Finalists announced for 2010 National Newspaper Awards

TORONTO, March 21 /CNW/ - The Toronto Star leads all newspapers in Canada with 16 finalists in the 62nd National Newspaper Awards competition, followed by The Globe and Mail with 11 finalists.

The Gazette in Montreal earned seven nominations with The Canadian Press and La Presse in Montreal picking up six each.

The National Post, New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal in Saint John, and the Winnipeg Free Press have three nominations.

The Hamilton Spectator had two.

Single nominations went to the Belleville Intelligencer, Brandon Sun, Calgary Herald, Halifax Chronicle-Herald, Lethbridge Herald, Medicine Hat News, Moncton Times and Transcript, Nanaimo Daily News, Postmedia Network, Reuters, Sarnia Observer, Vancouver Sun, Vancouver Province, Waterloo Region Record, and Windsor Star.

The 72 finalists in the 22 categories were announced on March 21, 2011, from the National Newspaper Awards office in Toronto. There were 1,472 entries in this year's competition for works that appeared in the year 2010. In all, 24 news organizations have been nominated.

This year, judges in most of the categories were given the discretion to pick four finalists -- especially if they felt the work was accomplished under difficult circumstances or by a newsroom with limited resources. Judges in six of the 22 categories named four nominees as finalists for a National Newspaper Award.

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa on Friday, May 13. Winners will receive cheques for $1,000 and a certificate of award. Runners-up receive citations of merit.

This is the 22nd year for the NNAs under a Board of Governors which includes editors, publishers and the public from across Canada as well as representatives from the Toronto Press Club. Previous to 1989, the NNAs had been sponsored by the Toronto Press Club. The awards are administered from the National Newspaper Awards office in Toronto.

The National Newspaper Awards were founded by The Toronto Press Club in 1949.

Highlights:

• Lucas Oleniuk of the Toronto Star has three nominations for his work in Haiti after the earthquake and during the elections.
• Serge Chapleau of La Presse has been nominated for an 11th time. He has won the cartooning award six times.
• Brian Gable of The Globe and Mail has been nominated for an 11th time. He has won cartooning five times.
• Marty Klinkenberg of the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal has been nominated for a fourth straight year.

The nominees:

• Multimedia Feature: The Canadian Press for an online feature on the victims and their families of those injured or killed in Afghanistan; The Globe and Mail for a study of local efforts in Haiti to rebuild after the earthquake; the Toronto Star for a look at people waiting for organ transplants.
• News Feature Photography: Mark Blinch of Reuters for a photo of a protester at the G20 Toronto summit doing a handstand as a police car burns in the background; Lucas Oleniuk, Toronto Star, for a photo of looters walking past a dead teenage Haitian girl still clutching her stolen mirrors after she was shot by police; Lucas Oleniuk, Toronto Star, for a photo of opposition supporters leaping over burning tires during a protest of the outcome of the Haitian national elections.
• Beat Reporting: Murray Brewster, The Canadian Press, for stories from his defence beat from both Ottawa and Afghanistan; Charlie Fidelman, The Gazette, Montreal, for stories of secret practices revealed from her health beat; Sonja Puzic, Windsor Star, for stories from her health beat, notably at the troubled Hotel Dieu Hospital; Mary Agnes Welch, Winnipeg Free Press, for a variety of stories from her public policy beat.
• Explanatory Work: Peggy Curran, The Gazette in Montreal, for a study of the future facing high school dropouts; Richard Johnson, National Post, for the barbaric practice of stoning in Iran; Jennifer Yang, Toronto Star, for a story of  the rescue efforts for the 31 Chilean miners.
• Politics: Bruce Cheadle, The Canadian Press, for stories of the command-and-control tactics of the Harper government's implementation of its economic stimulus plan; Jennifer Ditchburn and Heather Scoffield of The Canadian Press, for the federal government's decision to eliminate the long-form census; Kevin Dougherty of The Gazette in Montreal for coverage of the Canadian government's cooperation with the United States to provide secure air travel; Jeff Outhit of the Waterloo Region Record for coverage of municipal politics.
• Short Features: Paul Benedetti of The Hamilton Spectator for a story of how his daughter learned to play Debussy's Clair de Lune as a Christmas present in memory of her grandmother she never knew; Ingrid Peritz, The Globe and Mail, for a story of a heart-shaped book created and signed in Auschwitz by 19 young women as a birthday gift to a fellow prisoner; Oakland Ross, Toronto Star, for piece on an endangered tree that is responsible for the best-quality bows for string instruments.
• Local Reporting: News team, Belleville Intelligencer, for coverage of the Russell Williams crime spree; Tara Jeffrey, Sarnia Observer, for stories about a local epidemic in youth suicide; Gillian Slade, Medicine Hat News, for the bureaucratic failure in awarding a private company millions of dollars from handling disaster relief claims from the 2010 floods; Derek Spalding, Nanaimo Daily News, for getting behind the secrecy over a deadly C-difficile outbreak at a local hospital.
• Presentation: Jason Chiu, The Globe and Mail; Catherine Farley, Toronto Star; Yanick Nolet, La Presse, Montreal.
• Special Project: The Calgary Herald for an expose of job-related deaths in boom-time Alberta; The Hamilton Spectator for a project on what it means to grow up poor in Hamilton; the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal a study of the 15 First Nations in New Brunswick; The Province in Vancouver for a stark snapshot of B.C's children and the physical and mental health issues they face.
• Sports Photography: Paul Chiasson, The Canadian Press, for a picture of Sidney Crosby after he scored the gold medal winning goal in overtime; David Cooper, Toronto Star, for a shot of a jubilant Japanese goaltender in a Paralympics sledge hockey game victory over Canada; Rick Madonik, Toronto Star, for a picture of two Canadian women hockey players lying on the ice and celebrating their gold medal win with a beer and champagne.
• Business: Brenda Bouw, Boyd Erman, Andy Hoffman, Jacquie McNish and Eric Reguly, The  Globe and Mail, for stories on BHP Billiton's bid for Potash Corp.; Tara Perkins and Grant Robertson, The Globe and Mail, for reportage on the effectiveness of the regulatory system to ensure life insurance money is paid out when people die; Jacquie McNish and Janet McFarland of The Globe and Mail for stories on women's battle for equity in the workplace; Tamsin McMahon of the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal for a story of a Florida criminal with extensive New Brunswick land connections.
• Columns: Rosie DiManno, Toronto Star; Peter McKnight, The Vancouver Sun; André Picard, The Globe and Mail.
• Investigations: David Bruser, Michele Henry and Andrew Bailey, Toronto Star, for a series of stories about police who break the law; Sandro Contenta, Jim Rankin and Antonia Zerbisias, Toronto Star, for a pre-trial study of Russell Williams and his escalating crimes from voyeurism to murder; André Noël, Michèle Ouimet and Francis Vailles, La Presse, for their reporting on the scandals surrounding the bankruptcy of the BCIA Security Agency in Montreal.
• Arts and Entertainment: Robert Cushman, National Post, for his coverage of live theatre; Marty Klinkenberg, New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal, for his piece on the creative life of Molly Lamb Bobak, the first Canadian woman artist to be sent overseas during World War II to record Canada's involvement; Lois Legge of the Halifax Chronicle-Herald for an entry that included a story on Billy Downey, an influential proponent of black music and culture in Halifax.
• Sports: Bruce Arthur, National Post, for a feature about Toronto Maple Leaf general manager Brian Burke as he experienced the pain of losing his gay son Brendan following a car accident; Ian Brown, The Globe and Mail, for a story of Frederic Bilodeau, the disabled brother of gold medalist Alexandre Bilodeau and their intense bond; the late Tony Proudfoot, a Montreal Alouette defensive back, who incurred Lou Gehrig's disease and wrote about his experiences for the Montreal Gazette in his dying days; Réjean Tremblay, La Presse, for a piece about Joannie Rochette's perseverance in winning a bronze in figure skating two days after her mother died of a heart attack.
• Feature Photography:  Darryl Dyck, The Canadian Press, for a photo of an Olympic torchbearer carrying the Olympic flame through heavy fog in White Rock, B.C.; André Pichette, La Presse, Montreal, for a picture of a cyclist enjoying the rain; Tim Smith, Brandon Sun, for a photo of children playing tag on a pyramid of straw bales.
• International Reporting: Raveena Aulakh, Toronto Star, for stories detailing the exodus to the West of hundreds of young men from Punjab villages; David Graham, Toronto Star, for stories on gay men clandestinely escaping Iran; Geoffrey York, The Globe and Mail, for stories revealing the human faces and complex causes of maternal deaths in the developing world.
• Editorials: Catherine Mitchell, Winnipeg Free Press; André Pratte, La Presse, Montreal; Paul Waters, The Gazette, Montreal.
• Editorial Cartooning: Serge Chapleau, La Presse Montreal; Brian Gable, The Globe and Mail; Terry Mosher (Aislin), The Gazette, Montreal.
• Long Features:  Sandro Contenta, Andrew Chung and Dale Anne Freed, Toronto Star, for a narrative on those who were on the last Air Canada flight to Haiti on one particular day after the earthquake struck; Melissa Martin, Winnipeg Free Press, for a feature on the disappearing language of the Métis people of Manitoba; Marion Scott, The Gazette in Montreal, for a first-anniversary story on the bullying endured by a young Quebecker who disappeared in February 2009 and has never been found.
• News Photography: Ian Martens, Lethbridge Herald, for a photo of a CF-18 fighter pilot ejecting from his doomed aircraft during a pre-airshow practice flight; Lucas Oleniuk, Toronto Star, for a photo of a knife-wielding man robbing a looter in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Viktor Pivovarov, Moncton Times & Transcript, for a photo of the RCMP chasing a knife-wielding man after an armed robbery and hostage-taking incident in Lakeville, N.B.
• Breaking News: Christie Blatchford, Greg McArthur, Steve Ladurantaye, Timothy Appleby, The Globe and Mail, for coverage of the Russell Williams case; Steven Edwards, Postmedia Network, for initial stories from the Haiti earthquake; Team, Toronto Star, for reporting on the G20 summit in Toronto.

NATIONAL NEWSPAPER AWARDS
CONCOURS CANADIEN DE JOURNALISME

FINALISTS/FINALISTES - 2010

Multimedia Feature/Reportage multimédia				Columns/Chronique
- The Canadian Press - The Globe and Mail - Toronto Star				- Rosie DiManno, Toronto Star - Peter McKnight, Vancouver Sun - André Picard, The Globe and Mail
News Feature Photography/Photographie de reportage d'actualité				Investigations/Grande enquête
- Mark Blinch, Reuters - Lucas Oleniuk, Toronto Star - Lucas Oleniuk, Toronto Star				- Sandro Contenta, Jim Rankin, Antonia Zerbisias, Toronto Star - David Bruser, Andrew Bailey, Michele Henry, Toronto Star - André Noël, Michèle Ouimet, Francis Vailles, La Presse
Beats/Journalisme specialisé				Arts and Entertainment/Culture
- Murray Brewster, The Canadian Press - Charlie Fidelman, The Gazette, Montreal - Sonja Puzic, Windsor Star - Mary Agnes Welch, Winnipeg Free Press				- Robert Cushman, National Post - Marty Klinkenberg, New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal - Lois Legge, Halifax Chronicle Herald
Explanatory work/Texte explicatif				Sports/Sport
- Peggy Curran, The Gazette, Montreal - Richard Johnson, National Post - Jennifer Yang, Toronto Star				- Bruce Arthur, National Post - Ian Brown, The Globe and Mail - Tony Proudfoot, The Gazette, Montreal - Réjean Tremblay, La Presse
Politics/Politique				Feature Photography/Photographie de reportage
- Bruce Cheadle, The Canadian Press - Jennifer Ditchburn, Heather Scoffield, The Canadian Press - Kevin Dougherty, The Gazette, Montreal - Jeff Outhit, Waterloo Region Record				- Darryl Dyck, The Canadian Press - André Pichette, La Presse - Tim Smith, Brandon Sun
Short Features/Reportage bref				International /Reportage à caractère international
- Paul Benedetti, The Hamilton Spectator - Ingrid Peritz, The Globe and Mail - Oakland Ross, Toronto Star				- Raveena Aulakh, Toronto Star - David Graham, Toronto Star - Geoffrey York, The Globe and Mail
Local Reporting/Reportage à caractère local				Editorials/Éditorial
- News team, Belleville Intelligencer - Tara Jeffrey, Sarnia Observer - Gillian Slade, Medicine Hat News - Derek Spalding, Nanaimo Daily News				- Catherine Mitchell, Winnipeg Free Press - André Pratte, La Presse - Paul Waters, The Gazette, Montreal
Presentation/Présentation				Editorial Cartooning/Caricature
- Jason Chiu, The Globe and Mail - Catherine Farley, Toronto Star - Yanick Nolet, La Presse				- Serge Chapleau, La Presse - Brian Gable, The Globe and Mail - Terry Mosher, The Gazette, Montreal
Special Project/Projet spécial				Long Features/Reportage élaboré
- Calgary Herald - The Hamilton Spectator - New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal - The Province, Vancouver				- Sandro Contenta, Andrew Chung, Dale Anne Freed, Toronto Star - Melissa Martin, Winnipeg Free Press - Marian Scott, The Gazette, Montreal
Sports Photography/Photographie de sport				News Photography/Photographie d'actualité
- Paul Chiasson, The Canadian Press - David Cooper, Toronto Star - Rick Madonik, Toronto Star				- Ian Martens, Lethbridge Herald - Lucas Oleniuk, Toronto Star - Viktor Pivovarov, Moncton Times & Transcript
Business/Économie				Breaking News/Nouvelle de dernière heure
- Brenda Bouw, Boyd Erman, Andy Hoffman, Jacquie McNish, Eric Reguly, The Globe and Mail - Tara Perkins, Grant Robertson, The Globe and Mail - Jacquie McNish, Janet McFarland, The Globe and Mail - Tamsin McMahon, New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal				- Christie Blatchford, Greg McArthur, Steve Ladurantaye, Timothy Appleby, The Globe and Mail - Steven Edwards, Postmedia News - Toronto Star team

 

For further information:

Bryan Cantley, Secretary, National Newspaper Awards at 416-575-5377