voice, Bloomberg's Velvet Coup, Bloomberg's Term-Limits Coup, and Eliot Spitzer Goes Down by Tom Robbins
Second Place: Chicago Reader, "The Works" by Ben Joravsky
Third Place: Metro Times, Just Go, Guilty as Charged, and Obama's Moment by Curt Guyette & W. Kim Heron
Circulation under 50,000
First Place: Birmingham Weekly, Gettin' Gay with Leapin' Larry, Alabama Exceptionalism, and Leapin' Larry Fights the Feds by Kyle Whitmire
Second Place: San Luis Obispo New Times, Don't mess with Uncle Sam, Pot and porn, and Semantics, Romantics by the New Times Staff
Third Place: Pacific Northwest Inlander, Interdependents, Rotten Crumbs, and Obama for President by Ted S. McGregor
FEATURE STORY
Circulation 50,000 and over
First Place: Westword, The Good Soldier by Joel Warner
Second Place: Creative Loafing (Atlanta), Sober by Thomas Wheatley
Third Place: Westword, Father of Invention by Joel Warner
Honorable Mention (tie): Houston Press, Mental Anguish by Margaret Downing
Honorable Mention (tie): LA Weekly, From Silver Lake to Suicide by Barry Isaacson
Circulation under 50,000
First Place: Texas Observer, Private Trauma by Patrick Michels
Second Place: Fort Worth Weekly, His Last War by Jeff Prince
Third Place: Texas Observer, See No Evil by Emily DePrang
Honorable Mention: Pacific Northwest Inlander, Boys of Summer by Luke Baumgarten
FOOD WRITING
Circulation 50,000 and over
First Place: LA Weekly, Breaking Free, Keep on Trucking, and A Proper Brasserie by Jonathan Gold
Second Place: Riverfront Times, The Pope of Pork by Kristen Hinman
Third Place: City Pages (Twin Cities), Spam: It's not just for Inboxes, With Honeycrisp's Patent, and Manny's Attempts to Raise the Steaks by Rachel Hutton
Circulation under 50,000
First Place: Metro Santa Cruz, The Jester’s Quest by Christina Waters
Second Place: Monterey County Weekly, Spit Fire Flavor by Mark C. Anderson
Third Place: Santa Fe Reporter, Fast Approaching, Chase the Dragon, and Peanut Gallery by A Qasimi
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
Circulation 50,000 and over
First Place: Phoenix New Times, Prescription for Disaster by John Dickerson
Second Place: Westword, State of Emergency by Jared Maher
Third Place: Baltimore City Paper, The Shadow Economy Series by Jeffrey Anderson, Edward Ericson Jr., Chris Landers, and Van Smith
Honorable Mention: New Times Broward- Palm Beach, To Hug a Porcupine by Deirdra Funcheon
Circulation under 50,000
First Place: Orlando Weekly, Might Makes Right by Jeffrey C. Billman
Second Place: Santa Barbara Independent, Greka’s Monkey Business by Ethan Stewart
Third Place: Folio Weekly, Don’t Bother by Susan Clark Armstrong
MEDIA REPORTING / CRITICISM
Circulation 50,000 and over
First Place: Washington City Paper, One Mission, Two Newsrooms by Erik Wemple
Second Place: Westword, The Rocky Mountain News is Going Down, Five Rocky Stars Who Could Be Going Up, and Last Rites on the Rocky Mountain News's Twittering by Michael Roberts
Third Place: Philadelphia Weekly, Pushing Paper by G.W. Miller III
Circulation under 50,000
The first-place winner of this category will receive the Connye Miller Award for Media Reporting, which comes with a cash prize of $300.
First Place: Arkansas Times, Fear Factor by David Koon and Gerard Matthews
Second Place: Independent Weekly (NC), Cuts to Run Deep at N&O, The Herald- Sun's Nosedive, and What's Up? More Bad News at The N&O by Fiona Morgan
Third Place: Orlando Weekly, The Incredible Shrinking Sentinel by Jeffrey C. Billman, Billy Manes, Deanna Sheffield and Bob Whitby
Honorable Mention: Tucson Weekly, "Media Watch" by John Schuster and Tim Vanderpool
MUSIC REPORTING / CRITICISM
Circulation 50,000 and over
First Place: Village Voice, Down In Front by Rob Harvilla
Second Place: Boston Phoenix, Newport, Nights Out, and Fourth Quarter CDs by Jon Garelick
Third Place: Dallas Observer, Swagger Like Us by Pete Freedman
Circulation under 50,000
First Place: Pacific Northwest Inlander, Abe Kennedy, Noise, and Pap by Luke Baumgarten
Second Place: Independent Weekly (NC), Pity for Black Kids, Lil Wayne, and Billy Corgan's Bombast by Robbie Mackey
Third Place: Orlando Weekly, Euro With a Thousand Faces, Wither Without You, and Beach Blanket Brilliance by Justin Strout
NEWS STORY (LONG FORM)
Circulation 50,000 and over
First Place: SF Weekly, Snitch by Ashley Harrell
Second Place: Village Voice, Missing in Action by Sean Gardiner
Third Place: Willamette Week, Señor Smith by Beth Slovic
Circulation under 50,000
First Place: Folio Weekly, Trial & Error by Gwynedd Stuart
Second Place: Pacific Northwest Inlander, Busted by Nicholas Deshais
Third Place: Texas Observer, Systemic Neglect by Dave Mann
NEWS STORY (SHORT FORM)
Circulation 50,000 and over
First Place: City Pages (Twin Cities), Midwest Oil Mining a Crude Idea, Local Couples Fight for Gay Rights, and Holly Collins Returns by Beth Walton
Second Place: Miami New Times, Killers in the Can, Burn Baby Burn, and Voter Fraud Ahead by Francisco Alvarado
Third Place (tie): Salt Lake City Weekly, Secret Police; Crime and Prejudice; Graybar Hotel by Ted McDonough
Third Place (tie): San Francisco Bay Guardian, Godzilla versus Mothra, Nuclear Fallout, and Vicious Circle by Sarah Phelan
Circulation under 50,000
First Place: Louisville Eccentric Observer, Taming the Wild West, Turn off the Radio, and Double Whammy by Phillip Bailey
Second Place: Portland Mercury, Blog This, Taser Eraser, and Leonard's Secret List by Matt Davis
Third Place: Pasadena Weekly, The Weekly is no Tom Tombrello, The great Pasadena Bond Caper, and Hater Nation by Joe Piasecki
PUBLIC SERVICE
Circulation 50,000 and over
First Place: Long Island Press, Heroin by Robbie Woliver, Timothy Bolger, and Michael M. Martino
Second Place: Houston Press, Selling You by Craig Malisow
Third Place: Metro Times, Detroit’s Big Burn by Curt Guyette
Circulation under 50,000
First Place: Metro Pulse, Jackie Walker by Betty Bean
Second Place: San Antonio Current, Hot Wired, The Series by Greg Harman
Third Place: Arkansas Times, The Fayetteville Shale Play by Gerard Matthews, David Koon and John Williams
Honorable Mention: City Newspaper, Reportage of the Rochester, NY Public Defender Search by Christine Carrie Fien, Jeremy Moule and Mary Anna Towler
SPECIAL TOPIC: ELECTION COVERAGE
Circulation 50,000 and over
First Place: City Pages (Twin Cities), Moles Wanted, Police Raid Anarchist Homes, and Dozens of Journalists Arrested at RNC by Matt Snyders
Second Place: Phoenix New Times, John McCain's Fame is Based on His POW Status, But He Has Abandoned Fellow Veterans by Amy Silverman
Third Place: Village Voice, The Book of Sarah (Palin) by Wayne Barrett
Circulation under 50,000
First Place: Texas Observer, John McCain's Gramm Gamble by Patricia Kilday Hart
Second Place (tie): City Newspaper, Election Action 2008 by Christine Carrie Fien, Jeremy Moule, Tim Louis Macaluso, Mary Anna Towler, and Karl Slominski
Second Place (tie): Portland Phoenix, Election 2008 Coverage by Portland Phoenix Staff and Freelancers
* * *
MISCELLANEOUS CATEGORIES
BLOG
Circulation 50,000 and over
First Place: Houston Press, Hair Balls by The Houston Press Staff
Second Place: Washington City Paper, City Desk by The Washington City Paper Staff
Third Place: San Francisco Bay Guardian, Politics Blog by The San Francisco Bay Guardian Staff
Honorable Mention: Austin Chronicle, Newsdesk by The Austin Chronicle News Staff
Circulation under 50,000
First Place: Santa Fe Reporter, Swing State of Mind by Dave Maass and Staff
Second Place: Gambit Weekly, Blog of New Orleans by The Gambit Weekly Staff
Third Place: Arkansas Times, Arkansas Blog by Max Brantley
CARTOON
First Place: Tom the Dancing Bug by Ruben Bolling
Second Place: Slowpoke by Jen Sorensen
Third Place: Worst-Case Scenario & Hip Tip by Kenny Be (Westword)
Honorable Mention: Mr. Fish by Dwayne Booth (LA Weekly)
INNOVATION / FORMAT BUSTER
Circulation 50,000 and over
First Place: Washington City Paper, Washington City Paper Files for Chapter 86 Content Bankruptcy by Erik Wemple, Andrew Beaujon and Jule Banville
Second Place: Metro Times, The Adventures of Kwame-man by Curt Guyette, W. Kim Heron and Sean Bieri
Third Place: Village Voice, The Official Village Voice Election-Season Guide to the Right-Wing Blogosphere by Roy Edroso
Circulation under 50,000
First Place: Santa Fe Reporter, Things To Do in Santa Fe When You're Undead by Dave Maass, Ursula Coyote and Random Zombie Fans
Second Place: Metro Pulse, Superhero vs. Autobiographical Comics by Coury Turczyn, Matthew Everett and Travis Gray
Third Place: Fast Forward Weekly, Christmas Sex Stories Contest by Tom Bagley, Genevieve Simm and Travis Sengaus
Honorable Mention: Orlando Weekly, Anti-coverage for Anti-Pop by Justin Strout and Shan Stumpf
SPECIAL SECTION
Circulation 50,000 and over
First Place: LA Weekly, LA People 2008 by Laurie Ochoa and LA Weekly Staff
Second Place: Seattle Weekly, Teach Me Tonight : Seattle Weekly's 2008 Fall Arts Guide by Mark D. Fefer
Third Place: City Pages (Twin Cities), Comix Issue by Freelance Contributors
Honorable Mention: Village Voice, Best of NYC by Village Voice Staff
Circulation under 50,000
First Place: Seven Days, What's Good: The Student's Off-Campus Guide to Burlington by Don Eggert, Cathy Resmer and Paula Routly
Second Place: North Bay Bohemian, Arcadia by North Bay Bohemian staff
Third Place: Source Weekly, The Source Weekly's Dining Guide by Elise Jones
Honorable Mention: Cincinnati CityBeat, Annual Manual by CityBeat Staff and Santa Fe Reporter, Devour: A Locavore's Guide to Santa Fe by Gwyneth Doland, Larry Kohr and Angela Moore