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05/28/2021 12:00 AMIt was quite year to be a journalist—2020 brought storms, social unrest, and highly contested elections, all under the looming presence of a pandemic that took the lives of too many neighbors and dramatically changed how local businesses and governments worked. The Zip06 team of journalists stepped up to the task of telling these critically important stories, and that effort has been rewarded.
On May 27, the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists announced the winners of its 2020 Excellence in Journalism contest, granting your paper’s journalists 10 first-place honors in the hyperlocal category, along with four second-place wins and a third place award.
This was a year when we were reminded of the importance of local journalism, the forging and enriching of the local connections that made a critical difference to our readers as we came together as a community to navigate a treacherous time. These awards single out some of the best work we did as a team, but only hint at the depth of commitment and talent that starts with our reporters and photographers and extends through our production crew, sales team, and support staff—these awards for excellence reflect the entire team’s efforts.
Please join me in congratulating the following winners:
Chief of Photography Kelley Fryer dominated the hyperlocal category, taking three first-place awards: News Photo “United We Stand,” Feature Photo “Air Hugs,” and Sports Photo “The Winner.”
Living Editor Pem McNerney took two first place awards: In Arts & Entertainment for “Here’s What Can Happen When You Disregard Normal” and in Leisure for “It Was Precedented.” McNerney also won a second place in Government Reporting for “Local, State Officials “Stepping Up to Meet Election Day Challenges.”
Staff Writer Jesse Williams collaborated with McNerney on “Youth-led BLM Rally Brings Madison into National Conversation,” which won second place in Diversity Coverage.
Senior Staff Writer Pam Johnson was recognized with first-place awards in Religion reporting with “A Millennial Minister: Rev. Jake Miles Joseph” and for headline writing (here, here, and here). She also took second place in her Reporting Series on Students Seeking and Creating Social Justice (here, here, and here).
Associate Editor Maria Caulfield's profile “Dr. Wayne Panullo: A Fight Against Cancer” gained first place in the Health category.
Guest columnists Dylan Richmond and Ethan Richmond of Madison won first place for their General Column “‘So Now We Move. And Now We Change. And Now We March.’”
Juliana Gribbins was the first-place winner for Humorous Column with “Dancing in the Dark.”
Staff Writer Eric O’Connell’s piece “Spike or Trend? Younger Voters Step Up in Clinton” took second place in Local Reporting.
Sports Writer Dean Bibens took home a second-place award in Sports News for “Guilford Girls’ Hockey Claims First SCC Title.”
Sports Editor Chris Piccirillo, with contributions from Assistant Sports Editor Chris Negrini, Sports Writer Dan Fappiano, and Bibens, were awarded third place in Sports News for CIAC Cancels State Tournaments in Wake of Coronavirus Outbreak.”