Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Richmond Magazine Entry Title: The Way of the Future Entry Credit: Eileen Mellon Judge Comment: This story not only identified problems but offered perspectives on solutions. Combining local narratives with national trends and data made this a win. Plus, complex processes were explained in a way that was easy to understand and visualize, specifically the section about growing lettuce. The tone was spot-on ... clear that the writer had a deep understanding of the topic but also written with enough personality to pull me through. This story was informative but also could inspire action and change.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Virginia Business Magazine Entry Title: W23 Virginia Business - Nov 2022 econ dev Entry Credit: Katherine Schulte Judge Comment: This story does a great job of acknowledging a win for Virginia manufacturing but putting it in a regional perspective. And rather than just focusing on what Virginia lacks, the story offers reasons for “why” and solutions in the form of examining how other states have been successful. Local news too often ignores what's happening outside its coverage area, even if what's happening elsewhere can help tell a more relevant story to readers. This story balances data, local sources, anecdotes and expert voices to tell a full story that pushes this business storyline forward and opens the door for, hopefully, more informative folos to come.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Inside Business Entry Title: Child care crisis hits Hampton Roads Entry Credit: Sandra Pennecke Judge Comment: This story did a great job of localizing national trends from a variety of angles that are relevant to readers, from workforce retention to childcare. This piece thoughtfully used data intertwined with narrative writing to keep numbers and stats from being overwhelming. The story didn't offer many solutions to the problem or examples of how it’s being addressed elsewhere, but it highlighted people working on the problem. Well-sourced, well-written, well-done.
Place Name: Alternate Winner Contestant Name: Richmond Magazine Entry Title: Retail Returns Entry Credit: D. Hunter Reardon Judge Comment: Great job finding a narrative lede to set up a story that did a great job of putting this issue into perspective. Balancing local anecdotes with national trends and data - and a smart selection of sources - helped elevate this story from what could have been a business feature to a trend story that looks ahead at what could be coming and how we got here.
