Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: The Washington Times Entry Title: Snyder Sports Columns – Harper's excellent adventure; Sports has no room for hate; Trade request objections show fans' selfishness Entry Credit: Deron Snyder Judge Comment: Classic professional sports city columnist with a strong voice on big, hot-button issues. Snyder manages to make his points creatively and without feeling forced. When many columnists can seem like they're shouting, Snyder's voice reads measured while still having bite.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: The Virginian-Pilot Entry Title: 2019 body of work Entry Credit: David Teel Judge Comment: This was a close call. I really enjoyed the range of these columns, each illustrating Teel's skill set. He offered great historical perspective to Virginia's tense run to the NCAA men's basketball title. He made me feel like I know UVa. football coach Bronco Menndenhall and his father. And he artfully romanticized the tender link between childhood and baseball without coming off sappy. Well done on all counts.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Richmond Times-Dispatch Entry Title: Paul Woody Entry Credit: Paul Woody Judge Comment: Great example of a local columnist taking on local issues. In these submissions Woody provides a commanding voice while coming to the defense of the University of Richmond's basketball coach and taking a a local school corporation to task for a hiring decision. His column on the final moments of UVa.'s NCAA men's basketball championship game victory was pretty good too.
