The California News Publishers Association recently honored several Bay Area News Group reporters, editors and photographers with awards for their work in 2023. The awards ceremony took place Saturday evening, July 13, in Universal City.
The Mercury News and East Bay Times won first place in three categories: film and TV writing/reporting, artistic photo, and print front page layout and design.
The list of awards in alphabetical order are as follows:
Agriculture reporting
Fifth place, Mercury News/East Bay Times, “As the Bay Area urbanizes around it, Livermore is one of the last ag cities standing,” Will McCarthy
Artistic photo
First place, Mercury News/East Bay Times, “U.S Gymnastics Championship,” Jose Fajardo
Breaking News
Fourth place, Mercury News/East Bay Times, “Pac-12 survival: Oregon, Washington deliver death blow, leave for Big Ten,” “Arizona, ASU, Utah defect to Big 12,” “What’s next for Oregon State, Washington State, Stanford and Cal after mass exodus to Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 collapse,” “Tracing 12 strategic blunders that led to Doomsday,” Jon Wilner
Columns
Second place, Mercury News/East Bay Times, “Seeno v. Seeno becoming building empire’s ‘War of the Roses,” “The Oakland A’s haven’t announced they’re leaving, county officials bizarrely claim,” Dan Borenstein
Coverage of Youth and Education
Fifth place, Mercury News/East Bay Times, “They spent their lives teaching California’s children. Now, they say they’re spending their retirement paying for it,” Elissa Miolene, Molly Gibbs
Editorial Comment
Fourth place, Mercury News/East Bay Times, “VTA’s San Jose BART extension costs surging out of control,” Dan Borenstein
Enterprise News Story or Series
Fifth place, Mercury News/East Bay Times, “California exodus package: ‘Mood is dark’: 80% of Bay Area voters see state of big three downtowns as serious problem, poll finds,’ ‘Wealthy resident departures worsen ‘doom loop’ fears,’ 5 charts that explain the California and Bay Area exodus,’ ‘Top destination for Bay Area transplants isn’t in Texas or Florida. It’s … Seattle?'” Ethan Varian, Julia Prodis Sulek, Scooty Nickerson
Film and TV Writing/Reporting
First place, Mercury News/East Bay Times, “The strange, sad tale of Sacheen Littlefeather: Did icon fake a Native American identity?” Martha Ross
Illustration
Second place, Mercury News/East Bay Times, “‘What are the real Vegas odds?,’ ‘Rewriting the Future of learning,'” Jeff Durham
Immigration Reporting
Third place, Mercury News/East Bay Times, “A migrant family’s odyssey: 7,100 miles from Venezuela seeking new life in San Jose,” John Woolfolk, Josie Lepe
News Photo
Fourth place, Mercury News/East Bay Times, “Brentwood Flooding,” Jose Fajardo
Photo Story/Essay
Fifth place, Mercury News/East Bay Times, “Pajaro Flooding,” Ray Chavez, Shae Hammond
Photojournalism
Second place, Mercury News/East Bay Times, “Best photography from staff of Mercury News/East Bay Times”
Print Front Page Layout & Design
First place, Mercury News/East Bay Times, “Texas? Florida? Nope. Bay Area Refugees are fleeing to Seattle,” Chris Gotsill, Pai, Scooty Nickerson
Print Inside Page Layout & Design
Second place, Mercury News/East Bay Times, “Eat, Drink, Play – Sausalito,” Jackie Burrell, Judy Sanfield
Print Special Section
Third place, Mercury News/East Bay Times, “Outdoors” magazine, Jackie Burrell, Chris Gotsill, David Jack Browning
Print Special Section Cover
Third place, Mercury News/East Bay Times, “Bookish,” “Kickoff” and “Outdoors” magazine, Jackie Burrell, Chris Gotsill, Laurence Miedema, David Jack Browning
Sports Feature Story
Fifth place, Mercury News/East Bay Times, “Life-saving blown save? SF Giants pitching coach Bailey reflects on 10th anniversary of Boston Marathon bombings,” Jason Mastrodonato
Writing
Third place, Mercury News/East Bay Times, “Parents grieve tiniest victims of California storms: One died instantly, the other is the ‘little boy we’re still trying to find,” Julia Prodis Sulek
